Hoping you guys can address my concerns. Been wanting to get the AEM but there are a few things that concern me

1. Start up issues - I've read and seen taking forever for cars to start

2. Other than # 1 above are there any cold start issues?

3. Do you need to keep retuning the car when weather changes? If not then what's in AEM that allows the user to not require a retune

4. Given it's a full standalone are there any issues with AEM controlling other auxillary accessories like the a/c, heating, radio, etc

5. Any other issues that i may be forgetting

6. Now my main concern, is AEM something that I can just put in have a reputable tuner tune it and then just forget about it? My only mods will be a turbo back, BOV (VTA), Cams and AEM. The car is a daily driver so if i'm going to run into issues then i'd rather not go this route.

thanks for your help

 

these are pretty all of my main questions on the EMS too so BUMP for some answers!!

 

1. You have a good tuner, you shouldn't have any probs starting, or just need minor adjustments.
2. The only problem I had was not with starting but keeping it running for the 1st min during a cold start. After it warms up, no probs at all.
3. Correct me if I'm wrong, but with a MAP setup, you wouldn't have to retune for weather changes. Not sure about MAF.
4. I didn't have any issues with aux functions
5. My evo was my daily driver and ran pretty well. Occasionally, when coming to a stop, the rpm would drop low, but never stalled..it recovers itself back 1000rpm. IMO, I don't think its one of the tune and forget systems. Little things might occurred, in my case the warmup prob. You should learn a little and a little knowledgable to take care of the little stuff. That's how I attempted to fixed my prob. The only other issue i can think of is OBDII emission inspection. You would have to switch back to stock ecu in order to pass.

 

Get your ecu flashed, vent the BOV back, call it a day. You have absolutely no need for a standalone.

 

Now that it's getting cold out I've had a few AEM EMS customers that I tuned tell me their car cranks a little longer, but they still start up and run fine. Decide whether maximizing performance at the expense of an extra second or so of cranking vs. stock in the winter is acceptable. Some people can't be bothered. Others don't care about this at all. It really comes down to your own comfort level. If extra cranking is unacceptable you're better off with a custom tuned reflash, custom UTEC tune or similar. At this time the EMS doesn't start your car in the same way factory ECU's do, causing the car to crank for a second rather than starting immediately as you turn the key.

On a setup like yours you won't have to re-tune when the weather changes if the tuner uses the coolant and air temp correction tables properly. That said, if you drive your car in an area that gets REALLY cold, your tuner may have to make some quick adjustments for sub freezing conditions. If they're not local they should be able to e-mail you the necessary changes based on simple logs you e-mail them.

Again if this seems like a hastle, a standalone probably isn't the best choice for your needs. They certainly aren't for everyone.

-Mike

 

thanks for the feed back guys.

Just to clarify a couple extra seconds of cranking doesn't bother me...what i'm more afraid off is stuck in morning or at the office not being able to start the car.

The reason why i want to go with a stand alone is to have the flexibility to adjust the idle due to the cams, avoid P0300 issues (if it occurs) and being able to tune the car if i ever decide to add a turbo kit., etc. I'd rather spend the money upfront then have to hassle with sending ECU back and forth and having the car down for a few days.

 

AEM EMS its just cold start problem. but when the weather is change and if you have a problem with a cold start.....just bring them back to the tuner, i believe they will adjust it.

 

That's an understandable concern and it shouldn't be an issue, although it is possible. If for some reason the car won't cold start on that first very cold day you could have another map ready with some extra warm up enrichment ready to load onto the car.

Seeing as winter is fast approaching now, your tuner won't have to guess at the warmup enrichment. It's cold enough to test. I'm not sure where you're located but it's been down to freezing in the morning where we are already. I haven't had any calls about cars not cold starting, so if you would like us to come out and get you tuned, let me know.

-Mike

 

thats good to hear, that was one of the issues i was concered about on AEM EMS

bump

 

my car runs better on the aem than it did with the stock ecu, no more stalling coming to a stop or with th a/c on. yes the car takes an extra 2 sec to start but that does not bother me. the aem is the best mod i did (beside the gt35 ). lately it's been getting cold and i have'nt had a problem, but like inn-tune said it is not a big deal to fix.

 

when you guys say longer crank times, do u mean when your turning the ignition it has to go longer? or whatever the term for it is.

 

yes, the aem needs to sync before it actually starts the car.

 

the long starting times does **** me off more than a little bit. and every once in a while it will take a very long time for seemingly no reason at all (I'm talking like 5-10 seconds at least). usually it's an extra 3-4 seconds of cranking which isn't nice IMO.

The cold starts aren't an issue at all. As long as your fuel vs. warmup enrichment is tuned (which is very easy to do) you're good. If you're having further problems with idle right after start just set your RPM vs. start to maintain a high rpm for a bit longer. Cake.

I've found that I'm having to adjust my settings a decent amount, certainly enough for me to constantly drive with my laptop in the car. But that's probably becuase I'm still learning this fancy doo-dad and approaching proficiency. I will say that even with my limited abilities and experience I've got driveability pretty damn good.

Now if I lived in CA or someplace where the weather was more stable, I'd swear by the AEM EMS. As it stands, living in a highly fluctuating climate, I just like it a lot.

I do agree with NDgsx though, it sounds like the EMS isn't for you.

 

I too sufferd from the hard starts at first. What I have found however is:
If I turn the key to the prestart position, just far enough that you can hear the fuelpump whine for a moment and pressurize the system, After that turn her over and blip the throttle. She starts fine, its worked for me, every time.

 

All the issues noted are tuning issues,
The only reason you would have a starting issue on cold weather is because that parameter wasn't tuned properly or never had a chance to tune properly.
Once the car has gone through different weather conditions or tuned for those conditions then its done. ( as far as cold start )
The only thing I don't like about AEM is the initial start.
Theres got to be a better setting than whats available.