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The Un-official TFi and PCIII FAQ (It's up now...)

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scottymac:
Seems to be a hot topic around here and other boards, so I offer this unofficial FAQ regarding the PCIII and the TFi boxes. I base this on my first-hand experiences with these products, research I've done on my own, and information from both manufacturers. I don't put this out there as the be-all-end-all final word on EFI tuning products, but I think it contains some good information.

If you see anything factually incorrect or have additional questions, please feel to post here in this thread so we can talk it about further and amend the FAQ as needed.


Q. I keep hearing about the "Power Commander" and the "TFI". What are they?

A. Both products are electronic modules that interface with your bike's fuel injection system and allow you to modify the amount of fuel the engine receives. You can think of them as "jet kits" for your electronically fuel injected bike, although that is a very simplistic analogy.

The Power Commander is manufactured by Dynojet. The Techlusion TFI is manufactured by Dobeck Performance under the Techlusion Inc. name.

Q. What do they do?

A. The primary function of both products is to create a near-ideal balance between the amount of air and the amount of fuel the bike's engine takes in at any given time. Optimizing this ratio of fuel to air allows your bike to achieve increased power and torque,
better throttle response, and smoother running.

When measuring performance increases, it is very important to remember that there is much more to it than a simple evaluation of dyno chart peak numbers. Very few street riders spend much time at wide open throttle, so where these two products really yield the most gains is in part-throttle situations.

'Part-throttle situation' describes anything less than holding the throttle wide open to the stop. It is key to realize that different throttle positions receive different amounts of fuel, it is not necessarily a completely linear increase in the amount of fuel that the engine receives as the throttle is rolled open or closed at any given rpm. (The amount of variables is pretty large. Think of how many different positions your throttle could be in and multiply that by the segments of rpms on your tachometer. That gives you an idea of the scope of what these products aim to control.)

Part throttle is also where the manufacturers typically lean (less fuel) the engines out the most for emissions concerns. Such emission standards tests are done in such a way that measures emissions with the bike in 'normal' operating condition, not at wide open throttle.

Many carbureted bikes demonstrate this factory-lean tendency by having a 'lean surge', where the engine surges when holding the throttle partially open and steady. Fuel injected bikes sometimes manifest this lean condition by feeling "snatchy" or "jerky" as the throttle is opened from one throttle position to another. This is because the transition between the pre-programmed fuel values between different throttle positions is usually not as smooth as it could be as the engine sees a quick change from a lean to a more rich condition and vice-versa.

Q. That sounds complex. I just want more power! Will these give me more power?

A. Optimizing the air/fuel ratio at all possible throttle positions has a few major side effects; typically more power, smoother running, and better throttle response. However, it is possible that even after the installation of either of these products, a dyno run would see only a small increase in peak numbers or no increase at all. Why? The factory fuel map is likely pretty capable of delivering sufficient fuel at wide open throttle, which is the condition under which a dyno run is carried out. However, if you ignore the peaks and examine the curves themselves, you'd see appreciable gains. Gains that you'll feel in your day to day riding scenarios.

In addition to improving your stock bike, either of these products can be set up to work with other modifications, such as aftermarket air filters or exhaust systems. These types of mods are extremely common and more often than not only reach their true performance-enhancing potential when the engine's fueling is matched to the greater air flow of an aftermarket air filter, or the increased exhaust flow and better cyclinder scavenging ability of a performance exhaust system.

Q. Are they hard to install?

A. That's largely dependent on your individual skills. If you are more comfortable having a dealership do all your service work, then best leave it to a dealer. If you shudder at the thought of anyone else working on your bike, you'll have no problem. If you're somewhere in the middle and think you'd like to do it yourself, both products come with relatively good instructions that- if followed to the letter- will get the job done without much pain. Both companies actively support their products and will help you out should you need it.

Q. Will they void my warranty?

A. Heh. There's no real reason they should, but dealerships have been known to blame any problems they can on any modifications performed by a customer. Yet, they surely would be be glad to sell you one themselves and take your money to install it. Best check with your dealer if you're truly concerned.

Q. What are the differences between the PCIII and the TFI?

A. Besides cost, the major difference lies in complexity and range of potential adjustment.

Dynojet has put out an extremely robust and feature-rich module in the PCIII. It features OEM style connectors, the unit can be adjusted either via a USB cable to a computer and a slick graphical user interface (GUI) or directly on the unit itself, allows creation of a completely custom map, adjustment down to a very fine level, and is overall a very complete and impressive offering. In addition, their website offers free map downloads pre-tested by Dynojet for specific models and states of modification, as well as maps submitted by users that have had their own maps developed for their specific bikes and states of tune.

