for engine management on my semi-built VE, do i:
JWT and Apexi (about $800)
greddy e-manage with all the goodies (about $800)
SDS (in excess of $1200)
does haltech even work for these cars? ($1200+whatever else is needed to install and tune it)
leaning towards the greddy as its very adjustable, very easy to use, havent seen any bad reviews(and its got the cool factor with the LCD and datalogging stuff)..no need for $100 reprograms (from JWT), self explanitory so i wont need to learn anything (SDS seems a little complicated) and no need for excessive money spent on the same result (haltech)..any other input for or against the emanage?

 

its kinda hard to retermine what you need if you don't tell us what you have on the car.

 

aside from the fact the Haltech and Motec ECUs are worth every penny... they cost more because you get more.

 

With multiple black boxes you'll always be twiddling dials. As you dial in one the other goes out. If you're good AND patient you can hone it down until they're both right. I've seen MORE cases where the owner has twiddled his way to a poorly running car.

The JWT box is okay if you have your mods mostly done and will be happy to get that 80% of what's missing between the OEM ECU and what a standalone would do. Make a change and you'll need to have it reprogrammed to get your gains back.

Standalones are worth every penny if you want EVERY last percentile of performance from the hardware you have installed today, tomorrow and on your next car. But you have to be prepared to do alot of work to get it running and then to spend the cash at the dyno to get it running right.

As always, it boils down to what you want to do with your car. Do you just want more performance, then a JWT box will appease you until your next round of mods or until you go to a different car. The JWT box will never work with anything but the Max it was purchased for. And you'll akways be stuck with about 80-90% of the performance you could get from a stanalone.

The Greddy E-manage is a better solution if you plan on doing lots of mods in the future. You'll NEVER get the performance from the Greddy that you would from a standalone, even with other boxes (unless your REAL lucky). It will move to a new car if you end up going.

Standalones are the way to go if you want total control now and in the future. But with control comes responsibility to tune properly. Most any backyarder can get a standalone 80-90% of the way tuned with a few dyno sessions. A real tuner will get you that last 10-20% in the same amount of time. And to maintain that 100% level of performance you're either going to have to learn the black art (which requires experince) or pay to have someone do it.

So what do you want from your car? Are you out there racing for trophies and/or money? Is it cool factor?

The old adage still applies...

Speed and coolness cost money... how fast and cool do you want to be?

 

on the car currently? hmm..pollin...but i'm missing a motor/tranny/wiring/sensors/front wheels/axles...
what i will have: intake, ypipe, highflow cat, exhaust, shaved UDP (yes a UDP thats shaved), lightened stock flywheel, exedy stageI clutch, P+P heads, P+P intake manifold (upper and lower), 300zx NA pistons (10.5:1 compression), twin turbo 300zx injectors (370cc), walbro fuel pump (255lph), random heat wrapping (water pipe that flows under the intake manifold, exhaust manifolds,...).

what i might have: JWT valve springs and retainers, 270*cams (270*i/e), boost, nitrous. need to make a decision on either cams or boost.
i'll probably NOT end up with the JWT valve springs and retainers (instead i'll replace with new stock), and depending on how long it takes to put a turbo project together, i may end up with cams...and if i dont have time for any of that, i'll just run a 45 shot..but i'm definately leaning towards boost and eventually cams(that complement the turbo..i know a big overlap is bad for boost apps).

 

but i want it all! :4yr old mindset:
seriously though, will the greddy give me the same effects of the JWT? thats what i'm basing everything about as its the most cost effective option for a one time software setup (i dont want to keep getting reprograms). if 80% is all i can get for the money i'm willing to spend, thats good enough for me so long as its reliable. besides, whats the most(hp/tq wise) that could be gained from a standalone over the greddy?
as far as learning how to tune, thats why i want something i can do myself...if i can tinker with it and actually see results (both good and bad) i'll be more willing to learn the "black art".
so is the greddy worth it or should i go with the JWT/apexi combo?
i shy away from the JWT because i will be adding mods in the future and constant reprograms when i tweak something or change something will get very costly.
whats the bottom line price, installed and tuned for a standalone?

 

Have fun trying to get a Haltech to fire our individiual coils correctly. IMHO, a slightly built NA motor can't really take full advantage of one of these stand alones. Even for boost, jwt can probably handle anything you can come up with

 

unclemax did it.......

 

Better do some reading bro

 

uhoh..have a link handy?
i was under the impression that he had the haltech installed before his car was running, then i saw videos posted a while ago and it seemed to be running pretty well...

 

check the SC/TC forum under the Haltech post by Mtcookson....he wasn't too happy.

I'm not saying this is your case, but everybody wants a standalone now a days...I dunno, its kinda funny to me just seems like more work than needed for cars not even making that much power or changing modifications that frequently.