Here is my dilemma and question: I have a 04 wrx wagon with the following engine mods, APS cold air intake APS turbo inlet VF39 turbo 565cc DW injectors Walbro 255 Fuel Pump UTEC with map switcher Hyperflow top mount intercooler with samco TGV deletes with hondata gasket (no codes) Full 3" turboback (crucial downpipe and Cobb 3" catback) But when I bought the car it was set up for 93 octane which we don't really have in mn. I wanted to get the car retuned but I wanted to know the difference between openecu and utec. Can one give you better results than the other. I like the fact that I can have different maps with the utec, is that possible with openecu or do you have to have all your maps on a laptop and switch them that way. I already have utec as shown above but by talking with other tuners they have suggested openecu is the way to go, why is this? Is it easier to tune and/or do you get better results? Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.
If you want to set it and forget it, get a retune via OpenEcu (I suggest Bullwinkle). If you feel like tinkering with your maps, changing things around alot, get a utec.
You need a laptop to change maps with openECU. It's very easy. It's also easier and cheaper to find people to do minor tune changes with openECU. You'd have to start over on the tuning if you switched. I think both will give you the same results if they're both done right.
I already have utec, and I wouldn't plan on getting any other management system, I just wanted to know if one is better than the other. I would assume if I did openecu then I would be able to get rid of my utec? If I did go openecu, is it hard to learn how to do and does anyone here teach and tune (for a price of course)
Yes, if you got a tune with the openecu tools, you would be able to sell your UTEC. With your mods, there isn't much of anything the UTEC can do better then the stock ECU, so I would suggest going the openecu route. If you're looking to price out a tune, I would suggest you contact one of the professional tuners that tunes with openecu in the area. Ron over at RS has been a popular choice for a couple of the folks on this board.
If you do some research on Nasioc a lot people run this and Love it. I am as well thinking of running a UTec now on top of my Ecutek reflash.
so to use utec and openecu, I believe "0" on the utec map selector is stock ecu and that would be tuned through an openecu map? Then I would be able to use the utec for maps 1-4 for other maps (race gas or mixture tunes)? Is this what you would do? Is it possible to have a fuel efficient tune, 92 octane max power daily driver tune , and a race fuel or mixture tune? I should of asked this in the first place, those are the three maps or tunes that I am looking for. Thanks for the info guys, I'm starting the search on nasioc.
Yeah thats what I would do. I would have my normal tune for map selecter 0. Then have a High Boost map for 1 and a race gas map for 2 and so on. The reflash for the 0 map. I hear that the cross over is also alot nicer when you have a reflash under the utec. But I Have no idea since I dont have any expierence in this yet.
Yes you can. I would make the reflash your 92 max power DD, race fuel for tune number 1 on the selector and and fuel effcient tune for map 3. I think thats what I would do.
Ok, here is what I am currently running and my car is a bit different. I am running a ecu flash (a protuned ap with ecuflash) with the utec over the top. With the newest firmware for the utec, the cross over stuff the people complained about is gone. What I am currently running is the flash as my DD map (utec on 0), then I have a aggressive pump gas map for map 1, and if I ever get the motivation to work on the tune in my car, I would use one of the other maps for race gas. The utec also has a on board relay that you can use as a simple on/off switch for whatever (meth/water injection, nitrious, water sprayer, etc), or use map 5 for a 3d water/meth injection map. Now the reason I have a flash under my utec is because I have a auto tranny. With the auto tranny, the ecu pulls fuel for the tranny to shift, so I can't use injector scaling. With a manual tranny, you can use injector scaling, and now with the improved temp comps and crossover adjustments, with a good tune, it will be just as smooth and have more power then a ecu flash. Russ
First of thanks for all the info guys, I think I know what I'm going to do now. I have one question what does this mean WRX1 "I am running a ecu flash (a protuned ap with ecuflash) with the utec over the top." can you explain this to me, is this just because you have an automatic and what does it do for you? Thanks
I started with a cobb ap that I protuned. I have since done some extra work with openecu. I am also running the utec on top of that. Because I have a auto tranny, I can not use the injector scaling that is in the utec (since the utec has it's own base fuel map). The auto ecu pulls fuel for the shifting of the tranny, the utec will not take care of the function. So my fuel maps were all -10+ numbers which in turn made my fuel trims a bit wacko after a couple of months of driving. So I flashed the ecu for my injectors (and a good pump gas DD tune), so that with the utec at "0" or any other map, my fuel numbers are adjusted from that starting point. So with my agressive pump map, my fuel numbers are little negative numbers and my fuel trims are always nice and happy. Russ
