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PROJECT GREEN SPEED (APRIL 2022)

We are pleased to inform you that we have now received 88 California Air Resource Board (CARB) Executive Orders (EO’s), and we have many more applications working their way through the CARB EO approval process. We are 100% committed to serving your needs by being the industry leader in delivering exciting, responsible, and environmentally compliant hard parts, performance packages, and tuning solutions across all of our supported platforms.

This update will provide you with an overview of changes that we have made to our Accesstuner Software system.

As a market leader in the custom tuning market, we have taken the position that we must help our customers address the regulatory challenges present in today’s marketplace. To us, this means helping ensure that tunes or calibrations developed using our Accesstuner software address the new/evolving emissions requirements present in the market and could be CARB EO certified. To do this we have made changes to our software that eliminate the chance of creating a file that could be viewed by an emissions regulator as a bypass, defeat, or emissions delete tune/calibration. We have taken great care to modify our software to ensure that calibrations developed with our system maintain the vehicle’s emissions system functionality and that they do not negatively impact the vehicle’s “Emissions-Related Elements of Design”. “Emissions-Related Elements of Design” is a term that refers to any part, device, or element of design installed on or in a motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the specific purpose of controlling emissions or which must function properly to assure continued vehicle emission compliance.

These features include, but are not limited to:

• Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC);

• Oxygen (O2) Sensors;

• Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) Sensors;

• Three-way Catalysts (TWC);

• Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Systems;

• Stratified Warmup;

• Tumble Generator Valves (TGV);

• Secondary Air Injection;

• Evaporative System;

• Features / tables, associated with certain OEM OBD Test Min/Max Limits;

• Features / tables, associated with certain OEM OBD Test Monitory Entry Thresholds.

Historically, our Accesstuner software exposed many of these tables, toggles, and diagnostic trouble codes and each individual/user was responsible for ensuring that the files that they created addressed all required emissions standards. Our understanding of the market and today’s regulatory environment has changed our view of how best to address these items. We have learned that multiple environmental/regulatory agencies may classify any modification of these features as “Delete Features” and assert that any calibrations/tune that modify these features as delete tunes that may negatively impact vehicle emissions.

Therefore, as of April 18th, 2022, we have modified our custom tuning software system (Accesstuner) to prevent the potential of users creating custom files/calibrations that could be viewed as a delete tune because the file modified in some way one (or more) of these features that the EPA and CARB have identified as “Emissions-Related Elements of Design”.

Please be assured that while these changes eliminate some of the features of our Accesstuner software, the software is still fully capable of producing the market’s best performance tunes and calibrations.

Additionally, because of our commitment to Project Green Speed and our desire to provide leadership in the marketplace and drive change, we will not provide technical assistance/support for old tuning files that include modification of any of the features that we identified as being an “Emissions-Related Element of Design” and have subsequently removed from our updated software going forward.



What Changes have been made to the Accesstuner Software?



DTCs

The ability to suppress certain DTCs directly associated with the operation of the following systems has been removed. The ability to modify all other DTCs not directly associated with these key emissions related systems remain unchanged:

• Oxygen (O2) Sensors;

• Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) Sensors;

• Three-way Catalysts (TWC);

• Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Systems;

• Stratified Warmup;

• Tumble Generator Valves (TGV);

• Secondary Air Injection;

• Evaporative System;



Toggles

The ability to modify toggles or tables with switchable states (tables that act like toggles) associated with the operation of any of the following systems has been removed:

• Oxygen (O2) Sensors;

• Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) Sensors;

• Three-way Catalysts (TWC);

• Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Systems;

• Stratified Warmup;

• Tumble Generator Valves (TGV);

• Secondary Air Injection;

• Evaporative System;

• Certain OEM OBD Test Min/Max Limits;

• Certain OEM OBD Test Monitory Entry;



Analog Flex Fuel

Because current analog flex fuel systems impact some of the signal processing of the identified key sensor and DTC signals, we have removed both the analog Nissan and Subaru Flex Fuel feature sets.



OBD Tests

OEM OBD Test Min/Max Limits

Because OEM OBD Test Min/Max Limits are defined as the parameters that determine a pass/fail during I/M Readiness tests, we have eliminated the ability to modify certain settings in these fields. For example, our new software will not support changing the parameters that determine if a catalytic converter is functioning properly.



OEM OBD Test Monitor Entry Thresholds

Because OEM OBD Test Monitor Entry Thresholds are defined as the parameters that determine if an I/M Readiness test can be run (i.e., coolant temperature, air temperature, vehicle speed, airflow, etc.) we have eliminated the ability to modify certain settings in these fields. For example, our new software will not support changing the Maximum MAF Threshold for Catalyst Diagnosis Activation.



Ancillary Definitions

OEM OBD Thresholds Not Related to OBD Tests

While there are certain OEM OBD Thresholds Not Related to OBD Tests, they do define the parameters that directly determine if a DTC will be set (i.e., “Limit Data”). We have reviewed all of these Ancillary Definitions and have removed the ability to modify those that could impact emissions related DTC functionality even though in and by themselves they fall outside of the strict definition of a delete feature. For example, changing the Maximum Boost to avoid a P0234 (Engine Over boost Condition) is not considered a delete feature.



Nissan GT-R Speed Density Tuning

Because the Speed Density tuning system once implemented cannot be reverted to stock or removed from the ROM, and this system indirectly alters certain OBD diagnostic tests, we have removed this feature/option from our updated software systems.



Automatic/Required Software Update

To ensure an even playing field and that all Accesstuner and Accesstuner Pro users are utilizing our Green Speed compliant software, we have developed an automatic/required update function in the software. As you have seen, on April 18, 2022 all users will be required to update their software to this new Green Speed compliant version of the software. All old versions of the software will cease to function after this date.



How will the Workflow Change with the New/Updated Software?

When an existing map is loaded into the software if it contains an active “Delete Feature”, you will be presented with a workflow to review the “Delete Feature” and accept its removal. We have made a number of changes to help you quickly identify the elements within a file/calibration that require modification.



Conditional Visibility

We have added a conditional visibility feature to the software to help identify when you need to make a change to a file/calibration.

• When a new map is

• Started (File | New), no Delete Features will be visible.

• Saved (File | Save), no Delete Features will be visible.

• When an existing map is

• Loaded (File | Load):

• Does not contain any active Delete Features, no Delete Features will be visible.

• Contains active Delete Features, all Delete Features will be visible.

• Saved (File | Save):

• Did not contain any active Delete Features, no Delete Features will be visible.

• Contained active Delete Features, all Delete Features remain visible.

Visual Indicators

We have changed the way we present our tuning/modification options in the software by adding visual indicators to quickly let you know what elements you can and cannot modify.

• Restricted DTCs and toggles

• Will be grayed-out indicating that they may not be modified

• These items will be read-only

• Restricted tables

• Will be de-saturated indicating that you cannot make changes to these tables

• These tables will be “read-only” and labeled as such next to each axis label

• They will also have a lock icon displayed next to the table name in the table tree view

As we have noted in our previous Project Green Speed updates, there are times when a market leader needs to make important decisions to proactively address market or regulatory uncertainty to help protect its enthusiast customers. With this change to our Accesstuner software, we have proactively addressed a potential issue for our Accesstuner users. We believe that by making these changes to our software and the product line changes announced earlier, we have addressed all of the known regulatory issues/challenges in our market and can now confidently focus on the future and growth.