Videos
The work, on camera
Everything here is filmed on my own cars and posted on Instagram at @hexandboost. Each clip has a short note on what it shows.
Turbo Civic on the factory ECU7 videos
First pull at 13.5 psi
The first full-throttle pull at the 13.5 psi target, with boost, mixture and gearshift cuts shown from the log. Not a clean one, and the caption says so.
Watch on Instagram →Why protection comes first
The story of the engine this car lost early on to runaway boost, and the protections it runs today because of it.
Watch on Instagram →ECON button controls boost
Honda's ECON button switching between boost levels, plus a hidden EXTREME mode on the cruise stalk.
Watch on Instagram →The pedal as a torque request
The factory ECU treating the pedal as a request and deciding how to deliver it.
Watch on Instagram →Boost control, build by build
How boost control on this car went from a first working version to holding its target, shown in logs.
Watch on Instagram →Boost rising with engine speed
An early test of boost control authority, with boost cut during gearshifts.
Watch on Instagram →A quick update
A short progress update on the turbo Civic.
Watch on Instagram →Self-learning4 videos
Self-learning ignition
Ignition timing that learns per cylinder inside the factory ECU, with Honda's own knock control still running underneath as the safety layer.
Watch on Instagram →Self-learning ignition and fuel tables
The ECU correcting its own maps while the car is driven, and why the limits and fail-safes were built first.
Watch on Instagram →One cylinder was doing 45% of the knocking
Per-cylinder fuel trims brought one cylinder level with the other three, and idle smoothed out from ±15 to ±9 rpm.
Watch on Instagram →Per-cylinder fuel offsets
Balancing the four cylinders against each other.
Watch on Instagram →Electronic wastegate1 video
Wastegate authority and shift quality
Logs showing the electronic wastegate holding boost and the 5-speed automatic shifting cleanly under it.
Watch on Instagram →Fault codes on the dash2 videos
Fault codes on the factory display
Stored codes shown on the car's own screen, scrolled with RES and SET and cleared with three taps on MAIN. No scanner, no laptop.
Watch on Instagram →This tach is reading a fault code
The first version: the tachometer needle points at each digit of the stored code, and a scan tool confirms the same codes.
Watch on Instagram →Paddle shifting and shift cut5 videos
7-speed manual shift on a Civic X CVT
A 1.8 Civic X CVT stepping through seven fixed ratios in S, shifted by hand whenever the driver wants. No hardware changes.
Watch on Instagram →Paddle shift on a 2012 Civic, no added hardware
The cruise stalk shifting the 5-speed automatic up and down.
Watch on Instagram →Shift cut switchable from the wheel
Two shift-cut modes chosen from the steering wheel, with the cruise light showing which one is active and the log overlaid.
Watch on Instagram →Torque reduction during shifts
Cutting torque during a boosted gearchange so the gearbox sees less load while the shift stays fast.
Watch on Instagram →Paddle shift through all gears
The stalk paddle shift working across every gear.
Watch on Instagram →Have a car the usual tools cannot touch?
Tell me the car, the engine, the gearbox and what you want it to do. I reply to every serious enquiry.