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F.A.S.T
Fuel Air and Spark Technology (F.A.S.T.) is a fuel-injection manufacturer that has been around the aftermarket scene for quite a while, mostly associated with companies like Speed-Pro and Competition Cams. The company is now owned by Competition Cams in Memphis, Tennessee, which has served in allowing them to increase their market share by combining forces with the aftermarket parts giant.
The F.A.S.T. fuel-injection system can be found on many drag cars because of its popularity with import and domestic racers alike. The system is known for its user friendliness.
F.A.S.T sells two basic kits of their fuel-injection system: the Bank-to-Bank System, which fires the injectors every 180 degrees of crankshaft rotation, and the Sequential System, which fires each injector individually in the correct firing order.
F.A.S.T. makes ECUs to handle nearly every type of engine available. A very popular application would be something like this big-block Chevrolet engine. F.A.S.T. can fire the eight injectors in bank-to-bank or sequential mode.
F.A.S.T.’s Bank-To-Bank System is the enthusiast’s choice for an easy and affordable EFI installation. It is perfect for those who want to upgrade their fuel delivery from carburetion to throttle-body or port-fuel injection. The kit comes with everything you need to install the system, including a premade wire loom with the correct connectors already installed. This type of kit is great for a beginner because most of the problems found later on can usually be traced back to an error made while wiring something incorrectly. With a premade harness, most of those problems can be eliminated.
F.A.S.T.’s Bank-To-Bank system is also ideal for improving an existing TBI setup or converting to EFI. This system is the right choice for street rods and late-model street machines, both domestic and import, looking for improved reliability and drivability.
The Bank-To-Bank System is also ideal for improving an existing TBI, MPI, or TPI system to sequential operation, or for converting a carbureted engine to EFI. This system is the right choice for street rods and late-model street machines, both domestic and import, looking for improved reliability and driveability. Engines making a lot of power and using several large injectors will benefit the most from this type of system.
The Sequential system is great for all-out racing engines, or for applications where the ultimate flexibility in tuning is necessary. A tuner can fine-tune the engine using very large injectors or radical camshaft profiles much easier with the individual injection strategy of this setup. Using the Sequential System also helps reduce fluctuations in the fuel supply at the fuel rail when using large injectors and firing them at the same time, as you would with the Bank-to-Bank System.
The Sequential System is designed for those projects using a radical configuration like this blown alcohol Ford engine. The engine uses eight very large sequentially fired injectors.
Both systems come complete with the ECU, wire harness, software, communication data cable, and relays to operate the fuel pump. The systems can completely control all fuel and ignition events for 4-, 6-, or 8-cylinder engines, and can use either MAP or TPS signals for load sensing. F.A.S.T. has not released a function to date that will allow the use of both methods at once. The F.A.S.T system also has a user-programmable closed-loop table where target air/fuel ratios can be input by the tuner. The system can then be run in closed-loop mode so that the oxygen sensor can correct errors in the base fuel table. This is a useful feature for a novice tuner since it helps dramatically in getting up and running quickly and avoiding a lot of early frustration. However, it is not ideal to rely solely on the closed-loop table to run the engine. There is no substitute for proper tuning of the base fuel map. It is best to tune the base fuel table as well as possible to avoid problems later in the event of a sensor failure.
The base fuel and ignition tables are user programmable for both RPM and load sites with 16 available inputs for each, giving a total of 256 possible locations for tuning. Users can also copy and paste sections of maps from different calibrations, meaning you can use only the part of someone else’s map that works for your project. This is very helpful in getting started if you know someone with a similar project who is willing to let you borrow their already tuned maps. The tables also allow multiplicative functions over selectable areas, meaning you can highlight a large area in one map and multiply the entire area by a percentage. This allows very fast changes to the map overall without the need to visit every site in the map. These functions make for a very easy tuning job with the F.A.S.T. system.
The F.A.S.T. system also has on-board data-logging functions available to aid in tuning and troubleshooting the engine. This system allows the user to record and collect information from every sensor and actuator that the ECU has control over. The user can select which items to log and how often to sample their data. Then the data can be stored for later analysis.
The F.A.S.T. system also has onboard data-logging functions available to aid in tuning and troubleshooting the engine. The system is capable of logging for about 30 minutes when sampling at 10 events per second.
I always recommend taking advantage of the data-logging features a system has to offer, as this will definitely make the tuning more efficient. The F.A.S.T. system is capable of logging for about 30 minutes when sampling at 10 events per second. This allows the user more than sufficient time to gather data after making a run and decide what changes to make.
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