High-Tech Tuning - HKS F-CON V Pro

Area 51 handled the JDM power swap of a 3S-GE that had been massaged by Top Secret, of Chiba-city Japan, to endure boost pressure. A Blitz turbo package, consisting of a KKK K3 turbo, custom exhaust manifold and front-mount, air-to-air intercooler, provided the pressure.

The tuning strategy called for the use of a HKS F-CON V Pro, and here we will outline the capabilities of the latest HKS tuning computers. In fact, this unit is so new HKS's manager of research and development, Jon Kuroyama, was the only person in the country with the proper understanding of the unit and software needed for programming.

What are the basic workings of the F-CON V Pro?

The F-CON V Pro is a fuel and spark timing management computer. It has 32 load sites and 32 rpm sites for both fuel and timing mapping, with up to four selectable submaps. These submaps allow for changes in fuel or timing without actually altering the base, or main map. "This gives the user different tuned maps for different situations, such as one map for street pump gas, another map for race fuel, a map tuned for drag, or track, etc," says Kuroyama.

"Many other features are available. Some of them are: scramble switch to activate two-step rev control, another fuel or timing map, or data logging control, staged injector control, knock control, option output switch that can control cooling fans, or fuel pump, and shift or warning light outputs.

We asked Kuroyama about the differences between the V-Pro and the F-CON S.

"The F-CON S is a piggyback fuel and spark computer that modifies the stock ECU's mapping. If the stock ECU is outputting 60-percent injector duty cycle and 30-degrees timing at a certain given load and rpm point, the F-CON S can add or subtract from that injector pulse and add or subtract 15 degrees of timing. So there is a 15-degree tuning window above the base 30 degrees of timing, and a 15-degree window below the 30 degrees of timing."

"The F-CON V Pro also acts like a piggy back, but all mapping is generated from the F-CON. It doesn't use any fuel or spark mapping from the stock ECU. The stock ECU is still retained in the system for other functions such as dash functions, A/C control, idle, etc."

We asked Kuroyama how he went about tuning the IS300. "Tuning the F-CON carries the same guidelines as tuning other stand-alone fuel management systems. With use of the HKS A/F knock meter, or most good wideband meters with an analog output, air/fuel can be logged by the F-CON V Pro. Also, the interface between the datalog and the main mapping screen allows easy comparisons, which makes tuning a joy. This interface is something that no other fuel computers have. The unit allows the tuner to set up two horizontal windows and the datalogging can be viewed on the top with the tuning map on the bottom. The two can be linked so the cursor can move to a spot and both the datalogged info and tuning sites can be accessed without switching maps."

The F-CON V Pro is best suited for most popular high-performance Japanese import vehicles. There are many modified vehicles using the V Pro in Japan, like Supras, EVOs, WRXs and GT-Rs . Here in the States, the F-CON V Pro is an exclusive product which can only be installed and tuned by an HKS Pro-rated dealer.

With its high resolution, expanded tuning capability and innovative datalogging interface, the F-CON V Pro is another potent product in HKS' line of impressive tuning electronics.