ECU Opinions...

[Tard Of War]

Hi all im looking at buying an aftermarket ecu in the near future but unsure on what i should go for, any suggestions from personal expiriences ?

Brands ?
Reccomended Tuners ?
Buy new or second hand ?
Were to pick up a good deal ?

Any help appreciated.

Car is an S14 Series 2 ,1997
-FMIC
-Stock T28BB turbo
-3 inch exhaust

Just want an ecu to clean it up and get it off the list of future mods.

[Alt_F4]

Nistune (remapable stock ecu). Most decent tuners do it.
Expect around $1K tuned and fitted.

[Lonewolf]

Nistune, Allstar Garage.
/End thread

[ChrisGTR]

The best ECU to go for (pending your budget) in my eyes would be the Apexi Power FC. If you get it from Japan your looking at around the $2000 mark delivered to your door. This will support all your current mods and all the future mods you want to do to your car.
I have a Nistune atm in my R32 GTR and don't like the tune on it at all. Was advised to go the PFC D Jetro and now its booked in for fitment and tune in a fortnight. If the Nistune out of my R32 fits your S14 then i will sell it to you for cheap if you want to go that way.

[Tard Of War]

I've had a little look at nistune but is it something i should bother with if one day i'd like to run good power ?
Due to stock ECU's age and sometimes dislike of hot weather ?

[Friar]

power fc d jetro all the way and as metioned all star to tune will handle any future mods builds etc and can be removed and put into another car if need be etc

[Lonewolf]

The best ECU to go for (pending your budget) in my eyes would be the Apexi Power FC. If you get it from Japan your looking at around the $2000 mark delivered to your door. This will support all your current mods and all the future mods you want to do to your car.
I have a Nistune atm in my R32 GTR and don't like the tune on it at all. Was advised to go the PFC D Jetro and now its booked in for fitment and tune in a fortnight. If the Nistune out of my R32 fits your S14 then i will sell it to you for cheap if you want to go that way.

I'd prefer the Nistune in this instance, its a lot cheaper, and even has some better features (like proper knock control).
Possible the tune isnt the best on the nistune?


I've had a little look at nistune but is it something i should bother with if one day i'd like to run good power ?
Due to stock ECU's age and sometimes dislike of hot weather ?

How far are you going to take the car?
Nistune will handle up to ~500hp (limit of z32 AFM + 550cc Injectors)

[Tard Of War]

Yea i do like The power FC's plus the wank factor of the hand control, which can be very handy for monotoring and i like it, but i have heard good things of nistune just would be great if it had a hand control/monitor

and i don't see the car ever making over 500hp

[ChrisGTR]

I'd prefer the Nistune in this instance, its a lot cheaper, and even has some better features (like proper knock control).
Possible the tune isnt the best on the nistune?



Fair enough. I've been told by a workshop that the Nistune is really hard to get the tune right. Something about sorting out alot of maps and that tune costs would be alot for them to get it perfect.

A bit off topic but does everyone think Allstar garage is the best tuner in Perth?

[Alt_F4]

Fair enough. I've been told by a workshop that the Nistune is really hard to get the tune right. Something about sorting out alot of maps and that tune costs would be alot for them to get it perfect.
Which workshop? I would like to know so as to avoid their incompetence in future.

[R3N]

Power FC best? hardly... its just an easy and widely tunable option.

$880 for nistune fitted and tuned at hyperdrive, with a basic clean up of afrs and fuel, most tuners will be able to do this for you.

Want wank factor? Spend the money on a nistune (cheaper if you're handing with a soldering iron), buy a used eePC off eBay and get the consult cable. et voila! instant monitoring and recording function. and I bet you can get it to tell you when you are going to damage your manifold.

Nistune has proper knock maps, in which it will switch to if knock goes above a certain level. PowerFC on the other hand just flashes knock at you.

I got 247hp on my s15 nistuned, stock turbo, afm, injectors

[Tard Of War]

Heard Plenty of good things from the shop, met shaun once or twice seems like a great guy to deal with that knows his shit would happily take my car to him....

But the fact is theres not really the "best" tuner in perth...
Each tuner has there "specialty" to a certain ecu and car types.

To be the best you'd have to know every ECU's tuning procedure and Car type from Import 6cyl turbo to an LS1...

Thats just my opinion

[ChrisGTR]

Which workshop? I would like to know so as to avoid their incompetence in future.

PM Sent

So do you guys think the Nistune can manage a decent turbo upgrade on a GTR seeing about 350kw atw?
Am i wasting my money on the PFC D Jetro?

[Lonewolf]

Which workshop? I would like to know so as to avoid their incompetence in future.

LOL!
Yeah, my nistune (with completely different engine than previously) was a couple of hours tops.


Power FC best? hardly... its just an easy and widely tunable option.

$880 for nistune fitted and tuned at hyperdrive, with a basic clean up of afrs and fuel, most tuners will be able to do this for you.

