best ecu/tuning options for rb25

[Sydneykid]

The only benefit i got was saving a little money on fuel and slighty reducing the detonation i was getting. My standard computer was running ridiculously rich. I wouldnt buy another one, Id go straight for a stand alone.

Steve

Hi Steve, this is the first time I have heard anyone that didn't pick up ~25 rwkw average power increase with an SAFC install on an RB25. They also loose that annoying droop in the power curve that costs ~35 rwkw, just when you need it. I have always seen more power, nicer to drive and better fuel economy and for ~$400 that's hard to beat. That said, I would always spend the extra ~$500 on a Power FC for a manual, but when you have an auto, the SAFC is not such a bad thing.

[bazr33]

I had an SAFC in my car after i turned up the boost. Didnt really help much just saved me some money on fuel. I was getting pretty bad detonation. Then upgraded to a Wolf3d version 4. Have not had any probs since.

And yes there is a PFC that is plug and play but you will still need to have it tuned.

Steve

hey man hows it goin?

the wolf3d vers 4, does that do basically the same stuff as an apexi fc

im the dude thats gettin the t3/t4 and after that gettin front mount split dump

injectors fuel pump, probably start on the engine internals after that, and whateva will these two computers handle all that stuff.

after gettin tuned ?

how much around abouts is the wolf, and wheres the best place to get all the computers and stuff.

havent got the turbo yet hopefully this afternoon

[Anquetil]

Hard to tell with mine because I had a few things done at once.

But with a FMIC, up in boost to 13, and the SAFC tuned, I went from 145 to 185rwkw.

I'll be going for PFC soon, I want that improved mid-range.

[darrinspencer]

hey man hows it goin?

the wolf3d vers 4, does that do basically the same stuff as an apexi fc  

im the dude thats gettin the t3/t4 and after that gettin front mount split dump  

injectors fuel pump, probably start on the engine internals after that, and whateva will these two computers handle all that stuff.  

after gettin tuned ?

how much around abouts is the wolf, and wheres the best place to get all the computers and stuff.

havent got the turbo yet hopefully this afternoon

I do not want to start a fight which ECU is better, but some things to consider

The two computers are both plug n play, and do "basically" the same thing.

Power Fc & Hc $1200 if ordered direct from Japan (no Aust warranty)

or Australian bought and warranty $1600

Change airflow meter to s/hand 300zx item $300

Add electronic boost controller Start at about $450 upto $1000

$1950 plus or $2350 plus

plus tuning $500-800

Wolf ECU $1395 plus hand controller $220 Australian warranty

Comes with built in MAP sensor (so you can remove the airflow meter)

Comes with built in boost control

total $1615

plus tuning $500-800

I have the wolf ecu, but still have not installed it yet

Waiting to get the cam's and injectors so I can get it tuned once.

Just something to think about

There is also other ECU's to consider aswell

[bazr33]

thanks man!

i have decided im goin for a haltech ecU

but wont do it for a while as gettin all the other stuff done first so i dont have to tune it

50 times.

i have been quoted a price on the ecu buyin gettin fitted and tuning for 2700 mark

[confuzion]

dont go for a haltech dude.. I had one running my 4agte in my ae86 and it was never like the factory ecu. 2 different tuners and albeit the last was much better it still decided to stall at night time and i know of other haltech people with idle problems also..

my experience anyways..!

[Sydneykid]

i have decided im goin for a haltech ecU  

but wont do it for a while as gettin all the other stuff done first so i dont have to tune it 50 times.

i have been quoted a price  on the ecu buyin gettin fitted and tuning for 2700 mark

You got 20 plus replies from guys with real world experience, most recommendations for the Power FC and some for the Wolf and you chose HALTEC, which no one recommended. For $2,700 you buy a new Power FC with Commander, get it fitted (it takes less than 1 minute) and tuned 5 times.

There is nothing wrong with Haltec on many cars, but for Skylines there are better and less expensive options:cheers:

[bazr33]

well i still havent choosen the right ecu i wanted yet

but sayin that ppl recommending apexi power fcs and wolf's

is there anyone out there with a skyline r33 auto that has an haltech on their car

i also read that apexi power fcs on autos are very harsh on gear changes

as reading and telling the engine that the car is a manual

im goin to gather more info on this

just with the haltech though, i was speaking to one of the guys at apc at underwood and he put me onto the haltech ecu, and told me all the specs

and to me it sounded like all i needed.

thanks for the info man

[rs73]

PowerFC is not suppose to work on Autos therefore it causes the auto to shift harsh as the PFC never cuts power at the required shift point to let the auto gearbox change gear smoothly. Auto owners would probably left with options such as Greddy e-manage.

[igor]

How is Wolf3D on things like cold/hot start and the aircon? I heard PFC is 'exactly' like a factory ecu, but havent heard anything about Wolf3D daily driver.

[YOYO]

Any word on whether the Power FC is going to be superseded by a newer model? A couple of my friends are hesitant on going with the FC due to it's age. On the other hand, I tell them that because it's one of the more established aftermarket ecus, there's plenty of places where it can get a decent tune. Thoughts?

[Cubes]

Matty & baz, I think for a daily driver you will be seriously better off with the PowerFC.

The most important factors of an ECU for the RB 6 'I' think are:

6 injector drivers (Sequential Injection = better fuel economy & more power, not so much peak power but average power due to better low/mid range fuel atomisation)

6 Coil drivers (Wouldn't want those RB coils overheating or working harder than they should)

Closed Loop

For absolute best fuel economy the AFM, Closed Loop & Sequential Injection is the way to go. No ifs no buts.

The PowerFC has all of these.

