Why this page matters
Almost every other function in an Elite leans on the Main settings somewhere. Firing order decides which injector and coil fire next. Throttle limits tell idle control when your foot is off the pedal. Drive type tells traction control which wheels are driven. A mistake here can look like a tuning problem somewhere else entirely, so this is the first page we check when a map doesn't behave.
Engine information
| Setting | What it does | Our advice |
|---|---|---|
| Engine Capacity | Total displacement. The unit comes from Tools / Options / Units in ESP | Use the real displacement, including any overbore or stroker changes |
| Engine Type | Piston 4 Stroke, Piston 2 Stroke or Rotary | Set this first, since it changes what other settings mean |
| Number of Cylinders/Rotors | How many cylinders, or rotors on a rotary | Must match the engine and the firing order you enter |
| Max Cranking RPM | The RPM that separates cranking from running | Comfortably above your fastest cranking speed and below idle |
Max Cranking RPM is worth a second thought. The ECU uses different fueling and ignition strategies while cranking. If this value is higher than your idle, the engine may never be treated as running. If it's lower than a hot, fast crank, the ECU may switch to running mode before the engine has actually fired.
Vehicle information
- VIN: sent over CAN if connected, so OBD diagnostic tools can display it.
- Drive Type: rear, front or all-wheel drive. This matters most for traction control, which needs to know which wheels are driven and which are the reference.
- Transmission Type: automatic or manual.
Throttle limits
These two values tell the ECU where "closed" and "wide open" begin. With a cable throttle they're compared against TPS. With drive-by-wire, they use accelerator pedal position.
- User Demand Minimum: below this, the throttle is treated as closed. Idle control and decel cut rely on it.
- User Demand Maximum: above this, the throttle is treated as wide open. Flood clear uses it to know when you've floored the pedal while cranking.
We set the minimum just above the reading you get with your foot off, so small sensor drift doesn't knock the car out of idle mode. For the maximum, pick a value you reach easily when the pedal is on the floor, since some pedals never quite read 100%.
Engine geometry
Firing order (Cylinder)
Enter the engine's firing order here. The ECU uses it to sequence injection and ignition events. Wire outputs by cylinder number: injector output 1 to cylinder 1, output 2 to cylinder 2, and so on. The firing order entry takes care of the sequence, so don't wire outputs in firing order.
Odd Fire Engine and TDC Angle
Most engines fire at evenly spaced intervals. Some, like certain V-twins and odd-fire V6 designs, don't. Enabling Odd Fire Engine (disabled by default) unlocks the TDC Angle for each cylinder so you can enter its real firing angle. Fuel and spark events then land at the right time for every cylinder.
Bank Info
On an engine with two banks, assign each cylinder to bank 1 or 2. O2 control uses this when there's an oxygen sensor per bank, so each sensor only corrects the cylinders it can actually see. Up to two banks are supported.
Worked example: a small-block V8
For a typical Chevy small block, you'd choose Piston 4 Stroke, 8 cylinders, enter the displacement, and put in the firing order 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2. Cylinders 1, 3, 5 and 7 go on one bank and 2, 4, 6 and 8 on the other so the per-bank O2 correction works. Odd fire stays off. Then set the throttle limits from real TPS readings.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Usually |
|---|---|
| Starts but runs on some cylinders, backfires | Firing order wrong, or outputs wired in firing order instead of by cylinder |
| Idle control won't engage | User Demand Minimum set below your actual closed-throttle reading |
| Flood clear won't activate | User Demand Maximum higher than the sensor ever reads |
| Bank O2 corrections fight each other | Bank Info assignments swapped |
For the rest of the engine setup, continue to Fuel, Ignition and Trigger.
