Reflash ECU on WRX???

[robarri]

Going to be buying a WRX soon, and heard that a Reflash of the ECU is absoutley necessary, Not really looking for horsepower gains just some honest advice.

Thanks

[JWT]

it is necessary because it helps the car run much better and adapt to our local piss gas. It helps the car out alot and at the same time help with gas and the overall performance of the vehicle

I say this because i know you will be hitting the X very hard very often and i prefer saving the engine as oppose to breaking it

[robarri]

Thanks man, now next question, Who can do it and about how much does it cost???

[STi-N]

Ecutek
$5500+ for initial tune

[scooby]

is the same price for my legacy?

and where is Ecutek

[STi-N]

located in south
681-8605
jason

[riderz]

There are guys doing opensource. lot cheaper but you would not get the guarentee of ECUTEK.lol

you could also DIY buy a cable get a map from someone who tuned their car and flash it to yours. Would work out a lot cheaper. The cables cost about US$90

[Alpha_2nr]

Thanks man, now next question, Who can do it and about how much does it cost???

For a stock SDM WRX, a reflash isn't a necessity so to speak, as the car runs pretty much ok on pump gas. Tuning will harness your engine's potential....and ensure that you car will not knock on pump gas.

Ecutek is one option.

Or.....

Since your car is most likely going to be close to stock, why not just buy yourself a Tactrix Reflash cable, and you can download a generic map from sites like Osecuroms (they do opensource maps). They have pretty good maps, and they have been tried and tested....exhaustively, on a variety of setups. With the use of the free ROMRaider software, and the cable, you can reflash yourself, heck.....you can even read and check codes, datalog etc yourself as well.

That should cost you 1/5th the price of ecutek. I've tried both ecutek and opensource, and they both work great.

[robarri]

Thanks Man Knight! Sounds good.

[Alpha_2nr]

^^Glad to help. Be sure to let us know how it goes

[Suby]

do NOT use opensource.i guarantee u it is the source of a broken engine

[robarri]

Please, elaborate??!

Some more infor would be helpful Suby.

[Alpha_2nr]

do NOT use opensource.i guarantee u it is the source of a broken engine

So why is over 60% of the tuning community in the US using it (other main competitior is COBB)? I'd love to know why it's the guarantee of a broken engine also....having used Opensource on a daily driver for over a year.

Perhaps Suby had an "improper custom tune" done, or maybe a variety of other factors (you'd be surprised what could cause that)....which may have led to that failure.

My first tune was done on Opensource by a tuner out of B'bdos. Excellent stuff....really woke the car up.....a conservative tune....gained about 15 whp at a minimum, at stock boost. The same opensource software IIRC, is being used extensively by Evo guys also......folks like R. Mutt can give you the run down on that aspect,

Since that, I've tried Osecuroms custom maps, w/ no complaints, and Ecutek as well. They are all functionally the same, with the difference being cost primarily (along with each tuner having his own..."style" of tuning).

My 0.02c, take a read on international forums like clubwrx.net, nasioc.com, or others.....see what folks over there are using... sign up and ask questions. It's the best thing you can do.

[Suby]

trinidad has no proper tuner for opensource

which one of those have you tried has the better tuning?

[Alpha_2nr]

^^I can't really compare them 1 on 1, as both were done slightly different setups, and at different boost levels.

What I can say though, is that relative to the starting point for each method of tune, both provided noticeable power gains (via "butt dyno" ) and on real dyno numbers as well.

trinidad has no proper tuner for opensource

Unless your car has a wild setup, the osecurom maps are worth looking into. But truthfully....yes.....Ecutek does have the most "support" base locally, so to speak.

[R. Mutt]

do NOT use opensource.i guarantee u it is the source of a broken engine

So why is over 60% of the tuning community in the US using it (other main competitior is COBB)? I'd love to know why it's the guarantee of a broken engine also....having used Opensource on a daily driver for over a year.

Perhaps Suby had an "improper custom tune" done, or maybe a variety of other factors (you'd be surprised what could cause that)....which may have led to that failure.

