What ems do you guys use?

[Biship 14]

I have a modified 1990 M325i and i think the stock ecu is having a fit trying to run it. What do you guys run in place of the stock chip?

I have quotes ~3.5k for Link+ or ~5k or M48 Motec. I dont really care about cost. Just wanted to see what you guys run. I would like the ability to properly tune the car to optimize it's performance and drive-ability.

Currently using the stock AFM, but about to replace it with a MAF.

Thanks - Nick

[*sic 1]

er.. you are going to be running some badass mods to need a link, are you running a turbo??

if its still the same engine i doubt you will need an aftermarket ecu, try get a piggy back sorted, take it to gizmo to look at, they will sort it out and tell you what you need.

[cage 0]

Me personaly whould go for link...

If you get the right one you can plug your laptop in and control it

:mosh:

[Jonty m50e30 0]

Link $1100 plus for the m50 supply only should be the same for m20, I guess your $3.5k is for conversion etc but seems pretty high to me.

my 2c :thumb:

[Gus 5]

what have ya done to ya 325 thats causing the ECU probs? a few of us want a link, but none have one yet...PM grant as he got a quote from Steve Murch Motorsport (i think) for full link install

[Biship 14]

Mods - bored to 2.7ltr, forged pistons (+afm rods etc), racing cam, ported exhaust, custom headers, afm exhaust (no idea on brand), 315cc injectors, fuel pressure regulator. Prolly other things... I also want to put on a MAF & Bored throttle body. I'm no mechanic and paid mint to have the whole engine ripped to bits and reassembled.

I just want to be able to have full control on engine from all the imputs. Its currently not running very smoothly - idle's horribly (yeah i know it could be the o2 sensor). Seems to have holes at certain RPM's.

I dont want any gauges, so i need a ems I can log everything to with a laptop. Do some runs, look at results from the sensors, and then remap.

Link+ is the minimum I want to go. I don't hear all that good things about it. Anyone have experiences?

I dont want a chip as I spent 1K on a piece of crap from Auzi that dyno'ed worse than stock.

Nick

[Guest Andrew]

Hi - I have engine modification also - but not as much as yourself. I too have run into issues with the stock ECU.

Grant got a quote from Bob Homewood in Pukehoke for 2000 for the Link. Thats a reasonable price and should sort ya stuff out. An ECU is only as good as its tuner and the Link is great value for money.

[318i Turbo 0]

Nick? did you work at continental car? with the black e46 318i

[2002 1]

I've just installed a link in my 2002 hopefully I'll have it running next weekend. It's the second one I've installed, the first was in a Toyota Rally car which I was really happy with. They're not difficult to install provided you have at least a few clues about automotive wiring

[Gus 5]

when you say bored to 2.7, are you using a eta engine crank and rods? or just boring? the idling horribly would have at least something to do with the cam (depending on the profile), and maybe the extra fuel the injectors are pumping in? you should look into having your stock ECU remapped...that seems to be quite an effective way to go about things...trouble is i dont know where! i know Gavin Bellars at Bellars Motor Works was looking into doing that at some point, and he has a dyno so maybe look him and have a chat....when i get round to doing my 2.7 i will def seriously consider him

let me know how it goes and good luck!

[Grant 4]

With a 2.7 rebuild you don't need to increase the size of the injectors, you just need to get them held open for the right length of time (otherwise it will run too lean in the higher rev range....the problem I am having with my 2.7l)

I'll get my ECU remapped, or the latest thing I have looked into is a Unichip piggy-back ECU. The cost of this is $1,575.00 incl supply, fitting, dyno tuning and GST.

Cheers

[Repent 0]

Has anyone tried Gizzmo chips? They're supposed to be quite cheap, around $300 for the EPROM plus dyno tuning time.

[Biship 14]

Here's the dyno of the Auzi made powerchip that I bought and installed when the car was stock. The car felt smoother and more powerfull when it was on the powerchip, but after seeing the dyno (and the holes in it), I went back to the stock chip. Never buy this crap. They refused to give my money back when I asked for it. $1,000 wasted. It was their most expensive chip too.

Quote: "Powerchip has a range of chips to suit your car, which can increase it's power to between 135 kW and 140 kW, and it's torque to between 239 Nm and 246 Nm."

