2008 ultra questions
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2008 ultra questions
i sold my 06 ultra in the falland going to hopefully work a deal on the floor model Monday. (Have a hold on it until then ). My question : I'm hearing from different people that for me to up the pipes to say like V/H, that i will have to get the stage download, air cleaner, and also get some kind of fuel tuner?? I'm not tofimiliar with tuners people are putting on the bikes. Can you guys fill me in and if i do need this, what kind etc. I searched in past posts and haven't found any answers to this question.
thanks
Jim
thanks
Jim
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,380
Likes: 14
From: Atlanta
RE: 2008 ultra questions
Jim, this is one of the most prevalent questions on the forum, and you'll see lots of posts that will help you decide on what's best. Here's the conventional wisdom:
First of all, when you hear of a "download", what is being referred to is the Harley-Davidson ECM download that is performed by your dealer. There are several downloads, but in general they are designed to balance the change in the air/fuel ratio and keep your engine running well if you change the amoung of air moving through the "system". There are aftermarket fuel management systems (FuelPak, SERT, etc) that seek to achieve the same result, but are genreally much more flexible in fine-tuning the mixture. You don't need both, but most folks like the aftermarket products. I have had a few of them on previous bikes and they all work well. Right now, I have the HD download and the 103" Big Bore Kit, and am very pleased with how the download manages the air/fuel mixture.
The CW is that if you just add slip-on mufflers you don't need the download because you are not substantially changing the amount of air/fuel mixture moving through the engine. In this case, you don't really achieve much more of a power increase, but rather just the tone of the exhaust.
To improve power, you need to move more air/fuel through the engine, and that means a high-flow air intake. Some examples are the K&N filter in the stock housing, the SE Stage 1 Intake by HD, and the Arlen Ness Big Sucker. When you add a high-flow air intake to your engine, you are increasing the amount of air coming into the engine, thus leaning out the air/fuel ratio, and you will need the download or aftermarket fuel management system to balance out the mixture to acceptable levels.
I have an '08 Road Glide and consider this engine to be the best that Harley has ever produced. The ECM is very well balanced in stock form, perhaps a little on the lean side for emissions, and the engine delivers very smooth throttle response and an abundance of power. I would run the bike for a few months to see if you really want to add this "Stage 1" performance modification before I spent a thousand dollars on a fairly minor performance increase.
But if you do decide to go with the pipes/intake/fuel manager route, browsing through the posts on this forum will present a bewildering array of combinations!
First of all, when you hear of a "download", what is being referred to is the Harley-Davidson ECM download that is performed by your dealer. There are several downloads, but in general they are designed to balance the change in the air/fuel ratio and keep your engine running well if you change the amoung of air moving through the "system". There are aftermarket fuel management systems (FuelPak, SERT, etc) that seek to achieve the same result, but are genreally much more flexible in fine-tuning the mixture. You don't need both, but most folks like the aftermarket products. I have had a few of them on previous bikes and they all work well. Right now, I have the HD download and the 103" Big Bore Kit, and am very pleased with how the download manages the air/fuel mixture.
The CW is that if you just add slip-on mufflers you don't need the download because you are not substantially changing the amount of air/fuel mixture moving through the engine. In this case, you don't really achieve much more of a power increase, but rather just the tone of the exhaust.
To improve power, you need to move more air/fuel through the engine, and that means a high-flow air intake. Some examples are the K&N filter in the stock housing, the SE Stage 1 Intake by HD, and the Arlen Ness Big Sucker. When you add a high-flow air intake to your engine, you are increasing the amount of air coming into the engine, thus leaning out the air/fuel ratio, and you will need the download or aftermarket fuel management system to balance out the mixture to acceptable levels.
I have an '08 Road Glide and consider this engine to be the best that Harley has ever produced. The ECM is very well balanced in stock form, perhaps a little on the lean side for emissions, and the engine delivers very smooth throttle response and an abundance of power. I would run the bike for a few months to see if you really want to add this "Stage 1" performance modification before I spent a thousand dollars on a fairly minor performance increase.
But if you do decide to go with the pipes/intake/fuel manager route, browsing through the posts on this forum will present a bewildering array of combinations!
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From:
RE: 2008 ultra questions
Harley will remap your ecm for the SE a/c, greatly improves the TQ curve but it's still too quiet.Only if you have them install everything. That does maintain your warranty. Harley is not allowed legally to sell you anything that violates fed smog or noise limits. There are 3 dealers in my area and only one will touch aftermarket stuff. I called one to get a stage I download for a chrome Big Sucker a/c with the K&N element(the SE is natural aluminum and a paper element) and they said no way. On PC's and FP's and SERT's they generally say things like, off road use only and not legal in CA. The CA legal PC doesn't let you adjust much. Adding pipes changes the mix. But that is the way to max performance and get that sound that we love. Having said all that, the 08's are the best running stock HD's, I've ever ridden and with the ETC, they pull hard and quick (just too quiet). The stock pipes have cats that the after market pipes do not.
