... If anyone has had their ECU upgraded by G-Force, I would very much appreciate answers to these questions:

Do you enjoy it?
Can you feel a difference?
Has anyone actually measured its benefits (ex. track, dyno, etc.)?
Are there ANY negetives at all (ex. increased angine wear, driveabilty problems, decreased gas mileage, etc.)
Does it remove the speed limiter/govenor?
How would you guys say it compares to the Jim Wolf upgrade?
Basically, is it worth the money/ do you recommend it?

Thanks a million in advance for all of those who respond. Have a great day.

 

Do you enjoy it?
I did, yes.

Can you feel a difference?
I did, revs faster, more midrange power. Felt like I could get to 100 faster. I never measured it myself, so I cant say it absolutely did, tho .. see next Q&A

Has anyone actually measured its benefits (ex. track, dyno, etc.)?
Cheston & Nabil sorta did, have you visited www.maximadriver.com ?

Are there ANY negetives at all (ex. increased angine wear, driveabilty problems, decreased gas mileage, etc.)
Everything stays the same, cept you NEED to run premium gas. If yer nuts like me or Cheston, you'll have a check engine light cuz yer runnin the wrong year ECU.

Does it remove the speed limiter/govenor?
I think it does. Depending on your year, you could always buy mine, and just fix that with a SE. [sales pending/all jacked up..]

How would you guys say it compares to the Jim Wolf upgrade?
It should be pretty much the same thing.

Basically, is it worth the money/ do you recommend it?
That depends.. I recommend it, but not before other mods. Its sorta all related to each other .. if you spent the money on the mod, but had nothing else.. you'd probably be unhappy.. Id recommend it more in a 96/95, since you get more gains outta it.

As a note, I (sold/am wondering where my money is) my GF ECU cuz i SC'd, and I didnt feel like tuning the ECU for my SC. Cheston on the other hand *IS* going to keep his .. Hope that helps some.

 

I also bought a GForce ECU so here are my thoughts:

I do enjoy it and can notice a difference; the car seems to pull stronger in low to mid range. I still have my stock ECU and after about a week of using the Gforce, I put my stock ECU back in. In a word, UGH! The stock seemed sluggish and wimpy. I guess I just can't go back! One negative I've encountered is gas mileage has decreased (although I was told gas mileage would improve) I used to get about 420 mi/tank w/ stock ecu now it's in the high 300's--but I expected it. That's a mix of city/hwy driving--but I'm still conducting tests. My check engine light was on for awhile after installing the ECU, but recently went out without my intervention.

All in all, i dropped $600 for the spare ECU and upgrade--to me that's a lil bit of change. I've enjoyed it, but i am eager to do a dyno test (since I still have my old ecu) to see the exact gains--i just haven't had time. I don't know how much dynos actually cost.

anyway, hope this info is useful.

good luck.

 

[puts on flame suit]

G Force ECU will give you .2 secs off and 2 mph more on your 1/4 mile time..

JWT ECU will give you .4 secs off and 4 mph more on your 1/4 mile time..

flame on MFK's

[/takes of flame suit]

<-- for bill even though he does nothing in this forum but spam

 

Where can I get the JWT ECU cheapest? Is it really the best?
thanks
Cyrus

 

JWT

i didn't say it was the best.. i just gave the numbers

 

Also, those numbers reflect the setup of sprintmax's car---your set up maybe different and thus your results may differ as well.

 

then do you guys know what is the best? how much power/effectiveness it adds to a stock engine?
thanks,
Cyrus

 

Cheston & Nabil sorta did, have you visited www.maximadriver.com ?

**** I already did yes, thanks. Just wanted to see if anyone else has as well.



Are there ANY negetives at all (ex. increased angine wear, driveabilty problems, decreased gas mileage, etc.)
Everything stays the same, cept you NEED to run premium gas.

**** Why do you stress 'NEED'? What happens if you don't? Don't we have to anyway?







If yer nuts like me or Cheston, you'll have a check engine light cuz yer runnin the wrong year ECU.

**** Nope - '96. :-)





Hope that helps some.

**** You certainly did! Thanks a mill.! Have a great day.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by j_bryan
[B]

I also bought a GForce ECU so here are my thoughts:

I do enjoy it and can notice a difference; the car seems to pull stronger in low to mid range. I still have my stock ECU and after about a week of using the Gforce, I put my stock ECU back in.

**** Why do you still have your stock one? I was thinking the same thing. I don't know why but I'd like to keep my stock one unaltered. Is that why you did it? How did you do it? Did you purchase a complete one from GFroce? Did you get an extra and send in the extra?





In a word, UGH! The stock seemed sluggish and wimpy. I guess I just can't go back! One negative I've encountered is gas mileage has decreased (although I was told gas mileage would improve) I used to get about 420 mi/tank w/ stock ecu now it's in the high 300's--but I expected it.

