Home |  Forums |  Search |  My Profile |  Chat  Photo Gallery |  Events Calendar |  Technical Documents  No messages |  New Posts |  Watched Topics |  Register   Aftermarket ECU's worth it?          Forum Index -> ECU and Fuel System Forum Latest ratings Highest-ranked posts Highest-ranked topics Highest-ranked posters   falconboy Fordmods - Getting Side Ways Posts: 551 Joined: 25 Dec 2004 Location: Sydney NSW, Australia View User Gallery (1) Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 9:09 am    Post subject: Aftermarket ECU's worth it? I'm learning a lot from these forums, but I do have one question - I read somewhere that an aftermarket ECU for an AU can be like $1700 or something that just piggybacks on the orginal ECU - surely to god you don't get $1700 worth of better performance with them? I would have thought you could spend $1700 elsewhere to get good performance? Or are they designed for the few that have nothing else left to do on the car so an aftermarket ECU is the only thing left??? Your opinions on the value of them appreciated...... Back to top 4.9 EF Futura Moderator Age:27 Posts: 8658 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Adelaide CBD SA, Australia View User Gallery (37) Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 9:17 am    Post subject: Hey mate Honestly, the only reason you'd go aftermarket ECU is if you were pushing the limits of EEC. You've probably picked up in your readings that the EEC-IV and EEC-V are very limited in their ability to be modded. There are chips like unichip which plug into the J3 service conncector of the ECU and can be tuned in real time on the dyno. But yeah, aftermarkets you kinda splice into the standard loom as they only really control fuel and spark maps. Standard ECU has to stay as this controls the dash and immobiliser etc. BTW $1700 is fairly conservative, install and tune will cost a fair bit. SV0 XR6 runs an EMS ECU (with a great deal of success) but i think his engine has had a fair bot of work done. Cetainly not worth it for a stock engine. Back to top Disco Frank Fordmods Junkie Age:29 Posts: 13250 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Perth WA, Australia View User Gallery (7) Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 10:19 am    Post subject: 4.9 EF Futura wrote: Hey mate Cetainly not worth it for a stock engine. not so sure about that! i stock engine with zorst and intake can HUGEly benifit from aftermarket ecu, pretty sure there is a meber on here with a unichip on an au and it made more powere gave better fuel econ and dropped around 1.5 secs down the 1/4!, aufalcon.com has done a chip challenge i would head over thre and have a look aslo in my belief if more work is planned for the car add teh aftermarket ecu then as it emans u can do anythign to the car and have it tuned for what u have done. i want a EMS Back to top 4.9 EF Futura Moderator Age:27 Posts: 8658 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Adelaide CBD SA, Australia View User Gallery (37) Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 12:42 pm    Post subject: Disco Frank wrote: 4.9 EF Futura wrote: Hey mate Cetainly not worth it for a stock engine. not so sure about that! i stock engine with zorst and intake can HUGEly benifit from aftermarket ecu, pretty sure there is a meber on here with a unichip on an au and it made more powere gave better fuel econ and dropped around 1.5 secs down the 1/4!, aufalcon.com has done a chip challenge i would head over thre and have a look aslo in my belief if more work is planned for the car add teh aftermarket ecu then as it emans u can do anythign to the car and have it tuned for what u have done. i want a EMS Yeah that's a fair comment Frank. Spose i'd put it this way... $1700+ for ECU + install + tune or $1700 on exhaust or head or diff work? Also the fact that EEC is incredibly sophisticated - emissions, cold starts etc. Only advantage of aftermarket ECU is real time tuning for maximising performance. Lol - i NEED EMS!!! Back to top EDXR8 Fordmods - Getting Side Ways Age:29 Posts: 1440 Joined: 07 Nov 2004 Location: Adelaide SA, Australia View User Gallery (0) Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2004 4:18 pm    Post subject: Unless you go forced induction I don't see a huge improvement because the EECIV/EECV's are good computers. The I6's don't have the MAF setup like the V8's do so do benefit from chips if mods like cams, headwork etc are done otherwise results are normally minimal. I am having an EMS 8860 installed in the next week or two mainly because my chip isn't working under boost and the edits available are overpriced IMO (still they also do a good job). The 8860 also give tons of outputs to run things like water injection, thermo fans, shift lights and some trans functions, Oh and traction control is nice addition too. Back to top Disco Frank Fordmods Junkie Age:29 Posts: 13250 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Perth WA, Australia View User Gallery (7) Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2005 10:59 pm    Post subject: 4.9 EF Futura wrote: Yeah that's a fair comment Frank. Spose i'd put it this way... $1700+ for ECU + install + tune or $1700 on exhaust or head or diff work? Also the fact that EEC is incredibly