X-JaVeN-X

Alright...why would you move this? I want opinions on a this ecu COMPARED to microtech and haltech for the FC. So you move my thread to a forum that has 10 posts in the last MONTH...yea..I'm gonna get unbiased feedback from a forum that is for only Wolf users.

So, with that said...I'll try again, and hopefully a mod won't delete/move this one....

Alright, so I've been looking for a standalone and of course haltech and microtech seem to be really the only ones I see mentioned much. Well, there is a Wolf 3D ver. 3 for sale, but I have heard next to nothing about this brand of ems (let alone a specific version). From what I can see this is an old model...so do anybody have any experience with these ecu's compared to microtech and haltech?

phoenix7

do you know a local Wolf tuner? Plan on doing it yourself? If you plan on doing it yourself then I would stick with an EMS that others are familiar with and can HELP you with.

X-JaVeN-X

nope....I wouldn't be doing it myself. I've sent a PM to the guy that will be dyno tuning my 7 to see if he had any experience with the ecu...so in the meantine, I figured I'd see what everybody else had to say about it.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

I personally havent heard much about it, which could mean good or bad things. You could check the Wolf section and see what they have to say.

X-JaVeN-X

Well...my last thread got moved there...so we'll see. However, there are literally like 10 posts since the end of october...so, I'm doubting there will be much feedback there, but we'll see.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

That might tell you something.. Even the MS section is livelier then that!

X-JaVeN-X

yea...searching here on the forum...everyone (only a few) that says they have used one likes it ...except for Aaron Cake...who says it's a pos and always breaks..lol.

However, this is all info on the version 4 and newer system. I'm really waiting to hear back from my tuner, but I'm still keeping my options open until he says they suck or doesn't feel comfortable tuning one.

coxxoc

iTrader: (3)

Version 3 can work, but you have to cut up your CAS to get the ignition signal right. I'd just go with a newer system if I were you. I'm a Wolf V4 user. I've never had a problem with the Wolf "breaking." The system is very easy to tune and has lots of corrections for parameters from other sensors. I like the Wolf quite a bit.

Ask the guy installing it/tuning it what he likes. Get that. After all, do you really want someone learning something new on YOUR car?

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Whoa! I didn't say that it always breaks! The ECU and harness are both well constructed and seem to be quality pieces. Plus the ECU has a load of blinky lights which are very effective at letting you know it's status at a glance.

However, unless something has drastically changed in the last 8 months, the Wolf does not support stock FC ignition. You need to create you own tailing coil out of two leading coil ignitors and two trailing coils, or move to something aftermarket. For me, this is a HUGE problem. I'm also not big on the software, the bizarre TPS calibration procedure, and in general the quirks of the unit.

I'm partial to the Microtech. I am continually more impressed with the Megasquirt as it improves and the more I work with it (getting used to it's quirks). And you can't go wrong with the Haltech.

But for me, the Microtech has been the least problematic of any ECU I've installed.

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Microtech = :barf:..

Gotta agree on the MS. Just installed one and was getting pretty familiar with it before the person sold the car to someone else. Kind of liked it although its quirky and the software is nothing short of odd...

Evil Aviator

First of all, never buy any EMS that does not have local support, or does not at least have a tuner available that can set up the initial configuration and tuning.

That being said, the Wolf 3.0 was a very good EMS for its time, and some of my friends used it with excellent results, but it is outdated now. You will need to have your CAS permanently modified to use the Wolf 3.0, but it will use the stock S4 coils (the later Wolf versions had problems with the stock FC ignition system). A friend of mine still uses a Wolf 3.0 on his NA race car, as he is still happy with the old dog, and 8 load bands aren't all that bad on a NA engine.

I recommend buying a NEW modern EMS if you can afford $1,000-$2,000 for the unit and another $500-$1,000 for installation and tuning. The newer models have much better load/rpm resolution, fuel injector resolution, and better features like electronic boost control and advanced data logging. The brand doesn't matter as long as the functions meet your goals and some type of local support is available. Just talk it over with your tuner to see what he thinks is a good match for your goals and budget.

You can download the Wolf 3.0 manual here:
http://www.wolfems.com/component/opt...tails/gid,15/1

Given that thread volume is primarily based on problem solving and popularity, it tells me that not too many people own a Wolf EMS, and that a lot of people have problems with the Megasquirt.

