streckfu's

So as to not hijack J Chen's thread, I started this one.

I've been looking into a PB so I have searched and read many threads. One question I haven't been able to answer is: Which is the best value?

First, the contenders:

Apexi Super AFC II (and select)
SMT 6
MAFterBurner.

The Apexi sells for about $300 and is described here: Link<---
They also list the Super AFC II Select for European cars but don't specify what'sreally different.

The SMT 6 is well known here and seems to be a very capable unit with a lot of knowledge in these forums. It sells for $650 by John Vitesse and is described on his website: Link <----- .

The MAFterBurner is a Lindsey Racing product that has seen a lot of use and seems to be well regarded also. It is $500 and is described on their website: Link <----

My question is related to value. Admittedly a gray area but is a question worth asking. Obviously, the buyer of the Apexi does not get the same level of support or knowledge of its application on our cars as those that purchase the other producs.

So the question is, At $300, is the Apexi good enough or is the extra $2-300 dollars worth it for the other products?

Many of you have experience with these products and I appreciate you sharing your experiences.

TIA,

Serge944

What do you need the piggy back for? The SMT6 has a lot of features the Apexi unit doesnt have. Whether its worth the extra dough depends on what youre planning to do with your car.

streckfu's

Primarily, I'm looking to to adjust my fuel for slightly higher than stock boost. I have the APE MAF and chips, TiAL 38mm, and MBC. I'd like to adjust my fuel so I can, safely, run 17 psi.

Serge944

For fuel only, the apexi will do the job fine! You can find a used one on ebay for just 200 bucks too.

Dont forget that you will also need a wideband oxygen sensor.

The advantage of buying the SMT6 is that John already has the wiring figured out so you can install it in NO TIME. Also, youll have very good support!

daniel951

yes i agree.

911T

Has anyone used the new Greddy emanage unlimate?

DanG

At under $300 all told, I think it's valid to include a Megasquirt in your list. Sure its capable of being a full standalone, but it could be used very effectively in fuel only control, leaving the stock system installed for spark control.

hosrom_951

On stock AFM, yes

I am installing a temp sensor and going for a MAP setup and seeing the results

Serge944

Its not that cheap for a 951 and there are a lot of factors to consider. One thing that stands out is setting up the crank trigger. Our cars have speed and reference sensors instead of other, more modern systems, required by MS. Then tack on all the required sensors, wiring, downtime. All in all, have 1000 ready for a MS on a 951.

Absolutely not worth it if you need to simply fine tune your car.

DanG

Serge, thankfully thats not so. MS can use all the stock sensors, including TPS and as of last week, even the stock speed and reference sensors without extra hardware! Wiring is ~$5 for a DB-37 connector and another $5 or so for the 15-20 6" wire leads you'd need to tap into the stock harness.

Also, to trigger fuel-only control, you need only tap into the negative side of the stock ignition coil, no speed/ref decoding necessary.

Bone up on the latest 944+MS status here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/944-turbo-and-turbo-s-forum/222201-the-megasquirt-thread-pics.html

and here:

http://www.darklightning.com/motroni...forum.php?f=22

Serge944

Ah. But still, if he has chips that are mapped close what he needs, why go through the trouble? Fine tuning with a piggy back will suffice.

Didn't know MS would work with the two sensors!

jy951

Well I can't speak about the Apexi and SMT6 from experience, but Mafterburner was well worth the $$$ that I spent; I also bought the AEM UEGO wideband O2 sensor which is pricey ($400 - USD) but worth it.

Since I have no expereince with mapping fuel curves, I received great assistance from Wes @ Lindsey Racing. In fact, he developed a base map for my set-up, which I am in the process of fine tuning (all puns intended). Lindsey provides a base map that you download from their website to get the car running with Mafterburner, but it was too lean for my set-up.

So, I contacted Lindsey Racing for tech support and that's how Wes developed a custom map for me, after reviewing my initial attempt at developing a map, which was a modification of the base Lindsey map. Mafterburner has not been tremendously difficult to learn (I'm a novice) to learn, and I'm finally starting to get a linear power curve (I can tell the difference by the way the car accelerates versus my previous attempts/maps) after modifying Wes' custom map (I had to fatten that one too).

Currently, I'm in the mid 11's and 12's under WOT ( 1st - 3rd gear) with some drift into the low 13s in 4th and 5th gear. I'm currently working on getting 12's in 4th and 5th by adding fuel in the higher voltages, but not so much, that it would hinder performance and cause the car to become sluggish, that has been my biggest problem (adding too much fuel at the WRONG points in the fuel map).

Frank@Work

The SplitSecond PSC1 might be an option for you! I have been using it for some time and am quite happy about it.

It will be the cheapest option!

DanG

Agreed, MS would probably be more work than a typical piggyback. It would work best for someone with stock chips that needed some significant tweaks to their fuel maps.

The support for reading 144 flywheel teeth is still unproven. In theory it could prove to be too many interrupts at high RPMs. I'm going to experiment with both that software method, and also a hardware method DarkLightning came up with to see which works best.

ehall

Hey Daniel, the question begs another question. (becuase I would be in the same boat if I started the thread.) If one doesn't know the exact technical diferences in the systems, well enough to already know the answer to the thread question, one should choose the system with the best tech support.

You'd get a bunch of help form RL folks if you chose the smt6 or mafterburner. The level of professional support is a judgement left to you.