standalone ecu for i5?

[Thoreng]

have anyone here used 034EFI ecu? if have, how is it, and how's the software? i tried to download the software to check it out, but it didn't work..

[A80Avant]

Suprisingly, this is the second time in a row that PRJ and i will agree on something! If it goes 3 times in a row, i think a champagne should be in order!

But, yes, VEMS has the hardware but lacks the software at the moment and for the last year+ in regards to knock sensing. SO if you tune, you tune with caution and on the safe side and you are still fine. Its very cheap and for the person wanting to get involved its a must.

if i were to have a tuner to rely on, id think that i would just keep the motronic and get PRJ to tune it for me, as the new stuff (RS4 MAF, data logging... etc). However given the choice and being through both ways, id definitely do it again and stick with my own tuning rather than relying on a tuner for it.

[jsws3]

What about a motec m84 is there any one using one apart from hamish ?

[prj]

have anyone here used 034EFI ecu? if have, how is it, and how's the software? i tried to download the software to check it out, but it didn't work..

Don't bother. There are much better ECU's out these days.
It was OK when it came out, but from what I've seen not that much has changed recently, and I personally would take VEMS any day over 034 EFI.

As to doing everything yourself - I would not learn on a 600hp engine.
Very easy to blow everything up when you are asking these basic questions and have no experience.

I would start on some engine that needs rebuild already, and is 100% stock and then see if you can make more than stock power safely... then go to more powerful engines.
Of course, if you want to do it yourself - you need to decide on your budget.
As said before, VEMS is by far the cheapest ECU if you can handle some DIY and don't just buy the ready box, and it's perfectly capable to run your engine correctly.

Every other ECU cost 4-5 times more, and while there are some niggles with VEMS (trigger, knock control), I wouldn't say it's worth to pay 4 times the price for something that is 5% better. Because your mapping skills will be much more than that 5% When you have perfected them, and know what you are looking for, you can grow and grow your tools as well.

So go with VEMS for learning.

[Audiboys4]

Trigger errors are only happening with 3b or 7a flywheels that don't have the enlarged pin. Even so after 1.2.2 versions of vems that problem is cured.

I don't like autronic because of bad reviews on Evo and subarus back in greece being very awful on idle, the cable connections not very good and tidy and quite a few removed them and went for other options.

I do t have personal experience with autronic though

I have have Autronic SM4 , plug `n play in my Rs2. No problems at all, as said, plug`n play it was. As regards to the comment on idle, that has to be something to do with the car or tuner, because my car idles stable after tuning it, no problems what so ever. Mind you I have the 1.09 chipset. I dont know what you mean by cable connections though, have you ever seen the plug and play solution ???
To comment on the reviews you are speaking about, try to do a bit research, and I will guess you will find alot of people really happy with the SM4 unit.

I chose Autronic to get rid off the MAF, and for me its more convenient to get it tuned, because there are alot more tuners familiar with Autronic, than fiddling with Motronic in my area. Customer service from KRB, is second to none here in Norway, thats a good sales argument alone.
For me personally, the step over to Sm4 has not been that big of a difference, compared to Motronic. The car drives smoothly, fueling seems to be reasonable. Cold start no problem, starts in -20 , runs smoothly.
Autotune works well to, nice feature !

Here are the things I dont like about it, just minors, but because its fairly priced, I would liked to seen the possibility to connect a WB sensor directly to the ecu. And I am not a big fang of RS232 connection, we are now in 2013, wifi is the way to go.

Hopes this clearify some, since this is actually from someone that uses it, NOT something I heard some guys I know speaking about......

Glenn

[A80Avant]

I have have Autronic SM4 , plug `n play in my Rs2. No problems at all, as said, plug`n play it was. As regards to the comment on idle, that has to be something to do with the car or tuner, because my car idles stable after tuning it, no problems what so ever. Mind you I have the 1.09 chipset. I dont know what you mean by cable connections though, have you ever seen the plug and play solution ???
To comment on the reviews you are speaking about, try to do a bit research, and I will guess you will find alot of people really happy with the SM4 unit.

I chose Autronic to get rid off the MAF, and for me its more convenient to get it tuned, because there are alot more tuners familiar with Autronic, than fiddling with Motronic in my area. Customer service from KRB, is second to none here in Norway, thats a good sales argument alone.
For me personally, the step over to Sm4 has not been that big of a difference, compared to Motronic. The car drives smoothly, fueling seems to be reasonable. Cold start no problem, starts in -20 , runs smoothly.
Autotune works well to, nice feature !

