Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

the only way would be through TechnoSquare for they are the only ones with the technology and know-how so far to physically program the ecu....

bwells1

Chebosta

Would it be better to wait on exhaust and intake until after ECU upgrade or could I put them on now and new ecu program will work well with them after.

CaneZMD

iTrader: (1)

Hey cheb,

I'm really excited that you guys are almost done. That's great. I was just wondering abou the price. I mean, there are no parts that we're buying, just programming. (Yeah, I know, look at Bill Gates). I know that there are obvious R and D costs; and since you are the only ones doing this and this is a Capitalist Market (wouldn't have it any other way!!) you can charge whatever you want. I just thought it would be a bit less than that.

I t just seems to me that 5-600 for 7-12 hp is a bit much. I was thinking somewhere around 300, at that price you'd have as many orders as you could fill!! High volume, happy customers, good profit!

Just my opinion though, since I have no idea what your costs actually are.

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

Hey CaneZMD--

its not just the 7-12 hp you're getting... its also letting your other mods actually work the way they were supposed to.. please read the Short Version writeup. and you can see the massive problems the stock ecu has when it encounters variations to what it 'expects to see' but doesnt after you put your intake or exhaust on...

the R&D costs are quite high, man power hours alone, 5 days a week for the past month, the flights to japan for initial development.. we're just charging market price...we're not trying to horde the market (ala Bill Gates).. if we were, we'd be charging like $1000 or something, but we're not...

i just do what i can to get good stuff to the masses... price is what you pay for quality.. i mean. sure you can get the JET chip for $3xx or whatever it is, and get a sticker and thats it... TechnoSquare (or if you prefer their previous name of GForce Engineering) has been a leading ECU programmer since the early 90s...

you might compare the pricing on these exhaust systems, upwards of $1000+ for only 5hp or so.. that is what i think is a bit steep... but its your call, i'm not saying you have to buy it. its just another option for those who want a good hp maker that will help make power with all your other mods in the future.

--Cheston

Wags

I can appreciate the time invested, etc and you had to live without your car for some time if I remember, but it sure would be nice if you could make arangements with some widely available shop so we could just do a drive through... of course that would add a few more bucks. Keep us posted on any group buy. And P.S., you been very informative and responsive, thanks much.

phile

I remember a board member here speaking to a nissan rep at the SEMA show (an important one, I don't remember his title). He said that the ECU does not stifle mods in any way. Maybe I'm totally making that up, but I swear I remember reading that. Also, definitely remember that the guys at injen also said the same thing. They said they tested the prodcuts for a long time and the gains stayed. I'm really curious about what they would say about technosquare's findings Because technosquare's findings are basically saying the guys at injern are liars (that or they got lucky). I'm not implying anythig either way.

Anyways, 600 bucks is alot. I'll buy one when I can be guaranteed that it is necessary to allow the full potential of future modifications.

2003z

iTrader: (7)

That was me, I talked to John Stramotas, head of the Z program and US Nismo. Thats what he told me, perhaps he isnt aware of the hidden program (for lack of a better term)

2003z

iTrader: (7)

I'm definitely getting the ecu from technosquare, just as soon as I can afford it. I don't think the price is unreasonable at all, just need to figure out the future at work.

phile

It just makes me really mad that we can't stick on stuff and get performance. We gotta spend 600 bucks before we can even start to mod. Also, $600 isn't that unreasonable in the import car world...i guess. IMO most of the prices for mods on import cars are totally unreasonable considering the prices for mods on domestic cars.

PoWeRtRiP

If you guys are worried about the price we could all get together and organize a group buy. If 10-20 of us get together and buy together it might shave ~$100 off the cost for each of us.

Intrepid

Chebosto,

Will you be offering a core swap? My Z is a daily driver.

Some Questions:

1) With a straight Flash of our own unit, will it effect or disable the immobilizer key?

2) With a core swap, same question as above.

Thanks.

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

Intrepid-

Currently we are not offering a core swap program, since its important that you keep your immobilizer code unique to your own ECU....

you may purchase another ECU from your local dealer to send in as a spare as another option... but spares are upwards of $800 from the dealership...

