hey , just saw some info on this ECU+ software tuning setup. how many are using this did a search and only came up with 2 links . seem to be a great bang for the Buck for the starter group and mild mods. seems easy to log and adjust. those outthere using it give us the skinny.

 

What do you want to know?

It's not just good for beginners/mild mods, but it is easy to use. Unless you need absolute fueling/timing control (few without track-only cars really do), you can't beat the bang for buck with anything out there. The price just went up a little because a new version is out (or just about) with more features, but it's still a very, very decent tool for the money.

Some of these features can be used on the "old" head unit with the updated firmware/software (I am using a beta):

+/- 50% fuel
+/- 15° timing
250RPM increments (old firmware/software was 1000RPM increments)
Idle/L/M/H loads (L->M and M->H load point separation is user definable)
Upper MAS Hz clamp (remove fuel cut)
Lower MAS Hz clamp (constant at idle - reduce stalling on cams, etc.)
Idle and decel smoothing (ala EIDS)
Injector scaling
Built-in rear O2 sim (for test pipes)
0-5V inputs (for reading/logging widebands, MAPs, etc.)

The software works well and is extremely easy to use. The logger does a good job and the built-in road dyno is actually a nice tuning tool.

I am getting ready to trade mine in for the next-gen version (the new one). It does all of the above and has some more inputs, outputs, knock logging, built-in code for a GM MAF (for DSMs only ATM, but no translator needed) and some other things. More importantly, the new board is already designed to incorporate future features. I can only speculate what he has in mind, but the unused circuits are labeled STANDALONE_. If I had to guess, they will be for standalone injector and ignition drivers (for absolute fuel/timing values) and maybe a GM BCS, but that's only a guess.

 

Have the timing icrements been reduced below a whole degree on the new software?
Great product for the money

 

is there a link for this?

 

i use the ECU+ an i am having great results. So far with my mods im making 325 awhp on a DD dyno. so for you dynojet guys thats close to 370ish. This is on raec gas BTW. The new head unit will also have an option for the 1g and 2g dsm guys to use a gm maf sensor to just plug into the ecu + and go with it.

al so far there isnt any finer tuning resolution on the timing changes. That might be something that can be changed with the software though.

IMO it's a great tool for the money for those of you who dont have the money to have someone else tune your car for you, and there's no better knowledge than knowing how to tune your own car.

for info www.ecuplus.com

 

how do you know its the new version. it only listed ECU+. what cost do you have , the one i found had it listed at 429.99 . more if you wanted the plug in cable

thanks I am looking really hard at this.

 

The new version is $699. Also, there aren't any of the first version ECU+'s left. So if you want one you'll be paying 699 or you can buy the old one from someone and pay 200 to upgrade to the latest version. I'm not sure if it's worth 699...429 was a good deal. At 699 it now cost more than a slightly used Utec or Xede. Not sure how it compares with them however.

 

What broeli said on the price, but for non-PNP (wire it yourself), it's $579 IIRC. If you're handy with a soldering iron, you can buy an extension harness yourself and save a couple of $$ over the PNP unit, but you definitely want the harness. They haven't been available for $429 since like Feb AFAIK...they just haven't been available new at all since then. Maybe if you order one for that price, you'll get lucky and get the new one for the old price

I got rid of my UTEC for the ECU+. I just had a lot of personal preference issues with it. It did its job fine, but the interface (Hyperterminal) is like using a program for an Apple II. UCC helps tremendously and is the only reason it stayed in my car as long as it did. My real peeves with it were 1) the software: terminal interface and no log reader included. For close to $1000, do they really expect people to use NotePad or Excel? Of course, you can spend $300+ on the DTEC (+GameBoy), $70 for DLL or write your own exe. 2) If I wanted to log a wideband, it has to be theirs and I have to buy a Tuner box to do that and find a place to mount it. Of course I already had a WB, so I wasn't spending another $400 on theirs and installing another box just for the privelege. Just seems like there are a lot of "extras" at $300+ each that you don't need with the ECU+ to achieve the same results.

ECU+ software is 100x easier to use for tuning (ie. GUI), all logs are graphical and can be exported to text/CSV if needed, the logging is much faster, allows log overlays to easily see differences, has the built-in road dyno, already has inputs so no extra boxes are necessary for widebands, MAP, EGT, etc. (and you can pretty much use whatever brand you want), etc.

The main diff bewteen the UTEC and ECU+ is that the UTEC has it's own injector and ignition drivers, meaning absolute values can be plugged in and that's what they will be every time because the UTEC controls them after the crossover point. The ECU+ is a true piggy-back and makes additions or subtractions to whatever the ECU is doing. Some people don't like that because the final values will vary depending what the ECU does, but the ECU is made to be dynamic on street cars for a reason. If you race often and/or use race fuel, the absolute control is nice to ensure a consistent tune, but if your Evo is on the street most of the time, spends most of the time on pump gas or you live in places where the ambient changes a lot day/night, the dynamics of the ECU are not necessarily a bad thing to have included in the tune.

I don't know much about the XEDE, but the XEDE with SMART tuning thingy just might be the schniz. I'd like to try it out, but again you have to run the wideband they say and the whole setup runs about $1400. Maybe one day I'll give it a shot, but not any time soon...getting ready to send in my ECU+ for the upgrade exchange

 

thanks Blackevo

that was helpful. i did find the link in the forum for his on going saga and, that he just got a shipment of DSP. so the supply line is wide open. still seem a little steep from his 429 price. but i will look at it further, still want to see all the bugs worked out. you know , brand new and all.

 

It was a smoking deal before. Maybe not so much so now, but it's still the cheapest system I know of that will let you tune timing. The board is new and I don't know how well tested at this point, but the software has been in beta for months. Many of us have been using beta software on the old hardware and AFAIK, all the kinks are worked out. It doesn't take long for him to address issues though...most bugs are handled within a day or two, so I am not too worried about it

Anyway, glad I could help and good luck with whatever you get...

 

Great unit, I got one of the first units when it came out. It has really great features for the price and the new version has a safe guard towards knock, ie: as in reduce this much timing and add this much fuel. Below is a link to the progress of the newest version of the ecu+, plenty of info there. Also on a side note so far on 105 octane gas at 25 psi I put down 419whp and 349trq on a sc61 set up. This was with a very safe tune. I blew a pipe coupling and need more fuel, but I'll be back to the dyno in a few weeks with c16 and 28psi!! Also i've attached a pic of the knock feature that I just mentioned.

http://ecuplus.com/forums/viewtopic....=asc&start=105

 

Are the new ones available yet?

 

The knock feature looks very good but is the 3 volts for only at WOT? I have seen cars start to knock at 3000-5000 and it be below 3volt of activity in the sensor raw value and the sample taken from the sensor at the time of ignition? Just wondering becuase I recommend the ECU+ to several people becuase it is a great product for the money but if the knock voltage value was taken as a flat level I don't know if I would agree with it.

 

*ahem* .. if not for what tom does for me (so to speak) ..

Look at it this way .. I bought the ECU+ initially as a tuning tool .. it turned out into a very nice little ECU+ family .. we share ideas, Tom sits on it .. and then churn out the software to what the user specify .. really great service ..

the new beta software and the newer ECU+ seems to be a holmogation of what the users wanted initially in the original ECU+ ..

You'll never know .. I'm still waiting for my cold start fix, autotune software, rev limiter cut etcetc

The fun thing is you'll never know whats in the pipeline .. I didn't know the newer version can adapt to a GM MAF.. that's a very good idea which I may chase Tom to do the same for the Evos !! or even a blowthru version !