Summary of Aftermarket ECUs / Controllers

[Crufty Dusty]

Disadvantages of standalone:

1) Complete control over engine requires installer to be very sure of whatever he's doing
2) No support for OBD or factory immobilizer

These 2 things alone are reason enough to dissuade a lot of people from considering standalones.

 

[Crufty Dusty]

Benefits of standalone:

Too many to list!

The possibilities are limited only by your creativity. e.g.

1) A high output 4WD rally car was consistently breaking its center differential when the driver lays down the power while cornering. The solution was to attach a steering wheel angle sensor and hook it up to the ECU. Diff disengages when steering angle exceeds programmed limit.

2) Switch operated speed limiter (good for enforcing pit speed limits or getting valet to park your car), boost control using head unit volume control (the louder the music, the higher the boost!) :twisted:

3) Launch control, traction control, overrun boost (antilag), and lots more

 

[Whisky_Tango]

Disadvantages of standalone:

1) Complete control over engine requires installer to be very sure of whatever he's doing

Agree and its always subjective cos its the knowledge and experience of the tuner tat give results.

2) No support for OBD or factory immobilizer

These 2 things alone are reason enough to dissuade a lot of people from considering standalones.

If there is no support for OBD, what are the problems tat may arise?

Can a laptop diagnosed faults with standalone?

Immoblizer is an anti-theft feature, I think this disadvantage is not so critical cos the owner might trade it with power management.

 

[Crufty Dusty]

If there is no support for OBD, what are the problems tat may arise?

Certain governments like US and some EU countries require OBD compliance to pass their inspection tests. In Singapore no OBD compliance tests are required. And since you have total control over the engine, getting lambda 1 is not that difficult

Factory ECUs are usually updated by using handheld or portable scanners through the OBDII port.

Most standalone ECUs today are programmed using laptop, either in realtime or offline mode (i.e. changes made to a file and then uploaded to the ECU). Some ECUs can be programmed using handheld scanners as well although personally I think they are more of a gimmick than anything else. Imagine trying to view a map with 512 load/RPM sites using something that resembles a NETS POS device with limited screen space... you get the idea.

Currently the connections are made using OBDII port, RS232 or CAN, although initiatives are underway to remove physical connections e.g. using Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11.

Can a laptop diagnosed faults with standalone?

By and large, most ECUs will allow some sort of diagnostic facility. Some ECUs go so far as to show you which circuits are open or shorted, minimum and maximum voltage, ECU temperature, so on and so forth. Some even feature telemetry and remote logging, allowing the calibration specialist/data acquisition specialist to diagnose everything the ECU is seeing, in real time, from the pit.

 

[Whisky_Tango]

Gentlemen

Can I request all to pen down till the revised update is posted. Too much info liao... kekeke...

If anyone who has something to share at this moment, please save your draft and post it upon the 1st update.

Hope I can update it by end this week.

Thanks & Cheers!

 

[Leean]

HI ALL,

JUST A SIMPLE QUESTION. AFTER READING THRU ALL THE POST, CAN ANYONE ADVISE WHERE I CAN GET MY ECU UPGRADED OR INSTALLED? THANKS

 

[yendor]

BVO, J4C, Cartronic.... you name your choice.....

ha ha...

 

[Whisky_Tango]

BOV does OBIT (Piggyback ECU)

Juzz for Cars does HI-OP (Flash ECU)

Racetech does SUPERCHIPS (Flash ECU)

Cartronic does ??? (???)

Above workshops details can be found in our forum WORKSHOP LIST.

 

[Whisky_Tango]

Attached is the revised and updated doc since last discussed on this thread.

Please note the additions and revision are in Yellow color fonts.

Comments and feedbacks are again open to all.

Cheers!

 

[yendor]

Ahhh... Cartronic does Obit too...Look for Kimiko and she will refer get somebody to get the job done. (She brings in Obit)

 

[Whisky_Tango]

Thanx Rodney.

So there's two Obit agents in Singapore? Tuners?

 

[eaurouge_spa]

So there's two Obit agents in Singapore? Tuners?

Eric, I hear that Ricardo, the Parallel Importers for toyotas offer Obit for the cars they sell. Have a friend who did it for his Altezza.

 

[Whisky_Tango]

So there's two Obit agents in Singapore? Tuners?

Eric, I hear that Ricardo, the Parallel Importers for toyotas offer Obit for the cars they sell. Have a friend who did it for his Altezza.

Wah... so many Obit agents. Just wondering how experience the tuners will be.
IMO, I reckon that there should be one or two tuning masters and they will go around to customers for proper tuning.

Think I OT this thread liao.

Ok lets finish this discussion in the next 3 posts.

 

[yendor]

Cartronic brings in the OBIT.

 

[Joopy]

Re: Summary of Aftermarket ECUs / Controllers

What about the company call DMS? I did my Z4 3.0. they are really good.

 

[Shaun]

Re: Summary of Aftermarket ECUs / Controllers

DMS is not a piggyback

 

[jaskin]

Re: Summary of Aftermarket ECUs / Controllers

Shaun, what do you know about the DMS. Can tell us more?

 

[Shaun]

Re: Summary of Aftermarket ECUs / Controllers

I know nothing about it except that it is a reflash.

Total control and the successful optimization of the targets that already exist in a stock ECU, makes for a very good option since there is no trickery, no conflicts as there are between piggybacks and modern stock ECUs. This is especially so with cars that have further mapping complexities because of variable cam phasing or valve lift, FI, etc. Piggybacks concept wise alone, are hard pressed to compete with a proper control method like reflashing or chipping and with the limited actual technology present in piggybacks - impossible.

The only thing reflashing doesn't have is control for peripherals if the stock ECU lacked them to begin with. These are only a concern for heavily track focused cars though.

RB may have specifics on DMS since he has investigated them more closely.


Cheers

 

[Joopy]

Re: Summary of Aftermarket ECUs / Controllers

Just met up with the DMS guy, he did my frds M3 and mini. the car is running much better and sure faster now.

 

[rex7_vtec]

Re: Summary of Aftermarket ECUs / Controllers

Is that a butt feel or there is a proven figure?