My contact over at Blackstone-Labs was kind enough to invite any questions from the Forum... here's his email:
Samir Kharbas <samirk@blackstone-labs.com
P.S. You're right about Honda's redline. My tuner Steve moved mine higher still, to 7600. He also customized a calibration to run on race gas (100) for my track days, lowly regular (87) for those long road trips, or the standard premium. He's been fantastic to work with.
Here's his bio and contact info copied from the website:
E-tunez was an opportunity to transform a passion for mechanical and electrical engineering into a harmonius relationship, a synergy inside the ECU. It was also a way for me to justify one of my favorite pastimes to my wife and kids. While I am an enthusiast as well, I do not take tuning lightly, I am a very methodical and systematic based engine tuner. I teach Automotive Science at a local College here, and you can be sure that my work is done properly. I tune both NA and forced induction tunes. I am also very comfortable with remote assistance for those that need a hand getting setup. I can take control of your computer remotely and help you figure things out for the first time, if you need it. As far as tuning does, I prefer focusing on just a few tunes at time and making sure they are perfect. I move ahead in steps, all of the actual changes I make to a map are logged in detail in both my maps and on the site account profiles as well as general comments about what the users should expect from different revisions. I do this so changes can be easily catagorized and referenced. I like to create solid baseline and starting point and then take the strengths of a vehicle and methodically build on them. Those who know me, know my personal moto has always been quality over quantity, I take the qualities of a project, and build on them meticously.
If a vehicle is hyper fuel efficient I like to build on that in the part throttle columns, rather then just focus on turning it into a power hound at WOT, if a vehicle makes loads of power under boost, I like to focus in and build on that rather then try to hypermile it, and in the case of the K series engines, they make great power NA, and have a good mix of economy and power and I like to build on that in both aspects.
My tunes tend to progress carefully, one revision per day (unless otherwise requested), making small changes and paying attention to detail and looking for results of the previous changes in the current revisions to confirm operability. My
datalog analysis and explanations tend to use screenshots to show what is going on. I like to dial a tune in bit by bit, slowly reducing knock retard until the tune is just on threshold, with no retard under light knock volume and still retarding under unusually high knock volume and then I adjust the ignition maps to reflect this. I use the same technique for fuel tuning, small adjustments, tuning Lambda tables for ideal OL/CL transition and targets and then adjusting the Volumetric Efficiency tables to reflect. I have experience with nearly all mainstream Honda engines such as the J, K series engines, L15 and L15T, Turbo R18's and the F series Honda engines. I also have been kept pretty busy lately with plenty of work on the Subaur EJ series and Mitsubishi 4B/4G series. I started into this many years ago with a heavly modified AWD 4G63 Eagle Talon, and progressed into a Twin Turbo Legacy AWD EJ20H from Japan.
While I enjoy spending time at AutoX and Track days, I also really enjoy hypermiling engines at part throttle and extracting WOT performance in the "no vacuum" or WOT columns. The hypermiling hobby was likely caused by paying at the pump for the aforementioned gas gussling AWD's vehicles. You learn its not just about power, quickly. I have written many "economy maps" for users over the years, these involve keeping relatively normal AFR's (within .2-.3 of stock) but adjusting cam angles, ignition, setting closed loop windows to form economy bands from ~2000-3500 RPM. One of the setups on my
2008 Civic Si FA5 is a NA K20 with a IPS K2
built head (
supertech) with a custom port and polish, and a matched 68mm overbored throttle body and of course all the supporting mods with a self designed intake and exhaust, and a custom Kid Racing Header with a HFC and Flex Pipe, and various rotational mass upgrades throughout. It was a great machine, but the 10th gen Honda engineering blow my mind, that my nearly stock (FlashPro only) 2016 L15T Civic EX-T is slightly faster and alot more fuel efficient using the CVT, then the modified 8thgen.
I like the peace of mind of a job well done and do all of my upgrades myself. On my personal car I try to keep the exterior as stock looking as possible (aside from the Motoegi Traklites and 235 Dunlop's) to avoid attracting attention, and I enjoy the look of surprise when I open up the throttle. My exhaust is free flowing yet quiet with custom resonated twin tips, and free flow baffeling through out the system and still uses a DOT compliant High Flow Cat. My setup puts out between 240WHP(30C) to 272WHP(-30C) from summer to winter on the Edyno when ran on level ground.
I live up North so I tend to see very cold temperatures. Actually my FA5 was not only the first to run a custom flash in Canada, but it was the first FA5 to see -40 degree temperatures as after custom ordering and taking early possession I made the trip back to home to then Thompson Manitoba, where it was already -40 degrees, in November. I am familiar with tuning in temperature extremes from -40C/F to +40C/105F.
My background as a tuner started in the late 90's with "DSM Link" and DSM turbo tuning, progressing into tuning via SAFC/VAFC then onto standalone platforms like Mega Squirt and ECU Live and eventually to the FlashPro, HP Tuners and the Cobb AccessPORT. Over the last 13 years I have owned over 60 vehicles and worked with nearly every factory available forced induction platform available (Toyota, Nissan, GM, Hyundai, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubushi etc) from the 80's to current vehicles and even a few factory turbo motorcycles like the Honda CX series and
Yamaha Seca
Turbo series in the early 80's.
I enjoy tuning Honda engines as in most cases the same power or sometimes more can be made without the need for forced induction and the complexity and engine stresses it brings. Of course turbo charging a Honda engine really opens up some serious power and on some engines (like the D16 or the R18) no amount of NA tuning comes close to a good turbo tune. Turboing these engines can be alot of fun, and while I have tuned quite a few R18 turbos, one of my favorite projects was on an
Integra AWD with a D16 that was ripte for a Turbo. Thats right factory AWD! Having a solid understanding of the Honda engines, I am currently expanding my knowledge base taking up personal studies in this field and also I am now starting to tune turbo diesel engines as well. Now that I have 4 growing children, even my FA5 is growing a little tight. For a time my "family vehicle" is a
JDM Import Mitsubishi Delica with a 2800 Intercooled Turbo 4M40 diesel engine, but recently was move up to a Mid-EngineSupercharged 4WD Toyota Previa that hugged the corners a little tighter
I view myself as an enthusiast and time spent tuning is an opportunity to enjoy my hobby. My formal education is in the Electronic Engineering field.
Email:
Tuning@e-tunez.com
Skype: E-tunez.com
Phone: Emergency contact (feel free to txt anytime) listed under Contact Us.
I kiss the engine just like that when I'm done. 
