Advanced Development and Dynamometer Tuning of a Suzuki GSXR 600cc Engine for an FSAE® Vehicle

The engine tuning study presented here serves as an introduction to the basic concepts of implementing a motorcycle engine on an eddy current dynamometer test stand. This work represents the first engine tuning effort of a young FSAE® team and depicts the common challenges encountered by novice teams. The torque and power characteristics of a restricted 600 cc Suzuki GSXR engine were tuned in order to deliver the performance demands of an FSAE® vehicle. Coarse baseline fuel and ignition maps were initially developed manually and then optimized via a closed-loop algorithm. User-defined air-fuel ratios were automatically maintained throughout the engine's operating regime during this optimization process. Performance data were logged throughout each tuning cycle where spark timing and air-fuel ratio were varied accordingly to maximize power output. Spark settings were located approximately 10% before the knock threshold identified using a knock sensor. Spark advance was also set to maintain a stable idle. Inertia simulations using a commercial vehicle simulator and a LabVIEW® program were performed to model typical acceleration scenarios, thereby determining the enrichment strategies needed for transient throttle response. The ECU, dynamometer controller, fueling, transmission actuation, the software interface developed, and the data logging systems are described here.