Anyone want to buy it from me?

(Red=stock Black=Powerchip)

[Grant 4]

As my 2.7 is now, with the standard Motronic 320i ecu, on the Bellar Motor Works Dyno read 243Nm of Torque, so the standard (incorrect) ECU still allowed it to develop plenty of torque...the HP over 4,800rpm, well, that is a different story.

The Unichip piggy back ECU, is custom tuned to your car and set up. Also you can unplug it (and the standard ECU settings are reverted to) and then re-tune it for a different car (should you sell you car and want to install it into a different one).

I am going to visit the guys in Auckland later this week who supply and install them, they are going to dyno my car, and then work out what they think one will do for me. BTW the place I am taking it to is called Auckland Performance Tuning in Papakura.

Cheers

[bmwsparkle 3]

would any of this be worthwhile doing to a fairly stock car? with light mods? Im thinking of getting the Jim Conforti chip

E28 85-88 535 Jim Conforti Performance Engine Software

[JCCHIPE34540] $249.99USD

Bonneville Motorwerks tuned engine performance chips, developed by Motronic expert Jim Conforti, provide the ultimate in performance. The modified Motronic software, optimized for 91 or higher octane gasoline, adjust the ignition timing and fuel curves which results in increased performance. We have dynoed Jim Conforti chips and compared them to other brands and found they provide the best performance throughout the entire rpm range. Along with performance increases in both torque and horsepower, Jim Conforti chips provide the maximum competitive advantage through raised engine rev-limits and removed top speed limiters.

Peak HP gain: 24@4000

Peak TRQ gain: 29@2000

Rev limit: 6800

Thats some serious hp and trq numbers for not much cash, with the exchange rate as is, i can get this for about $350 at the moment

or i suppose a better idea would be the piggyback idea? incase bigger mods come later?

[Grant 4]

would any of this be worthwhile doing to a fairly stock car? with light mods? Im thinking of getting the Jim Conforti chip

E28 85-88 535 Jim Conforti Performance Engine Software

[JCCHIPE34540] $249.99USD

Bonneville Motorwerks tuned engine performance chips, developed by Motronic expert Jim Conforti, provide the ultimate in performance. The modified Motronic software, optimized for 91 or higher octane gasoline, adjust the ignition timing and fuel curves which results in increased performance. We have dynoed Jim Conforti chips and compared them to other brands and found they provide the best performance throughout the entire rpm range. Along with performance increases in both torque and horsepower, Jim Conforti chips provide the maximum competitive advantage through raised engine rev-limits and removed top speed limiters.

Peak HP gain: 24@4000

Peak TRQ gain: 29@2000

Rev limit: 6800

Thats some serious hp and trq numbers for not much cash, with the exchange rate as is, i can get this for about $350 at the moment

or i suppose a better idea would be the piggyback idea? incase bigger mods come later?

Those replacement chip adverts should really be adverts for Tui...Yeah Right

They are just plain bullshit.

Maybe is you carried out considerable intake, and exhaust modifications (in combination with the chip) you would get somewhere near that increase in power, but not by simply replacing your stock chip with another one.

I really think that any increases in power and torque would just be minimal.

Cheers

[bmwsparkle 3]

ok thanks, so the piggyback is the way to go then?

[Grant 4]

ok thanks, so the piggyback is the way to go then?

or a custom re-map of your existing chip in your ECU (but not sure who, in NZ, can do this).

Cheers

[E30-323ti 66]

As my 2.7 is now, with the standard Motronic 320i ecu, on the Bellar Motor Works Dyno read 243Nm of Torque, so the standard (incorrect) ECU still allowed it to develop plenty of torque...the HP over 4,800rpm, well, that is a different story.

The Unichip piggy back ECU, is custom tuned to your car and set up. Also you can unplug it (and the standard ECU settings are reverted to) and then re-tune it for a different car (should you sell you car and want to install it into a different one).

I am going to visit the guys in Auckland later this week who supply and install them, they are going to dyno my car, and then work out what they think one will do for me. BTW the place I am taking it to is called Auckland Performance Tuning in Papakura.

Cheers

Grant: I hope you are removing the AFM and using a MAP or MAF instead??

From what I gather the Unichip should be able to output a (modified to suit) signal from either that the ECU can use.

