Larry,

How about you give us some recent feedback from Supra and Z owners that have had the ProEFI already installed and tuned by you guys?

Any new insights to the EMS after tunning a few of these now?

 

Ahhh - that is enlightening. Thanks for sharing that - very cool having Motorola as a strategic partner.

And some of mine as well it would seem... Oh well - not worth my time or effort to post here. Good luck guys - look forward to the future, past this teething stage...

 

if you dont trust shops that you dunno maybe you will trust motorolla then

 

I have not read all posts in detail however it seems to me the Blackstar is trying to raise concerns about the functionality of the ProEFI. It seems he was considering both the ProEFI & Haltech but went with the Haltech because he was not satisfied with the information he received on the ProEFI.

I am also interested in the ProEFI unit, however I will have to do more research. I think the discussion should be kept as open as possible so that we may all learn from those with more knowledge. The back and forth can be very informative. Just my 2c

 

Certainly!!


From Mike and Nick Kusles:


My brother just had SP install and tune Pro EFI on his Supra, we're extremely happy with the results! His car is a 93 6 speed w/ an SP74GTS kit, stock 3.0 block/head, Crower cams/springs, 1000CC injectors, fuel, etc. We had finished building it late last year right when the Pro EFI information started to come out and wanted to wait for it. We got the car running w/ a VPC/AFC, then put it away for the winter. The Pro EFI was well worth the wait. The driveability is excellent, no hunting idle, part throttle loading up, surging, or any other hiccups, its like driving a stock one. Starts right up too. This was steady cruising and stop and go driving. Even cruising at 6th gear at low RPM's, no problems at all. The 2 step builds boost right away too. We can't wait to take it to the track when the weather permits. I've been going to SP for 5years, and their service was excellent as always. Larry, Chris, Jerry,Danny, Vince and Parin are all very knowledgable and helpful, and great guys to deal with. Larry answered any questions and provided a lot of information/insight about the Pro EFI features and the tune. His years of tuning experience are a great asset to bringing a new product like this to the market. From supporting new products like this and building some of the fastest Supras(and other cars) to their crew and facility's ability to dyno tune and custom fab parts, they've got it all. Thanks again guys!


From Wes (ND4SPD)


I am VERY pleased with the ProEFI. One of the best things about it so far has been that it has been completely transparent and if I didn't know it was there... I wouldn't have any idea it wasn't the stock ECU. It really does run like the stock. Larry could have pulled the "Folger's switch" on me and I would never know it wasn't the stock ECU. I'm also of course very excited about all of the coming features.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I actually posted a separate thread in the Shop/Part Review area... oops. Other than what Larry posted above (which was from a post I made on the ProEFI forums), I have to mention that my trip back from SP was a GREAT test of (and testament to) the driveability of the ProEFI. I hate toll roads with a passion so I completely avoided them on my drive back to Milwaukee. This meant that I had to do a lot of suburban driving before I got back on the interstate just over the border. And, as luck would have it, I ended up driving home during rush hour so there was lot of stop and go, 5 MPH traffic jams and so forth. Had the windows up/AC on for part of the journey too. What can I say other than the car ran, and drove perfect the whole way.

After reading what Mike and Nick had to say I know I'm being spoiled with the ProEFI. Having gone right from the stock ECU to the ProEFI, I haven't had to deal with a lot of the issues that have plagued other stand-alones so it's really easy to take the smoothness of the ProEFI for granted.


Another post by Wes:

Just wanted to share my experience with my new ProEFI ECU. Coming from a stock ECU, I haven't had a lot of experience with stand-alones. Unless you count watching two different people with AEMs get stranded because their car wouldn't start after they got to a gathering. After witnessing problems like these, the hellaciously long cranking of the AEM, and reading about no end of problems and/or driveability issues... I was very skepitcal of stand-alone ECUs. Still I decided to give the ProEFI a shot because it promised a rich set of features, without sacrificing OEM reliability and driveability.

For those that are interested, some background on my car. It's a 1994 with about 64,000 miles on it. I bought it about five years ago completely stock with 43,000 miles. Prior to bringing it down to Sound Performance it had stock turbos, a Horsepower Freaks Feramic clutch, Blitz SBC-iD, A'PEXi SAFC2, HKS intake and BOV, ATR 3" Exhaust, and a Greddy 3-Row FMIC. In addition to the ProEFI, SP added a fuel system, HKS Ti 4" exhaust, and last, but certainly not least, their SP71DBB Turbo kit w/ 4" DP/MP. Everything else (the ignition, head, cams, bottom-end, etc...) is stock.

When I first picked up my car, I turned the key and the car turned over just like stock and started right up. I went on a short drive to preview the work SP had done then returned to the shop to finish paying. After that I was off on my own... headed back to Wisconsin. I have to admit I was a little nervous... afterall the ProEFI is new to the Supra world. However, the drive went completely without issue or incident. The drive was about 2.5 hours of a rather unique mix of both highway and in-city stop-and-go driving. After making stops for gas, food, bathroom, etc... I didn't get home until well after dark. I went from using my A/C in the Chicago suburbs... to being able to leave my windows down after stopping for a late dinner in Kenosha. I didn't keep track of the temperature changes, but it did cool down significantly after sunset.

