[tacitblue]

Why not? Is there something different in our engine bay?

I don't think there is anything mechanical that would prevent it. The way it was described to me by HPD, American Honda contracted HPD to do this as soon as it became clear that Honda corporate (global) refused to make an Si version of our car for the US market. So it is strictly a North American program, not necessarily frowned upon by Honda global, but not promoted by it either.

So, ultimately the barrier for those outside the US/Canada is the ECU reflash. Since American Honda only sells in these markets, HPD has only produced a ECU calibration for these regions.

 

[tacitblue]

Boost in DashCommand!

Huh. Interesting. There may be a coding/calc issue in the skin as well (ie won't allow positive values) I'll look into it, but without forced induction (yet) I can't test it out. Lol.

Ok, I'm now registering boost in DashCommand. My fault it wasn't working, I broke it when I was modifying the Tuxedo config. I have no idea if it is accurate, and its really hard to watch the gauge while blasting around under hard acceleration, but it definitely goes positive. So that's good, but now I just need to figure out how accurate it really is...

 

[KennyX]

Is there a particular reason why I can't tune this kit myself with a Flash Pro?

 

[tacitblue]

Is there a particular reason why I can't tune this kit myself with a Flash Pro?

I'm no expert, but I don't see why not. Of course, you might have a problem getting it shipped outside North America.

Actually, I think ITEM9 suggested that the Jackson Racing tune might work with the HPD kit...

 

[KennyX]

Well I know that this HPD kit is based on the JR one. The only obstacle for us EUDM people is shipping (bc I think that College Hills won't ship outside US), but there are many forwarding services. But I'm not interested in going sc, when the time comes I'd prefer an NA K20Z4 swap

 

[tacitblue]

DashCommand Dashboard

I think I have DashCommand working pretty well now, with the boost gauge in particular now working to my liking (this dash is a mod of the standard "Tuxedo" config). I've also done some other minor gauge changes to better suit the CR-Z with the SC, so I figured I'd post my settings and a link to my dash file in case someone else would like to use it with their supercharger install.

Here's the main dash screen:

Here's the dashboard download link:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/76624658/HPD_CRZ.dxls


Below are the 3 settings that I had to spend some time figuring out since the defaults did not work and they fundamentally affect the calibration of the gauges. After some experimentation these seem to be pretty close.

Brake Specific Fuel Consumption : 0.5
Volumetric Efficiency : 130
MAF PID : SAE.MAF

By default the MAF PID (and MAP PID) are blank in the settings menu. DashCommand should automatically pick the "best" way to get the MAF value (which would be the actual SAE.MAF PID which is available in our cars), but it actually seemed to be using the CALC.MAF value instead. This setting should force it to use the real SAE value.
(Update: This doesn't actually seem to make a difference. Turns out we have a MAP sensor, so Dashcommand uses this directly for the boost calc.).

The VE value is a bit of a guess based on some educated assumptions. Basically, after some reading, I think the NA LEA1 engine should be around 80-90% VE. Using the SC'd engine's rated HP and boost numbers as proportionality coefficients yields an estimated (peak) VE around 130%. This may need some more tweaking, but it looks pretty good so far based on how the boost gauge is reading.

The BSFC is set to a value equating to a fairly fuel efficient forced-induction motor, which seems again to be pretty accurate. In all, if you set this up on your car definitely read up on how these are used and take some time to experiment - you could probably do a bit better if you refine these starting values depending on the specifics of your car.

 

[tacitblue]

Holy cow #003 exists!!!

I just found out someone else on this forum has the HPD SC kit installed!!!

I won't say who it is - I don't want to spoil it for him in case he wants to introduce himself, but I'm VERY excited to have someone to compare notes with!

I also don't know if this means it's generally available or his is another odd and mysterious story of procurement....

<sniff> ...i'm so happy.... i'm no longer all alone.. <sniff>

:spinning:

 

[Lytsu]

That is great news, hopefully we get more information and insight, thanks TactiBlue.

 

[tacitblue]

Some new info

So I'm not sure that the owner of #003 is "forum inclined", so I'll post a bit of info that could be of relevance to those of you waiting on the SC kit, but I'll still try not to spoil it for him in case he does want to tell his story in a build thread or something.

It seems to me that the SC kit MAY be available for purchase again (though CHH still shows it as unavailable). I say this for 2 reasons (1) #003 was purchased and installed in November and (2) another Honda parts website no longer shows the SC status as backordered - it looks like you can add it to your cart and check out.

