Amuse is ahead of the exhaust curve, having first produced a Ti muffler 12 years ago when other manufacturers were content to work with mild steel and we were still rocking our OshKosh overalls backwards, Kris Kross style. But according to Tanabe-san, Power House Amuse really made its mark with the Hi-Tech ROM.
Tanabe-san is a self-taught ROM tuner, and his first conquest was over the R32 Skyline. While the R32's Hitachi ECU proved to be relatively easy to decode the Nippondenso unit found in the fourth-generation Supra was much more difficult to crack. Eventually, he was able to do what very few companies could do by cracking open the Supra's ND ECU, and after this success, Tanabe-san became known as the Toyota Tuner.
"Spark timing and fuel control were the only things older ECUs controlled, now new car ECUs control more of the car's performance," according to Tanabe-san. "The HKS F-Con V Pro can trick the OE ECU and make it do what it wants, sort of. These engine management systems are only limited to fuel and spark timing. They cannot control throttle mapping and valve control, and with cars like the S2000, you need to be able to control fuel, spark, rev limiter, speed limiter, and VTEC."
Over the years, Tanabe-san has become well versed with complex ECUs. He believes this is the new way to tune these sophisticated cars, although he still uses an old-school DOS machine to cast his tuning spells. And while Tanabe-san thinks it's risky to use the F-Con V Pro, he understands that V Pro users feel the same way in regards to standard ECUs tuning.
"I use both types of tuning," said Tanabe-san. "I can't forget about what the user wants. We always want to give them the best solution, be it piggy-back or original ECU tuning."
Our Super Lap Dance
Fortunately for us, we only lapped around Tsukuba's smaller course, not the faster (and far more dangerous) main circuit where the Time Attacks are held. In addition to some of Honda Tuning's Honda tuners and our little pinche pendejo, Tetsuya Ogushi, we were allowed to lap it up with a stock 350Z, a PHA 350Z, a stock S2000, a PHA Street Version S2000, and finally PHA's Touge Monster S2000. Contributing further to our feelings of inadequacy was Tanabe-san and Nobuteru Taniguchi taking turns flinging the Carbon R around the tight circuit.
Stock 350Z
Everyone else on the track-including Tetsuya-is driving really hard. I'm trying to learn the circuit and work on my left-handed 2-3 upshift while I dodge them as they fill my mirrors. I mistake the wipers for the turn signal on more than one occasion. Meanwhile, I forget to disengage the dreaded TCS. I pull into the pits, shut off the traction control, and prepare to old school any of these little puckers who decide to make a move on the kids. At the first tight turn I come in too hot and exit the corner with a tire-squealing, oversteering, tank slapper of comical proportions. The drift king I am not. I memorize the course and learn to shift with my left, but I never get truly comfortable behind the wheel of this stock 350.