Frequently Asked Questions
This is a list of frequently asked
questions. If you'd like to contact us, you can get in touch
with us through e-mail or by
phone. Or check out our
Discussion Forum.
We will be updating this list with
questions and answers about all out product lines in the
near future.
In the meantime, this page currently lists FAQs for:
- Glassworks Unlimited Fiberglass
Products
- MADS Electronics Performance Modules
Glassworks Unlimited FAQs
I have a truck, I am going to buy bigger wheels for
offroading, do I need fiberglass fenders and fiberglass
bedsides?
We recommend that you buy both. In most cases, stock
fenders are not designed to house big off road type wheels. A
lot of people complain of "rubbing", when your tire scrapes
the inside of your wheel well or scrapes your fender edge
when you are turning. With fiberglass fenders, this issue is
eliminated.
Your products seem pretty solid, how do you make your
fiberglass fenders?
A fender mold receives a gelcoat which coats the mold.
Raw material is applied and resin is added to the raw
material. The air is worked out of the laminate. The air
gets trapped between the layer of mat and the gel coat.
After everything is set, the finished fender is tested for
structural soundness.
I heard that fiberglass is really expensive, is this
true?
No. They are relatively inexpensive. Fiberglass fenders
are more flexible than their steel counterpart. It is
cheaper to pay $200 for a fender than pay $1,500 in a body
shop trying to repair a steel fender.
I am a hardcore offroad enthusiast, how else will these
fenders help me?
Off road fiberglass fenders allow for more travel of your
tires and suspension so you won't have to lift your truck as
high. A low center of gravity is a key factor in off roading.
What is stronger fiberglass or steel?
Fiberglass is pound for pound, stronger than steel.
If fiberglass is stronger than steel, then why don't you
see buildings made of fiberglass?
For it's weight to strength ratio, it is stronger than
steel. Kind of how an ant who can lift 20 times it's
bodyweight is pound for pound, stronger than a human being.
How does fiberglass compare to steel in terms of damage
resistance?
The way fiberglass fenders are designed, impact is spread
over the entire surface area of the fender to reduce the
chance of damage. With Steel fenders, the same impact would
more likely leave a permanent dent.
Is it easy to install fiberglass fenders?
Totally. They are bolt-on fiberglass fenders. Glassworks
Unlimited makes them specific to model type so when you call
in and order your fender, you are getting a fender that is
designed specifically for your truck and the year your truck
was made.
I don't have the time to install the fiberglass fenders
and my dog ate all my tools, what can I do now?
Give us a call. We will
help you out and if you live far away, we will recommend
someone to help you.
I heard fiberglass has a tendency to tear in major
collisions. Is this true?
Fiberglass fenders are not shock proof, they can tear if
you slam yourself into a boulder or flip. Rather than
denting from a sudden impact from ...say, a rock, fiberglass
will bounce back leaving little or no trace of the impact.
What about weight, I want my truck to fly, so I want it
to be light as possible.
Fiberglass components weighs 75% less than steel.
I am going to do a lot of desert racing. How does
fiberglass fenders hold up to the elements?
Fiberglass fares better than steel when dealing with
exposure to the elements. It doesn't rust or become faded in
the sun.
What else can you tell us about your fiberglass products?
Well, they look good as well.
MADS Electronics - Smarty Power Module FAQs
The MADS Electronics tuning software
is well known as CaTCHER software. MADS Electronics
original products were EPROMs and Flash-EPROMs (or
“chips”) which could be installed in place of the
original OEM EPROMs and Flash-EPROMs located in the
vehicle’s on-board control module. These chips, just
like the tuners of today, keep the entire vehicle safety
and emissions systems intact, but modify the fuel
injection settings to deliver dramatic power, torque and
drivability improvements.
Also the fuel consumption is one of
the most important point of MADS Electronics research.
CaTCHER software can be used to reduce fuel consumption
up to 15% depending on the driving condition.
With the advent of OBD-II vehicle
control module in the early 1990s, most domestic vehicle
manufacturers installed under-dash ports (“ALDL ports”)
which allowed dealers and service techs to “re-flash”
the vehicle's control module to change engine settings
without replacing any chip.
So today, instead of chips, MADS
Electronics products are hand-held tuners that achieve
the same dramatic drivetrain improvements, without the
hassle of popping the hood, pulling out the vehicle
control module and replacing a chip. Installation is
quick and easy, taking just 2 minutes and requiring no
tools or mechanical skills whatsoever.
Q. What does "CaTCHER "
stand for?
A. CaTCHER stands
for Clutch and Traction Challenger.
Q. What is so special
about the CaTCHER?
A. The CaTCHER software
is a unique animal. It improves throttle response of
the engine greatly. It spools up the turbo sooner.
(On average 200 RPM sooner.) It deals with the injection
timing. It alters the torque management. Just to mention
a few benefits. Customers report that the engine now
"hangs" on the throttle.
Q. What has Smarty to do
with the CaTCHER software?
A. Smarty is the tool
you need to update your ECM with any level of the
CaTCHER software. There are ten different software packs
in Smarty you can choose from.
Q. What's the difference
in the CaTCHER software?