This particular car sounds like it was fully outfitted from the dealership with ALL the HPD goodies - a full boat HPD CR-Z. Even the HPD clutch is in this car, which has been listed as backordered forever as far as I could tell, so I had given up on it as being unobtainable in the near term. Seems this is not necessarily the case IF you have your dealership do the purchasing. Maybe.

So, for those of you waiting, perhaps a call to your local dealership might now get you somewhere...

 

[tacitblue]

Max boost psi

Bounced off the rev limiter today, first time since the SC install. I realized afterward that this gave me an unintentional snapshot of the maximum boost delivered by the HPD setup on my boost gauge peak memory, which is cool since I don't remember it being published anywhere. The verdict: 8.5 psi.

 

[FromHonda2Honda]

I have an HPD license plate frame that I can sell you. I picked it up when I toured HPD for a private event a few years ago and it's not made any more.

 

[PearlWhiteCRZ]

Since the kit *should* be coming available for purchase soon, I figure I should post some of the things I learned during my install, just in case it could help someone else doing their own installation.

Disclaimer - use these at your own risk. These are just my opinion and when in doubt you should follow the HPD SC install doc, not some random guy on the internet (me) :iough:

I suggest you don't need to remove the windshield cowl cover (step 9 in the install doc). Leaving it in place only slightly complicated the removal of 2 throttle body bolts (you'll do it by feel working around the back side of the manifold) and the T-fitting splice into the brake boost line (they'll be a little less room to do it). Overall I think I spent an extra 5 minutes effort but saved an hour and a lot of disassembly work by not pulling the cowl.

Removing the hood latch lever made removing the bumper center upper beam much easier (step 5.8). In fact, I don't know how you can get it out with the hood latch in place.

The installation document does not call out any of the fastener sizes, leaving you guessing what bolt goes where. It's not hard to figure out, but be prepared to empty all the unmarked contents out of all the bags and spend some time sorting out which bolt or spacer goes with what. This is the only real shortcoming I found with the installation instructions, and it may be fixed/improved by the time they release the kit again.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, bend the horn away from the mounting point on the intercooler outlet pipe bracket to avoid any contact with the body that might cause a buzz.

I felt the secondary PCV tube should be extended even though the install doc simply has you splice the new valve into the existing hose (step 12.3). Seemed to me that the bend was too tight and risked a kink, so I bought a short piece of hose and extended it for a more gradual bend.

Removing the drive pulley bolt was by far the most physically difficult step. It's torqued crazy tight. We spent a couple hours on it, alternating between breaker bars, impact guns, and various handle extensions and pulling positions. In the end the winning technique was to brace the drive pulley holder against the bottom of the front bumper, sit under the passenger side wheel facing backwards and put your feet against the suspension arm, then use the THICKEST breaker bar you can find (along with a length of pipe to extend the handle for more torque), and pull with all you have. Turns out the key was the thick breaker bar, I had two and the thinner one was flexing rather than breaking the pulley bolt free. As soon as I put on the thicker bar the flexing stopped and the bolt broke free (with a terrifying screech, by the way). Tightening it back is not a problem.

I needed to bend the high voltage cable for the IMA motor up a bit to make room for the traction fluid tank (along with moving/bending various other stuff as instructed in the SC install doc). Not a big deal but don't be afraid to bend stuff around. You'll need to make room in the engine bay at various points quite a bit.

When doing the priming procedure for the SC, I found it much easier to fill the reservoir almost to the top rather than only to the upper fill level mark on the dip stick as the instructions dictate. Since the fluid needs to fill all the lines, the oil cooler and the SC itself, filling the tank all the way gave me just about exactly the right amount to prime the whole system without running the reservoir empty. You still need to watch the fluid level to ensure you don't run dry, but with the tank filled up you'll probably only need to add about an inch or two near the end as the prime circulation completes.

This is related to the HPD exhaust rather than the SC, but I'll include it since I think most will do both together. The rubber hanger mounts were very tough to remove until I figured out this trick - grease. Seems obvious now, but at the time I was struggling to muscle off the exhaust from the hang points. The rubber is almost impossible to slide off the rod mounts, especially tough to get it over the little mushroom end that's designed to keep it from sliding off. I had a little tube of o-ring grease laying around that had a very small tip. I shoved the tip in between the rubber and metal round that it was hanging from, worked some grease around in there, and after that I could literally slide the rubber hangers off with my pinky finger. No effort at all.

