ECU Options R33 Skyline

[Blakeo]

I want to make sure I am not missing anything. I would really like to get rid of the MAF sensor and since my other thread have been researching ECUs. 

Theses are the only ones I can find for a budget: 

PowerFC L-Jetro: Standalone and have to keep MAF Sensor, possible to install R35 GTR sensor in cooler piping. I would prefer to stay away from MAF. This is currently installed in my car. 

PowerFC D-Jetro: Standalone and MAP based ECU, unfortunately can only find new at a cost of $1800AUD with all required sensors delivered. Not a great option compared to newer more available ECUs. 

Haltech Platinum Plug and Play: Standalone and able to go MAP based, cost $2095AUD plus requires other sensors benefit can control boost. However outdated and not really supported with the newer Haltech Elite. 

HKS F-CON V GOLD PRO: Great piggy-back ecu, able to go MAP Based, unfortunately only thing that lets it down is the software to tune it and most places want $500 for the software + $1000 to tune with it due to not being familiar. 

 

Is there any other budget solutions I am missing? I am leaning towards going with my PowerFC L-Jetro and using a r35 gtr MAF in the cooler piping. 

 

[Ben C34]

isnt slap selling a wolf 3d plug in for 250 bucks? get that. thats a bargain

[Ben C34]

in there somehwere, thats stupid cheap. its a plug in map ecu for an r33. 

 

[GTSBoy]

I cannot imagine spending $2k just to get rid of the AFM, when the AFM (done right) is not really a problem. Would have to have many more and better reasons on top of getting rid of the AFM to drive me to spend the money.

Having said that, I would suggest;

• The cheapy Wolf3D that slap is selling would be good enough to do the job. They might be a shitty old thing, but you only need a shitty old thing to run an RB25.
• The Haltech plug and play, despite being superceded by the Elites, is anything but "outdated". It is 20+ years newer than the R33's ECU!
• F-CON just seems like a bad idea everywhere except right next to the HKS factory in Japan.
• Anything Power-FC just seems like a super bad idea if you have to exchange money to get it. If you already have one, then just do the R35 AFM conversion and be done with the whole question.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Get a Nistune, install the R35 card MAF post intercooler, dose/BOV whoosh all day.

That's the "cheapest" solution.

Other than that, Link, Haltech P/P, Haltech Elite, MoTec M150, Syvecs, Emtron, etc.

My personal choice would be a Haltech Elite, but they rest of SAU hates it.

[admS15]

2nd hand adaptronic select if you can find one. $6-800 plenty of features for the $. Has built in map sensor that can handle decent boost, air temp sensor is advisable but not totally necessary. Only negative is they run wasted spark and the software can be a little tricky.

[hardsteppa]

1 hour ago, GTSBoy said:

• F-CON just seems like a bad idea everywhere except right next to the HKS factory in Japan.

lollllll...

pretty sure RHDJPN had L-jetro PFC's for $1400ish? But as above, a MAF isn't THAT bad to warrant spending soo much just to remove it. Fair enough if wanting to upgrade ecu for other reasons, but not just for the maf when you have flexibility on that anyway with the pfc.

The wolf 3d is ok but has it's own issues. Having used both Power FC and Wolf 3Dizzle, no fkn way I would spend a large amount of money on ecu+tuning to swap to it. 

[joshuaho96]

15 hours ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

Get a Nistune, install the R35 card MAF post intercooler, dose/BOV whoosh all day.

That's the "cheapest" solution.

Other than that, Link, Haltech P/P, Haltech Elite, MoTec M150, Syvecs, Emtron, etc.

My personal choice would be a Haltech Elite, but they rest of SAU hates it.

What's wrong with Haltech Elite? It seems to be one of the few ECUs that supports all the weird things that Nissan did with the RB26/ATTESA. And proper long term learning features.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

If you're on this forum long enough the haters will come out with Haltech box jokes and how they've heard/seen motors turn backwards etc.

I tune them, I install them into customer cars and have had zero issues.

[dan the man]

Vipec/ Link are the best imo, had them all, they are easy and just work, has all the features you could ever want aswell. Compatible with trigger kits too which the Haltech pnp is not. Even supports ethrottle. Can find them secondhand for around $700 to $800 all the time. Apexi ECUs are great but they are very dated. 

