I have been looking through alot of threads and so on about some of the problems you guys have been having and the threads about modifying your cars.

Why is it that I havent seen any owners with after market ECU's??? One of the first mods carried out here is programable engine management.

Im not up to date on whats avaible over there, so how do you guys over come trying to wind the boost up and go for large HP.

The only thing that my standerd ecu does now is run the oil metering pump and cruise control. But thats soon to change as Im ripping out the elec metering pump and putting a ser4 one on the car.

 

Well most people that go all out eventually get an EMS(Haltech alot of times). Its just a big expense that people seem to try to put off, like myself. If you can afford a good EMS, get it. Seems like alot of us FC people are po mo fo's.

 

The stock system is actually fairly decent in most Mazda products, for a reasonable HP increase (up to about 50 HP or so more). This is (of course) most unlike some Japanese manufactures that specialize in FWD economy cars where poor fuel and ignition management for power is the norm.

Its generally not until major modifications are done does it make sense to make the ECU upgrade, unless you have a ton of money; since most better ECUs (like the Haltech or Electromotive) upgrades can cost half as much as the car did in the first place.

 

I'll tell you why mate, cause you and i are down under, they are in the US. thats honestly pretty much it.

The americans only after blowing a few motors apart from trying to run a set up miles above what the stock ecu etc is able to handle, do they decide to fork out the $$$ on an aftermarket efi system

 

The truly SERIOUS ones I feel spend money on the stand alones. Everyone else is just saving enough money to buy a stand alone. In the process of saving money, they blow a few engine's....

 

You also have to remember that most of the good aftermarket ECU's come from Australia, so there is better support for them (and they are probably cheaper, relatively speaking).

The other problem is that prices for cars are WAY cheaper here in Nth America, than they are in OZ. I bought an 86 TII down there for AU$22,000 in 1996. I bought an 87TII here in Canada for CA$4000 in 2000. BIG difference. So, spending close to $2000 just on an aftermarket ECU doesn't make much economical sense... you could almost buy another TII.