I don't know a whole lot about engine managements, and there doesn't seem to be a sticky where I can read up on them. But I was wondering what the differences are between the $400 Rtek chip and and a standalone that costs $1000+. Does a standalone replace the stock ECU, or is it a seperate computer? And what would be the advantages of going with a standalone over an Rtek. I would like to purchase an Rtek in the future once I have my exhaust and delete my OMP, but I was wondering if there are big advantages that go along with the big pricetags. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, the reason I posted this in the Rtek forum and not the general engine management forum is because I wanted to get answers from those who own this chip. Thanks!

 

well rtek can only take you so far. i dont know if u can actually tune with it cause ive never owned it but depending on your mods and wheather your turbo or not, a standalone like haltech or microtech will give you a way bigger advantage when it comes to tuning. With a standalone computer, you basically have a blank slate where you can modify fuel values and ignition advances etc. The standalones do replace the stock ecu with a whole new box(ecu and computer are the same thing), as well as your entire engine harness. Standalones delete things like emissions and the air flow meters where rtek does not. If your running a non turbo car, something like a super afc and a good tuner would be enough

 

When I say Rtek, I am referring to the Rtek stage 2..

With an Rtek, the ECU acts just like the stock ECU when you get it back from us, but has the ability to adjust fuel, timing and other parameters.
With a Standalone, yes, it's a "blank slate". In other words you need to find/create a basemap before the car will even idle nevermind drive.

With an Rtek, you simply plug in the ECU.
With most standalones, you need to hack the harness and/or replace sensors. Install is more complicated

With an Rtek you can adjust fuel, and timing as well as other RX7 Specific items such as staging RPMS and automatically compensating for larger injectors.
With a standalone, you do have more flexibility on the fuel adjustment but no RX7 specific functions without additional setup/wiring.

With an Rtek, you need to keep the stock AFM
With certain standalones, you can eliminate the stock AFM.

With an Rtek, you only need a Palm PDA in the car to make changes to the ECU.
With a standalone, you need a laptop to make changes.



With that said, think of an Rtek as a step between an AFC and a full standalone. It has the ease of use of an AFC, with most of the features of a standalone. You are sacrificing some flexibility of a standalone for the ease-of-use of an AFC.

 

Right now, I have an S5 NA rebuilt and street ported motor with a Fidanza 8lb. flywheel as my only mod. I plan on doing a full exhaust and a custom made intake as my only engine mods. What I want to do in the future is get coilovers, wheels, etc. and then buy another daily driver so I can turn the FC into a designated track car, removing everything that is not necessary (engine bay and interior). I will start off with autox, but would like to get into hillclimbs and more high-speed racing with the occasional drag race. The Rtek sounds like it would do just fine for the street/autox, but if I decide that I need more power and go with a turbo or more aggressive porting, will the Rtek be able to handle that?

 

If you where keeping everything stock I would say use the Rtek. The wiring is a plus, and they arn't that bad in the S5. You can keep the A/C without any hassles, as well as full emissions and everything like that if you need it.

The stand alone MIGHT be a better choice for you if it will be a dedicated race car. Since you won't need any emissions or anything else controlled by the ECU the wireing for the stand alone will be alot more simple and you can use a cheaper computer.
As turbo2ltr says you need a laptop for stand alones and a palm for Rtec. Check out the other ECU sections and see what you want/need for your car and go that route. Either the haltech, microtech, etc, or the Rtec should work for you so its going to be a cost/money/conveinience choice.

GL

 

I was thinking that, but I also want to know how much better a standalone would be over the Rtek. I would not be doing my own tuning. My rotary mechanic would do it for me and I would just leave it at that. The whole race car thing might not happen for a while, so would it be worth it to get the Rtek now and then a standalone when I'm ready? I don't know if it will be worth the $2000+ for the ecu+installation+tuning if I'm only going to be getting a few hp/tq out of it over the Rtek.

AUGieDogie: This os off topic, but do you play Xbox Live? There is someone with a gamertag that is real close to your name.

 

Sorry to up the thread, but can anyone answer the question of how much more power can be seen from the standalone over the Rtek? Also, if they release the version that enables you to delete your AFM, would it really be that much different from a standalone? I know the adjustability/flexibility won't be as good, but again would there really be that much of a difference?

 

with a standalone, horsepower is for the most part unlimited. i dont see many "huge" horsepower rtek rx-7's. i've never dealt with rtek or even bothered researching it, i went straight to standalone so more insight is needed

 

with AFM removed, your next limitation would be the stock boost sensor, which only reacts up to 14 psi. The AFM limits you to about 350 whp

 

on that note.......being limited to a 2 bar map system.......i'm going to try using a larger compressor side of my turbo to make more volume with lower boost and make more horsepower. I want to see how close I can get to 450-500 with the RTEK after the AFM removal is available.

 

I'm NA guys... I guess you didn't read that post. Thanks for the help anyway though.

 

If the Rtek 2.0 had been around when I was seriously modding my n/a, I never would have gone with the Zeal Megasquirt. I think Rtek 2.0 is particularly a good choice for the n/a because the AFM is not a big problem on the nonturbo, no matter what anybody says.