Well car has a downpipe, high flo cat and a Enfi Y-pipe. Now I want to add the Power FC w/o the commander for now. I was wondering will this improve my car such as performace wise like hp/tq? And with the Power FC can I just plug it up and go and not have to tune it? I am not very educated on the tuning side of a/f ratio so I just wanted to plug it up and drive.

Future plans with the FD:
M2 Performance Medium Intercooler w/ M2 Air Box
HKS Dragger Exhaust
Boost Controller set to 12psi.

And buy a 90-91 CRX -=) to daily beat.

Opinions please for I am purchasing the Power FC in 1 week. Thanks!

 

Well, I think you can just plug and drive but you can't floor it like your gonna want to. You're gonna need to tune it. And if you do get it tuned then yes you will see HP/TQ improvements. I highly recomend getting it tuned otherwise what's the point of buying it, right?

I also noticed that you have your boost controller set to 12psi with no upgraded ecu and all those other mods. Maybe you should save up for a rebuild too, cause its gonna come a lot faster than you think.....if it hasn't happened already and you don't realize it.

 

No i do not have it set to 12psi that is coming in the future as stated above under future for my FD. Right now I am only running 10psi safely. I am only up'ing the boost once I get my Power FC and now have it tuned.

 

IMO, if you just want to plug it up and drive, don't get a programmable ECU, get a rechipped one like the M2 or Pettit.

 

I don't know about this. THe PFC is a 16 bit, faster processor and the car is smoother. Getting a rechipped is still an ECU. Leaves no room for adjustment.

Base map on PFC is lean compared to what I have seen coming from SR and KDR. Greater advance in the basemap too.

To be safe get a custom map for someone with similar mods. If you want maximum power get it dyno tuned.

 

I don't know about the "smoother" comment. That's more of an opinion as I've been in cars with Pettit ECU's and PFC's and there was no difference as far as "smoothness" was concerned.

As far as the adjustment, that depends on ones needs. If he's only going to be running 12 PSI and doesn't want to mess with tuning, it's still my opinion to not get the PFC.

Te basemap is leaner than the stock ECU, but I have no idea what SR or KDR ships.

Even that's not necessarily safe unless you trust the person you are getting the map from. If all he plans to do is get a map and run the car, that's not any different from getting a Pettit or M2. Even if he wants something more powerful in the future (when he plans to "tune" the car), the M2 and Pettit ECU's retain their resell value very well.

 

If you don't get the commander, you will have problems. I got one and had to turn down the boost (it was set at 12 PSI). You need the commander to do that. So far, I haven't tuned anything else, and I have no cats. so you may be ok in that respect. I have a PFS intercooler, cold air intake, the efini "Y" pipe, downpipe, midpipe, and HKS Superdragger cat back. I didn't find it ran too lean, in fact it still seems to run rich in places. This was compared to a PFS PMC. It is much smoother, that is it has lost any hesitations etc. it had before. Really fixed up the idle too (no air pump). It also changes the AWS so it runs at 1500 RPM, slowly decreasing as it warms up.

Save your pennies and get it with the commander. You can use the commander as supplementary gauges as well, if you need further justification for the additional expenditure.

 

So you're running base maps with a full exhaust, IC, y-pipe and an intake? Wow. Talk about living on the edge.

I'd say get the Power FC derty. You do need to get it tuned to have any fun with it, but once you do it's simply awesome. And you won't have to buy another ECU, ever. I know you're looking for a plug and play, but IMO it's not worth it to get one ECU now, and then have to go get another one in 6 months when your mods increase.

 

It is if it saves you rebuild cost.

 

True, but if you get it tuned now, then get it tuned later (assuming ~300 for each tuning) you're spending a little more than you would for a chipped ECU, but with the added insurance that you won't run lean. That is worth it, isn't it?

 

Yes, if you get it tuned. However, you know people who say "I'll get it tuned later", they never do (and some of them end up damaging something sooner or later). This is why I say to get the rechipped ECU first. If they "REALLY" plan to do the tuning route, then it will be worth it to invest in a programmable ECU.

In this case where he states he wants something to just plug in and go, I still recommend a rechipped ECU.

 

"So you're running base maps with a full exhaust, IC, y-pipe and an intake? Wow. Talk about living on the edge."

Yes, I was a little nervous to begin with. As I stated, it still seems to be running a little rich, so I think it's ok. I'd be happy to pay Steve Kan to tune it, but my location kind of rules that out. Perhaps the fact we never see 90+ F temps. has something to do with it, though I'd expect lower air temps to stress tuning more than high.

Based on my experience, I still think he'd be ok plug and play, except I still feel he should get the commander, to turn down the boost if necessary. Base maps are at 12 PSI. He doesn't have a lot of mods. If the stock ECU can handle his car, I would think the base map would be conservative.