I've been looking through this site and it looks like all these fc's, even the highly modded ones still have the stock ecu. Why is this?? Is it emissions or have they found a way to make alot of power and still use the stock ecu? Just courious thanks!

oops here is the site. http://www.kaizousha.com/index3.php?p=2

 

Aftermarket EFI seems to be uncommon in Japan in general. I've always though this was odd given Japan's high-tech car culture and huge performance aftermarket. Other than the Apexi PowerFC (which isn't universal) they don't seem to have much local product.

I've always though it odder that most of the popular aftermarket systems, from one end of the market (MicroTech) to the other (MoTec), and many in between (Haltech, Autronic, Wolf) come from Australia...

 

huh.....strange I didn't know that! So do thier engines blow more often then people from places that do have stand alone engine managment systems?

 

a lot of them run power fc and other either chipped stock computers or a diffrent standalone. if the car is not modified enouf there is no neeed to get a standalone, most people dont take the time to tune the car properly, you can not tune the car properly form 1-2 hour dyno session. stock computers are already tuned for the stock car, its a lot easier to alter and adjust from the stock settign according to the modifications you have performed, then it is to get a compelte standalone and spend the time tunning that.

now having an old car and not having the electronics wrok the way they should is a diffrent story, these cars are old and a lot of times the wire harnesses are in no good shape at all and esp after an engine swap the harness gets bent around and the now plastic wire shilding which was once the soft wire surround cracks and diffrent wires inside make contacts, this is a no no.
sometimes its wiser to choose a standalone then buying new factory components, esp having the high cost associated with them. but like i said stay with the stock computer as long as you can, untill it becomes a limiting factor for your goals.

 

I noticed all the fc' on the do not have flapper type MAF's. I can't read the year model to tell if they are S4 or 5's but I thought I heard some one say gt-r's were one and gt-x's were the other but on the site both have s5 trim and bullet style MAF?

Just an observation.

 

i love the link i just spent the last hour going through pics

 

I did the samen thing, lol. So what is the magic hp number that your stock ecu is no longer good? I've just ordered a bnr stage III and am wondering if the stock ecu is going to be ok with this. Of course I have rtek1.7 and safc so would this be enough?

 

The GT-X and GT-R tags are trim levels, and were used for both S4 and S5. The reason you saw no flapper AFM's was because all the FC's there were S5's (the first four pages anyway).

 

So why do some of them have rear sidemarkers and some dont???

 

Japaneses FC's never had rear side markers stock, but just like you can buy JDM parts in the US, you can buy USDM parts in Japan.

http://www2.ocn.ne.jp/~knight78/OVER...3S_ENGLISH.htm

26,250 yen (~US$250) for a pair.

They didn't have front side markers either; they're side indicators instead (much more useful).

 

So where do i go about getting the JDM replacements for the rear?

Indicators as in side blinkers? I have mine set up for that.. haha

 

I used to call them "blinkers" when I was a kid...

 

hey now i'm just clarifying... and where to do i get the replacements for the rear?

 

Your typical Japan auto owner is not as gutsy to do major mods to their cars.

A stand-alone EMS is way beyond what most of the owners are capable of.
If they have big mods done, it's done at shop which charge an arm and a leg!
I've seen MoTeC install and tune advertised priced around $10,000US!
I've seen Haltech install and tune advertised for almost $8,000US!

The big stand-alone units are the A'PEXi Power FC (which doesn't make an FC3S application) and the HKS FCON Pro V.
The FCON Pro V is like $5,000US+ and that's a PnP unit!

Remember, you can get a used FC3S (they are all turbos) for around $2,000US or LESS.
When it comes down to sheer cost, it's not worth it.


-Ted

 

If you look through the HyperRev RX-7 tuning book, there are at least 15 different aftermarket ECU's to choose from for the FC and FD, so saying their uncommon is incorrect. I guess people just don't use them since people who would buy FCs probably don't have much money anyway (like RETed said, you can buy them for $1000-3000).

 

Or they would rather spend their money on new body kits and paint.

 

No it's not incorrect. Just because they're available does not make them common. How many of those FC's did you look at? Did you see any that didn't have a stock AFM? Full aftermarket systems are not used very often in Japan compared to other countries with strong modified car cultures. How many of those "15 different aftermarket ECU's" in the HyperRev book were just reprogrammed stock ECU's and how many were universal, fully programmable ECU's? The PowerFC is popular because it's a drop-in ECU, but its also model specific, so if they don't make one for your engine you're out of luck.

 

By uncommon I usually think not available or hard to find, which they aren't. Those FC's are for sale, not nessicarily representing the average high-level tuned car (Most of them are labeled as light tune). Their owners probably pulled out the expensive stuff and sold them seperately before getting rid of the car. I'm sure people who still drive highly tuned FCs have some sort of aftermarket ECU.

And I don't know which ones are nessicarily programmable since I can't read that much Japanese. :p

Oh, I have to correct myself: there are 37 aftermarket ECUs in the book. At least 3 of them are programmable since they have laptops in the picture, or I already knew they were programmable. I'm sure a few more of them are as well,.

 

It seems to depend more on the shop and the tuner really even more than the owner of the car which ecu the car gets.....
Power fc is very common, and yes there is a power fc for the FC(s5)...Hks fcon is right up there, that stuff gets by the vehicle inspections... Lots of Motec around though, even on street cars, and alot of haltech as well, again depends on the shop, there are shops that insist every car they tune gets a motec, and some that decided every car should be a haltech...Another interesting ecu is the Buddy club racing ecu..
I dont know where Ted is getting his pricing from though, its more than double what I observed there for pricing...The haltech was cheaper there than what I paid for mine here..
max

 

i thought AP engineering developed a Power FC specifically for FC3S applications?

 

Yes there is a power FC available for S5 FC3S's. It is just as costly as it is for the FD there are quite a few from what I have been reading on Jap car sites. using an internet translator you can see some really cool stuff like how often the FCON, and MFCS is used (like max said) and then on cars that are more than 350 are almost guaranteed to have a Power FC Haltech Microtech, Motec. Etc. Also how many td07-18G 14cm3 and TD07-25G turbos were used over there and they manage like 450 -600 HP with them (or so they claim on their sites).

 

I believe the Japanese guys are doing a lot of ROM tuning for the FC's stock ECU...much like rtek7's upgrades offered from www.digitaltuning.com

 

It looks so. I looked at some FCs on that site and saw the words "adjusted for this car" for computer. Anyway I jut feel standalone is not worth for guys unless they really love FCs since there are many alternatives (including FDs) available over there.

 

Yeah, my info is a bit outdated.
I haven't really peeked into any of the Japanese mags for years now....like over 10 years ago!


-Ted

 

My last owner was japanese, and looking at his records besides the aftermarket turbo, injectors others, (with the limited Japanese I can read) the on the records says Original + LC

still can't figure out what that means....

anyways that is why my project is a standalone in the near future =)

on a side note: I wonder if the T2 leather trim was common in japan, it seems like most of these are not leather seats... and HOW COME THEY HAVE REAR SEATS!!!!?!?