The title speak for itself ... i assume .

Auré

 

what the hell is an aftermarket ecu?

 

I think he means like a stand alone ecu, like a haltech or hydra. Stand alones are very expensive. I would go with ecuflash any day over this, unless of course this is going to be a race car, then with that it might just be more convenient to have a stand alone.

 

An aftermarket ECU is of-course going to be better than ecu-flash since they usually come with their own logging softwares that are designed to work well with them. They might even offer features like real-time tuning, wherein you can actually tune the car while it is running to see differences. There are several other advantages. However, it really depends on if you want to spend so much on it. They cost thousands of dollars and usually show no benefit to an average Evo user. Then there is also the scarcity of tuners who might know how to tune on that ECU, which sends the cost of a tune upwards again. The cost of owning ECUFlash and a tune together would be so much cheaper and a more sensible option for many of us who do not use our cars for full time aggressive competitions where every ounce of power matters. The only other way it could benefit you were if you were an enthusiast who insists on having the best at any expense to build the perfect evo. Don't get me wrong, most of us want an evo like that, but reality sets in sooner than later, and we all cave in to the financial burden.

Hope that helps. Good luck

 

Yea a stand alone such as motec, pectel, or hydra is going to be overkill for a street car. They're very expensive at that, sensors, and mil spec wiring dont run cheap. If you dont believe me go to motecs website and see for yourself.

 

Motec is as about a good as it gets. If you have about $9000 to throw down on all of it then go for it.

Standalones have features that some others don't have and those features may or may not be used. I know from past experience with tuning I'd spend the dollar to get the better cuz it will save your *** in the long run but then again from what I've been reading this ecuflash seems to work quite well.

 

Yay I love these threads.

Generally I only recommend A/M ECU's for non street cars, particularily those that need real time telemetry etc.

If you don't need realtime telemetry or some other obscure feature then don't bother.

Save the money for something that will actually give you more power - ie turbo

 

I own a Haltech E8 Standalone on my 3G race car. Yes, the wiring is a royal PITA. However, the benefits are fantastic. I can run low/high independence injectors with the Haltech, no need for extra boxes like the AEM. I can run various firing setups, sequential/semi sequential. I can do live tuning. I have a closed loop setup using a wideband. Throttle changes, etc... boost. Launch control. Intercooler sprayer, METH injection control.

Vary fancy stuff. Yes it did cost me over 2k for the standalone along with the required sensors, wiring, and parts. Do I regret it, NO. Would I do it on a DD EVO X, no way in hell.

However, if I have to buy another standalone ever. It would be a Haltech. Fantastic support and products to boot.

 

yeah i think he meant hydra or hks fcon.

they are definitely better, but I dont think that extra 2000 dollars is worth it unless

you have a race car.

 

It is a lovely experience using an aftermarket ECU with good software I must say. But the stock ECU has a lot of positives for sure. The term "better" just isn't really appropriate. Your mileage may vary.