how do you tune a 98 legacy? I've talked to a couple shops and none of them have the software and don't know what to get to even tune the car.
You will likely need some sort of standalone unit. I don't think they make tuning software for a 98 ECU.
can you just swap ECU's maybe? I find it kinda odd you cant do a Subaru that old, but a Honda is no problem. They both are from Japan
There wasn't much of a tuning market for the 2.2 and 2.5L NA motors in Japan as most of their cars at the time had a turbo counterpart. In the US we didn't get turbo EJ series motors till 2002 model year (late 2001). The Honda Civic is pretty close to the same in both markets, so the tuning market adapted just fine.
I think any controller that can handle air and fuel should work. Greddy made one IIRC. Apexi probably does too. I'm probably the wrong person to ask though.
You don't tune it. If you were to work out a way to adjust your engine calibration, you might pick up ten hp. That doesn't really fall in the bang for the buck category at all.
depends on what you want out of it. there are varying degrees of what standalones can do. and you will have to build a custom wiring loom for it unless you are using a piggyback (which won't have as much functionality). haltech, motec, vipec, link, megasquirt, aem, pectel, gems, autronic all make standalones - some are very similar in the capabilities and interface, some are significantly different. The cost range is huge as well
Are you planning on doing an na/t? That'd be the only reason i can think of to go through the trouble of a standalone, but well worth it if that's the case.
It would be easier to wire in a standalone. ask me how I know (I'm running a 2004 USDM STI on a GEMS N14 ecu which is for a 2008+ JDM STI)
Your harness is very different than those of newer turbo cars and you will not be able to merely swap pins. That is why people spend a lot of time or money (or both) on making a newer engine and harness work in an older non-turbo car.
cant I get the engine wiring harness and ECU for a newer car and swap pins out for the lights and gauges and whatever else?