The Techclusion TFI takes a simpler, more direct approach. Their module is also well made, but makes use of the bike's existing injector pulse signal wires to influence the engine's fueling. As such, there is no "map creation' per se. The physically smaller TFI installs with less intrusion into the often precious little space in a bike's tail. It makes use of four adjustable potentiometers- representative of specific rpm ranges- to allow the user to alter the fueling, much like how a jet kit provides different sized jets for different carburetor circuits. The TFI requires the use of scotch-lok electrical connectors that pierce the OEM injector wires to tap into them. Settings for the TFI's four pots are provided by Techlusion on their website and via their support staff e-mail and user forums.

Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?

A. The answers to this can depend largely on your personal perspective.

-The PCIII offers a dizzying depth of adjustment potential, but this can be intimidating for some users. In addition, to get your personal bike as close to absolutely optimized as possible, a trip to a PC tuning center would be ideal and somewhat costly, but not required if you can download a map that suits your particular bike. On the other hand, for those that enjoy the tuning potential, this could also be a positive.

-The PCIII allows for "global" adjustments to the fueling on the road via the module's faceplate buttons in addition to the more detailed computer-based interface.

-The PCIII may be harder to install on some models.

-The PCIII uses OEM style connectors so no wire-tapping is required. (Note that TFI is featuring the availability of OEM style harness connectors now on some models...)

-The TFI is less expensive and more simple to set-up initially.

-A PCIII can be used to add AND subtract fuel, the TFI can only add fuel since it interfaces directly with the stock injector pulse wires, as opposed to overlaying an entirely new map with specific fuel table values. (Most of the time, the addition of fuel is what matters most anyway.)

-Both can be removed from the bike without permanently affecting the OEM fuel map.

-The TFI acts upon only the exisiting stock fuel map in an external manner, where the PCIII actually alters the specific fuel values through the use of an entirely new map.

Q. Ok, so which one should I buy?

A. The bottom line is that either will fill the basic need of simply improving the fueling to support the other mods on the bike, and will also improve the fueling on a bone stock bike. They just go about it in a different way.

The entire philosophy of the TFi is to fill the basic need for a "jet kit for EFI" so to speak so if this is all you really care about or want, and the price is appealing to you, the choice is obvious. That's TFi's main selling point, it offers the solution to the need at a basic level and that's it. If the TFi did all of the things a PCIII is capable of, the two units would cost exactly the same. But some people don't want all of that or will never use it, and Techlusion has correctly realized this. Just be sure you're comfortable using the scotch-lok style connectors (IMHO, not a big deal) or ask if OEM connectors are available for the Z.

If however, you want the ability to drill down your air/fuel ratio to the nth degree and want to be able to interact with your fuel map real-time, the PCIII is the way to go. You'll also be able to take it to an authorized PC tuning center and have a completely custom, nearly ideal map just for your bike, and you'll never wonder how good your fuel map is, as it will be dialed in for your set-up.

Ultimately, both are good products worth their respective asking prices and can be found discounted around the web. Both are reliable and should provide years of service and are supported actively by both companies. So long as you can evaluate what you want and expect out of one of these modules, you'll be happy with either.

More info can be found at:

http://www.dobeckperformance.com/

and

http://www.powercommander.com/

kawasaki maximus:
Awesome, thanks for taking the time. Wonderfully done!
It make me want to go out and get one!

sun&Z's:
Great post!  Thank you!  Now, I just need to research the best price.

david158667:
Great job and very informative.....thanks.

I'm going forward and purchasing (from Kawasaki Superstore.com) the PCIII and the Akrapovice Full Supersport Exhaust system.  I could not find the map for this on PC.  Would anyone have a map for it.
I installed the K&N airfilter and did the cut job to the air box cap; I'm going to install the Akrapovic Exhaust and a PCII so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  That all the mods I've done so far but I'm looking for the right map (never done this before...just incase you didn't notice) when I install the PCIII.

Any help would be great.
Thanks, David

mashean:

--- Quote from: "david158667" ---
Great job and very informative.....thanks.

I'm going forward and purchasing (from Kawasaki Superstore.com) the PCIII and the Akrapovice Full Supersport Exhaust system.  I could not find the map for this on PC.  Would anyone have a map for it.
I installed the K&N airfilter and did the cut job to the air box cap; I'm going to install the Akrapovic Exhaust and a PCII so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  That all the mods I've done so far but I'm looking for the right map (never done this before...just incase you didn't notice) when I install the PCIII.

Any help would be great.
Thanks, David
--- End quote ---



Try the UK dynojet site <-- click (you might have to click PC Maps and put in the bike information "z750 04-05")

Wonder if the "European Model, Akrapovic 4-2-1 full race exhaust, Stock or aftermarket air filter and Micron Germany air-box kit" is what you're looking for?

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