GT-R

Well, I have yet to go talk to the guy about the 87 Turbo II. But I'm strongly intrigued by the fact that some people around here have laptops in the front seat, and LCD dash's and whatnot.

How easy/cheap is it to do something such as that? Even the little thing I saw someone with, the "button on the steering wheel" or something that gave him "High-Boost." Or .... something. That sort of thing really makes me squirm. LOL.

How does one go about doing something like that? I really like the idea of having a high-performance car when wanted, and gas-mileage/daily-driver conditions when wanted aswell. Can that sort of thing be acheived with relative ease/hardware? Even if its not, can I get details so I can start saving?

BklynRX7

The button you speak of seems like it would be part of a nitrous oxide injection system. Any standalone will run you in the $1000+ range besides the pretty new do-it-yourself megasquirt which you contruct and program by yourself. these run about $200-$400 depending on how much you want to do. the cheapest/easiest way to balance your performance with gasmileage would be the apexi safc or safcII which is a simpler, cheaper unit that just controlls your fuel flow at different rpm ranges. You can get the newest unit for around $250. But i wouldnt try to program any of these myself if you dont knwo what your doing.

RETed

That button sounds like a SBC switch.
GReddy makes one for it's PRofec lines of boost controllers.


-Ted

NZConvertible

Very few people actually have that (like two if that). There is no need for any of that. The better standalones require a laptop to tune them, but they do not need to be in the car at any other time. You can put a button on the steering wheel to control literally anything you want, so there's nothing special about that.

vicious525E

how come every one talks about the safc and safcII but never the e-manage :\
is there that much of a difference, there priced about the same.

dvls-7

It doesn't matter what system you have. Its only as good as the person tuning it.

NZConvertible

The basic package costs about the same but doesn't have nearly as much functionality. To make it work as good as or better than the S-AFC you have to buy a bunch of other stuff, raising the price considerably. It can be made much more powerful than the S-AFC, but with a correspondingly higher price. Basically, the E-Manage is not a direct competitor.

pengarufoo

I think it's safe to assume over 90% of the noise on this board is not about needs but wants, it's a rx-7 forum.... Technically, there is no need for any of this.

Again, it's not about needs, it's about wants. When your engine management computer is capable of spitting out > 20HZ of engine data that you would otherwise have to add extra sensors and gauges to monitor realtime without even datalogging & replay facilities (unless you spend big money on very advanced analog gauges with peak hold and replay/recording capabilities, out-costing a reasonable laptop & lcd easily)... it would be silly to not exploit this capability once you've already invested in a standalone.

I mean, just read the guys original post... does this sound like a guy who's using a 'What do I need" kind of logic?

Looks to me like a guy whos simply stoked about some of the cool things he has been seeing, and wants to get in on it. He probably 'needs' a reliable civic, but apparently wants a 87 t2 with programmable engine management and modern bells and whistles to compliment it, and a button on the steering wheel... I see no problems with that I'm not about to seriously tell the guy what he needs vs. what he wants.


Now, to attempt to answer some of GT-R's questions:

Standalone engine management will run you around $600-$1500, depending on what you choose.

Laptop will cost you around $300-$2000 depending on how badass you go.

A LCD panel for a gauge cluster will go for from $200-$1000, heavily depending on what approach you take.

Also keep in mind what you can do with your standalone depends on what software is available for interfacing with the standalone. You are probably referring to my recent thread about my lcd instrument panel... the things mentioned in that thread would not be possible without the custom software that works with the haltech e6k. You wouldnt want to use the lcd panel if you were stuck with the tuning software that is bundled with most of these systems.

GT-R

Yeah, Peng's right.... What I "need" is probably a Geo Metro or something, but I'm a performance minded guy, my life revolves around cars for no apparent reason. I just like the smell of burnt rubber, the smell of exhaust, and the sound of an engine is music to my ears.

Anyway, this sort of stuff seems rather high end, but I'll keep an eye and ear out for any deals I might be able to find along the way, if nothing else to keep in storage until I might be able to really use it. That might be AFTER the 20b.

vicious525E

oh ya, i'll show choos guyz, me and my emanage will be on top one day, you'll see!!!!!


damn i need some sleep.

NZConvertible

Yeah actually it does. The post doesn't seem to reflect much knowledge of aftermarket EFI, especially the last paragraph. If that's the case do you think jumping in the deep end with a set-up like yours is particularly smart? Would you recommend it to a novice or do you think starting out with the basic set-up might be a wiser move? You can always add the bells and whistles later.

GT-R

Oh thats totally what I'm aiming for. I'm going to start out slow, concentrate on cornering ability more than anything, I'm not a big fan of drag racing -- I already know how to shift and launch and such... The most oustanding improvements I will do before much under the hood will be alot of suspension work. Brakes, wheels, tires, possibly coilovers? I don't know what is able to fit up under them, I haven't ever seen one from underneath, if I buy this car I'm wanting to get -- I'll definately jack it up and give it a good study.

NZConvertible

Actually I meant starting out with a basic EFI system and then later adding the extra bits you refered to in you original post. But starting with suspension and brakes is always a good idea, if not a popular one.

Bukwild

"I just like the smell of burnt rubber, the smell of exhaust, and the sound of an engine is music to my ears. "

You are not going to tell us you live your life a quarter mile at a time are you, because I almost lost it when I read this.

GT-R

LOL No, I don't live life a quarter mile at a time, I don't particularly LIKE drag racing... But I will say I've drove more than 5 miles in the wrong direction, driving even with a muscle car with my windows down just to listen to it.