**** Great, I was worried about that. Bummer. You got low 400s?! My best ever is high 300s and that sometimes yields 24 MPG. Hmmm...





That's a mix of city/hwy driving--but I'm still conducting tests. My check engine light was on for awhile after installing the ECU, but recently went out without my intervention.

**** Great! You're scaring me man! It came on how much longer after you installed the new ECU? How long did it last? You did NOTHING and it turned off on its own?





All in all, i dropped $600 for the spare ECU and upgrade--to me that's a lil bit of change. I've enjoyed it, but i am eager to do a dyno test (since I still have my old ecu) to see the exact gains--i just haven't had time.

**** can you e-mail me if/when you do? Thanks.





anyway, hope this info is useful.

**** You bet it sure was! I Thank you so very much.


P.s. No drivability negatives? Ex. rough idle, hesitation, etc? Thanks again.

 

G Force ECU will give you .2 secs off and 2 mph more on your 1/4 mile time..

JWT ECU will give you .4 secs off and 4 mph more on your 1/4 mile time..


**** You can't just say this without backing it up man!! Tell us where you get this? Thanks.

 

Cheston, Brett aka Confused, and 95GreenGLE aka Nick ran at the track.. I think 95GreenSE too .. and the best they did was .2 secs off 2 mph with G Force

Jeff K, Jim W. and someone else ran .4 secs and 4 mph 1/4 mile time.. with JWT

if you want to email those guys and ask them.. go right ahead.. i don't pull **** out my *** i can't back up

 

Were the comparisions of .2 and .4 (different ECU's) done in the same cars/same tracks/same drivers? I'd be curious to see the results. I don't think those guys swapped out the JWT's w/ the G-Force's. I'm not saying that the JWT doesn't give more, but different cars react different ways to mods (in terms of tenths of a second), same with the drivers. Has anyone done a dyno comparison of the JWT ECU like Chebosto did with the G-Force/UPRD?

As far as my ECU upgrade... Glad I got it, definitly feel the difference, 3rd gear and up (first and second are a little faster, feel the pull in 3rd). Unless you are driving in the powerband where the modification is targeted, you should get the same mpg (that's ~3500rpm and up). I was forced to drive for 500+ miles under 3000rpm's with my new clutch and miles per gallon were fine (actually got better milage cuz I wasn't revving it up). The timing advances are modest, so increased engine wear shouldn't be an issue at all. I am enjoying it, and glad I got it. $425 was the price I paid (w/shipping, I believe). I'm not too sure of the price of the JWT chip (possibly $550+?) and if it actually subtracts .2 sec more than the G-Force it maybe worth the extra $$$. However, I have not seen any proof that it is better or worse (no dyno info). Either way, you'll be carless for at least a week while your ECU is away...

 

Cheston - Cali - 97 5spd GXE
Confused - NJ - 96 5spd SE
Nick - NY - 95 GLE
95GreenSE - CA - 95 Auto SE

Jeff K - NJ - 95 5spd SE
Jim W - NY - 95 Auto SE
other was a 95 5spd SE

Now if that isn't diverse enough for you.. i don't know what is

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ptatohed
[B]

 

... I think you missed Slim's whole point! Actually you missed it 180 degrees and in so doing, you helped make his point - lol. The whole reason your claims may not be acurate (and I'm saying MAY be) is BECAUSE OF diversity. A comparison experiment has to be very controlled - not done by different drivers at different times in different cars. For it to be 100% fair, you would have to have the same car, same driver, same day with multiple runs swapping the two different ECUS back and forth (within the same car). Get it?

 

People, you may not like what Sprint is saying but the ECU doesn't do much. There was one guy who bought the ECU and he was pretty ****ed off when a person from one of the companies came onto the forum to tell him the truth about the ECU. It does little to nothing. Don't waste your money.

 

ptatohead:

Ah, you covered my reply real well

Basically, to get a true test, its better to get like a 96GXE Auto.. or a 95 GXE Auto.

Dyno 3 times stock, dyno 3 times JWT, dyno 3 times GF .. take avg'd #'s, and then you'll have a more objective review of their comparision. (On the same dyno/day/temp)

Im saying auto's cuz their shifts are always the same time. (If you WOT it) .. and GXE cuz you might wanna see if it goes past 120

Of course, the above would cost too much money for anyone to go out and do.. which is why theres a big ole debate over it.

BTW, i think my 96SE Auto GF ECU is for sale again. "check is in the mail" .. right..

 

Im saying auto's cuz their shifts are always the same time. (If you WOT it) .. and GXE cuz you might wanna see if it goes past 120

**** I'm not following you Dave. Are you saying GXEs can't go over 120 m.p.h.? I didn't know that. Why is that? Why are they different from SEs or GLEs? Thanks.

