i would like to know what tuning problems you have had with a microtech, if any.

a lot australias most powerful and fastest cars run microtechs.

i can mention a couple of quick & powerful ca18det's with them aswell.

Call me biased but I think your a fool if you dont go for the most expensive biggest name brand ecu you can get. Just think, once you have your fuel and ignition maps set up for good load, idle, rpm and temp reference points, you can use the extra auxilary inputs and outputs for doing mad things like making your wipers go on at 5000rpm or have your windows go up and down when you are running over 8 psi boost. You could even use your brake pedal switch as an input to tell the ecu to send a pulse to your interior lights so they flash on and off so you think your at a disco all while just waiting at an intersection. Is that madness or what?
With all seriousness, unless you have a need for the extras that the expensive top line computers offer, you are wasteing your money. Having said that, nowdays even the top line big name ECUs are very competetively priced to be within the same price range of the not so big name brands. And like I have said before, most ECU manufacturers can supply you with a computer that meets all your engine fuel, ignition and auxilary needs, you just have to request it. Then again some people like to spend the extra money for extras they dont have any use for, plus you get mad stickers for your car.

As for tuners. Unless you have a 10 year old computer that has limited ref points, your car can be tuned to run like original if not better. All computers are programmed differently but if your tuner doesnt know how to read or set up an XXmap, his dyno and gas analysier wont be of much use ( with this making the tuner the same)
You will also find that most people who say xx brand ecu are bad because of such and such, have never had them tuned properly. They are either tuned buy mates who say they know what to do, or they arent tuned at all and rely on the ECUs base map to operate.

Cheers Steve

Quote:

Haha, gold!

You've hit the nail on the head there. In general, the average drive of a street driven car with aftermarket ecu doesn't give two ####s about his load and o2 sensors mapped against rpm so it's really how much you are prepared to pay for what you need.

There's no doubt that Motec and Autronic are possibly the best you can buy, and I would certainly buy one if I could justify the extra cost on top of a Microtec that would do the job.

This thread could go on for days!

from what i know about microtec, you have to order one for the motor you have. This means if you do an engine swap you will have to by a new computer.
autronic is very picky about the sensors and pick ups you use, but is highly tunable when its going.
haltec is a well priced mid ranged ecu as is ems and wolf.
im running an ems stinger and although i havent had it tuned on the dyno, it starts, idles when cold and cruises just like a factory efi car.

I've been using my intel pentium 4 for about a year and a half now. I know I only have dial up but once it warms up it runs like a jem!!!

Can someone please let me know if anti-lag is a load of s#*t or not? I am having a Haltech installed and have this option. Would it be worth taking?

antilag turns your turbo into a jet engine by retarding the timing by 40deg or so every second or third piston stroke (so the motor doesn't stall). this way combustion happens in your exhaust manifold and spins the turbo to see +ve boost at idle. really only necessary for the serious race and rally cars, where you hop off the throttle and onto the brakes and the computer keep the turbo producing boost to eliminate lag once you jump back on the throttle again.

onto the computer issue, and a computer is only as good as it's tuner. run a microtech on it's base program and it'll run like sh1t. have it tuned and it'll run better than a factory computer. install a haltech and run the 'base program' (i inverted that coz most don't come with base programs, you'll have to hunt for the settings to get it to run) and it'll run like sh1t too. have it tuned and it's the same story again.

the trouble is, most people with microtechs install it themselves and use the base program then whinge about it's flat spots and high fuel consumption. 2 hours on the dyno will sort it all out and the difference is phenomenal.

all this information is awsome, its realy helpfull to hear from people that have actualy had experience with some different brand ecus keep the info comming and ill continue to do some research, i will let you know what i discover / decide

levi

Can you expand as to why you pefer the ems in the order you have placed them??

Which ems gives the best drivability and are any of the ems in your list absolute junk??

I am trying to decide which ems to buy...my main priorities are cost, drivability / tuning ability, adaptibility to stock sensors, then ease of tuning.

I am a little suprised that u rate a Wolf ahead of a Haltech??

i decided to spend the extra cash when i go to buy mine and get an autronic as they have a self tune program that can tune to within 2 percent accuracy on the chosen afr (so it says) but is handy up here as the lack of tuners and dynos is depressing. has anyone used this feature and does it work as good as it sounds?. still have to work out cold starts i think?