My first tune was done on Opensource by a tuner out of B'bdos. Excellent stuff....really woke the car up.....a conservative tune....gained about 15 whp at a minimum, at stock boost. The same opensource software IIRC, is being used extensively by Evo guys also......folks like R. Mutt can give you the run down on that aspect,

Since that, I've tried Osecuroms custom maps, w/ no complaints, and Ecutek as well. They are all functionally the same, with the difference being cost primarily (along with each tuner having his own..."style" of tuning).

My 0.02c, take a read on international forums like clubwrx.net, nasioc.com, or others.....see what folks over there are using... sign up and ask questions. It's the best thing you can do.

I agree with Knight1, it's simply a matter of finding someone who is familiar enough with the worflow to ecuflash tuning. The opensource software is capable of doing about 95% of what EcuTek and Cobb offer...it's a matter of doing your own research of finding someone already ahead of the curve to help/tune you.

[riderz]

Knight1 is giving good advice there. Opensourse is not witchcraft as some people would like to suggest. Its a matter of eliminating knock to save the engine and then adding some power once you get in that safe zone.

Ecutec uses the same method of tuning as opensource all and except that they added some additional coding to make tuning easier for the agent. They also back their stuff and provide a lot of R&D so as not to have customer failures. Remember ecutek broke engine after engine in their labs to get a perfect map. Local tuners dont have such a facility.

Suby (member since 4 May 2008 ) seems to have a bias or a strong position against opensourse. To start with there is no such thing as a opensourse tuner. You have tuners, fullstop. Some tuners can only use opensourse some can tune on many other platforms and opensourse. All tuning is the same, manipulation of fire, air and fuel.

Opensourse tuning doesnt break engines. Subarus are very prone to two things. One is spun bearings due to lack of proper servicing (bad oil) and the other is broken pistons. The latter a direct result of a bad AFR mixture or very high compression vs igntion.

So to agree with knight1, look around talk to people who have results. Right here, Scoobytnt.com, or Subytuners.com you would find articles on opensourse. To tell you the truth if you can afford it go ECUTEK. If you looking for safe tune or willing to learn how to tune your car yourself examine opensourse.

BTW you also have other aftermarket options, such as Hydra, AEM etc.

[Redeyeblueeye]

...it's a matter of doing your own research of finding someone already ahead of the curve to help/tune you.

Lol

I really like this one

[Go Fast]

do NOT use opensource.i guarantee u it is the source of a broken engine

rubbish.

How does ECUTEK even get it's maps designed? hmmmm? i wonder if they put it on a toy car and and then slap it in on a real one?.......


You Stupid Trinis out there., stop fighting down every new thing u see.
Regress is what u ppl love......not so? Everything results in a negative silly comment leave the people and their business be. Everyone knows about opensource, and ECUTEK.

People who doh even sheit on trinituner are attaining gains that some ppl here can't even get with ECUTEK using opensource.



ECUTEK is great...no lie, Opensouce is just as good, as WhiteGDA says, 95%

it's up to u. But don't get taken away by the factions who want..ONLY ECUTEK, and ONLY OPENSOURCE.
Decide for yourself by seeing things for yourself, taking into consideration setups of each car, ie .parts added, type of fuel used etc.

[riderz]

Go Fast, suby is STI. He has been trying to start flamewars on all the sites. He thinks as he as an ecutek forester he has the fastest car in Trinidad. Lol.

Dont take him on, he knows nothing.

ECUTEK is a company that reflashes ECUs. They added extra logic to the ECU programming buts its the same thing.

OPENSOURSE is just a process of copying the ECU maps to a PC, changing values and copying it back the ECU. Same process of ECUTEK but no extra logic added.

The extra logic I refer to gives some limited live tuning, boost switching and Launch Control.

Opensourse only has limited live tuning and launch control now. Boost switching underdevelopment.

ECUTEK comes with some guareentee that engine would not fail because of the tune. Engine failures have happened in Trinidad on ECUTEK cars but causes are not related.

Other Opensourse tuning does not have the guareentee.

ECUTEK would not push the limit of the engine performance parameters.

Opensourse may (depends on tuner)

ECUTEK (T&T) limited to 1 agent so far

Opensourse many tuners available, guys who making good power (more than ecutek) without failures.