 

GXE's without Saftey and Convience package came with H rated tires.. so they were limited.. some are not.. like deezo's.. mine was.. but i changed that with a snip of a wire..

anyway.. who cares if the times are at diffrent tracks diffrent places.. the fact that they all got the same increase tells you something..

but hey.. i am not an affiliate of JWT and i don't make commision of JWT.. damn i have never bought anything from JWT.. i am trying to help YOU out.. you don't want to listen to me.. go ahead .. buy the G Force

and even if you had a GXE with a limiter.. you have to send an ECU to G Force or JWT so you would just get an SE one from the Junk Yard that already has no limiter

 

Geez. Ok, give me a couple days to setup a dyno run and I'll compare & post the stock vs. G-force again. Don't think anybody's done dyno's since the original group buy. I'm only expecting 6-10 gains HP & ft-lbs. We'll see what gives...

 

People, you are wasting your time but if you see any gains, post them up here.

I have been on the site for about a year and started posting about 3 months ago and I'll tell you this, its been talked about before and its been proven that those aftermarket ECU's are a waist of money($ per HP). A drop in K&N filter will give you more HP for your $ than the ECU will.

 

I have one and agree that you feel some slight low end increases. Top end has not changed for me at all. No MIL lights here.

 

Deezo, can you post a link to this topic? I used the search function and could not come up with anything similar. I haven't heard of this "person from one of the companies" and would like to know more. Are you implying the dyno chart posted on Maximadriver.com is a fake? They reported:

"Here are the results: Torque increased 12.1 ft/lb, while Max Power was increased 5 hp, (seeing nearly a 15.3 hp gain in the midrange at 4500 RPMs.)"

A 15.3 hp gain in the midrange *at the wheels* hardly seems like a waste of money to me. To get hp out of these engines isn't cheap, but it worth it if that is what you are looking for. This dyno chart is pretty solid proof of significant gains.

Do you have/had the ECU upgade? I looked in your profile and it doesn't mention it (doesn't mention any power mods, actually). You haven't mentioned in this post that you have/had it. How can you say if it does much or not if you've never had it? Because one or two people weren't happy with it?.

You also can't compare a K&N drop-in filter in a 'bang for buck' sense, since you can't even feel the 1-2 wheel hp (if that) gain you get from it. There is no way you will ever get 15 fwhp out of a K&N drop-in air filter in a Maxima.

I was skeptical at first, but after driving for a while with it, it makes the difference. It pulls harder when I need it. People I race against can tell the difference in my car since I got the ECU (riding in it as well as driving against me). For the $425 I paid it was worth it. It made similar gains as the CAI-YPipe combo ($220 + $350 = $570). Reliable hp doesn't come cheap...

 

... very, very, very well put!


P.s. I think I'm ready to take the plunge here! I'd like to buy the G-Force soon. HOWEVER -now I am having second thoughts because someone said the J.W. ECU is quicker. I find this hard to beleive and it seems to be unsupported (so far) but if it's true, I'd rather get the J.W. Anybody else have any thoughts on the differenced between the two ECUs? Thanks a mill. guys.

 

Come on man. What I have is none of your business. I keep it real in this forum. Why would I waste my money on what people here say gives you little to no increase?

I found a thread from Robert of GForce and he was talking about the Jet ECU. My Bad!!!

 

15.3 gain made in the mid range..

what you are not seeing is..

the 96 ECU in Cheston's 97 GXE made 15.3 hp gain to the wheels

HOWEVER..

the 96 ECU before modification in Cheston 97 GXE was putting out less power than the stock 97 ECU..

so yeah it gained 15.3 hp from the stock 96 ECU to the G Force ECU 96 ECU..

however the 15.3 was not gained if you look at stand point from the 97 STOCK ECU and the 96 G Force ECU.. its like 5 hp..

look at the graph

 

Deezo, thank you for clearing up the confusion re: G-Force and Jet ECU's. However, I am keeping it real. I am trying to help people make their decisions from fact, and definitly not second hand opinions. I don't really care what is in your car, but I do care that you are giving negative feedback on a part that you have no business commenting on. I have only heard one person say they had no increase in performance with the G-Force ECU (he had a 96 Auto and only ran ~.05 sec faster in the 1/4mi). This is out of how many people ordered it (30 in the first group buy alone)? I suppose you don't know that G-Force comes with a lifetime warranty and a limited time money back guarantee. The fella who wasn't happy with his ECU (which in my opinion was probably a G-Force installation error) prolly got his money back. My point is you prolly heard someone *****ing about the bum deal he got cuz his particular ECU didn't work well. Now you are telling people as if you have had first hand experince with it. I don't think that is keeping it real. If you don't want to buy it, then don't buy it, just don't cloud the issue with second hand information for someone who is truly interested. I'm not trying to flame you, or start a flame war, I'm just trying to educate by contributing my first hand experiences and interpreting existing information.

