s2k tuning?

[dc5ive]

hi guys, just wondering with ur experences....
where inn melbourne can i get my s2000 tuned ??
and what i ecu options are recommended??
piggy back .. like a hondata?
or a standalone ecu would be better

ive got basic engine mods
air intake, exhaust and headers

is it worth getting a tune or should i save my pennys?

[mikoZ]

if money no a problem , go for MOTEC, can tuned by PUAL @ CHASERS

or a AEM, also good one and much cheaper

[WhiteAP1]

Motec is awesome and so is Chasers (they built my engine), but considering your mods, Motec is massive overkill and I doubt you'd be making the most of the unit. Most likely it will no longer be daily driver friendly, but if its a dedicated track car, why not! Ive got quite a long list of mods including engine internals and all i run/need is an apexi neo. I spoke to Paul about a stand alone ECU and he re-affirmed what I thought and explained that the 2-3 thousand spent on a stand alone ecu will not be worth the 3 odd kw that may be squeezed out and it will affect the cars drivability.


End of the day it depends what you want from your car and what ratio of cost vs. benefit you can justify.

[stndrd]

speak to Trent and Sebastian @ STATUS TUNING (ph: 03 9792 3333)
they are the authorised distributors and tuners for the GReddy eManage but will tune just about anything.

[alvin_R]

why not try a Js,spoon or mugen lug and play ecu?? cause i spoke a distributor in HK they said it will be fine to run in our car with the com ratio!!

[mikoZ]

does the j's; spoon and mugen is re flashable? if not, i just wondering how these ecu will 100% suitable for a car runing under different environment.

[alvin_R]

according the wedsite explaination, those ecu has been re fine the map via the manufactor, and some of them u can change the on cam rev, so just for my own opinion , it will get the better balance in between the power and lifetime of the engine. plz correct me if im wrong ^^ because im decide to get js one so....

[7ypeR]

Motec is awesome and so is Chasers (they built my engine), but considering your mods, Motec is massive overkill and I doubt you'd be making the most of the unit. Most likely it will no longer be daily driver friendly, but if its a dedicated track car, why not! Ive got quite a long list of mods including engine internals and all i run/need is an apexi neo. I spoke to Paul about a stand alone ECU and he re-affirmed what I thought and explained that the 2-3 thousand spent on a stand alone ecu will not be worth the 3 odd kw that may be squeezed out and it will affect the cars drivability.


End of the day it depends what you want from your car and what ratio of cost vs. benefit you can justify.

When running an ecu in the s2k, you can't piggyback them so you will have to run a stand-alone. This includes the hondata, which requires you to buy a the full kpro ecu rather than plug into your factory unit. In saying that though, the price is quite exxy so you might also want to consider the Autronic or Motec units. Only thing obviously being that Hondata is a factory honda unit so it will probably RUN your car the best. Whether or not it tunes better, you have to contact your tuner.

On another note, I can understand what your saying about weighing up cost v benefit. You may get only give/take 3-5kw on top of the Apex Neo but that does not include the gains from low-mid range tuning. With the complete ecu, you have a tuning window for low cam (non-vtec), and a separate tuning window for high cam (vtec). This means you could probably adjust the tuning points for every 100-250rpm compared to the Neo which MAY be every 500-1000rpm (guessing). The Hondata i believe has a 20x20 matrix for tuning, whilst the Motec is 25x25 (please don't quote me, this is from memory years ago).

It is at the end of the day, cost v benefit.

[AusS2000]

Firstly, the S2000 is pretty well tuned from the factory so gains with only NA mods (short of ITBs) will be modest.

The most popular piggybacks are the V-AFC and the E-manage Blue and Ultimate. The VAFC allows you to add and subtract fuel across the range and adjust VTEC engagement. The E-manage Blue does the same but also allows some rough adjustment to ignition timing but I don't believe it is very useful. The E-manage Ultimate however is a much more capable unit and allows full adjustment of ignition timing.

In plug and play options there is the venerable (and highly capable) AEM EMS and the Hondata.

The AEM is what I use. It is truly plug and tune and very comprehensive. It has maps for fuel, ignition, boost control, traction control, nitrous control, launch control and closed loop feedback from an O2 sensor just to name a few. I'm am just scratching the surface of it capabilities. The complexity however is also a downside as few know how to get the best from it. Oh and you lose you temp gauge but it can be restored with Modifry's ECT.

The Hondata is not strictly plug and tune as you have to replace various sensors and your valve cover to get it working. It is highly capable I am assure but I know there is a lot to do to get it to the same capabilities as the AEM.

As for Motec etc, they are custom installs, will have problems driving the OEM dash and cost an absolute fortune to have even half the facilities of the AEM.

[AusS2000]

Oh, and the JDM brand name (J's, Spoon, Mugen etc) ecus are a waste of money. They are tuned to the absolute limit on JDM fuel which is 100 octane and remove such safety features as ignition retard on knock. That is a combination that will cost you an engine.

[eliack]

"The E-manage Ultimate however is a much more capable unit and allows full adjustment of ignition timing."

can anyone confirm that?

[WhiteAP1]

When running an ecu in the s2k, you can't piggyback them so you will have to run a stand-alone. This includes the hondata, which requires you to buy a the full kpro ecu rather than plug into your factory unit. In saying that though, the price is quite exxy so you might also want to consider the Autronic or Motec units. Only thing obviously being that Hondata is a factory honda unit so it will probably RUN your car the best. Whether or not it tunes better, you have to contact your tuner.

On another note, I can understand what your saying about weighing up cost v benefit. You may get only give/take 3-5kw on top of the Apex Neo but that does not include the gains from low-mid range tuning. With the complete ecu, you have a tuning window for low cam (non-vtec), and a separate tuning window for high cam (vtec). This means you could probably adjust the tuning points for every 100-250rpm compared to the Neo which MAY be every 500-1000rpm (guessing).

What do you mean you CANT piggyback the oem ecu??? Thousands have done it before, hell im doing it now. I agree with Aus, the hondata is too much of a dickaround considering the other options out there and with the plug and play pre tunned J's, Spoon etc ecu's your begging for detonation or knocking.

What I was trying to illustrate, that even with a piggyback ecu, like the apexi neo (a very simple unit) even on a internally modified NA engine (sleeves,pistons,valves, valve springs....) its pretty much all thats required. A more complicated ECU may get you 2-5 extra kilowatts but it will effect the cars daily drivability and you will lose some functionality however minor. For example Chasers tunned a S2k fitted with a motec M800 and typical bolt on mods and got 150 atw. My car made made 3 more kw, can still average 400-450 km per tank (compared to about 250 with the M800) and my midrange is better (100kw at 6K rpm and 138kw at 7K rpm)

All im saying is that for a NA set up (even with a bit of work) a "rip you balls off" ECU isnt gonna make a huge difference (like FI does) no matter how well the unit can be tunned or how small the rpm gaps.