Get a Mac valve and wire it to where the factory boost solenoid was then your Boost control is tied in nicely and controlled by ecu. All you really have to do is install the iat sensor on the intercooler piping. 

Can’t recomend recommend them enough. 

[dan the man]

And I would steer clear of nistune, there is a reason it’s cheap and there are a so many for sale, every second ecu for sale in Facebook/ gumtree is a a nistune. I had one and it was shit, drivability was terrible, now I have a vipec and it’s amazing, drivability is just awesome, even the idle is 100x noticeably better. 

 

[Ben C34]

3 minutes ago, dan the man said:

And I would steer clear of nistune, there is a reason it’s cheap and there are a so many for sale, every second ecu for sale in Facebook/ gumtree is a a nistune. I had one and it was shit, drivability was terrible, now I have a vipec and it’s amazing, drivability is just awesome, even the idle is 100x noticeably better. 

 

That's funny. The reason it's cheap is because it still uses the factory ecu so there's less stuff to buy.

if a retard tunes a nistune you get  a shit tune, that's not rocket science.

factory ecu tuning is way harder than tuning aftermarket Ecu's, for that reason many tuners Reccomended the simple option (for them) is that you use a different ecu (that they sell)

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

19 minutes ago, dan the man said:

And I would steer clear of nistune, there is a reason it’s cheap and there are a so many for sale, every second ecu for sale in Facebook/ gumtree is a a nistune. I had one and it was shit, drivability was terrible, now I have a vipec and it’s amazing, drivability is just awesome, even the idle is 100x noticeably better. 

More to do with your tuner than the hardware, it's drives as good as any other ECU if you know what you're doing.

I've seen even workshops tune them incorrect, especially the NEO ones, as there are a few tricks to get them working well.

One thing that's hard to get right on a Nistune is idle, however only when the car is running massive cams and a huge intake pipe. You end up with "choppy" airflow which causes AFM voltage fluctuations, but there's also a flag to enable to smooth the voltage when the idle conditions are met.

You give a man a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

[GTSBoy]

1 hour ago, dan the man said:

And I would steer clear of nistune, there is a reason it’s cheap and there are a so many for sale, every second ecu for sale in Facebook/ gumtree is a a nistune. I had one and it was shit, drivability was terrible, now I have a vipec and it’s amazing, drivability is just awesome, even the idle is 100x noticeably better. 

 

^ NOT this.

1 hour ago, Ben C34 said:

That's funny. The reason it's cheap is because it still uses the factory ecu so there's less stuff to buy.

if a retard tunes a nistune you get  a shit tune, that's not rocket science.

factory ecu tuning is way harder than tuning aftermarket Ecu's, for that reason many tuners Reccomended the simple option (for them) is that you use a different ecu (that they sell)

^ This.

51 minutes ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

More to do with your tuner than the hardware, it's drives as good as any other ECU if you know what you're doing.

I've seen even workshops tune them incorrect, especially the NEO ones, as there are a few tricks to get them working well.

One thing that's hard to get right on a Nistune is idle, however only when the car is running massive cams and a huge intake pipe. You end up with "choppy" airflow which causes AFM voltage fluctuations, but there's also a flag to enable to smooth the voltage when the idle conditions are met.

You give a man a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

^ And this.

[dan the man]

3 hours ago, Ben C34 said:

That's funny. The reason it's cheap is because it still uses the factory ecu so there's less stuff to buy.

if a retard tunes a nistune you get  a shit tune, that's not rocket science.

factory ecu tuning is way harder than tuning aftermarket Ecu's, for that reason many tuners Reccomended the simple option (for them) is that you use a different ecu (that they sell)

Ok guys, I already know all that, you seem to have got all buthurt because I think nistune is junk, opinions are like assholes, everybody has one..... Did your comments make you feel like big boys? I came here to help op and share my experiences. You asshats obviously are not here to help a fellow skyline owner instead look for any reason to chop anyone in the comments. 

If your needing to replace your ecu due to modifying and chasing more power why f**k around and get a nistune that has very little flexibility and IO expandability and zero customisation? It’s a no brainer when you can get used vipecs/Haltech etc for similar money. 