Here are the things I dont like about it, just minors, but because its fairly priced, I would liked to seen the possibility to connect a WB sensor directly to the ecu. And I am not a big fang of RS232 connection, we are now in 2013, wifi is the way to go.

Hopes this clearify some, since this is actually from someone that uses it, NOT something I heard some guys I know speaking about......

Glenn

Glenn,
Thanks for the input. I haven't seen a plug and play autronic hence I wasn't aware of it. Good to know though and I'm happy you ate happy with it.

I don't HAVE TO do any research and I only stated experiences my mechanics had with evo's and subarus. In greece there was no plug and play autronic at the time I had my vems. Their experience wasn't the greatest and a lot of their customers had to replace them with other makes.

Furthermore to have to have an external wideband on an ecu is ridiculus if you ask me esp. For the money you pay for an aftermarket ecu.

[Audiboys4]

Glenn,
Thanks for the input. I haven't seen a plug and play autronic hence I wasn't aware of it. Good to know though and I'm happy you ate happy with it.

I don't HAVE TO do any research and I only stated experiences my mechanics had with evo's and subarus. In greece there was no plug and play autronic at the time I had my vems. Their experience wasn't the greatest and a lot of their customers had to replace them with other makes.

Furthermore to have to have an external wideband on an ecu is ridiculus if you ask me esp. For the money you pay for an aftermarket ecu.

Yeah, thats one of its biggest flaws, it should have supported WB connection, without a controller. And not only that, to get it working properly, there seem to be only a handful few controllers it will work with, due to the need of floating ground, hence Autronic advice to use their analyzer wich costs about 1500 euros, which is just plain stupid...I managed to get a cheaper unit working with a lsu 4,9, and when the auto tune fuction works, its worth it all alone, luckily.

[A80Avant]

So are they asking 1500euros more than the ecu itself?

[prj]

So are they asking 1500euros more than the ecu itself?

Yep, Autronic. You want something, you pay.
Only two things worse are Motec and... Apple

[A80Avant]

So given that, autronic should be Iberia wow and offer something other ECUs don't to justify the costs. It may run ok, but my small experience says that you can do it much cheaper.

[Thoreng]

So the cheapest and easiest way to go to run my 600 hp 3b would be vems?

[prj]

So the cheapest and easiest way to go to run my 600 hp 3b would be vems?

The cheapest way is to buy me a plane ticket and use your standard ECU.
If you want to do it yourself, then yes, VEMS is the cheapest option.

[Billman]

Yep, Autronic. You want something, you pay.
Only two things worse are Motec and... Apple

I think VEMS is pretty good for almost everything in the standalone area. If I where to race in the WRC I would pay for something very extravagant like Bosch Motorsport or the likes but till then VEMS offers whatever a good tuner can/capable to do.

Trigger issues are only there with weak signals. Of course if a standalone system is always installed with 60-2 then there are not going to be issues with triggers and there are also no rumours with the triggers.

Vems becomes more and more failsafe feautures. Gives Individual cylinder power feedback so that you can see what cylinder delays and trace back individual cylinder issues.

Even the PnP version is more worth than a system that needs its special WB box or a special idle air control valve ect.

Most important in my opinion: VEMS is affordable so many people that don't have experience buy and fail to install it correctly. Then of course the triggers are not right, or the idle is not good and the car does not start and the injector outputs are mixed up etc.

How many people do you know that installed Autotronic, MoTec, Link, ViPec alone and did not had issues as the ones that people encounter with VEMS?

Weakest point of VEMS has been mentioned: Knock listening. I think it will come shortly. ECU knows already what cylinder is doing what so with a good frequency code it will be there also.

[Audiboys4]

Yep, Autronic. You want something, you pay.
Only two things worse are Motec and... Apple

Ha ha funny you should mention Apple.... was exactly the feeling I had when i tried to make my way around the fact that they claimed that only their WB controller which costed a fortune worked.....Every where I tried to find some info regarding WB controllers working with their unit, everybody went silent. And actually what I found out was that some claim the Autronic analyzer is not that good either. I my self have no competence to draw this conclusion though. Here is the info : http://wbo2.com/faqs/autronic.htm

Anyway I got a tech edge unit working like a charm on my SM4, so it did not cost a fortune. Happy in the end...

[Thoreng]

I love u guys !!