SprintMax, I'm kinda confused on what you are saying in your past few posts. I think you're taking the roundabout way of explaining what I am saying. The 15 fwhp increase was on a 96 ECU that was upgraded.

Ptatohed, I can't comment on the Jim Wolf ECU. They are a reputable company so I'm sure theirs is a quality product. You really need to speak with someone who has/had their ECU to get the scoop. The only person I know of is Jeff Ketch (sorry if I mis-spelled your name) who had one in his 95 SE. Find out if JWT has a money back guarantee, and compare with G-Force. Prolly won't loose either way, but G-Force might be cheaper.

 

Just a thought: I see that a few folks make reference to your setup and how these gains are measured in reference to other's cars. Looking at your MOD list, it looks mostly cosmetic. I don't see any air intake or exhaust mods or pulley upgrades.

If you are looking for performance upgrades that will yeild immediate results and have a budget, I would start with something like: CAI or Y pipe. My understanding of the progress of things is that you improve airflow first then move on. There will be a point of diminishing returns in Mods. But the best return for the buck is in air flow in and out....

 

You can and will say what you want but keep in mind also I have every business to comment on what I want to. Some may like it and some may not. I don't even know why y0u went there. Please! I kept it real by clear up my confusion between the 2 ECU's. No loss to me. That's more being more of a man than most people.

If you didn't care about what was in my car, why you checkin profiles?

 

The whole flame war idea confusses me. Does the guy still have a question??? Probably so...

 

... calm down bro.! Slim has a very good point and you didn't like it. But relax man. There are other/more important things to get worked up over I'm sure. Smile man! :)




You can and will say what you want but keep in mind also I have every business to comment on what I want to. Some may like it and some may not. I don't even know why y0u went there. Please! I kept it real by clear up my confusion between the 2 ECU's. No loss to me. That's more being more of a man than most people.

If you didn't care about what was in my car, why you checkin profiles?

 

Well, I suppose congratulations are in order for you being more of a man than most people. I guess you missed me thanking you for clearing up the confusion regarding the two ECU's (Jet and G-Force) in my last post (there was no sarcasm in the last post about that or in this one, I appreciate that).

However, you keep on saying that you are "keeping it real" on this form. When you post second hand information, things that you have heard of but have no first hand knowledge of, isn't keeping it real. Then you go ahead an post crap like this? Man, practice what you preach. You are right, you can comment on whatever you want, but that doesn't mean you are correct when you do so, or that your comments hold any water. That's where I stepped in to alert those interested in purchasing an ECU that you were wrong. I looked in your profile to see if you actually had the ECU upgrade, to see if you actually knew what you were talking about (ie. 'keeping it real'), seeing if you could back up what you were posting. Seeing if you could put your money where your mouth is. I was not launching an attack on your person, just debating the data that you brought forth.

You don't have to go out and buy an ECU, but I am a person here telling you straight up that this mod gives you gains. For some reason this keeps slipping your mind, and you continue to say that it doesn't work, even though you've never tried it.

I can't help it if you can't take being told that you are wrong. As I said in the last post, I am not trying to start flames, but just get down to the facts. Keeping it real.

 

Thanks, I appreciate that. Have a great day.

 

I hope you two squash all the friction. Debates can be heated and it's cool to respectfully disagree.

I have an upgraded ECU from g-force and it's not worthless and as Slim noted the gains are noticeable. However, it may not be the best bang for your buck when just starting out w/ mods. To each his own!

 

Cool! I don't hate ya. It just seemed to me as an flame. It's not like we can see each others faces while all this talk is going on.

I didn't say it that many times.

What I have stated were facts. Got them from Robert@GForce here on the forums.

I do. You don't know me so kill that noise.

Whatever.

[/quote]
For some reason this keeps slipping your mind, and you continue to say that it doesn't work, even though you've never tried it. [/quote]

I am not continuing anything. I just said I was referring to the wrong ECU.

Dude, all this description you are writing is uncalled for. Don't you know how to let things go? Before I left for my staff meeting I was done and I come back to all this. Again, please. I just cleared myself. For you to go on seems dumb. It's not like the thing is going to end our lives.

 

I still have the dyno charts Biomax did about 2 years ago in his 97se 5spd. He dynoed his car several times (with and without MAF mod), 95 stock ECU, 95 JWT ecu, 95 vs 97 ECU. I believe the mods to his car were Stillen intake, cattman Y pipe, RT cat and greddy exhaust.

EDIT: Can someone host the image for me since photopoint.com isn't working?

 

**** I'd really appreciate that! :)

 

I'm not upset. I am just defending myself from the way that you were reacting to what I was writing. I'm just trying to present the facts (and attempting to get all the facts I don't know). Keep it real.

 

**** Right Sprint. But I have a '96! So I WILL see the 15.3 HP gain, correct?