Thanks to the hard work of the crews at Hartline Performance and Ron's Custom Auto, as well as some elbow grease on my part, my Buick is nearing completion. At this point we've reassembled the '87 T, but attempting to control a 10-second, mostly street-driven LC2 with the stock computer is not recommended. In keeping with the completely streetable, reliable, and low-maintenance theme of this build, I needed a high-tech ECM that had the skills to manage this roller LC2 not only at WOT on the drag strip, but at idle sitting in traffic as well. It had to be advanced enough to offer features that the high-tech Buicks need, like a wideband O2 sensor, boost and torque converter lockup control, fuel pump control, and the like. And finally, it had to be user-friendly enough so a guy like me, with some tuning experience but far from a pro, could get up and running with it without too much trouble. I found my answer in XFI.
As this was my first aftermarket ECU, I spent some time with the guys at FAST to learn more about the system and figure out the logistics of installing an XFI on a Turbo Buick. FAST sells model-specific XFI wiring harnesses, but as I had purchased a replacement harness from Casper's, the only item I needed was the XFI ECU, part number 30-1000.
FAST includes a base program with its XFI box, but here's where I called in a specialist: expert tuner Cal Hartline. Cal, proprietor of Hartline Performance in West Melbourne, Florida, is well known for his wicked-fast Buick Turbo builds and a lively retail parts business. A well-kept secret is that Cal is one of the best aftermarket ECU tuners out there. His programs can be found from Buick Turbos to 6-second Pro 5.0 Mustangs-and his LS1 calibrations have started to raise a few eyebrows as well. Hartline tunes most of the major boxes, but specializes in FAST/XFI. He had good things to say about FAST's latest offering.
 |  With the majority of the Buick's...  With the majority of the Buick's assembly complete, this T looks like it's ready to burn rubber-but it's an expensive hunk of metal without an ECU barking electronic orders. There's one final project that needs to be done before we start her up: XFI! |  The classic FAST system was...  The classic FAST system was nothing to sneeze at, but the new XFI is still a big step forward in aftermarket ECUs. Sitting between XFI's billet enclosure is a processor that is four times faster than the old box and features the new C-COM WP Windows-based software for easy navigation. Going XFI means a built-in wideband O2 sensor and sequential or bank-to-bank operation, but that's only the beginning: its 104-pin harness enables tons of cool features. Quik-Tune allows the user to choose between four tunes at the flip of an external switch. Hook up a laptop and benefit from the data logging and diagnostic features (a new internal data logger will be available as an upgrade by the time you read this). There's boost control, fan/fuel pump control, TCC lockup, the choice of 1-5-bar MAP sensors, power adder controls, and a host of other tricks that are easy to access and play with, but will take weeks to fully appreciate! FAST also offers model-specific wiring harnesses to complement its XFI; since I already had a Casper's harness I'll need an ECU adapter for a plug-and-play connection. |