I am looking for a stand alone ECU. Has anyone used a Haltech or Motech stand alone on their 350? I know Motech is the top stand alone but damn it is $$$$! I am looking at the Haltech but don't know it is will work with all the drive by wire the 350s have. Any ideas?

 

AEM is coming out with the EMS pretty soon. It has been highly regarded with other cars such as the EVO8. The pricing is also more friendly.

I imagine Apex'i will come out with the PowerFC as well since the Z is such a popular car.

Victor

 

There are going to be a couple of ECU's becoming available in the next couple months. Hold out for a couple months if you can.

Just about any ECU can be adapted to work on the 350z. Just a matter of what your willing to give up feature wise.

I'm working w/ one company to develop a complete ECU for the 350z. Parts are overseas as we speak being tested. @ this time I'm unable to divulge their name. Expect pricing to be in the 3.5k and up range.

 

what source did you get the aem ems info from?....its not on their website.

 

HKS Fcon V Pro... Hands down.
phunks is testing this ECU for his Greddy tt Z... check forced induction forum.

 

double post, please delete

 

What information is that? EMS being "highly regarded", not by anyone who's ever worked w/ them. Hahaha...

Lord knows we're EMS trained and certified. Will not suggest it to a customer unless they have their heart set on it.

 

how much are the stand alone systems now!

 

From what I have seen anywhere from $1300 to over $5000

 

I don't understand how any standalone ECU could benefit a modified NA setup beyond timing and limiter removal without a custom flash or interface cable to allow for changes to be uploaded.

Tuning air/fuel is ultimately where the power is made and with so many different configurations of mods available, how can a static map maximize the potential of everyone's Z?

The only exception I can think of would be if a manufacturer introduces a specific stage-based upgrade that includes an ECU specific to their their own available bolt-ons or engine package (similar to JWT's pop/exhaust/ecu kit for the Z32). Are any of the mentioned manuf. planning anything like this?

 

Don't know and I see your point about a stand alone for an NA. I am looking for one because I am fully building my motor and putting turbos on it.

 

i thought that was the advantage of the stand alone ecu...to tune a vehicle based on your mods; therefore, you reprogram the ecu to your specific input and the changes are permanent. each time you add a mod you reprogram the ecu again to maximize your performance capability

 

From what i've seen, stand-alone ECU's generally come pre-tuned and are just plug and play (or pray). Only some shops offer to custom tune them to your specs (usually for an additional fee). But again you only get one shot at tuning it.

Piggyback units like the ones that come in FI kits are the ones that provide some kind of interface that lets you make your own changes (Greddy e-manage)

 

if that is the case i see your point...i would go for something like the greddy e-manage that allows you to make permanent changes....and for the price of these units (3-5K) you should be able to do everything

 

I spoke with David Salvaggio, AEM's marketing dude.

 

The possible problem I see with the Fcon Pro unit is that it will only be able to program fuel & timing maps at a predetermined load or RPM level. The OE ECU will run all other opperations & at the changeover, the OE unit will be tricked into thinking it is still running the motor.
The OE ECU will still be controlling the VTC cam phasing based on original programing (Eg Emmissions) but the Fcon will be programed for max power.
This will probably not be a problem on a FI motor but when tuninig a NA motor for max output, cam timing is an important consideration

 

actually most ecu's won't work with a Z without some major reworking..the vast majority of ecu's out there cannot work with drive by wire setups. This means converting back to a throttle cable setup...not that its bad, but definately not an install for the faint of heart as it's alot of trial and error involved (having done it with the WC car, where we run the TEC3, its not an easy thing to accomplish. They are coming down the pike, but not as quick as we would like

The EMS, as with any other ecu, is in the eye of the beholder...we've used them on plenty of Evo's as well as a handful of other cars, and its worked out extremely well.

At the end of the day, you'll find (realistically) that ALL the standalones pretty much can do the same things....and the most important choice you can make is who is going to tune it for you. The best ecu in the world is useless if the person punching the keys does not how how to manipulate the software.

Road Warrior - the EManage is good, but by no means does it make permenant changes. It alters fuel by manipulating MAF signal, and as such, it varies a bit day to day (as any piggyback will unless it has its own drivers for ignition and injection)

As highly regarded as the F Con is, it too does not work with drive by wire. If it could, out of the box, then you would also see an AEM ecu already released (the two units are based off the same platform). It also does not have software available to the general public. On the upside, its relatively plug and play (<aside from the drive by wire> - which is a nice aspect, though in this day and age of modern standalones, most will run off stock sensors, making install relatively easy).

 

gotcha z1....and good point....a reputable tuner is a must

i plan on staying na and have almost completed my i/h/e mods...i will dyno then and see how i am running and go from there

until then i will wait and see what develops

 

Do you or anyone know if the Haltech or Motech with with drive by wire?

 

Hey Z1...I thought I already corrected this misconception.

The eManage DOES have drivers for injectors and ignition. Yes, it is still dependent on the signal the ECU delivers it, but it adds fuel by adding injector pulse width; not be adjusting a MAF signal. and retards timing by delaying, and then redelivering the ignition signal. The eManage is not like an AFC...much more powerful and tunable. There are several examples of super hi horse-power cars running an eManage and stock ECU. It's more tunable and reliable that most people would think. And today....and only today....I have one for $99.....kidding.

The only MAF adjustment that happens is a small across the board adjustment to scale the larger injectors. It use a MAF adjustment to REDUCE fuel...not add it. This lets the car start, idle, and cruise at stoich. But the real fuel enrichment is done via increase IPW.

So in summary, the eManage ADDS FUEL by adding injector pulse width, and REDUCES FUEL (scales bigger injectors) by making a MAF voltage adjustment.

Of course, adding IPW requires the Greddy injector harness, which is included in the Greddy TT kit, but not a basic eManage package. If you dont have that harness, then yes, you'd have to resort to MAF manipulations to enrich fuel as well.....that would be lame...since the harness is only $80.

Second, from everyone I have spoken to, most tuners really enjoy working with the AEM, and given that it totally user laptop tunable, I really like the concept. If AEM launches it, I will be the first in line to buy it.