So be sure to check out the specs of the ECU you are purchasing.

1. Does it have 6 injector & coil drivers?
   
2. Does it utilise the O2 Closed Loop mode?
   

To buy an ECU that has all of these, you are paying well over 2k just for the ECU. The PowerFC really is a good bargin.

I've always had the opinion of, 'its no good owning a performance car that drinks the fuel so you are unable to enjoy it on a near daily basis.'

Its a little like saving some $$ buying SARD injectors when you could spend a little more and get the Nismo ones that atomise fuel better due to their 2 or 4 pintle design and return better fuel economy.

Z32 AFM's are dirt cheap these days. You simply have to look.

Second hand I've seen them form as low as $150.

Last week I bought my self a BRAN SPANKIN NEW Z32 BOSCH AFM for $285 + $10 for postage. (Bosch make the AFM's for Nissan so they are Exactly the same, even down to the orange sticker)

I then shot down to my local U-Pullit Auto Wreckers and picked my up self a five finger discount on a VL 6cyl. AFM Plug (as it is the same as the Z32 plug).

The PowerFC also has boost control built in, buy the solanoid and hook the sucker up for ~$300-$400 and there you go. a top of the line RPM & speed based fuzzy logic boost control, as the powerfc is the AVCR, the difference is you don't have the fancy screen and adjust bits through the handcontroller instead.

I'm unsure if you could wire it up to suit the R33's stock solanoid.

The average quote for a PowerFC tune anywhere is from $300-$400.

I had to attach a pic of the AFM.

It sleeps next to me on my sidetable.. lol.

Where the PowerFC will soon be sleeping when it comes.

[mattysaidso]

thanx for the info cubes, it definately seems bang for buck that the power fc is the way to go, looking at many of the signatures in this forum seems to prove that too!

[mattysaidso]

thanx for the info cubes, it definately seems bang for buck that the power fc is the way to go, looking at many of the signatures in this forum seems to prove that too!

does the power fc have the "factory" cold start, air con, idle fuel/ignition maps?

[bazr33]

hey man thanks for that,

but the only thing i am worried about, is ppl sayin about the harsh gear changes

all the points ya have listed for the power fc sound good and i want to get it

but the gear changes thingy is puttin me off

and the mods i'll be soon doin hopefully, be able to handle it .

once i get the ecu, wirin is no worries got that sorted, just need the computer

i'll be huntin round this weekend. see whats doin.

[Sydneykid]

hey man thanks for that,  

but the only thing i am worried about, is ppl sayin about the harsh gear changes

all the points ya have listed for the power fc sound good and i want to get it

but the gear changes thingy is puttin me off  

and the mods i'll be soon doin hopefully, be able to handle it .

once i get the ecu, wirin is no worries got that sorted, just need the computer

i'll be huntin round this weekend. see whats doin.

I have yet to find ANY ecu that works with a Skyline auto.

This is a psot I made earlier in another thread, most of it is relevant to you....

Hi guys, I am very interested in this thread as it is relevant to the Stagea.

I have down loaded the code from an auto ecu and compared it to a manual ecu and I can tell you there is 3 times as much code in the auto ecu. These are not maps for fuel or ignition or boost, it is code to enable the engine ecu to control power (torque) on gearchanges. There is code for going uphill, down hill, flat, accelerating, decelerating, cruising, powering, turning with power steering, 4wd, abs, aircon, electrical load etc etc. All of these things affect the gearchanges and therefore have to be programmed for.

This is not tuning the fuel and ignition timing and building a boost correction table. I don't know anyone, outside of the auto manufacturers, who can do this. Plus I have yet to see an aftermarket ECU that has the capacity to handle this sort of code. This is why Apexi haven't made a Power FC for auto Skylines, they most likely don't have the expertise and would have to charge way too much for the auto PFC to make it worthwhile.

So my 20 cents worth, use a piggy back to tune the fuel and maybe one for the ignition but it has to be a "simplistic" style that doesn't totally override the standard ECU timing, just moves it a few degrees. That combination works welll up to around 260 rwkw and I have yet to see a chipped standard ECU do any better. That also happens to be around my rule of thumb limit for the standard RB25 internals.

There are limits to what you can map in a standard (chipped) ecu, the maps don't extend far enough, they are not calibratable, there is no ability to change correction factors (water temp, air temp, boost etc), not all maps are stand alone, they are linked and when you change one you can easily get an unwanted effect in another. They have a limit, and I have yet to see that limit exceed what can be achieved from a pair of piggy backs. So I would never count on a chipped ecu to deliver much better results

If you are doing an upgrade on the internals for power in excess of that, then I strongly suggest a non electronic auto is the go. We have used Hugo's boxes in the past and they handle double that power easily. Either that or do a manual conversion, either way will be cheap compared to what you spend on the engine anyway.

[tomj]

Go the power FC, easy to fit and tune, Never headr a bad report

When you fit your cooler, I suggest getting a plenum made up to,  

If you plumb your intercooler up to standard intake manifold, piping is like 3.2mteres long!

With the plenum its under two meters and a hell of alot more responsive and torqey!

Have fun

or get a cooler with tanks on the same side.... like mine.

[performance-wise]

Z32 AFM's are dirt cheap these days. You simply have to look.

Second hand I've seen them form as low as $150.

 

Last week I bought my self a BRAN SPANKIN NEW Z32 BOSCH AFM for $285 + $10 for postage. (Bosch make the AFM's for Nissan so they are Exactly the same, even down to the orange sticker)

where could I find one of these afm's?

[Cubes]

You should be able to get the AFM anywhere that deals with Bosch.

[nizmokid]

how about a Greddy Emanage!.......