Intrepid

Well, I won't be able to purchase the ECU flash unless you can guarantee a same day or next day FedEx Overnight return. If I ship my ECU out on Monday, you receive on Tuesday, Flash it on Wednesday and ship it out FedEX Overnight - I won't receive it until Thursday. That's 4 days with no ride. This is my daily driver and I would be willing to tolerate this scenario - but ANY longer and I'm afraid I would have to pass. I'm sure there will be many customers who feel the same way. I do hope you can accommodate us. Thanks.

jeffw

Ditto.

--
Jeff

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

i think everyone needs to take a step back, and take a breath.

please think about what your just wrote intrepid, its very disheartening to read what you wrote...

im not quite sure if you know what it takes to offer a product like what TechnoSquare did... and i dont believe you will have such a product with the quality that has been engineered, and to demand such a thing is proposterous, insensitive, ignorant, and very VERY disrespectful for those hard working engineers developing a product that is the FIRST in the united states specifically engineered for our cars......

you do not have to purchase this product if you do not want to... they will do everything in their powers to try to get the product back to the customer as soon as physically possible. but you must understand, the Z ecu is not their only product. i do not understand you views and where you're coming from...

if you rush the flashing of your ECU, or if everyone tries to pick up the pace, errors will bound to happen, that just murphy's law.. they test the ecu's out prior to mailing to check out they are ok.. thats what customer service is, getting the right product out to the customer in a timely manner. i know that this car is your daily driver, but if you want the mod, there are certain things you have to do, right? just like installing an exhaust or suspension would take a good half day or so. Flashing the ECU and sending it back has its own time period.... if you dont want the down tme then go buy your own spare ecu and send it in...

otherwise, i believe that technosquare will try to program all orders they have always done.
You FedEx in, they mod, they Fed Ex out. with any luck that will be three days or less, but if you send it on a friday, they get it monday, and send out when its done. then that is an issue with scheduling.

if you have issues, please email me directly and i will try to assist you.

Cheston
chestoncchiu@hotmail.com

350z4steve

iTrader: (1)

Chebosto,

so this ECu will take advantage of say higher octane gas even something like 100 which some 76 stations sell?

This probably was already addressed but how difficult is it to take the ecu off?
And does technosquare have a shop do do it in a day if you drive your car there personally?

Thanks,

Steve

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

Steve-

Yes. it will benefit with higher octane, like most other ECU modifications will.

and yes. if the car is taken in after you have authorized an appointment, the flash will be done same day.

--Cheston

jeffw

Very strong words against a potential customer for simply stating what he'd like out of a product.

Flashing computer memory is a pretty cut and dry process. The reverse engineering and tuning is where all the work went. If it's anything like the hardware I occasionally work with, I see it taking no more that 15 minutes to re-flash an ECU (provided that it’s a known version number).

Something like this:

1.) Plug ECU into flash programmer
2.) Determine ECU version (there's probably a text string right in the memory for easy determination as well as a sticker on the ECU itself)
3.) Do a scan of memory just to make sure all the bits are what's expected
4.) Make a backup just in case the flash fails
5.) Flash the new code
6.) Rescan memory and check to make sure it's correct
7.) You're done. However, you might want to run the ECU briefly in a vehicle simulator just to make sure it runs.


1-6 can be automated with a script. I don't see any reason to run through a vehicle simulator unless Technosquare gets a new ECU version number they've never seen.

I think it's very feasible for an ECU company to make guarantees about turnaround time. Scheduling incoming shipments from customers to avoid back logs would be a start.
--
Jeff

Wags

I sort of agree, but it's a little too early to be gettin into all that. It's not my daily driver, it is but doesn't have to be... but us on the east coast are curious as to how to get it done quickly easily (at least i am). like, get in on the group buy and save a few bucks, or wait until you can get a nice turn around.. I hope they can get some distribution so I can do a drive through... around here

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

you are entirely correct on the processes of reflashing the computer.

however, please keep in mind this is for 1 customer. they have several programs to do in a day. im fully confident in TSI's efforts to please the customer with turn around times, but claiming off the bat that this product is not worth getting just because it takes a day longer than you expect it, is a far cry from being just.