Alternate ECU's- my thoughts, your opinions? Options

[ottox914]

I'll be running the yellow car in DSP next season, and we (this forum) have got the suspension in line with "how much bar is to much bar". On to the engine. DSP needs a stock long block, but intake and exhaust systems are free. I've got a Kerry Hunter header and supertrapp exhaust on now. So- on to the intake system.

Was planning to use the existing intake system, as it is more budgetary, and more torque oriented. Maybe over the winter research and build new runners and central plenum. But how to control it all?

I've been waiting as patiently as possible for the KitCarlson system, but have had other thoughts of late. With the KC system, you need to set timing values, fuel values, develop a VE table, and so on. And at this point, its all closed loop. Sounds like alot of work.

Plan "B". Go to "aircooled.net" http://www.aircooled.net/new-bin/viewprodu...0007&cartid=and check out the safeguard system, as an ignition upgrade. Hook this up, and the timing is self adjusting for fuel quality, temp of intake air, height above/below sea level, etc. Then add a megasquirt, SDS, Haltech or other fuel only controller. Beg, borrow, steal a wideband O2 and let the timing self adjust, just keep dumping fuel till you get good O2 readings across the RPM range, and tuning is done.

Can it be that simple? Pros and Cons of each plan? Thoughts? Other ideas?

Thanks!

[lapuwali]

Actually, when it comes out, the Kit Carlson system will likely be the easiest to adapt to your engine of any aftermarket choice, if only because it will be made to fit the Type IV out of the box. Megasquirt, SDS, Haltech, et al will all also require you to develop your own maps. The KC will come with a map for a Type IV out of the box, which you'll need to tweak to suit your exact engine.

The SDS and Haltech will come "blank", and you'll need to start completely from scratch on developing fuel maps, and on adapting sensors to the Type IV and or the box. However, SDS and Haltech (and Electromotive, etc) all can handle spark as well as fuel, and will do so w/o a distributor. The SDS w/ spark will be a good bit cheaper than that ignition box on ac.net plus the fuel-only SDS. It will also be a lot easier to adjust the fuel+spark SDS.

The Megasquirt is the hardest to do, since you need to assemble it yourself (unless you buy a pre-built), and then you'll need to go through the whole map development from scratch there, too. It's cheaper to buy, but a lot more work is involved in getting a working system.

For any kind of serious performance use, knock sensing is simply not required. Knock sensing is great for a street car that may get varying qualities of gas, but for any racing car, it's simply not necessary. Knock sensing alone isn't enough to tune ignition. There's an ignition map in the box, but you have NO control over it. The SDS (or others) box will allow full spark control, including adjustments for manifold pressure (vacuum advance and retard), which can also be tuned. That box is NOT completely self-tuning.

With current technology available in the aftermarket, this is no completely "self-tuning" ignition system that optimizes for power. There's just generic spark control with some latitude for adjusting to atmospheric conditions. There IS a technology for fully optimizing ignition, which has been developed by SAAB over the last 10-15 years, but it's not (yet) available in any form in the aftermarket. If anyone will have it first, it will be the DIY crowd, as they've been working on it for quite some time now. For now, the closest you can get is a fully tunable system and a dyno...