Originally Posted by stormcrow

wow. that's all i can say...

do some research on the APS single kit... see why it's dropped about 3k in price since coming out... find out what other members have experienced with it... ask tuners... most will tell you EXACTLY what i said...that the kit is prone to boost spikes... and in what part of my post did i say that a boost gauge will arrest boost spikes or prevent them?? i didn't... but, let's use some common sense here and realize that boost gauge will TELL you if there are boost spikes... if you set your boost at say 9psi and your peak boost on the controller shows you at 12psi, there's your spike...and now you know about it... some people have very little logic...

as far as unichip goes, i'm not bashing it, but it's not nearly as granular with control across the power band as say a UTEC...and no where near as capable as the FCON... i'm no tuner, but i know a few of the most reputable ones and they will tell you all day long that unichip = crap... so, there, i said it again...unichip = crap in comparison... all of you guys nut-hugging unichip aren't doing the OP any favours... everyone wants more power in the end and you should prepare for it up front... ALWAYS give yourself room for growth... you wouldn't recommend HKS exhaust to a guy who wants to some day go FI, would you?

if you think that any single turbo kit on the market is capable of making mid fives, you're cracked... none of them can produce or sustain the boost level needed... the turbo isn't enough to hold max PSI to redline... it may be possible with a much larger turbo, but not with any kit that comes pre-packaged... you call my post bs... i call yours lack of education...

Originally Posted by synth19

Nice job on your "research." Price drop due to forum members bad experiences? LOL dude. Seriously, LOL.

Take the OP's situation in CONTEXT. The unichip is MORE then capable in achieving what needs to be done for his particular needs. I know plenty of APS ST guys who have run the unichip with absolutely no problems on stock boost. It's silly to recommend a 3k EMS when it is not needed. The APS ST kit is a complete system, why throw on FCON and blow more money now when it's not needed? Your advice is simply horrible. I'm tired of everyone jumping on fcon when they don't look at the big picture. Ask your tuner friends if they personally would run a fcon on APS ST, on stock boost. Seriously, ask and post what they say.

Now if he gets a "tuner kit" per se, that's a different story. When he's READY for more power, engine build, etc... THEN he should upgrade the EMS, until then... he'll be FINE with the unichip. I don't know why you are thinking some of us are nut hugging the unichip, when the ironic thing is Zivman and I are NOT using it. Zivman has FCON, I have utec, and will be upgrading to fcon later this summer.



^ sounds like a contradiction in your entire argument? Mid-5's are capable. But if what you're saying is true, wouldn't this be ANOTHER reason why NOT to get fcon?

I hit 500 and will be aiming for more after a few engine issues are resolved. There are also a few other ST owners on the forums with engine builds, or engine builds in progress that will be hitting those numbers. What makes you think it's not possible? How do you know this? Did you own a single turbo at some point at maxed out mid-400's or something?

Originally Posted by Zivman

I have personally installed this kit. Ran it on the out of box tune and pulled 400 whp out of box. Boost peaked at around 9.5 and held at 9 to redline. I have followed most threads about others experience with it, and get numerous phone calls, emails, and PMs about the kit. I would hesitate to say I might know a little more about it than you do.

With the turbo that comes on the APS, paired with a build that includes cams and headwork, mid 500's is attainable. You want me to prove it? You pay for the build and I will do it.

All the talk about unichip being crap is meaningless to the OP. For the out of box setup on a stock block it does everything the user will need. if it is included for the price he is paying and does everything he needs an EMS to do, why spend the extra grand for the utec or 3 grand on the Fcon? He will always have the option down the road

I have walked the walk that most debate about here. I have done the installs myself. had my motor done back in the day when OEM hadgaskets and standard ARPs were the only options. Utec was still be speculated upon, Fcon wasn't even talked about yet. I have seen guys go through multiple motors. Here I am running 16+ psi on my setup - yes OEM head gaskets and standard ARPs. Heck I was running 14 psi with that crappy unichip back in the day. My point here is that not everything you read on these boards is what happens in the real world. You want to debate the tendancies of the single, please have more leg to stand on than what you heard from other people.

Originally Posted by stormcrow

all i have to say to that is that shops experience many more "real world" scenarios than you with your single install... you've installed one...tuner shops have installed hundreds...who has better picture of real world happenings; you or them?

Originally Posted by Zivman

So you are a tuner shop that has completed hundreds of installs?