If I remember anything else that was significant I'll edit this post...

I've been following your thread closely for quite some time now. I'm planning to order the HPD SC in the spring. Since my car is still under full factory warranty, I have to have it installed at a Honda dealership. Having said that, I don't know how much I can trust the monkeys at the dealership. I almost want to be there when they actually do the job. I've befriended someone at my local dealership who is one of the mechanics there. After reading all the nuances that must be done, I'm wondering if my dealership will follow these steps too? I'd imagine that I shouldn't have ANY problems with this SC if installed at the dealer. I just hope they do it right.

 

[tacitblue]

I have an HPD license plate frame that I can sell you. I picked it up when I toured HPD for a private event a few years ago and it's not made any more.

Thanks for the offer, but I already think I may have too many HPD logos stuck to my car!

 

[tacitblue]

I've been following your thread closely for quite some time now. I'm planning to order the HPD SC in the spring. Since my car is still under full factory warranty, I have to have it installed at a Honda dealership. Having said that, I don't know how much I can trust the monkeys at the dealership. I almost want to be there when they actually do the job. I've befriended someone at my local dealership who is one of the mechanics there. After reading all the nuances that must be done, I'm wondering if my dealership will follow these steps too? I'd imagine that I shouldn't have ANY problems with this SC if installed at the dealer. I just hope they do it right.

There's nothing I did that a "real" mechanic wouldn't do either naturally or out of necessity,so I wouldn't worry. I will say that, besides the expense, I chose to do it myself because I KNEW I'd do a 100% careful job, and I like the feeling of knowing it was done absolutely right, even if it took a full week. But that's because I knew I have those skills - if I didn't, I'd be ok with a dealer install, as long as I spoke to them first and they convinced me of their competence.

 

[tacitblue]

CARB cert

Mildly interesting:
http://arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermkt/devices/eo/D-728.pdf

 

[godofcookery]

How are you liking the CR-Z now after a few months w/ the kit?

 

[tacitblue]

How are you liking the CR-Z now after a few months w/ the kit?

I love it.

Many reasons, but here's an example: stand on the gas in 3rd gear long enough and I'll actually get a little stab of fear at the relentless acceleration building on top of the ever increasing power howling towards redline. That, or the violent, thrashing wheel spin over choppy tarmac in lower gears. Now if that's not a reason to love your little hybrid econo car, then I don't know what is.

I have concluded that I REALLY need stickier compound tires to be able to make full use of the car's capabilities now. With the acceleration potential and tendency to build velocity so quickly, it's something that should be factored into the upgrade right away. The stock tires are frankly a bit dangerous with this thing.

 

[tacitblue]

Clutch upgrade

I got this info from HPD a while back regarding the need to upgrade the clutch to their 'sport' version with the SC installed. It sounds like the stock clutch is fine unless you install a LSD along with wider/stickier tires. I believe the reason is that, with the stock open diff and tires, the weak link will be the one driven wheel, meaning that one tire will break traction and unload the drivetrain before stresses get too high for the clutch (believe me, turn off traction control and you get wheel spin all the time with the SC and stock tires). Adding a limited slip diff would have both tire contact patches now engaged, making wheel spin less likely - then add to that a stickier compound tire and now a whole lot more torque is going to make it to the ground (a very good thing, of course!). It sounds like in that case the stock clutch will be over it's head in terms of holding capacity, and then you'll have slipping - and eventual destruction - of the clutch.

At this point my plans only include a tire upgrade (possibly with wider/larger rims), so this should leave my stock clutch in one piece. I hope. :mellow:

 

[tacitblue]

Honda has published an updated installation document for the SC kit: Link

I took a quick look through it to see if there are any changes that I should be concerned with (there are none), but I did notice a couple interesting things. They now include the HPD shipping address to get your ECU reflashed, and they've gone to a lower-profile secondary PCV valve. I had mentioned somewhere that I thought the valve in my kit was a bit too long and risked kinking the vent hose - maybe i'll take credit for that one! :rotfl:

 

[Sonic Motor]

Great read, Tactic. It's nice to see that this kit is genuinely one of the best (what do you expect when your cars own maker is producing a product for it.), thank you for such a detailed explanation from the start of this.