sophisticated - emissions, cold starts etc. Only advantage of aftermarket ECU is real time tuning for maximising performance. Lol - i NEED EMS!!! hehhehe mm do $1700 worth of head work and u will ned aftermarket ecu well for i6 the v8's u can use tweecer whcih is cool! EDXR8 wrote: I am having an EMS 8860 installed in the next week or two mainly because my chip isn't working under boost and the edits available are overpriced IMO (still they also do a good job). The 8860 also give tons of outputs to run things like water injection, thermo fans, shift lights and some trans functions, Oh and traction control is nice addition too. yes EMS is way cool! Back to top SVO XR6 Fordmods - Getting Side Ways Age:24 Posts: 1680 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Scaaabz WA, Australia View User Gallery (1) Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2005 2:31 am    Post subject: IMO... The eccV is great, try and keep it for aslong as you can mildish cam/zorst & extractors/intake will run fine off it. Head work is funny. Some 4L buildes, ie JMM, Port there heads to get the rite A/F mixture instread of flowing it to maximum potential. This is silly, as they try and keep the std ecu foe aslong as they can. Not a bad idea tho, as ECU's are very time consuming and can be costy. A stand alone ecu is aimed for highly tuned N/A or blowen/forced cars. Ans as the EccV isnt easly tuned or chipper ect, its a good and better in the long run choice. Back to top harry h Fordmods Oompa Loompa Age:34 Posts: 26 Joined: 30 Dec 2004 Location: melbourne VIC, Australia View User Gallery (0) Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 2:38 pm    Post subject: Guys, The EEC4 and 5 can run a fair few mods and decent horsepower without touching them. Its once you go radical cam grinds and headwork, which require a lot more fuel and air, when you need to piggyback or even replace all together your ECU with a good aftermarket unit. My XF Ghia runs an EEC4 with piggybacked unichip unit due to extensive work to internals. Mind you, if I was to do it again, I would go Microtech or Motec even. The Unichip is not bad for mild applications, but once you have to re-adjust cold start idle etc, thats where you need someone who knows how the EEC4 functions, and trust me, their are not that many out there... my car spent many days on the dyno....the xf also has the air flow meter on the air box which need modifying to allow proper adjustment. Its a hot debate, but if its just your basic exhaust and intake changes, the factory ECU can adapt. If you go big ports and cam, prepare for a hard time in stalling and getting the thing to idle, without making ECU changes. Good Luck. Back to top One Drone Fordmods - Getting Side Ways Age:22 Posts: 2003 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Penrith NSW, Australia View User Gallery (6) Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2005 2:49 pm    Post subject: 4.9 EF Futura wrote: Honestly, the only reason you'd go aftermarket ECU is if you were pushing the limits of EEC. Or if you wanted to remove speed limiter.. Surprises me how many people pay that amount to remove it. Back to top USELESS Fordmods - Getting Side Ways Age:40 Posts: 505 Joined: 14 Nov 2004 Location: Merrylands NSW, Australia View User Gallery (0) Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:01 am    Post subject: Chiptorque does adjust cold air ,speed limiter, shift points etc.. Back to top unclewoja Fordmods - Getting Side Ways Age:26 Posts: 533 Joined: 12 Jan 2005 Location: Melbourne VIC, Australia View User Gallery (0) Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 10:16 am    Post subject: If you want an aftermarket ECU that's programable, you could try megasquirt http://www.megasquirt.info/index.html It's a kit ecu. You put it together yourself. The ultra Megasquirt is very powerful. It has similar programable options to a motech with the same sort of accuracy, but it costs about AUD$300 all up... not AUD$3000. I've buil one myself and they work a treat! I put it in my TR7 V8. I can highly recommend them. Edit: only thing that might give you a headache with the megasquirt is controlling the auto..... if you have one. Back to top ED391W Fordmods Newbie Age:32 Posts: 10 Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Location: Perth WA, Australia View User Gallery (0) Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 1:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket ECU's worth it? falconboy wrote: I'm learning a lot from these forums, but I do have one question - I read somewhere that an aftermarket ECU for an AU can be like $1700 or something that just piggybacks on the orginal ECU - surely to god you don't get $1700 worth of better performance with them? I would have thought you could spend $1700 elsewhere to get good performance? Or are they designed for the few that have nothing else left to do on the car so an aftermarket ECU is the only thing left??? Your opinions on the value of them appreciated...... As soon as you begin to modify the hardware on an EFI engine you need to be telling your ECU that you've made such changes. If you fail to dial in your ECU it will not be able to correctly calculate load because its maps are based on a stock config. Yes, people