A. Mainly the throttle
response, or maybe better the aggressiveness of the
engine response. Since the full blown CaTCHER develops
torque instantly, it can become a pain to drive it on
slippery roads. Thus the need to reduce the response
some. Further more, there are CaTCHER versions with and
without added timing stored in the Smarty. The software
without added timing are useful if you want to use a
timing box stacked with the CaTCHER.
Q. Does Smarty have only
CaTCHER software on board?
A. No, Smarty offers
SW# 0 that provides about HALF the power of a stock
software. Emissions. Ehm. SW# 1 is a Fuel Saver
software. SW# 2 deals only with fuel and boost. SW
# 3 is fuel, boost, and timing. The remaining levels
can be considered CaTCHERs.
Q. Does Smarty do the
boost fooling function?
A. Yes, all the the
software modules in Smarty have modified boost tables in
them in order to allow for higher boost without
defuelling. (Except SW#0 and of course stock)
Q. Could you take
Smarty and install it on several different trucks, one
at a time?
A. Yes! No problem, when
you go back to stock Smarty unlocks from the VIN# and
ECM. Now you're ready to go into another truck. As many
times as you want.
Q. Can Smarty go from
one program to another, or do you have to go back to
stock, then to a program?
A. You can go from any
software # to any other software #. There is no need to
go back to stock.
Q. Is Smarty ECM or VIN
sensitive?
A. YES! Smarty only
works with one truck AND one ECM at one time.
Q. What if a dealer
flashes the ECM and Smarty was not returned to stock? Is
my Smarty now useless?
A. We've been asked that
question many times. Upon request, there is a "safety
feature" in Smarty. Should a reflash happen without
having Smarty returned to stock first, you need to
contact us and tell us the serial # of your Smarty and
the VIN# of your truck.
With that information we
can provide you with a password that will allow Smarty
to update your ECM. That password will work ONLY ONE
TIME. That means that you can unlock Smarty from the ECM
only one time.
Q. Which version of
"stock" will the Smarty come with.
Smarty does NOT download
the complete original software from the ECM and does not
store it into it's memory. That is for a simple reason.
The protocol in the ECM does not allow to read the flash
memory. How can Smarty then return to stock? Simple. It
has all the latest stock software already on board. When
you choose to return the truck back to stock, Smarty
takes the stock software from it's memory and updates
the ECM with that software.
Q. Is Smarty's DTC
reader also VIN# locked?
A. No, the DTC reader
works always in any truck. Even when Smarty is VIN#
locked to your truck, you can still diagnose your
buddy's truck. MADS did not want you to have the hassle
of going
back to stock only because you need to help someone.
Q. How long does it take
to update the ECM with Smarty?
A.
We've done some serious research in order to minimize
the time needed for an update. We've developed special
boot loaders which cut the required time for an update
dramatically. A typical update is done in about two
minutes with Smarty S-03A and three and a half minutes
with Smarty S-04A. Once you get used to Smarty it takes
a few minutes from the moment you plug in
Smarty to finish. With the fastest competition it takes
more than twice that time.
Q. Does the Smarty
Mount in the truck... or program and then unplug?
Smarty needs to be
plugged into the OBD port of your truck, program the ECM,
then unplugged.
Q. If the update is
interrupted, how can I recover the ECM?
First of all don't
panic! An interrupted update is a piece of cake for
Smarty. Smarty will recover your truck automatically
back to the STOCK software. Unlike the competition, you
don't have to remove fuses or battery cables. Smarty
will handle the situation on it's own. You just need to
turn the key on, plug in Smarty and follow the on-screen
instructions. A special boot loader does that job.
Q. Can a dealer detect
Smarty?
If you take your truck
back to stock software then the answer is no. Smarty
updates are
NOT
detectable by the dealer!
Q. Does the CaTCHER
raise the rev limiter?
The CaTCHER versions
alter the high RPM settings in the ECM for fuel, timing,
boost, torque limiter whatever... in order to allow the
engine to rev. Depending upon the mods done to the
engine that shows up on a dyno graph or does not.
Q. How much horsepower
will the CaTCHER add to my 98.5-02 engine?
A. The CaTCHER is VERY
noticeable from idle up. As soon as you touch the
throttle, you will KNOW that the CaTCHER is in there.
First of all, the power added by the CaTCHER depends
upon the mods done to the engine. On a stock engine,
typically we see an HP increase at the rear wheels of
about 60 HP.
With taller injectors,
the HP gain increases. How much? That depends upon the
injectors, turbo, intake, and exhaust. The best mod
combined with a CaTCHER is without doubt a good set of
injectors.
Fuel pump wire tapping
boxes without added timing come next if you're after
serious HP. In that kind of scenario, the CaTCHER
becomes very noticeable in the top HP range. Some
customers have gained over 75 HP with that kind of stack
above all other stacks they had tried before.
Is there a warranty on this product?
Of course! Anyway, let me mention the
fact that out of the over 2000 Smarty's sold thus far,
we have had only five defective units. MADS uses the
strictest quality control possible. Every single unit is
tested individually four different times during the
assembly before it leaves our facility. Everything is
traceable for every single unit. MADS knows exactly
where the parts for it came from, who assembled it, who
tested it. MADS wants the Smarty products to be as
trouble free as possible.
What is the Warranty Period?
One year. |
