i know there are a couple evo guys in the area and a bunch on the board so i thought i’d throw this question out there in case someone local had an opinion
after some light to medium modding this winter, i’m obviously going to need to handle the tuning aspect of things on my evo… and as it normally goes with this type of thing, there is no definative answer… in fact its quite the opposite.
unfortunately there is no DSMLink that i’m aware of, so as it sits my options are the following >:
stand alone - AEM
piggybacks - UTEC, SAFC, Xede ( which im not considering, just including =p )
ecu reflashes - EcuTek, or just general reflashes from licensed shops ( turbotrix, dynoflash )
they all have their + / - obviously, for example a standalone is great for having total control of the car, but its definately not OBD2 compliant and it definately the most expensive… not to mention needing to tune for weather changes etc. although you can run a MAP sensor etc. piggybacks are a cheaper alternative, but then you are dealing with the idea of lying to the ecu, broader tuning ranges ( safc2 only has like 9 or 10 ranges etc ). an ecureflash is usually cheapest, but you have to keep paying to get it redone everytime you add new mods… and there arent alternate maps for race gas etc
some people like to get an ecu reflash then fine tune with a piggyback for instances where you do need to change the maps
I dont have any experiences to give you, but my thoughts would be:
if I was going to do a turbo upgrade in the future I would bite the bullet and get the AEM.
If I was going to continue to do bolt-on type mods, I would buy a few of them and put them on at once and then send the ECU out to dynoflash. Thats kind of my thoughts or plans.
i agree about the AEM, which I’ll pm you about… but what about passing obd2 come next inspection? just remount the ecu right outside the shop, replace the test pipe with a highflow cat and push it in and hope you dont throw any codes?
with all the bs / dickriding on the evo boards, it can be hard sometimes to get a feel for whats really the truth coming from someone experienced, or what is just repeated information someone read from someone else, from someone else, from someone who may not even know anything
i do know that an alleged problem for a lot of the piggybacks is the inability to scale well with bigger injectors, and while some of the midrange turbos such as a wr/20g/6.5 TME can get by with stock or slightly larger, its probably not safe
but as aforementioned, there are tons of people who say a custom reflash can handle almost anything short of a stroked block, gigantic turbo or injection ( meth / nitrous )
With the mild mods I was telling you about that I plan on doing I am just going to get a reflash. Some places I’ve seen even do it for free or a minimal charge when you buy their parts. --overnighting
In your case, upgraded turbo in the future, good question.
I say actually call buschur racing and just ask them. And if you tell them you’d be interested in driving to their place to get work done they might hook you up. -->worked for my eclipse in chicago
It all depends how far you want to go with it… ? …
Are you looking for a maximum effort motor…500 + ? hope you understand that may require clutch, transmission, shafts, diffs, housings, ect.
Are you looking for a fast fun street car that you can do pulls with once in a while?
Find out what the power limits/mod limits of the reflash are… and see if that is acceptable. In my opinion the reflash would be the best route at this point… Why?.. becaue the ecu is REALLY integrated into newer cars subsystems. Fucking around with a standalone can be HUGE… read: enormous and expensive… pain in the ass. The reflash is so nice and simple. Very attractive choice, if it meets your requirements, IMO
I was never a fan of piggybacks and signal interceptors but they are worth considering. Do research and talk to people with EXPERIENCE. Guys with cars putting down serious power… ask what they are running and how they like it… spend a hour a day emailing people… youd be surprised how much you can learn… most guys are helpful and will give you a honest perspective… not clouded by magazine editors and other bullshit
What he said, but stay away from piggybacks. I wouldn’t even consider them. DSMs always seem to find a way to make you PAY when you use a piggyback. I know it doens’t make sense, but that’s just how it is. :shrug:
move closer to a place that does reflashes, problem solved
but for reals, obviously for the fact that you’ll be getting the most out of the car by going with standalone, is it worth the hassle involved? Just weigh out the pros vs. cons and make a choice.
I probably would do the reflash after doing the mods I have planned, I mean even if you upgrade every winter… its only once a year.
a general reflash is lame. its a guess… a “well it worked here, maybe it will work here too”
stand alone > *
after a few reflashed you will have paid for your aem. buy the book (they sell one) and learn to tune it yourself. you will feel good about yourself, like “wow, i should buy myself a pizza” kinda good about yourself.
I agree the AEM is superior, but for my daily driving needs, and for a car that will probally just get all the bolt ons, I think the reflash is the way to go. You could also take the route of getting a custom reflash, by taking your car to them, this way its application specific. Also I could get my car reflashed like 14 times for the cost of the AEM Basic set up. Inital flash=200 every additional=100.
i agree that mailing in your ecu to get a general map applied based on the mods you have done is rediculous. its really just potluck. the only guy id trust for a custom reflash, based off street wideband tuning, is in CT and often is traveling across the country with his own evo. ( which isnt a big deal, would just have to wait. )
That’s the next one on my list, actually. And yes, many of these books are not an end all be all. They just describe the principles and a few example techniques. You still have to use your brain and figure out how things work.
The Maximum Boost book is a good book, but it doesn’t really delve too deeply into the tuning aspect. It is more along the lines of designing and implementing forced induction into vehicles. It does however have a nice troubleshooting section that can help you pinpoint exactly where to start looking for a problem (i.e. where to start looking as far as tuning for correcting things like knock, high EGTs, etc). It doesn’t really go into too much depth, IMHO.
Disclaimer—I know very little aboot electronic tuning.
My car has a mail-in reflash BUT, it is specifically for Bushur stages.
My car is quite fast.
Could I gain another 20hp from a custom tune? - maybe.
Buschur has been in this game for quite a while and I trust him for a safe tune.
I would never pretend to know more about the 4g63 than him so I let him do the engineering.
Is Buschur cheap? No.
Is blowing up your engine cheap or buying random parts that don’t work well together cheap? No.
You can buy a stand alone and get the most gain from your random parts and still have less power and safety than a professionally engineered set up.
But it describes the basic magic that takes place, if You can grasp that and comprehend it, then You can understand what’s going on in Your engine, and (hopefully) tune accordingly.
Again, as You said above, this is still true:
And yes, many of these books are not an end all be all. They just describe the principles and a few example techniques. You still have to use your brain and figure out how things work.
