hey

i am in the market for an aftermarket ecu and am considering a Microtech i was just wondering if anyone has any experience with these or if there are any reasons for or against them and is there any models to steer clear of?

thanks

Levi

Hey mate. I have had many run ins with 2 different microtec units. One was running a 13b turbo and the other was running a sr20det. The rotary worked out alright, with an older (1998) unit, all it really did was throw a heap of fuel at it, and the rotary lapped it up. The SR was running a MTX8, and it was a pig. The only map that really works is when the butterflies are wide open. The rest of the time it was just a bit sketchy, it needed to be warmed up like a carby car and was just not worth the money payed for it. It is a fair bit extra but go for a Motec, Haltec or Power FC. They are adaptable and tunable. Almost all of them will be about the same on the dyno flat out, but these will be much more drivable on the road.

hope that helps
mely

Most of the time, it's the cost of the Microtech that helps people decide. They are quite a cheap aftermarket unit, but as Mely said, they're probably better suited to Rotaries than anything else.

With that said, I've never used a Microtech on a 4-cylinder engine, only on my current 13b turbo.

It's pretty much all in the tune with any computer. If you find the right person to tune it for you, you'll have minimal dramas. If just any hack has a go at it, expect plenty of problems.

At the end of the day it comes down to cost, and availability of decent tuners in your area.

Cheers..

Leigh

I am in the market for an ecu too and have read up a bit about it and mely is right pay a bit more at the start and you'll be better of in the long run. try having a look at the autronic web site too cause their gear sounds pretty good. a few bloke up here have/street drag 120s and cortinas and swear by em. bit cheaper than a motec. be lookin out for ur decision and why so i'll know when i buy mine cheers

Yeah, wattage has a good point. Talk to a bunch of local tuners and see what they like tuning, its more important that they know how to talk to the ecus to set up the maps. I could tell you the best tuners in brisso for the different ecus.

You are in Newcastle, Ill find out the name of an awesome tuner. He built one of my mates cars. I know him but not the name of his shop. Ill get back to you.

mely

I'm a sceptical bastard and if you ask me....a tuner will tell u to buy brand XX because thats what they sell..

Asking people who have brand XX computer already installed in their car is a better way to go.

I have extremely little knowledge on computers.. but having done a little bit of research the Haltech does seem like a good unit..It has plenty of auxillary inputs and outputs, plenty of maps and plenty of compensation maps. It does cost more than the cheaper engine managment systems such as : ems, microtech, wolf, hawk etc but at the end of the day...better spend a few more dollars and have a sweet runnin car than a car which runs worse than a carbied car.

Il be running WOLF 3D alot of people bag this computer and try and tell me not to get it but i had 1 on my Skyline and it never missed a beat and ran so smooth.
They are not to exspensive and are rated very high when it comes to tuneability and accesories.
The new wolf also comes with built in lamda metre and i got some extras such as boost controller and turbo timer.
Cheers Luke

I have heard from a couple of people that the latest generation of Microtech gear is actually pretty good. Having said that, if it were my money, I would spend the extra $600-$700 and buy a Haltech as I have seen these units run all manner of engines very capably.
Once you have decided on your ecu talk to several tuners in your area and go with the one that has tuned your type of motor before. At the end of the day you could buy a Motec M800 but if the guy tuning it is a goose it'll still run terribly.
Regards Matty

microtechs are well worth their money and more. i had one on my vl turbo and it never had a problem and never went out of tune as a lot of people may suggest.

the lastest versions, the LT series, laptop programmable, is what i will be using the the ca18. reason being they are more programmable than the previous hansdet only versions, MT series. can map a variety or mixture timing/boost/air fuel ratio/revs/fuel at once, just like the more expensive computers mentioned by other people. and i know a tunerthat will setup it up like factory, cold start, cruise and full load maps.

have seen then used on rotarties, skylines, supras, 200sx's (installed by myself), and they all work a charm.

go the Microtech for sure. the cost is always nice aswell to spend on other go fast goodies.

and for extra $$$ you can get a dash just like the legendary Motec's, the only other brand to offer this product.

I have worked with most of the brands at one time or another and I do not sell any of them;

I prefer (in order) -

Motec M4
Autronic SMC
Wolf 3D
Haltech
Microtech

You get what you pay for and anything less will always be a compromise.
You might save at purchase time but you pay through the life of the vehicle with tuning problems