What is VCM Suite?

Typical late model vehicles use computers to control all aspects of engine operation (and in many cases, transmission operation). For such vehicles, VCM Suite is a comprehensive tuning tool that allows performance tuning and diagnostics, whether you want to increase the fuel economy of your daily driver or maximize your performance on the race track.

The suite has two components:

￭ VCM Editor allows users to adjust many of the parameters that control the operation of the engine and transmission.
￭ VCM Scanner allows users to monitor, log, and review key data that provides insight into the effectiveness of the vehicle's current tune. With such insight, a skilled tuner can return to VCM Editor and further refine the tune.

VCM Editor

VCM Editor allows the user to adjust a broad variety of engine and transmission parameters. Those familiar with any form of engine and transmission tuning will already understand the relevance of parameters such as:

￭ Ignition timing
￭ Fuel curve (Air Fuel Ratio)
￭ Fuel Injector sizes
￭ Mass Airflow sensor (MAF)
￭ Volumetric Efficiency
￭ Idle control
￭ Automatic transmission shift speeds
￭ Automatic transmission shift pressures

However, the modern vehicle controller also includes various protection mechanisms designed to prevent abuse and premature component failure. These items are of little value in a racing application and some folks are quite surprised to find out they even exist. Some examples are:

￭ RPM limiters
￭ Speed limiters
￭ Torque reduction during transmission shifts
￭ Various engine and transmission abuse modes
￭ Electronic throttle (fly by wire) torque management
￭ Over boost protection
￭ Fuel octane learning
￭ Various transmission torque limits

In addition, VCM Editor does not overlook the simple (and often forgotten) things such as changing cooling fan operation, recalibration of speedometer for final drive ratio changes, and disabling of anti-theft systems for retro installs.

VCM Scanner

Knowing what to change is only half the story. Being able to accurately and conveniently record key data that reflects the current tune is paramount to any tuner's ability to extract that extra bit of performance.

VCM Scanner's comprehensive scanning capabilities allow you to record important parameters while the engine is running. Data, such as RPM, spark advance, inlet air temperature, and coolant temperatures can be logged, saved and reviewed to determine how well the current tune is functioning.

However, VCM Scanner is not limited to data that can be collected through the vehicle's diagnostic port. When used with an MPVI2/2+ with the Pro Feature Set or with an MPVI Pro, VCM Scanner can incorporate Wideband O2, Exhaust Gas Temperature, and other sensor output directly into the data stream.

Additionally, VCM Scanner can be used for a variety of diagnostic functions such as reading DTCs, checking for misfires, and making sure sensors are functioning and reading correctly.