Piggy back VS Standalone ECU's

[Gly]

how far can you go with a piggy back ecu, before you really have to go the whole hog and get a standalone?

say if you where to go and get full custom pipe work,
worked turbos, exhaust, and supporting fuel mods.

and get a mapecu(1) and a dyno tune.

how much more could expect from a link or autronic etc.?
or even a more advanced piggy back like the mapecu2
with appropriate tuning.

[bradc]

If you don't intend on changing the turbos, then an emanage or similar will be fine, if you want to go to a single turbo or something like that, then you should go with a full standalone.

[Nutter_John]

In some respects Brad is correct but with a piggy back ecu you can still go a long way before you really need to change the ecu . For instance Benh's monster is still using his stock ecu ( with a slight mod ) .

The biggest problem a standalone ecu is that there will be no base map for our cars and it can take a long time to get one correct , this time your paying for on a dyno

[valmes]

You can go as far as you want to... there are lots of 10-11 sec cars on piggybacks.
Not to mention a 3S car that broke 9 sec record with just an ARC2 (piggyback).

Think about that... Stock ECU is essentially a standalone computer made by Mitsubishi. You can alter what's inside it with an advent of software such as OpenECU or you can leave it alone to do its everyday job (that's what it has been designed for) and only deal with WOT by fitting piggyback... that's what you are after anyway - faster acceleration.

There was so much talk about standalone vs. piggyback on 3si.org and people were blaming slow times (10-11 sec cars are already slow for them) on poor engine management, only to find out that piggyback can do it... :)

I personally believe that standalone ECU is only needed for a purpose built sports car – Drag, Rally you name it… piggyback is a good compromise for a Daily Driven power car.

Like we have BigStuff3 standalone ECU in TwinTurbo Corvette, but it would be a nightmare to get it working right in -30C +30C everyday.

On the other hand my Legnum starts and drives just fine in any weather conditions everyday – with upgraded turbos, injectors, intercooler, FPR, fuel pump… etc. Why go all the way if you can achieve the same results with less?

Just my 2c.

[Gly]

cool, thats the kind of info/opinions im looking for,

so when comparing piggy backs,

how much further can you go with a mapecu/e-manage VS mapecu2/e-manage ultimate...

how far would have to go to make the map2/ultimate extra features useful?

basically im looking at getting rid of the MAF, which can be done with the map, map2, and ultimate,

but at what sort of figures? and modding? would the map2 and ultimate be the better choice?

i'll be aiming for 200+kw ATW's,
would the mapecu be versitile enough? or would it best to be getting a more advanced piggyback ecu?...

ATM my cars pretty stock,

its got a Gizzmo IBC (boost controller)
and a 3" de-cat
and 3" cat-back fujitsubo exhaust,
and will have a Sard R2D2 bov on this time next week,
and battery in the boot,

what other supporting mods are recommended/needed to get to a 200kw atw figure?

[Subaru ETA]

has anyone tried a unichip on the vr4? we put them on the AU falcons and they work well

[bradc]

I'd suggest going MAPECU, downpipes, complete re-do of the intake pipes to a setup like mine with a cold air box. You'll be right up at 200kw with a ****load of torque.

[valmes]

Look:

http://www.3si.org/forum/showpost.php?p=4259321&postcount=23

That guy (Trevor) just did 10.39@138 MPH using e-manage Ultimate... ;)

[Eurospec]

I think everyone of the 10 sec 3s cars, mine included, runs a piggy back, although i am not sure about 3SX's T2 and T4 cars.

Certainly Trevor runs piggy back, so does matt monnet, so do i.

Personally speaking, piggy backs will get you a long long way, and the 2nd generation ones like the map ecu 2 and e mannage ultimate are certainly very flexible.

Its always a big debate in the 3s world, standalone vs piggyback and i usually end up saying if you want it all perfect, to play with everything, your cold start idle enrichment, your idle stepper control, your air con switching etc, those are things that only a standalone can do, but if you are happy with those features, then piggy backs will give you control of fuel, timing, boost etc and they will get you there. There is no doubt there is a greater flexability in a standalone and ultimately it will be able to give you a car which is a docile as a pussy cat for you to go get your papers with and also turns into a tiger when you punch the loud pedal, but the tuning and set up is much more involved and hence costs a lot more money.

Ultimately you pays your money and you takes your choice.

Cheers,

Ben.