ECU questions~ for the newbie
 

Ok i'm very green on this ecu stuff so please forgive my ignorance. In the spirit of no such thing as a stupid question (after you search of course)...

What gains are there to be had with a expensive standalone such as the Haltech, S-FC, etc. ?

Would a standalone be optimum and price effective for tuning an N/A to its maximum potential? Or would I be better off spending my money on a generic ecu map?

I was thinking with the cost of fuel controllers, and a better map for my car would it be better to just go stand-alone unit and tune from there price wise?

Very confused~ answers much much much appreciated...

First of all, a standalone EMS usually implies a computer that control all aspects of fuel delivery and ignition timing...in one package.&nbsp This would include brands like Autronic, Electromotive TEC, Haltech, Microtech, MoTeC, Wolf (it's all in alphabetical order guys I SWEAR!).

The A'PEXi S-AFC is not considered in the same class.&nbsp It's considered a (piggy back) fuel computer, and just piggybacks the stock ECU fuel delivery signals.&nbsp The S-AFC is significantly cheaper than most of the standalone EMS units listed above.&nbsp The S-AFC does not have the adjustment flexibility of the units listed above.&nbsp The S-AFC is a whole lot easier to install and adjust than the units listed above.

For your NA, the S-AFC would give you the ability to fine-tune your fuel curve - this would give you nominal gains in the mid-range, since the stock ECU runs very rich in the middle.&nbsp Don't expect huge power gains for this unit, as NA motors are running close to optimum even with typical bolt-on mods (i.e. exhaust, intake, etc.).



-Ted

Thank you. I get advice from the expert. ^_^
Does the EMS systems also control boost and other turbo function as well?
What would be a "nominal" gain? Is it worth the cash?

Some EMS units control boost, and others do not. Since you have an NA - no boost for you! :D

A friend of mine has an NA RX-7 with weight reduction, a Bonez catback, K&N cone filter, and Wolf3D 3.0 EMS as his only mods, and he has yet to lose a street run to a stock-turbo TII. He hasn't put it on the dyno yet, but the car is definitely fast. Also, like RETed wrote, the EMS will allow for a better overall tuning, which will aid throttle response and help out the powerband some. It's all about control. As an example, I can drive my friend's Wolf-modified RX-7 around a parking lot in all 5 gears without ever touching the gas pedal - just try that with your stock RX-7!

The gain vs. cost is difficult to say, as it depends on your funding. Also, an EMS will give bigger gains on the S4 RX-7's because ditching the restrictive stock AFM will really help the performance. I would recommend a high-flow air filter and/or intake ($30-250), high-flow exhaust ($800-1,200), and weight reduction ($0) as your first NA mods. Street porting is also good, but is not worth the money or trouble IMO until you need an engine rebuild.

BTW, I prefer suspension mods to engine mods when it comes to the NA, but that's just me. :)

Sounds like sound advice ^_-
The boost question was for a friend that doesn't like to post but wanted to ask. I know no boost for me... I'm thinking of converting to the dark side of the rotor... but as anything options are limited in hawaii... I'll probably get the first good condition/compression RX-7 I can find.

I have a bunch of money saved up for my "project" and have been in love with the Fc for about a year now. I've got the funding to put down for suspension and engine mods at the same time? They will be staged of course... but thats very impressive with the standalone wolf unti...

thanks for the advice guys~ i've been enlightened... well atleast a little bit... any tips on the route I should upgrade an N/A? I see a lot of posts on what mods to do but not really the tree of order... I understand the balance between power and handling, and how the upgrade pattern should always match handling for power... but i'm still a bit confused on the order of how all this information comes together...

NA mods are very simply...you're restricted to intake, exhaust, CDI ignition, light flywheel.&nbsp Everything else after this gets way expensive and will cost a lot of money and/or engine rebuild.

How fast do you want to go?
How much money are you willing to spend?

I don't suppose this other friend is named Kevin by any chance? :)


-Ted

Currently I've got a little under 3000$ to toss into the plunker (this is not including car cost)... not bad for a poor college kid with no job? My parents also owe me 4000$ of insurance money which will go toward purchasing the vehicle. Of course i'll also be working this summer and on to afford the luxery of owning my favorite car in the entire world...

I'm looking for a goal of 1/4's in the 13's... Anything sub 14... ^_^ I don't know what kind of times to expect on the auto-x track... Am I dreaming or is this very do-able?
OH! and i've got future conservative NOS plans as well to help "push" me toward my goal...

No my friends name isn't kevin... He's a friend from my highschool and we found each other again on the board (spooky). Now theres two hawaii kids with big plans for rotary engines...

That's more than enough money to pick up a Turbo II...
I would highly suggest you try and find one.
13's is no problem. :D


-Ted

Pray for me then! Although I have a higher aim... ^_^

If i get an N/A ill be asking more questions... heh...

Thanks Ted! Thanks Aviator!

Just one note here... If you are looking for a non-turbo just because you think that the insurance will be too much on a TII, then think again. Nearly every insurance company gives the same rate for the 1Gen and 2Gen RX-7's, and only the 3Gens cost more. Also, the S4 non-turbo and TII were both rated at 17mpg in the city, so there is no fuel consumption difference if you drive conservatively. If you want a non-turbo because you don't want to deal with the complexities involved with the turbo, or you want to race in non-turbo events, then that is understandable. I just don't want you to get a false impression of these cars.

BTW, a non-turbo RX-7 SE got me through college just fine, and the large cargo space really came in handy for laundry, books, pizza, traveling between semesters, etc. The FC is the ultimate college 2-seater! :)