Also, is it fuel only?? Or ignition too??

[Grant 4]

As my 2.7 is now, with the standard Motronic 320i ecu, on the Bellar Motor Works Dyno read 243Nm of Torque, so the standard (incorrect) ECU still allowed it to develop plenty of torque...the HP over 4,800rpm, well, that is a different story.

The Unichip piggy back ECU, is custom tuned to your car and set up. Also you can unplug it (and the standard ECU settings are reverted to) and then re-tune it for a different car (should you sell you car and want to install it into a different one).

I am going to visit the guys in Auckland later this week who supply and install them, they are going to dyno my car, and then work out what they think one will do for me. BTW the place I am taking it to is called Auckland Performance Tuning in Papakura.

Cheers

Grant: I hope you are removing the AFM and using a MAP or MAF instead??

From what I gather the Unichip should be able to output a (modified to suit) signal from either that the ECU can use.

Also, is it fuel only?? Or ignition too??

I am pretty sure that it is fuel and ignition as well. I am meeting with them on Thursday, and they will run through it all.

Basically I am looking at the same engine set up as described in the Total BMW E30 2.7l article. In that they retain the stock AFM.

I'll let you know the results from it after Thursday (however he said that they are pretty busy and nothing could actually happen until January anyway).

On Thursday he is going to have a look and stick my car on the dyno - he said that he should know what is needed from there - but is confident that the Unichip should be able to sort out my big problem (the leaning out at higher revs).

Also, sorry Biship, this has been a bit of a Thread Hijacking....but hopefully this info is useful to you too.

Cheers

[Biship 14]

LOTS of ppl like Jim C's chips. If you not willing to spend a min of $2K for a piggyback, tuning and dyno - I'd go for Jim's chips. Id never believe the numbers tho. The car will prolly feel smoother and your butt dyno will read good. But you'll never see 24 horsies. Good luck getting a 5hp. Bimmer.org has hundreds of posts on Jim C's chips.

But for me, with loads of mods, there is no way i'd get a replacement chip or even a reprogrammable one. Im not even keen on the piggybacks as there are some things you have no control over.

I'm still leaning towards the Motec, but think I'll settle on a Link+. I've got the names of 4 ppl that can install and tune on the Waikato/Auckland area. I'll post them later.

Gus - yeah its the 2.7eta and crank & rods. Idles poorly on the 149cc injectors. In a week I'll have the 315cc injectors in and let you know how it is. Hope to get a ems in around the same time.

Grant - If going to 2.7 (and the mods associated with) increases hp, then the 149cc injectors just won't cut it. They will prolly run at 100% duty cycle when pulling hard. See http://www.rceng.com/technical.htm The 149cc injectors will get you a max of ~169 crank hp @80% duty cycle.

Anyone done this AFM swap? http://www.davelength.net/car/bigsix.html

Seems like a nice alternative to a MAF.

[Grant 4]

Gus - yeah its the 2.7eta and crank & rods. Idles poorly on the 149cc injectors. In a week I'll have the 315cc injectors in and let you know how it is. Hope to get a ems in around the same time.

Grant - If going to 2.7 (and the mods associated with) increases hp, then the 149cc injectors just won't cut it. They will prolly run at 100% duty cycle when pulling hard. See http://www.rceng.com/technical.htm  The 149cc injectors will get you a max of ~169 crank hp @80% duty cycle.

Anyone done this AFM swap? http://www.davelength.net/car/bigsix.html

Seems like a nice alternative to a MAF.

The 2.7 build article in Total BMW, states that you don't need to change the injectors, and even says that the Alpina C2 2.7 uses the stock 325i injectors, and this is good for 210hp. I tend to believe Alpina and have faith in what what they have done (and have a proven record in) ahead of other people.

Also Bob Homewood (a race car and car tuning guru) told me that the standard injectors are fine for a 2.7 build.

Also the article says not to change to the M30 AFM, and that you will actually lose power doing this. The mag says that the next step is to use an E36 Mass Meter to replace the AFM.

I have no plans to modify my car any more then the current 2.7 set up, so a piggy back unichip should do fine. However if you were planning any major mods, then I think a replacement ECU is the best idea (like a Link+).

Cheers