You're forgeting the most important part of this equation, you have to know how to tune EVO's in order to take full advantage of the "freeness" of the ECU Flash. And before someone says it, it's a big no no to simply get maps from other EVO owners and burn them in your EVO...every car is different and as every map should be as well.

I've commented before about the ease of switching between maps with any piggyback system...much easier than pulling out a laptop every time you need to make a tweak.

And obviously, yes, the AEM is far superior to any of the above spoken units but even less necessary with applications under 500whp.

 

^you don't have to know how to tune an evo to take advantage of ecuflash. the email tuners like mellon can do it for you (and combined price of the tactrix cable and a email flash will still be less then what any of the piggy backs cost just for the hardware)(and you'll be way happier with a professional e-tune then trying to figure out how the other systems work.

besides, what good does an xede, utec, SAFC2, etc do you if you don't know how to tune? they don't do you any good either. you'll still need someone to set them up for you and tune them if you don't know how.

 

I can't speak for the other units but the XEDE has downloadable maps from Vishnu that allow you to make small tweaks as you mod. With an "email flash" you have to pay a tuner each time for a map every time you add a power mod, which usually never includes a race gas map or high oct map. With the XEDE you can have your pick at Oct's & levels of modification every step of the way and they are FREE. Obviously it's not totally FREE because you had to buy the unit first but after you by the unit you are set. Most piggybacks in general have this advantage over ECU Flash.

And with the XEDE, should you elect for the SMART feature, the XEDE automatically corrects knock and the richness and/or leanness of your fuel and automatically corrects it without logging or changing anything. Note, it doesn't change these things as good as they could be tweak with tuning but it certainly puts a band aid on the situation.

The reason I loved my XEDE was also because I could switch between race and pump maps with a flick of a switch. Now that I have just a hallman with ECU Flash I have to pull out a laptop and burn my custom race map every time I go to the track...not really that big of a deal but by no means as easy as the XEDE.

The lines of this argument throughout all of EVOM have been blurred dramatically. The debate has never really been about ECU vs. Piggyback and the ECU being a better option. The argument has always been centered around cost, and that an ECU Flash is cheaper than most piggybacks if you look at purchasing one or the other ONLY ONCE. Yes, under $100 for a tactrix cable + a $200 Flash is a deal when compared to a $1,200 XEDE with SMART. But the problem many complain about is that just as soon as you get the itch--as we all do--you start adding more power mods and keep on needing a NEW Map when certain mods merit a fueling, timing, etc...adjustment and this is where the costs of having a piggyback feel like a more equitable option.