If you want a nistune there is also the extra cost of a z32 afm if your going to do anything worthwhile. 

R32 ecu’s (type2 nistune) are going on 30 years old now. Aftermarket management systems and technology has come a long way in that time. 

I remember I couldn’t have vct because for r33 you have to use an r32 ecu. 

To get vct I had to either use a z32 ecu or a window switch. I do know this vct has been figured out and is now available with a firmware.

Nistune is just trying to make shit work using bits from other cars, it’s a bandaid solution. And frankly don’t work that good. 

There is also software licensing cost and consult cables too. Alternatives brands offer their software for free and use USB cables.

If the owner of a nistune wants to have a play or try learn, they have to pay extra costs for software and cables. Doing anything on a nistune is mostly not possible or viable for end users.

and you dickheads are tying to troll me because I think they are shit. 

There are more nistune for sale than any other ecu period. If they are so fantastic why does nobody want them. I actually have one, you nistune lovers can buy if you want? Only been asking $100 and still can’t sell this pos junk. 

And fyi I make my living tuning cars, now your gonna say I don’t know what I am doing. I assure you, I do. Graduated from JCU in 09 with bachelor in IT and JCU again in 2014 in mechanical engineering, going to do my masters soon too. I understand the hardware and software intricacies on a level you big boys never will. 

So yes nistune can work well if you have the best tuner in the world and it is tuned properly. 

For the price of secondhand alternatives like Haltech, vipec, adaptronic etc, it’s a no brainer if your on the quest for more power, you will max your nistune and then need to upgrade again anyway. 

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Guess you're right then, because you have 2x degrees.

Sorry to offend earlier, I will now tell everyone  Nistune is junk and tell Matt I no longer can sell/tune his products.

[dan the man]

35 minutes ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

Guess you're right then, because you have 2x degrees.

Sorry to offend earlier, I will now tell everyone  Nistune is junk and tell Matt I no longer can sell/tune his products.

Your a dickhead, all I said was I don’t like them and said to op “I would stay away from nistune”.

people can do whatever the f**k they want, your the wankers that started trolling this thread I was just trying to help op. 

[Ben C34]

18 minutes ago, dan the man said:

Your a dickhead, all I said was I don’t like them and said to op “I would stay away from nistune”.

people can do whatever the f**k they want, your the wankers that started trolling this thread I was just trying to help op. 

Wow, for someone claiming others are but hurt you are making yourself look pretty bad.. Perhaps you forgot what you actually wrote, luckily you just need to scroll up. You said they are shit and drive ability is bad, not that you don't like them.

I suppose the guys who tune them well just know what they are doing,  notrelying on knowledge from  some relatively non useful degree  in relation to tuning.

 

 

Anyway, like you said people can do what they want (I assume so long as that doesn't conflict with your opinions or else you get cranky).

Take it easy bro.

 

[admS15]

Easy boys, I think what he was trying to say is that dosepipe is the best tuner ever. Bit of a misunderstanding really..

 

 

[GTSBoy]

5 hours ago, dan the man said:

Doing anything on a nistune is mostly not possible or viable for end users.

I'm an end user, not a tuner, and I have both the cable and the license and have done some of the tuning on my car.

5 hours ago, dan the man said:

Graduated from JCU in 09 with bachelor in IT and JCU again in 2014 in mechanical engineering,

Gosh! Well, some of us graduated with degrees in Chemical Engineering last century, have been working in process industries designing all sorts of stuff, including shit that you need TUV FSE for, and know when what someone says about their Mech Eng & IT degrees is completely irrelevant. Whereas Matt from Nistune actually has a degree and industrial experience relevant to designing microcontroller gear and reverse engineering other people's opcode and whatever other bullshit they have hidden inside their 30 year old, really good quality hardware.

Back your claim up. Show me 10 current adverts for people selling 2nd hand Nistunes. And not from bookface, because I won't click on a link from that shithole.

My counter claim is that Nistunes trade hands at about the same rate as anything else, and that the market for tunable ECUs for R3x Skylines etc is getting smaller every day, because nearly all of them have already been upgraded to something else, Nistune or otherwise. And as all the flatbrims have drifted modded cars into trees, the surplus of spare ECUs will just continue to grow.