I just talked to Blair at RMR and he said that their ECU flash for Evo8 is out today, anyone planning to get it and go to track?

 

It's a nice ECU flash. One guy had it at our meet yesterday with the RMR downpipe and he's making 280whp.

It uses the stock boost solenoid to hold the boost at 19 all the way to redline

 

Sounds cool... but I wonder how it will work for long distance orders...

 

they should do some type of ECU swap. They send you a new flashed ECU and you send them yours back.

 

Anybody got any more in depth details, like price availability etc.

I just went to rmr's site, looked around but found nothing about the ECU upgrade.

 

$575 installed, but plan on an additional $150(ish) for dyno time. Apparently it's about a two-day turn around while they flash it, but I was fortunate in that they had the company in-house today and I was able to get it done in a couple of hours.

On Sunday, Blair told us that the chip was really designed for intake, downpipe, and exhaust. I was only going to get the chip today, but apparently the numbers on the dyno weren't all that impressive with just the chip (rumors of a chip designed for a pure stock setup). I gave the go-ahead to throw on the downpipe, and everything came together like a champ. I don't know if Rhys is happy with the numbers now, or if there are more gains to be had with the addition of the cat-back and the intake.

I drove it back to work, and then home, so I got about 50 miles on the new setup. The car definitely feels different. The idle may or may not be a little rougher, I can't quite decide. The butt-dyno says it pulls a little harder from 3k, but keeps on pulling all the way to the top. It's beautiful to hold the revs at around 5k and still be able to drop the hammer like you were back at 3.5K.

I can't really tell whether gas mileage has been significantly affected yet - I'll have to refill to really know. All in all, I'm very well pleased. The whole package is still street legal, is not obnoxious, and turned the car into an even more lethal package.

Not having worked with any of the other vendors, I don't want to make unfounded comparisons (between worksmanship, tuning method, etc.), but I can say that I was very impressed with RMR. Unfortunately, I was pressed for time, so I left my dyno sheets behind, but once I pick them up I'll post them (or Blair can post em if he sees them).

Anyways, it's late and I'm babbling. Go buy the ECU. Buy two. But save enough for at least a downpipe. Enjoy!

-Josh

 

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I originally planned to give this very stong consideration ... please give us a more detailed performance evaluation after you get a chance to fully review this set-up.

 

nynguah ,


So what were your #'s?

 

Dosnt a downpipe, or test pipe replace a CAT.? And isnt that against the law in most states. What is the difference between the two, I have always thought they were the same thing?

Future updates would be great on this reflash,,,,, such as any CEL, rough running,, so on.

Thanks,,,, and good luck with your reflash!

 

so we are paying 600 dollars to have boost being hold to 19psi at redline.. isn't that almost the same as a evc for about the same price? Or is the ecu more like a boost controller and afc all in one??

 

The downpipe runs from the turbo to the cat which is perfectly legal to replace as long as the legal DB levels aren't exceeded (95?).

According to Blair at RMR (and YMMV), even replacing the cat with a high-flo cat is legal in CA. There is some sort of process whereby you submit a form and receive a CARB number that you keep in your glove box. The only real issue is that some obscure clause of the law indicates that you are not supposed to replace your cat for the first 5 years unless it was stolen, 'damaged beyond repair', or otherwise malfunctioning. Apparently the officer has to really be angry at you to get that technical. From a smog standpoint though, it ought to be legit.

I'm still waiting for my dyno numbers from RMR (I kinda rushed them since I snuck out of work to get this done), but I know that the first two runs were 219, and 221 to the wheels. I will need to go back one more time to get it dyno'd with the downpipe, which is the chart that will really count.

I haven't tracked my car yet, so my personal evaluation is commute based, but overall I have been very well pleased. Basically it feels about the same as all the other people have reported for the various ECU upgrade methods. The car seems to pull a little stronger when the boost comes on (probably because of the downpipe), and keeps pulling all the way to redline. Idle may be just a tad rougher, but if it is, it's barely noticeable. Basically, the car feels much more solid at the top end - more like an all-engine car. Personally, I love it, and wouldn't ever go back. The fact that it's tuned to work with 91 octane fuel without detonation makes it even better!

Really the only problem I have now, is RMR's supply chain. They are backordered on intakes and exhausts, so I have to wait before I can free up the rest of the airflow. Once that's done, I expect the mods to be sympathetic, in that they will net more hp gains as a whole than piecemeal since the ECU is tuned for the whole set of upgrades together.

I will schedule some time w/RMR in the next week or so to get my last dyno run in. Once I get the numbers from that, I'll post em up here. If anybody else is looking at the flash, then you ought to go together as Blair was indicating the possibility of group discounts available to the board.

-Josh

 

An aftermarket downpipe replaces the stock downpipe, and the test pipe replaces the catalytic converter. Yes almost all states have laws against running "catless," but only some states actually enforce these laws by regulary checking emissions. Some companies make a longer downpipe that actually replaces the cat as well (no test pipe needed), but I haven't seen anything like this for evo yet. A turbo back exhaust for the evo consists of a downpipe that connects to the turbine outlet, a test pipe that connects to the downpipe, and a catback that connects to the test pipe and covers the remainder of the system. The stock downpipe should be replaced because it is very restrictive ... only 2" diameter and it has numorous bends. Furthermore, the turbo back system should be at least 2.5", but most people upgrade to 3". Some companies believe (HKS for example) that a 2.5" downpipe paired with the rest of the system being 2.5" or 3" works best if one plans to retain the stock turbo. And don't let people tell u that running without a catalytic conveter will make your car much louder .... NOT TRUE! It becomes slightly louder but barely noticeable .... however, what makes it louder is running small, or a less sound deadening muffler, or no muffler at all ... nothing more and nothing less! The only problem I, as well as many people have with running "catless" is the fact that you WILL smell your unburnt gas! For some this is a problem ... for others they could care less, as you can only smell it outside of the car and it's usually not that bad. If this is a problem for you ... than either keep your stock cat or switch to a high flow cat. Regardless, IMO the stock downpipe and cat back is very restrictive and should be replaced.

 

TaiwanEvo - I'd have to let someone wiser than me answer that, but my understanding is that it (chip) combines the benefits of all of those into one fairly dynamic set of parameters. The chip does more than hold the boost, it remaps a/f ratios and stuff. It is not inifintely tunable, though, so if you're a serious engine guy, then you will probably be better off getting a boost controller and afc and tuning it yourself. Keep in mind, however, the chip's program apparently accepts parameters and then performs some self-tuning dynamically, so you're not just stuck with one setting, it will adjust to your current driving environment to some degree.

Since I'm nowhere near that level of skill, I'm not even going to attempt to tune those parameters on my car. I figure Rhys has built enough Evos for his own personal use that he probably knows better than I how to configure it for optimized performance while maintaining streetability. Probably that's true of most other tuners too. I just happen to be close to RMR, and am somewhat enthralled with his racing heritage. Their price also happened to help in my decision

-Josh

 

ok.. well obviously i am pretty set on vishnus reason be, is it won't cost money to upgrade the ecu, kind of pay one price and be set for than, what is the deal with rmrs out of curiosity.

pay 575? and than what if you want anothre reflash?

 

Rhys told me it's like 50% off if you want another reflash. He said you probably wont be in a situation where you need a reflash. He said the ECU is self learning or something. It will adapt itself to mods. Extreme setups like an upgraded turbo will need a reflash though.