What EcU to purchase?
 

Haltech vs Power Fc which is better? I’m planning on picking up an ecu.

Who's going to do the tuning?

A shop specialized in rotary

Go ask them. If they're actually specialized, I'm sure they will have an opinion. And considering they'll be the ones actually doing the tuning, their opinion is infinitely more important than any of ours..

Exactly. The ecu decision isn't up to the owner of the car. It's up to who will be tuning it. You can get the "best" ecu out there but if your tuner has no idea how to use it then it's worthless. Ask your tuner what ecu they specialize in and get that

Both novice and expert tuners are limited by the outdated capabilities of the PFC. There is absolutely ZERO reason that you should choose a PFC over the Haltech. All of the other excellent benefits of a modern ECU aside, the fact that the PFC has NO engine protection capabilities compared to what's available in a modern ECU should be enough to make that decision.

Its like comparing a Motorola bag phone to a smartphone: no matter how capable the user is, there's a long list of important shit that one can do and the other can't.

Skeese

Understanding this is the new member section, If the shop doing the tuning is capable with the PFC it’s acceptable. It’s reasonably priced, proven and reliable. And if you’re not tuning out to the edge and want something safe for the stock twins it’s fine.
ALOT of smart long time owner’s still run it.

Thx for the tips everyone

If you're starting from scratch, in my opinion, a powerFC is decidedly UNcceptable unless you're doing the work yourself. It is NOT reasonably priced compared current plug and play offerings from Haltech (and others) when you begin to factor in potential concessions for 'simplicity', want to run any sort of modern gauge package, or have the ability to interface with a laptop (Elite 1000 + Patch Harness + a couple hours of labor VS PFC + Datalogit + a couple hours of labor unless you're having little issues such as AC etc).

That said, if its a build that's already been done, or if you're doing all the work yourself and are opting for a more simple install go for it. A good shop will work in the best interests of both parties and as such should be keeping abreast of the latest technologies to save the customer money and themselves time (more money) while making the best possible product available.

Also I know a lot of very smart people that make very dumb choices. Just sayin' :)

Paranoia....... it can be dangerous. Just becasue something is less capable than the latest technology doesn't make it obsolete..... in this case anyway. Even with the options available today the pfc is still a good choice for stock, semi-stock and low power builds. Same as was mentioned before, you're not tuning to the edge where every safety is being set up and needed. 300hp and stock twins hardly needs anything offered by haltech for example. If your intentions are to go into infinity and beyond then a smarter ecu would be the better option.

If you're not intending to go into the big power world in the near future then the cost of a USED power fc simple cannot be beat. ~500$ for a stand alone with many many many many years of proven capability with any tuning shop you can think of. re-amemiya to feed to irp to Angel motorsports. It's capable but just like everything else, you have to know the pros and cons of it to make an informed decision based on your set up and goals.

Gently used PFC + commander for 400-500 is hard to argue with, especially if still running the stock sequential system.

Regardless, the take-away is that if he’s having it pro-tuned, go with what the tuner likes...IMO.

Respectfully blue, ALOT of rotary engines still blow up. The turbo rotary can and will pop at 12 psi if something fuel related goes wrong and the ecu just keeps on spraying and firing, no matter what shop or tuner wrote the file. Guy asks one of the other, then clearly money isnt the decider and you should pick the one with the superior capabilities. Tuner is irrelevant because if you can tune a pfc you can tune a haltech at an equal or likely higher level. If not, you have no business tuning cars.

Skeese

It is obsolete. Have you tuned cars on both? What was your experience between the two?

Respectfully, a lot of engines don't blow up. Not unless someone playing around with the car adds ill-advised unsupported modifications and turns up boost beyond reason, and thinks this or that ECU is the answer to all their woes. A few supported bolt-on's, a PFC to smooth out transition and eliminate emissions on the stock twins and you're making nearly 300 whp at stock boost. Done.

Personally I can't begin to fathom why you wouldn't pay the extra couple hundred dollars to run something with engine protection when selecting an ECU for a car that is susceptible to engine failure, all of the other benefits aside.

Because no ECU will prevent over heating, coolant seal failure or hard seal and housing wear leading to compression loss. And if ill-advised power modification is eliminated, that’s 90+ percent of engine rebuilds.
Know that I’m NOT arguing for or against any ECU. Just that the PFC is proven, affordable and if the tuner is familiar with it’s fine for a reasonably modded street car...IMO.

I think we’re just coming at it from differing paradigms. Its a good discussion to have, but maybe TMI for the OP.

I've only tuned on a power fc but have watched a few dyno tunes with the adaptronic. It's clear the adaptronic has its advantages while tuning but your perspective here is skewed. This isn't a discussion anymore and there's no progress to be made continuing.

This isn't paranoia, I've professionally used and been involved in deploying Power FCs and a host of other ECU manufacturer's products in vehicles ranging from on land to aquatic and from weekend fun to full on tube frame race bred. The PFC is, in my opinion, outdated and anyone who disagrees be it a professional or (as you mentioned afterwards) a biased and uninformed end user, has an agenda. There is NO need to keep defending this thing, it had its time, and it has passed. Just like the carb, distributor, points etc and soon to be the rotary. Pull your ego from the discussion and I'd be willing to bet you'd agree.

To the OP, I hope you make an informed decision (PFC or otherwise because ultimately its YOUR baby) and have a fun project.

Good points here. Some things you can't control true, however I believe some of the others that you can control greatly reduce your chances of engine failure. I've been meaning to create a "why modern engine protection is excellent and how to use it" thread and have a draft of it somewhere which would be a better place to discuss. I'll gladly post how I'd apply it all and my reasoning and then ya'll can all throw rocks at it there. My recommendation to the OP still remains to buy the haltech.

Skeese

This would be a very welcomed thread.

I have Haltech in several other cars and will continue that trend with my FD. You can go wrong with it!

I'd definitely recommend what everyone else has said about asking your tuner what he specializes on or prefers. I'm currently using a Adaptronic Series 8 PnP ECU and it's been great so far and it's been a year. Software is simple. It's also what my local tuner prefers and sells.

To those of you claiming the PFC is "outdated" - what is your opinion on a 25 year old Mazda?

That its ALOT more likely to be on the road instead of jack stands if you take advantage of modern technology.