Probably the best compliment I can give the ProEFI is that I didn't even realize it was there. Through all of the various traffic conditions I encountered the car ran just as it had on the way down to Sound Performance when it had the OEM ECU. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again... Sound Performance could have pulled the "Folger's Switch" on me (swapping my stock ECU for the ProEFI) and I wouldn't have known the difference. It idles perfectly, deceleration is smooth... this is exactly what a stand-alone should be... invisible. As I spend more time with my car and the ProEFI, I'll keep everyone updated as to my experiences with it. For right now though I can't recommend the ProEFI strongly enough. It really is the best of both worlds.





Mike Kusles:

Im Mike, Larry posted my review earlier. I finally got a chance to really drive the car around today for a while and i can agree with what ND4SPD said about the driveability of the car. It drives like stock. I do not have any experience with AEM but I a happy that I waited for this unit to come out. It was definately worth the wait. Larry is an excelent tuner! Hands down. His dedication to his customers is second to none. I called him this after noon just to tell him what a great job he did on my car. I don't know a lot of people that would take a phone call from a customer on a Saturday afternoon but he did! Now that is customer service! I will continue to post in this thread and will be happy to answer any questions that I can. I hope to have results from that track soon!

 

I think thom000001 stated he was getting an SP TT kit and ProEFI EMS for his Z?

 

That is correct

 

help me understand the difference between what you perceive the proefi does, and how HKS positions the Fcon. The Fcon has limited distribution (locked and limited prodealers) and no enduser tuning, right? granted it may be more, but still 'limited'

And is charging 3k (even though they explained why it's so expensive) for tuning software different from HKS requiring a certain amount of volume out of the dealers to get the 'pro' dealer level. it just seems like different versions of the same things. Consuls cost money, software to reflash ECUs cost money.

great thoughts though.

 

I believe the distribution models are similar and this locked model was one reason I did not go with the FCON, even though I chose ForgedPerformance as my shop for my build and tune, even though they are an HKS pro dealer.

One difference between the distribution model for HKS and ProEFI appears to be that not just anyone can "apply" for ProEFI dealer status. You have to be chosen and it looks like some territories have already been staked out (NJ for example). I'm not privy to the agreements between ProEFI and tuning shops so I'm speculating this from posts directed towards Julian.

There was some mention that once additional software was made available, other tuning shops would have access to ProEFI for their local customers. That's when the unit will be ready, for me at least, to consider as a viable platform. My trust and business is in the hands of my tuner, Sharif. So if the ProEFI becomes an option for him, then it becomes an option for me. I think many would share this sentiment.

 

The only reason it seems like that now, is because Jason chose tuners that he had a previous relationship based on his time with AEM. It would not be easy for Jason to approach a shop he did not know and try to sell them on this great unheard of new product.... and then tell them it cost $3000+ to be a dealer!!!!


Once the consumer software is available, many more delaers will come online...... as long as they are competent!!

 

So the consumer software is free?

 

I think you are missing a huge part of the point on the dealer situation. MRC is in TurboTrix backyard...quite literally about 10 minutes from their shop. TurboTrix was a dealer first. It would be VERY bad business to set up another dealer in someones backyard without talking with the previous dealer first. HKS doesn't even do this. No reputable manufacturer would do that to a loyal dealer. It also states NUMEROUS times on the ProEFI website that they only select the most capable dealers. This is going to limit who becomes a dealer a great deal, and is a wise choice in my opinion. If you get people out there who can't tune, they will give the product a bad name.

 

The response from ProEFI.com....

The 128 is special order for the Z/G at present. Currently the variable cam is still in developement, so this feature would not be added until later, however the upgrade is free of charge (minus any extra tuning ofcourse). We are hoping to have the full capability of the Pro 128 for the VQ ready in the next 4 to 6 weeks!


ProEFI

 

every company I know of has dealer territories. well, good companies anyway. HKS has the same limitations (might be a different territory definition, or a limit on new dealer accounts it opens per year maybe).

but I get the jist

 

Greddy TT with IC
I'm still having everything installed (SGP Upgraded Longblock, SGP Racing Tranny, Greddy, etc).

I should have everything done in about 2 weeks.

 

Interesting. What is the closet tuner to NC? Since it's currently available, what is the price (if you want to send me a PM that is fine)? Has Jason talked to Performance Factory about getting into ProEFI tuning ?

I would be more than willing to switch from the Haltech when I can get my hands on this. It definitely sounds like a top quality product that has produced real world results, especially to those who truly daily drive theirs (7 days a week here). All it needs is some more distribution, especially to people on here, to get some more attention.

 

I'm assuming your 5AT?

 

ProEFI Dealer List This is the current delaer list for ProEFI. It would deffinetly be nice if Performance Factory wanted to become a dealer, but that is up to ProEFI and PF. Maybe, you can contact ProEFI and PF, and maybe you can be the first person to go through Performance Factory and get them setup. Just a thought. You can also contact John Reed from RRev Motorsports. He is a mobile tuner that people fly all over the world to tune, and is HIGHLY respected in the Supra community.

As far as pricing, you would have to contact Intense or Sound Performance.

I agree with that 100%!