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Cobb AP question

4K views 21 replies 6 participants last post by  psinuse 
#1 ·
Hey guy, real quick question. What is the difference between a Reflash and Realtime?
 
#2 ·
Do you mean realtime mapswitching? If so when the car is "Reflashed" the ECU's factory software is overwritten with aftermarket software by a third party hardware device (In your case COBB AP). The Realtime map switching refers to the AP's ability to change that software while on the fly. Hopefully that will help, I tried to break it down as much as possible.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Reflash is when you change the parameters in the ECU, realtime is what allows you to make changes to the ECU to see what effects it has on the engine before you reflash it...

...That's not entirely true, the base map has parameters that the real time map doesn't have. Basically if you reflash with a stg. 1 map, and then load in a real time stg. 2 map the car will revert to the stg. 1 map for certain parameters. It is also a good idea to load in a lower octane map than what you use as a safety precaution.

Thanks, man. I'm also learning the basics of realtime vs. reflash.

I'm sorry if I got ahead of myself. Right now I'm running a Stage 2 reflash because I have a TBE, and I can't hit target boost, so I'm running a HWG map in realtime to see if it helps. So far, my car is hitting 15 psi, where it would only go to 13 psi before I uploaded the HWG map. If I can get it to 16.7 psi (target boost), then I will run the map as a reflash. If not, I will reset the ECU and try a mechanical fix.

vtwrx227, I hope this helps you, too.
 
#8 ·
Alright so i understand reflash and thats what i have been using,, but the user guide really does not explain the real time mode enough for me. If I press real time instead of reflash what would happen and what would I use it for. Sorry but I cant find anything that really explains it and i never pressed real time because i was always unsure of the use. Thanks
 
#10 ·
wrXmon said:
Think of it this way:

Realtime - temporary
Reflash AKA basemap - permanent

They both have the same parameters.
That's not entirely true, the base map has parameters that the real time map doesn't have. Basically if you reflash with a stg. 1 map, and then load in a real time stg. 2 map the car will revert to the stg. 1 map for certain parameters. It is also a good idea to load in a lower octane map than what you use as a safety precaution. !Thumbs Up
 
#11 ·
Yup.And once the battery is disonnected any realtime or RAM data is dumped.The flashed base map (ROM) will still be in effect,but the realtime map will have to be reloaded.Some Protuners do their tuning in the realtime time.Also generally you want the basemap to be pretty close to the realtime map.If you run stage2,don't run the stage1 base and stage 2 realtime.Or vise versa.Map switching comes in handy when you run a stage 2 93 octane base and have a realtime stage 2 93 octane,stage 2 economy and stage 2 100 octane race map.
 
#14 ·
Read psinuse's last post.Stage 2 is requires a TBE.Why would you not reflash the base to stage 2?You can't just go back and forth between stages.The difference between stage 1 and stage 2 is higher boost and new wastegate duty cycle parameters due to the free flowing exhaust.Per Cobb's map notes:



Here is a list of tables (parameters) that may change when you select a Realtime
calibration with your AccessPORT:
Boost Targets
Turbo Dynamics (i.e.: turbo "gain")
Wastegate Duty Cycles
Fuel Injector Parameters (size and latency)
Intake Calibration (MAF Sensor)
Primary Fuel
Primary Ignition
Rev Limits
Defeated CELs and Closed Loop tables are not changed with Realtime map switching.
This is why we highly recommend you running the Stage Base calibration that best
matches your car's modification. Running the Stock Mode Base calibration with a
Stage2 Realtime calibration over it will get you some of the improvements but no
where NEAR what you would get if you were to run the proper Stage Base calibration.
Again, you should have no reason why you will want to run the Stock Base calibration,
unless of course you're the type that doesn't like extracting the full potential of
your vehicle.
Additional Notes:
 
#16 ·
Yes, if you have the TBE or at least a DP then you can reflash stg.2 base map and be done with it. Realtime maps allow changes of certain parameters without reflashing the ECU everytime to change a map. Say you are wanting to switch from a stg.2 to a economy map, then all you have to do is load in the eco map as a real time map and it will overlay the stg.2 until you reset the ECU, then the eco map is gone and your back at stg.2 without reflashing the ECU. This is designed mainly as a way of keeping the reflashing to a minimum due to the limits of the ROM memory in the ECU. Hope that clears it up a bit.
 
#22 ·
I just now realized I typed something in wrong there, I put a stg1 base map and a stg.2 realtime..huh wonder how I didn't notice I did that? Well I hope you guys understand this a little better than before...lol!Thumbs Up
 
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