I think there is more then a few places in Texas that can tune the PFC. Places like Rotary Performance even use (and sell) datalogit. You could always buy the DIY wideband and street tune it yourself.

 

There are some very sharp Power FC guys in the form of Chuck Westbrook and some of the Houston RX7 Club members - in Houston. Chuck is sick, so he needs to get well - but I'm probably going to hire the services of the other guys if they have time. Like was said, RP in Dallas can easily take care of Power FC needs, and is the distributor for datalogit in the US.

The Power FC is easier then other standalones in that it comes with base maps already, and is good for your basic mods - essentially plug and play into the factory harness in most cases. I actually just plugged mine in with my single turbo (disabling seq turbos and changing my inj setting to 1300cc) with base maps, and it idles and drives around perfectly fine (95% civilized, with a bit of minor idle hunting now and then). Can't wait to get it tuned!

With all other standalones, you would have to put in a brand new wiring harness and sensors, and completely start from scratch in terms of programming (though thanks to the internet, a map close to your setup is only a click away). Also keep in mind that the Haltech and others do not control the OMP, so you would have to premix (which I do anyways, though smaller amounts since my OMP is still func) or adapt a mech OMP from a previous gen like gmonsen did.

Unless you are building a dedicated racer, a Power FC (with datalogit) is probably 95% what a Haltech is, but for a lot less work.

 

you all made some good points...i was not aware of all the shops there...good luck with it.

the power fc has a much much smaller resolution than the haltech or motec. it is NOT 95 percent of what the haltech is. it is a gameboy in comparison to an xbox. sure you can plug it in and it will drive....getting it right is another story often times. the resolution gaps makes it so you just "hope" its tuned properly.

I dont know about you...but Im not happy knowing that I played connect the dots with my fuel curve on a light bright. Id prefer hi res.

if yours didnt idle like crap outta the box then you are a lucky one. it took three weeks for my idle to finally quit vroom vorroooom vroooming. I wasnt the only one.

the support group for the pfc is small yet knowledgable. the lack of a larger group of knowledgable folks to help out with questions has made my pfc experience a pain in the ***. the complete lack of a large group of experienced dyno tuners for the pfc also makes it difficult. five out of six tuners in LA that I spoke with had no idea what to do with it and did not have the software.

those plug and play maps on the net are probably not close to yours either. every car is different and every car has different needs. the variation of size of streetport, turbos etc...you name it...the variation makes it hard to find the right settings. you might get lucky...most of us do not. read the pfc forums...you will see what I mean.

if you are a veteran or even a mediocre tuner then you would do fine with the datalogit and the pfc. you will get it close...but like i said..Im not happy with close. I spent way too much money to just get "close"

I used the datalogit a few weeks ago during some tuning sessions and it definitely helped...it would be worth the money for sure.

I was able to get my car running fairly quick on my own...I did a better job myself than xs did for m....but it was not tuned well...even if it was finally drivable and running.

sorry..Ill let the rant go...Im just bummed I didnt get a real ecu.


jason


j

 

I blew mine a while back and its almost back together, i went with all the competition springs/seals i could and the hurley 2mm apex seals.

I upgraded my fuel pump, went to 1300cc injectors, a nice large streetport, non-seq turbos, 12lb flywheel, stg3 clutch/pressure plate, new housings, and a host of other crap, all worth while mods...

hoping to be in the 11s at 118-121 traps...

 

Looks like it was my fault. I only use the "low boost" setting on the Profec B and have it set at 11psi. I must have accidently hit the button to switch it to "high boost" while tuning the low boost. The Profec is in the glove box so it's a reach for me anyways. Needless to say the high boost setting was turned all the way up and I didn't know because I've never used it!

Note to self: If not using a certain setting, turn it all the way down!

 

I appreciate your pain Jason (as that I know how it feels when things go wrong), but I was just pointing out that a Haltech or Motec will not miraculously make things run like a top. They still need tuning and tweaking - probably more so then the P FC.

Again, neither of these control the Oil Metering Pump (as you know, the device that squirts oil into the rotor area to lub) and one would have to either add pre-mix at every fillup (which is no big deal to me, as I do anyways w/ a functional OMP) or adapt a mech OMP from one of the 2nd gens. (i think it was only one specific model - the TII maybe? Ask Gordon). The PFC does natively, along with other FD specific functions - as it was designed for hte FD specifically.

Not having a car that has not run for an extended amount of time sucks, and I wish you were in this area as that there are some really knowledgable PFC guys here. Having no one (knowledable) to help you sucks even more.

Not trying to turn this thread into a tech session, but are sure every single one of your sensors are within specs? A local tuner here - Marcus Williams www.turbostreetfighter.com - did a PFC install on a new single turbo conversion last year and could not get it to run right for hte life of him.

Turns out one of the sensors (I can't remember which one - one of the crank angles maybe??) was bad, but the stock ecu ignored it and it ran fine. Plug the PFC in, and it ran like crap.

Try emailing him to see what it was, or PM to see if I can dig up his number for you - maybe that might be the solution.

 

I made 305 rwhp @ 10 psi, on the "light bright", When I get it tuned for 14 or 15 psi I should be able to make 340 to 350 rwhp with mid 11 a/f ratios. This is on a stock motor and turbos.
I feel you pain, J.
And you may not think the PFC is very good, but there are plenty of people out there making good reliable horsepower with these things.
I like the fact that I don't have to premix everytime I fill up, not to mention its my daily driver.
I like being able to monitor things without a laptop all the time.
The fact is, most people couldn't tune a rotary even if you had a $7,000 Motec.
If you think its the ECU, it sounds to me like its the engine you can't find anyone to tune it.
Maybe you should rip it out and throw a V8 and Motec and then you would have a bakerz dozen around you to tune the thing???

 

Hey man, they do that in TFATF - so you should too!

Oh, and if you have the datalogit already Jason, plug it into a laptop already so that you do not have the look at the Commander! It don't think it was ever Apexi's intention for the Cpmmander as THE interface for tuning. I think it was suppose to be 'take it to the PowerExcel dealer for tuing (who has the software to go deeper into the programming), then use the Commander for monitoring and minor updates.

Of course, we know the situation about the number of PowerEcel dealers (let alone the number that is knowledgable about the FD). It's this issue that I'm not happy with with Apexi. Luckily, we had these smart Kiwis come around and gave us the datalogit, along with the other really smart guys like Chuck.