Apex'i Power FC vs ECU Reflash
 

Hey guys... I know there's probably threads out there about this but I was wondering if you guys can give me a thought as to which would be a better investment. I read about the Power FC plus the Commander and it's suppose to be tunned by Apex'i already. Which of the two would yield the better performance out of the engine? Thanks your your inputs.

The power fc does come pre-set from apexi but if you want a full tune you will have to take it to a tuner who has the power fc software to take full advantage of the power fc.The power fc is good if you know how to use it because you can change the rev limit and I believe it also has a boost controller feature as well.A ECU reflash I think is good if you are on a budget because it will be cheaper than buying the power FC.

I also forgot to mention with the Apexi Power FC, when you have the handheld FC commander, it has a small screen which can be used to monitor boost, revs, inj duty etc.

Thanks JDMCT9MR for the response. Greatly appreciated. :beer: I wonder how much power you can get out of it without the full tune... I am hearing that with the reflash, you can get up to about 25hp which isn't too bad.

No problem dude.Well with the Power FC you can do a lot of fine tuning.You could probably get a little more hp out of the power fc with the right tuner.Its a great upgrade.I used to run it on my integra.The car had basic mods such as a exhaust,exhaust manifold, TP, cams.I went from 190 WHP to 210 whp with the power fc.It all depends on what you want out of your car.The power fc is not the only stand alone unit out there.It does come down to personal preference.

To be honest, there probably isn't much of anything on the Power FC that you can do that you can't have done with ECU flash. You can raise the rev limits, change timing, MIVEC map on the IX, ignition timing, you can scale it for certain sized injectors. The stock ECU is very tuner friendly. Not to mention, you can buy a tactrix cable for $100 or less, download the fre ECUflash software and monitor this stuff yourself. Boost can also be controlled via the factory ECU. To me, considering how different each and every car reacts to different parts, anyone putting any mods on the car (or just looking to make it run better) should have a full custom tune...which can probably be had via ECUflash compared to the cost of the Power FC...then the Power FC would still need to be fine tuned. My .02! :)

I had a PFC before in my FD. It is a great ECU. It is pretty much a stand alone ECU. IMO you will only use it full potential if you plan on doing a lot or major of mods, like turbo, fuel upgrade and you are looking for big numbers.

other than switching maps on the fly its not really worth it....

ex if youre running meth, you can put a switch on the power for the kit, then have two settings on ur ebc hi and low boost, then switch maps... it would be great.


other than that the stock ecu can do everything the apexi unit can do so i dont see a real reason to spend the extra money

Thanks again for your help. I personally like Apex'i products. I am looking at around 300 to 350hp out of my Evo so that it can still be reliable due to the fact that it's my daily transportation at this point. I know that with the Power FC, I can get a kit to add the boost controller therefore, I don't really need the Super AVCR which cost half the price of the Power FC. Do you guys think I'll need the Super AFC if I get the Power FC?

I bought my Evo and it came with Works exhaust. I haven't really checked to see if it's the full catback system or if it's just the exhaust. Again, thanks!

no need for the S-AFC if you have a PFC. I can see a S-AFC with a ECUflash though. I never had a chance to play with the boost controller that can be added to the PFC, but the Super AVCR can control boost very precisely. I beleive you can set it up gear and RPM dependent.

i don't even see the point of a boost controller. the stock ecu gives good control over boost, and if you really want exact control - the stock ecu can be modded to direct boost control with a jdm map sensor; that is it will shoot for a target psi.

pretty soon the stock - ecu will have solid real-time tuning, and map switching - and a stand alone ecu will be almost pointless aside from the huge horsepower evos.

personally, I have an Apex-i PFC D-Jetro and it works great. Personally, I may have done an ECU tune but I have a VI and the car is not in the states. I don't tune the car so Apex was my only option. I do love the fact that the Commander gives you a real time display of what is going on. Gives you some insight to what is really going on with the car. If you can get an Apex relatively cheap, then go for it, but i'd much rather have you get an ECU tune, after you save some bucks and change some equipment out.

Remember, everytime you modify the car, you may want to tune it, this will keep the car going at its best.

Miguel

One is still the stock ECU

And the other is a FULL STAND ALONE.



I have been super happy with my Power FC so far! 50,000 miles on my tune, with plenty of track events, never had a single problem.

I will sell you my power fc with hand held for 400
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Kameron

Holy post resurrection batman