CrackHeadMel

iTrader: (2)

As for the ignition, just buy a 3channel FD ignitor, i think thers one for sale for $55 right now, 5min with a dremel and the ignitor will even fit in place of the stock trailing ignitor, you can use just 2 of the channels to control the trailing alone and stock leading coil / ignitor combo to run its self normaly, or run al lignition outputs to the 1 ignitor and control both leading and trailing coils from the one ignitor and call it good

And your correct, the Wolf section isnt very livly, but if you post, we will answer, me, hwnd, nyt etc are active there often, whenever i check it i generaly see someone else familiar there aswell

as for bizzarr tps calibration? Set calibration mode to SetMinMax with foot off the accelorater, hold to the floor, release, done? seems strightforward to me, unless v3 was diff

J-Rat

iTrader: (2)

Spin it anyway you like!

RETed

I know the v4 and v4+ (and later models) are a big jump in technology versus the older v3's.
I know it's tempting to jump on "deals" like this, but I'll tell you what I tell the newbies in the Haltech section...

CHEAP WILL BITE YOU IN THE ***.

Just because something is cheap doesn't necessarily mean it's a good deal.
As Evil Aviator has already said, unless you're a wiz with this particular unit, tech / user support is a very important thing to consider.
How well are you versed in tuning aftermarket EMS'?
IME, 90% of stand-alone EMS owners do not tune their cars to their full potential.
This is sad, considering that you spend a lot of time and effort to go through all the trouble, and you're running around "half tuned"...

Wolf3D has really had a hard experience in the USA, since two of their US distributors really fucked up the market.
This left a bad taste in a lot of the previous owners mouths.
Although the EMS might be capable, do you really want to take the risk if something goes wrong?
Something to consider...


-Ted

X-JaVeN-X

My tuner got back with me and he recommended against it. He said the ver. 4 and later were better. He recommended A Haltech as the number one choice..followed by microtech....so that's what I'll keep looking for.Thanks for the advice.

RRTEC

iTrader: (13)

The wolf 3d ver3 is a good system, but no-one knows how to work on it...

The guys at WOLF are very helpful, but you have to call them long distance... They are in AU..

I think the system you are looking at is my old wolf... I had trouble tuning it myself.. but when tuned properly they are a VERY good system, and show you everything you need to know... I would buy it back if I had the cash....

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

I think a lot of people discount the Microtech for what (in my opinion anyway ) are silly reasons. Not being able to save maps to disk is just plain stupid, and I shake my head every time I make changes to my map and have no way of going back to the previous version. Microtech has been promising an update for YEARS but has failed to deliver. Booo-urns on them for that. In the summer I wrote my own software which allows me to dump the maps (the protocol is very simple) but it's buggy, ugly and needs to be flushed out before I can let others use it. I'm trying to find a good picture of the Microtech harness connector so I can cobble something up to run my ECU outside of my car (like the Megasquirt 'Stim) without having to pay for a new harness.

Personally I don't see the limitation of having to send the ECU back to Microtech for major changes as a big deal. The ECU is configurable in every way I need, and I have no plans to move it to another engine...

It's a good entry level ECU, but seriously, Microtech needs to update their software. They have hardware to support bigger tables and a host of other improvements but the firmware is behind everyone else.

All the Microtechs I've done have been the least problematic of any standalone I've ever worked with. No trigger issues, no weirdness, etc.

The software is odd, but once you get used to how things need to be set up, it makes sense. I think I've been doing Megasquirt stuff for 4 years now and in that time it's evolved a lot. With the V3 board it's a robust unit and the MSII is very impressive. It's certainly quirky and not for everyone but feature for feature it can't be beat.

A lot of people seem to immediately latch on to the Megasquirt because it's cheap, and they hear other people parrot information about it. These people don't realise that it's a true DIY ECU and without some electronics knowledge, they have entered a world of hurt. I've never dealt with a Megasquirt installation that did not at least have one major technical problem that needed to be fixed by modifying the unit or building another circuit, but once corrected they've always worked well.

Everytime loaded a map (I always save a map with every change I make so I can go back) I had to recalibrate the TPS. Then power cycle the ECU. Then wait a minute while the software connected again. It's just clunky. The software itself always seemed half-done, which poor descriptions of the parameters. Not a big problem in itself except that the manual and software referred to the same thing with different names. For my first Wolf experience, it was very confusing and much harder then it should have been.