spend big $$ on continuos ECU mods with piggyback chips and tuning. Don't even consider an after market ECU. Ford EEC-IV/V has all the capable architecture you need that can be harnessed through Tweecer. Tweecer is a tuning tool that runs parallel with EEC-IV/V via your J3 service port. Plug up a laptop to Tweecer and you can make all the tuning mods you want. No s**t chips where you don't know what you're getting. Tweecer is around $900. XR9UTE deals them and he is the man to seek for any more on this. Also check www.tweecer.com. There are Tweecer forums around to assist you with tuning knowhow. Back to top EDXR8 Fordmods - Getting Side Ways Age:29 Posts: 1440 Joined: 07 Nov 2004 Location: Adelaide SA, Australia View User Gallery (0) Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 1:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket ECU's worth it? ED391W wrote: Don't even consider an after market ECU. Ford EEC-IV/V has all the capable architecture you need that can be harnessed through Tweecer. You are correct there, the Tweecer is an excellent tuning tool but only supports a small percentage of Australian EEC's. For that reason, aftermarket computers are still a good option for many people along with custom chips and interceptors like Unichip. If your EEC is supported by Tweecer, I would go for it, it is the cheapest and most powerful tuning system until you reach the expensive aftermarket stuff such as Motec etc. Back to top ED391W Fordmods Newbie Age:32 Posts: 10 Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Location: Perth WA, Australia View User Gallery (0) Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 2:31 pm    Post subject: Re: Aftermarket ECU's worth it? EDXR8 wrote: ED391W wrote: Don't even consider an after market ECU. Ford EEC-IV/V has all the capable architecture you need that can be harnessed through Tweecer. You are correct there, the Tweecer is an excellent tuning tool but only supports a small percentage of Australian EEC's. For that reason, aftermarket computers are still a good option for many people along with custom chips and interceptors like Unichip. If your EEC is supported by Tweecer, I would go for it, it is the cheapest and most powerful tuning system until you reach the expensive aftermarket stuff such as Motec etc. Yes, there is only a % of aus EEC's supported but it's a more healthy % now. Regardless, buying a new EEC from the states that is supported by Tweecer would be cheaper if your mod plans were even moderately serious. Horses for courses. It also depends on how involved with the tuning game the purchaser wishes be. Back to top Jaysen Commercial Sponsor Age:26 Posts: 862 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Sydney NSW, Australia View User Gallery (1) Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 9:32 am    Post subject: Whats involved with getting a tweecer system set up. Can I run it on the EECV of my 95 EF I6 running a manual box? Back to top 4.9 EF Futura Moderator Age:27 Posts: 8658 Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Location: Adelaide CBD SA, Australia View User Gallery (37) Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 9:41 am    Post subject: Jaysen wrote: Whats involved with getting a tweecer system set up. Can I run it on the EECV of my 95 EF I6 running a manual box? Tweecer is fairly 'plug and play' once you have an EEC that supports it. Like a unichip, it fixes to the J3 service port on the bottom of the factory computer... it then interfaces with a laptop which allows you to substitute standard fuel/spark maps and scalars with your own. Remove the adapter from the J3 port and you're back to factory settings... No support for ANY EF/EL ECU yet. Back to top Waggin Site Admin Age:25 Posts: 6734 Joined: 18 Dec 2002 Location: Sydney NSW, Australia View User Gallery (3) Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 2:26 pm    Post subject: Jaysen wrote: Whats involved with getting a tweecer system set up. Can I run it on the EECV of my 95 EF I6 running a manual box? You could put the Mustang A9L ECU into your EF.. but you'd need to do some custom harness wiring, change the EF to sequential injection and use a MAF. Add in the tweecer, and set it up for 6cyl operation. I think you'd also have to ditch the DIS and go back to Dizzy. Full EL ECU loom comes to mind For those stressing about running their Auto with this kinda setup, just retain your old Auto ECU and run it in parrallel with your AFtermarket or TwEECer compatible ECU. Let the EEC-IV/V control the Auto, and provide DOL links to your Trip Computer, Climate Control, Dash, etc.. while another ECU controls the engine. Easy! Back to top Waggin Site Admin Age:25 Posts: 6734 Joined: 18 Dec 2002 Location: Sydney NSW, Australia View User Gallery (3) Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 2:27 pm    Post subject: 4.9 EF Futura wrote: There are chips like unichip which plug into the J3 service conncector of the ECU and can be tuned in real time on the dyno. The Unichip is spliced into the loom, not plugged into the J3. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First             Forum Index -> ECU and Fuel System Forum Page 1 of 1   (c)2002-2008 Matti Jones and Brad Evans [45 queries :: 0.10761 seconds ]