Want wank factor? Spend the money on a nistune (cheaper if you're handing with a soldering iron), buy a used eePC off eBay and get the consult cable. et voila! instant monitoring and recording function. and I bet you can get it to tell you when you are going to damage your manifold.

Nistune has proper knock maps, in which it will switch to if knock goes above a certain level. PowerFC on the other hand just flashes knock at you.

I got 247hp on my s15 nistuned, stock turbo, afm, injectors

PowerFC used to be the king. Relatively cheap, stock sensors, support for a lot of motors.
I dont see any extra benefit a PFC provides over a nistune, and as mentioned there are deficiencies.
Also in this day an age, having an ECU that looks perfectly stock is good :)

The hand controller is pure wank factor, will you be retuning it yourself on the road?
Tuners all use the laptop software over the hand controller anyway.

[Lonewolf]

PM Sent

So do you guys think the Nistune can manage a decent turbo upgrade on a GTR seeing about 350kw atw?
Am i wasting my money on the PFC D Jetro?

depends on the setup, the D jetro allows you to turf the AFM's, and tune via MAP sensor which has proven to show good results on big turbo'd RB's (like Brockas).
Personally, if It was me i'd at least spend the hour or two in dyno time to see if you can get better result from the Nistune before outlaying the $3k for a PFC d-jetro, but thats just me...

[Tard Of War]

i see your points, i'd happily run a nistune but i'd just like the monitor to check and make sure everything seems good, even a hack in jobbie as ren mentioned, just a personal reassurance sort of thing

[mitchy]

I'd prefer the Nistune in this instance, its a lot cheaper, and even has some better features (like proper knock control).
Possible the tune isnt the best on the nistune?



How far are you going to take the car?
Nistune will handle up to ~500hp (limit of z32 AFM + 550cc Injectors)

good luck getting 500hp from a Z32 and 550's on a sr20... you'd need 900-1000cc for that

[Lonewolf]

sorry, that applied to 6 cylinder cars too :)

[Tard Of War]

Good Luck getting 500+ HP from an alloy block sr....i've come to this relisation :/

[mitchy]

still wont get you there with 6 cylinders either, especially not at a 'safe' injector duty.

my 6x 740cc's are hitting ~70% duty cycle for 410rwhp, which is near enough to 550cc.

[R3N]

where'd you gain the extra 3hp from?

[mitchy]

i was keeping to nice even numbers, wanker. :p

[Lonewolf]

yeah Mitch, looking at tuning examples, cars making that sort of power are 800cc+, nistune still handles it :)

linguini: seen dyno's from the states with unopened sr20ve making 500+ atw :D Reliable is a different matter!

check out these pages for some real life examples:
http://www.nistune.com/results.htm
http://www.plmsdevelopments.com/tuning.shtml

[Tard Of War]

Yea bombed..
and i see so nistune is now up the top of the list seems it can handle and function in every way i need it to just minus a monitor.

[Alt_F4]

PM Sent
Cheers, they were already on my avoid list anyway :)

[R3N]

how soon are you going to mod it further? i'd just wait till you get everything together to get it tuned. unless you are going to be contempt with running stock everything, i'd wait. major retunes aren't cheap 600+

so if you're going to be changing injectors, afm, turbo then wait

[Tard Of War]

yea will be a little while until i start to "build" it up so you think i'd be better off doing it all in one hit rather then adding bit by bit... i just wanted to clarify what ecu people reccomend before spending big bucks on a device thats going to fuck more then fix it

[R3N]

yea do it all at once... save coin. sil owners are generally poor, unlike baller 31 owners

you shouldnt really need a tune for now. unless its running really crappy. i only got mine tuned because i upped the boost to 1.2 bar and that was pretty much all i wanted out of the s15 power wise. my 180 now on the other hand...

[Tard Of War]

yea im a poor pingpingpingping haha apprentice wages get me no were, probably slap a 2 way in and be happy for now the car handles 1.1 cleanly so far..

[R3N]

i hope you have a non stock fuel pump

[mitchy]

sil owners are generally rich, unlike lowballer 31 owners

so true.

[Tard Of War]

yea walbro of some kind considering 040 intank one day but for now walbro does well

[brynj]

Should be able to get a PFC delivered from the states for under a grand, $2000 is ridiculous. I got one for an ECR33 delivered last year for about $800, brand new.
Send the guys at www.adrenalinexxx.com (who I went through) an email, or any of the authorised apexi dealers in the states.

[Joe]

MoTeC M800

[TJ]

With all options enabled.

[Alt_F4]

Not a bad way to spend $10K

[Lonewolf]

overnight parts from japan.

[ChrisGTR]

Should be able to get a PFC delivered from the states for under a grand, $2000 is ridiculous. I got one for an ECR33 delivered last year for about $800, brand new.
Send the guys at www.adrenalinexxx.com (who I went through) an email, or any of the authorised apexi dealers in the states.

Woops I meant to say around the $1000 mark.
I'm paying through the roof for my Apexi D Jetro. $1900 from a workshop in Perth (does include harness, nipples, etc though). Didnt know they were so much cheaper to get from the US until after i put down the deposit for it.