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 634
Likes: 8
From: Plum & Nearly
RE: 2008 ultra questions
ORIGINAL: Pastor John
Jim, this is one of the most prevalent questions on the forum, and you'll see lots of posts that will help you decide on what's best. Here's the conventional wisdom:
First of all, when you hear of a "download", what is being referred to is the Harley-Davidson ECM download that is performed by your dealer. There are several downloads, but in general they are designed to balance the change in the air/fuel ratio and keep your engine running well if you change the amoung of air moving through the "system". There are aftermarket fuel management systems (FuelPak, SERT, etc) that seek to achieve the same result, but are genreally much more flexible in fine-tuning the mixture.
A SERT is not aftermarket. It is a Harley-Davidson product. The SERT gives YOU the ability to program your ECM just as the dealer does with his downloads. The downloads contained in the SERT are the EXACT same downloads the dealer has.
You don't need both, but most folks like the aftermarket products. I have had a few of them on previous bikes and they all work well. Right now, I have the HD download and the 103" Big Bore Kit, and am very pleased with how the download manages the air/fuel mixture.
The CW is that if you just add slip-on mufflers you don't need the download because you are not substantially changing the amount of air/fuel mixture moving through the engine. In this case, you don't really achieve much more of a power increase, but rather just the tone of the exhaust.
To improve power, you need to move more air/fuel through the engine, and that means a high-flow air intake. Some examples are the K&N filter in the stock housing, the SE Stage 1 Intake by HD, and the Arlen Ness Big Sucker. When you add a high-flow air intake to your engine, you are increasing the amount of air coming into the engine, thus leaning out the air/fuel ratio, and you will need the download or aftermarket fuel management system to balance out the mixture to acceptable levels.
I have an '08 Road Glide and consider this engine to be the best that Harley has ever produced. The ECM is very well balanced in stock form, perhaps a little on the lean side for emissions, and the engine delivers very smooth throttle response and an abundance of power. I would run the bike for a few months to see if you really want to add this "Stage 1" performance modification before I spent a thousand dollars on a fairly minor performance increase.
But if you do decide to go with the pipes/intake/fuel manager route, browsing through the posts on this forum will present a bewildering array of combinations!
Jim, this is one of the most prevalent questions on the forum, and you'll see lots of posts that will help you decide on what's best. Here's the conventional wisdom:
First of all, when you hear of a "download", what is being referred to is the Harley-Davidson ECM download that is performed by your dealer. There are several downloads, but in general they are designed to balance the change in the air/fuel ratio and keep your engine running well if you change the amoung of air moving through the "system". There are aftermarket fuel management systems (FuelPak, SERT, etc) that seek to achieve the same result, but are genreally much more flexible in fine-tuning the mixture.
A SERT is not aftermarket. It is a Harley-Davidson product. The SERT gives YOU the ability to program your ECM just as the dealer does with his downloads. The downloads contained in the SERT are the EXACT same downloads the dealer has.
You don't need both, but most folks like the aftermarket products. I have had a few of them on previous bikes and they all work well. Right now, I have the HD download and the 103" Big Bore Kit, and am very pleased with how the download manages the air/fuel mixture.
The CW is that if you just add slip-on mufflers you don't need the download because you are not substantially changing the amount of air/fuel mixture moving through the engine. In this case, you don't really achieve much more of a power increase, but rather just the tone of the exhaust.
To improve power, you need to move more air/fuel through the engine, and that means a high-flow air intake. Some examples are the K&N filter in the stock housing, the SE Stage 1 Intake by HD, and the Arlen Ness Big Sucker. When you add a high-flow air intake to your engine, you are increasing the amount of air coming into the engine, thus leaning out the air/fuel ratio, and you will need the download or aftermarket fuel management system to balance out the mixture to acceptable levels.
I have an '08 Road Glide and consider this engine to be the best that Harley has ever produced. The ECM is very well balanced in stock form, perhaps a little on the lean side for emissions, and the engine delivers very smooth throttle response and an abundance of power. I would run the bike for a few months to see if you really want to add this "Stage 1" performance modification before I spent a thousand dollars on a fairly minor performance increase.
But if you do decide to go with the pipes/intake/fuel manager route, browsing through the posts on this forum will present a bewildering array of combinations!
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Joined: May 2007
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From:
RE: 2008 ultra questions
thanks for the quick response. I just got off the phone with the dealer. They are telling me with the Rush pipes (338.00) and they are using the Screaming Eagle race tuner 1 (391.00) and 150.00 labor. What do you think or advise. She suppose to call me back for a price on the V&H pipes.
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