Stand alone
 

Looking into getting a standalone for my 87 turbo2, just looking for some info on the selection, if anybody has any info or link would be appreciated, even pm me if u have any other info or would talk to me one on one. much apperciated, i did search didnt find exactly what i was looking for. i plan on building the engine from a rebuild up... so i would like to do it right the first time rather then rebuild it every 2 months from something stupid... i know im looking at big bucks, but its worth it to do it right. thanks... i ramble... sorry

you should probably look around where you live to see what the tuners there are most familiar with. that and $$$$$$$ are the 2 biggest factors

Check with your local rotary engine tuner. You will not be able to tune the engine on your own, so you may as well just buy whatever EMS your local tuner knows how to use. Your tuner can discuss capabilities and prices with you. Plan on about $1,000 to $10,000 for the EMS, and another $500 to $3,000 for installation and tuning.

10 G's? c'mon....

Well, some cost more than that, but I am assuming that anybody on this forum is gong to buy off the shelf rather than go to the big boys like Magneti Marelli for a custom EMS that costs big bucks. A Motec M880 with all the bells and whistles, including the wiring harness and sensors, is over $10,000.

yea but thats for a ECU that tunes itself.

lol you can get a good microtech or haltech (used) for less than $1,000. Dont try and be cheap with this, your ECU and paying to have it tuned is the MOST IMPORTANT PART of building your car, dont be cheap. I'm not saying you are cheap or anything or that you will be cheap, i'm just sayin, dont lol.

If you find one, they are FU***NG rare on rx-7 forums...

when someone sells one, it's sold within a day...

You would hope it would do everything in the world for that price, but alas, it doesn't, lol. No commercial EMS tunes itself. The closest you will get is active O2 closed-loop control for cruise and idle, or O2 closed-loop self-tuning (Autotune, Block Learn, etc.) for the base fuel map. Ignition timing, and the more difficult tuning like acceleration enrichment, injector staging, injector phasing, idle, etc., still needs to be tuned manually. Also, you usually need to set the basics (specify number of rotors, firing order, idle control, etc.) on a more advanced EMS.

I think you are getting a false sense of EMS pricing because only the cheapie models are mentioned on this forum. The high-end EMS products cost more due to better quality construction and additional features that most people do not need on a regular street car.

I know of 3 lt8s for 950 new, haltechs are rarer than microtechs, i wonder why? I heard microtech is easier for newbs, i dunno, care to give your opinion evil?

Sometimes it's better to buy from your local tuner if you can get a package deal on the EMS, installation, and tuning. Some local tuners don't sell EMS's, so then it makes sense to look for the best deal on the EMS that they know how to tune. Always check the RX-7 Store and Group Buy area before you get anything. The RX-7 Store can usually beat advertised pricing if you ask, and some of the group buys are ultra-cheap.

My two guesses:
1) Haltechs are universal, so they work in just about any car as-is. Microtechs are factory-configured for only one type of engine, so it is more difficult to sell a used one because of the limited customer base. For example, if you are looking for a Microtech for your 2Gen RX-7, you need to buy one that is configured for a 13B or 13BT unless you want to send it back to Australia for re-configuration that costs about $360.
2) The newer Haltechs (E6X and E11) supposedly have some bugs, so a lot of peole are sticking with the older E6K's. This is drying up the used E6K market.

Well, no EMS is easy for newbs. Tuning is MUCH more difficult than chasing around some magical AFR on a wideband O2 meter. The only "newbs" who I think really have a chance of success are those with a lot of carb tuning experience but are new to the EMS. In that case, a Microtech would be a little easier because it is pre-configured for the engine, as I listed in the previous paragraph. A universal EMS like the Haltech needs to be configured by the user so it knows the firing order (2-rotor, 3-rotor, 4-cyl, 6-cyl, 8-cyl, etc.), fuel metering method (alpha-N, speed-density, MAF, closed loop, batch fire, SFI, etc.), ignition input type (multi-tooth, 2-3 pulse trigger, Motronic 60-2, etc.), ignition output type (waste spark, multi-coil, split timing, dwell time, etc.), and other stuff that is probably confusing a lot of you guys who are reading this. :)

exellent info guys, and now the ultimate question is... Anyone know of any Rotary tuners(hopefully you've worked with or know someone who has)
in MI... hell close to mi? i know its gonna be a haul but like i said i want it done right the first time .