081: PROPERLY Understand Knock and Become a Better Tuner. [

It’s something that can destroy your engine in seconds… but how much do you really know about pre-ignition, knock, and super-knock? On this episode of Tuned In, we’ve invited Ioannis Andrianakis from @plextuning8458 to talk us through these terms, how his highly-regarded series of knock sensors work, and what we do and don’t need to worry about when it comes to all things detonation.
Use ‘PLEX25’ for 25% off our HPA Tuning Starter Package here: hpcdmy.co/starterb
Calling in from Athens, Greece, Ioannis has been in the tuning game since the mid-nineties and has some great stories about what he had to resort to in order to tune a vehicle at a time when there was next to no such thing as standalone ECUs outside of the professional race world.
We then delve into the creation of Plex Tuning, as well as how and why Ioannis developed his popular range of data loggers, digital dashes, data acquisition tools, boost controllers, and of course the much-loved series of knock monitors.
And this brings us to the main focus of the conversation, as Ioannis jumps straight into the deep end of the knowledge pool and gets very nerdy on all things engine knock. If you want to improve your tuning knowledge and gain a far better understanding of the causes, solutions, and variations of knock, then this episode with Plex Tuning’s Ioannis Andrianakis is a must-listen.
As per this episode, check out this video to hear exactly what knock sounds like: hpcdmy.co/knoc...
Remember, you can use ‘PLEX25’ for 25% off our HPA Tuning Starter Package here: hpcdmy.co/starterb
#plextuning #plexknockmonitor #engineknock #detonation #highperformanceacademy #learntotune #enginebuilding101 #dontletthesmokeout #datanerd #gofasterwithdata #racecraft #motorsport

[@simongishus5295]

Hello Loannis and Andre Great podcast, certainly took me back to the late 1980s and 90s and the infancy of aftermarket ECUs and tuning. Loannis I had a laugh when you spoke about the M4 Motec, first Motec I used was screw driver adjustable. I have a PLEX Knock monitor V2 and V3 and the V3 is a massive step up on an already great product, we also have and use the PLEX combustion analyzer a tool that is world class. We use PLEX gear almost every day as we develop our engine products and calibrations. Running high compression engines with forced induction on pump unleaded fuel at WOT for extended period in the marine environment can only be achieved with this kind of equipment. But along with great information and technology I must say Loannis and PLEX have been extraordinary to work with and I could not recommend them more highly. I would love to sit down with you both and share my experience regarding super knock events and some of the causes I've seen Well done Andre keep up the great work Regards Simon Nizpro Turbocharging and Marine

[@iRiskitall]

Just when you think you full understand knock, there’s always smaller and deeper details. Love it.

[@yiannimolonlavepower]

Hello yianni and Andre, this is yianni with the Red Rav4 Gt4 450 hp that you tuned back in 2007, the red rocket still drives but not in Greece, now it drives in Boston, I remember talking about the new tool that you were developing at you shop, good to see you again, I’ll talk to you some time in Athens.

[@GTStuning-]

2 extremely smart guys, love this podcast.

[@ElmerRacing]

Good stuff! One of the best episodes! Always a pleasure to listen in to other people that want to really understand how things work in engines!

[@AdanielH]

If it were not for my automotive education and working in the field , I would have been lost within the first 30 seconds of the podcast . You learn more about knock , knock sensors and strategies in this podcast then you would in manufacturers training (ford , Toyota , etc)

[@clevo351]

Yiasou Yanni ! Xeretizmous from Sydney Australia ! Opa!

[@coollee303]

This episode clarified a lot of questions I had regarding knock detection/control strategies. Great watch!

[@idko5452]

This is the most important lesson/podcast for any new tuner 👌🏻 so thank You so much. It was very usefull at least for me and answers a lot of questions I had. Btw. I know that it was really long podcast and You mentioned a lot of things but You never mentioned life time of knock sensors, how to check them or how often they should be replaced. I think that's very important information bc all of Your monitoring depends on this sensor and I belive that piezo electric sensor can't live forever 😂 at least not in as harsh enviroment as engine bay.

[@benlawrence7090]

Such a great topic, this was the subject of my undergrad thesis 20+ years ago that eventually lead me to a career in acoustics. You guys pretty much nailed it. Keep the great content coming!

[@notsponsored103]

This was great, thanks Ioannis, thanks Andre.

[@satishharrichand2727]

Really good and educational , super knock the reason many people blame the rods for breakages

[@Rollin8.0]

On the 'tolerable levels of knock' Many years ago I was on the highway at night and I caught up to a Kombi doing about 90km/h. I could see the exhaust glowing red from a long way away and I could easily hear it knocking from inside my car with the windows up while I was following behind it... I followed it for about 30 minutes convinced it was about to throw its guts all over the highway but it just kept soldiering on, rattling like crazy without a care in the world.

[@hok-man]

wow.... just wow....

[@japmuscle]

Lamborghini marketed that ion knock detection technology when they first released the Aventador FWIW Also, it wasn't discussed in the podcast but, there is another way to measure knock - by crankshaft acceleration. If you have enough resolution on the crankshaft target and a powerful enough ECU, knock can be calculated from unexpectedly short intervals between trigger events following the appropriate crankshaft position.

[@patx35]

Would that crank acceleration knock detection not work with MT, semi-automatics, or DCT? The direct coupling of the crankshaft to the drive wheels can cause false readings, because the road surface can influence crank acceleration and deceleration. It's why OEM applications only run the misfire monitors while in neutral on MT cars. An automatic doesn't have that issue, even with the torque converter "locked", because the PCM would maintain a target slip RPM, so that the misfire monitors can run.

[@japmuscle]

it definitely works on planes and boats. if you had an issue with false detection on shifts you could easily disable the function for the duration of the gear change. keep in mind we are talking about microseconds of deviations in a 6 degree rotation (60-2) of the crankshaft, in a very specific part of the engine position say 10 to 20 degrees after TDC for each cylinder. and you can combine strategies so crankshaft acceleration plus accoustic knock detection where you need to see knock on both channels to engage a timing retard. Personally I'm surprised the Plex unit doesn't perform or advertise to perform crankshaft acceleration based knock detection, as it's decoding the crank signal anyway and has everything else you could want in an aftermarket knock detection box.

[@patx35]

@@japmuscle I meant that those transmissions are directly coupling the engine with the drive wheels. There's the issue that changes in traction or even a knoby tread pattern can cause slight oscillations in the crank speed, making the signal noisy. GM for example worked around that issue on their autos by not allowing complete lockup on the torque converter clutch. The clutch slip allowed the PCM to monitor misfires using crank speed.