Let's hear your opinions on various forms of engine management. Pros/cons and cost. I'm a n00b when it comes to this stuff, so any information will be helpful!
Well, this is what I considered at the time of my purchase: COBB AP: Pros - Cheaper than other EM Fast and reliable Easy install No tuning fees Multiple maps, plus an anti theft feature AutoX map Can be sold Cons - Not a real tune Certain upgrade paths (unless you buy street tuner) Have to take the AP with you if you want to use other maps Can't think of any other ECUtek: Pros - A real tune for your specific car and mods Fast and reliable Any upgrade path you could imagine Can easily switch between maps Cons - Almost twice as expensive Tuning fees Cannot be sold (unless you sell/trade your ecu with someone else) Can only switch between two maps iirc UTEC: Pros - Staged maps You can tune it yourself Everyone tunes these things A real tune Any upgrade path Can be sold Switchable maps (if you have the remote switch) Cons - Cannot tune as many areas as Ecutek Probably need a hot and cold weather tune Tuning fees These are the things which first came to mind. I'm sure I could think of more, and that not everyone will agree with me. I chose the AP, because at this point in my life, I don't have time to mess with tuning (although I hope to in the future). It is cheaper than others and can be sold when I feel like it. The Cobb upgrade path is fine for me, because I dont have the money to go to crazy with mods right now. Plus by the time I decide to go crazy the Pro Tuner will be out for the AP and I could get a custom tune then. The autoX map was a huge plus too!
i first had UTEC and then switched to ECUTEK... though both are tunable, ECUTEK has more lookup tables and thus u can get a better tune with a good tuner... a couple of other things i noticed: 1) UTEC is a piggyback and ECUTEK is a reflash... ECUTEK operates real smooth... with UTEC, it felt like the UTEC and the ECU were fighting for control 2) ECUTEK retains the factors ECUs adaptability and thus adapts itself to changes in weather, etc... UTEC holds fixed maps... so basically, ur UTEC can go out of tune based with changes in weather but the ECUTEK will only need tuning when u add more parts From what i hear, accessport also maintains the ECUs adaptability... however the drawback is that the maps are off the shelf and not fine tuned to ur car... in order to get a true tune, u need the street tuner... then $(AP) + $(ST) = expensive again
no problem at all... i STRONGLY recommend ECUTEK over UTEC... the car runs much smoother... almost feels like it came from the factory like this... also i experienced a LOT of knock with UTEC... car has not knocked even once with ECUTEK since i got it in january
Appreciate your input. Yeah, I don't care for the UTEC concept... in fact, I don't like any of the 'piggyback' type setups. Better to get the ECU to do its job better, IMO. Seems like the AP is a good path in that you can use the off-the-shelf maps initially, and get some fairly cheap engine management. Then if you want to tune more specifically to your car and/or add mods not supported in the standard maps, you can go with the StreetTuner. Probably still won't be as good as a professional ECUtek tune, but how much would ECUtek license + several tunes cost?
go ecutek..you cant go wrong..i had pretty much the same experience that milo had with utec..lots of knock..made good power but my car is so much happier with ecutek
at SOG, ecutek costs $850 which includes 2 hours of tuning... additional tuning is expensive (i believe $150 an hour... scott: correct me if im wrong)... if i had accessport and bought street tuner, i still would take it in to a tuner to get a professional tune... i dont know anything about tuning and would not mess with it... similarly, UTEC has user tuning capabilities but i never messed with that... the ecutek data monitor that i have allows me to tune the car also... i have not messed with that feature yet... im happy with the tune scott did on my car
i agree with kris & milo, my car runs so much better now. very solid all the way to redline. scott does a great job tuning. if you have the money i highly recommend ecutek. -drums
OK, let me throw a curveball. How about something like the Apex-i AVC-R electronic boost controller? How far can you go with that alone? At what point do you need to mess with the ECU?
I could be wrong but I think that only alows you to adjust gear spasific boost and not all the extra stuff, With ecutek scott can tune every thing so that your car is very happy. Just adding boost is not a very good idea. Plus the AVC-R is $500.00 I would keep saving for ecutek thats what im doing
yea..dont mess with that..save up for ecutek..it does everything you need! the Apex-i AVC-R electronic boost controller does only that..controls boost..what about fuel and change in temperature..knock correction..etc..
Doing just and AVC-R without any EM is a bad idea. Reason being is that under partial throttle you will be seeing full boost with the AVC-r, something that the ecu is not programmed for causing a lean condition(not good). You would be better off saving the money and getting your car ECutek'd. As for the pros and cons for the EM's, I do not see anything else to add that hasn't allready been said.
I have UTEC and sure it has its downfalls but it has been proven with several very High Horsepower applications. Not as stable as some of the other EM but the software upgrade is out so its much better and I plan on keeping it. Hope that helps and changing map's on the fly is so cool and having valet mode anti-theft mode just my opinion on it.
i know that BigBoosting made >500 whp with a UTEC... however, i personally didn't like UTEC when i had it... blame it on the tuner or the software version at that time... i have been very happy with ECUTEK and AP
AP with street tuner is fun stuff. It not only allows you to tune, but you can datalog and while doing so it has a feature called live trace that allows you to see what the ECU is accessing at any given time. This is pretty cool in that it lets you see what the ECU is looking at in any given situation. For me it is a learning tool. I am sure it also is invaluale in tuning out flat spots, rough idles, etc.
Cobb AP can be protuned just like Ecutek, you can also get the stree tuner version which will aloow you to tune it youreself. I personally think this is the best option but for the sti right now. Matt
Wow, this thread is pretty old. Matt: I don't think Protuner was out when he made that post... For the record, today I advocate OpenECU for those who want to DIY, and think Cobb is probably the best commercial solution.
is there an easy to read chart? or spreadsheet comparison of features and what they mean for the user available? if not, lets make one
Have never seen one. I just researched all over the place trying to decide if I wanted to keep my AP and go with street tuner, or switch over to some other engine management system. In the end I really liked what I saw with ST and decided to stick with it.
well, i'm so noob, i dunno what features there are to even compare. My nahlej stops at piggyback vs reflash.