kalieaire

AEM Forums - Support 240sx EMS

Voice your opinions, show AEM that there's a growing market and we would like support from them for a cheap, programmable, and plug in play ecu system for the 240sx for the sr20det and especially the KA24DE(T)!!!

Go Ahead and register and give'em your 2 cents!

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'93 240sx coupe
'93 taurus wagon
-kalieaire (maybe grinder too on special occasions)

transient

Eh, just go PowerFC. Apex`i's better anyway.

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WhiteNissanS13

yeam im not a big fan of AEM i like apex'i better.

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kalieaire

Why do you think the PFC is better??? (just wondering, I want to see why you, and others, like it)

PFC cannot autotune with WBO2.
PFC does not have 2 step rev limiter for drag racing.
PFC does not have ANTI-LAG.
PFC does not have Traction Control.
PFC does not have detailed mapping without power excel programming.
PFC does not have a soft rev limiter(ignition cut vs fuel cut).
PFC does not have a built in datalogger.
PFC does not automatically retard ignition under detonation.
PFC does not have wet dry nitrous control.
PFC does not have 16 general purpose outputs to program custom accessories.
PFC does not have 7 definable switch inputs(imagine ac or even 7 diff boost setups).
PFC isn't pimp like AEM EMS.

just those lists that make me wanna go either haltech or aem ems.

if AEM made one for the 240sx, just imagine, no wiring mess for ka24det. Unless of course you're doing an SR20det swap, that'd be the only thing you'd have to worry about for wiring. but the main harness is easy stuff anyway.

if you're doing street performance and not for super numbers, this setup is just a little nicer because you can forget the need of dyno tuning.

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'93 240sx coupe
'93 taurus wagon
-kalieaire (maybe grinder too on special occasions)

RBBaby

I been sayin it for months, AEM's new EMS is the best ECU you can get for its price, bar none, hands down, no comparison.

transient

Well mainly, I just don't like AEM. Do you think they'd ever make an ECU for the CA18DET? No, I don't think so.

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kalieaire

I agree, AEM will most likely not put out an ecu for the ca18det.

But compared to the CA18det, how many sr20dets(red tops in particular) and ka24des are there in America??

Do you have any reasons in particular for disliking AEM?

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'93 240sx coupe
'93 taurus wagon
-kalieaire (maybe grinder too on special occasions)

kalieaire

That's not entirely true. AEM doesn't offer much by the way of support. Most of the support done are by end users that make use of their forums. Which isn't actually so bad afterall. But the "claimed" pnp usage of the AEM EMS isn't like the PFC in which it comes with basemaps that will work with your stock car.

The AEM EMS may have basemaps, but these basemaps suck, they're basically enough to get your engine to turn on and get atop the dyno and then have it tuned. It is definitely not enough to drive it around on the street or anything like that.

The AEM EMS should be compared to if anything a pnp version of the Haltech E11, which I might say is a terrific unit. But the Haltech is just that, it doesn't have basemaps either.

Where the EMS and E11 shine is in full tunability, vs the PFC with very few options.

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'93 240sx coupe
'93 taurus wagon
-kalieaire (maybe grinder too on special occasions)

Kookaburraz

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transient

Mmm, "like" is really the wrong word. I should have said trust. I suppose I just don't have enough experience with them, and I really haven't seen many people go with their products at all. At this point, I just don't think there's enough information out there for me to feel entirely comfortable using their products. Now, your previous post listing the benefits of the EMS system is good information, and if I keep hearing more about them, I'd be more likely to purchase something from them. An ecu is quite an expensive piece to start with though

And Kookaburraz: may I ask what part of my post caused the eye roll?

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Kookaburraz

The "Mainly I just don't like AEM."

Also, using the likely fact that they'll not make an ECU for an engine that is rarely used in one chassis from one company in the entire aftermarket industry as some strike against them...weak man.

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240racer

I don't really like AEM either, they make tons of stupid anodized aluminum parts for riced out hondas. However, they make one of the best plug and play ECU's for any car. I have two friends running their ecu, one on a talon and the other on a supra. All of us have had exerience with MoTec, which is the other main recommended high end stand alone.

I really would like them to make a plug and play for the 240sx, but I don't think they ever will. Also, I don't know if it's worth it, the car isn't really capable of all that much power and if you start spending that much money, you better be making some serious power. I'll probably just go with the 2JZ by then.

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Adam
'89 coupe KA24DE+T
14.1 @ 104 MPH

'88 Celica All-Trac turbo
stock, but no more ecu codes!!

kalieaire

trust, ok, i can understand with that. you give me something to work with i'll give you some reasonable too.

I agree, AEM is a fledgling company, not in the parts business but rather the electronics section. They don't make a lot of electronics. Enthalpy from Secret Services in Flordia (I might add he's -real- good at tuning sr20s) dislikes AEM greatly for the fact that their ecus are buggy.

AEM started out with a lot of bugs, i might add in their defense, so did everyone else.

But the unit itself is sound, the electronics are GOOD. Just like with any other ecu. The only problems that lie are 2.

1) The software
2) Lack of good basemaps

The first part, Software. It's crappy, it's buggy, windows can crash, and some of the items don't work, and there's so many functions that you can run yourself ragged and really screw up a running setup by messing or playing with them especially if you don't know how they work and how they work in the current running situation of your engine.

diff parameters act differently when your car is cold, warm, running, idling, cruising, under wot, and under partial throttle. Enthalpy also hates the injector control parameters vs haltech's e11(which does it via injector duty).

---Here's my defense for that. Software is upgradeable. Notice how AEM calls their current software "AEM PRO Version 1.0".

1.0, that means it's the first version and very first revision. comeon, that means they're gonna come out with a new one right? I would agree with that inference. At least, I'd like to hope AEM makes a lot of money and adds a lot of techs to the company to work on stuff. But also, there is actually a large user base for the Honda systems, supra systems, and rx7 systems. There are ALWAYS a lot of people working on their own time for fun to figure out this system. As the quirks rise, they'll be noted and can be referenced for everyone out to see and understand and give new users an idea of the whole system.

Instead of looking at it as a big unknown, this comes to my second point.

2) Lack of Good basemaps. AEM either owns or borrows RX7's, Civics, Supras, and other cars. They use these to make their own basemaps, they use them to tune roughly to get their engines up. For cars that they actually own, like the Toyota Supra, they can tune themselves and offer basemaps that they can offer in the package. Everything else for upgraded setups are in the forums.

These basemaps aren't great for all the other cars, if anything, they offer just a basepoint to turn on your car and begin to dyno tune with a wideband o2 sensor. As time passes, AEM EMS will have more base maps and for different setups, even stock ones.

This is cool, you know why?

When you get JWT To tune your ecu, you only have a few choices for nitrous, turbo or anything else. IT's whatever JWT has that you MUST have too. with the AEM EMS, you can screw around as much as you want, play with it as much as you want, all you need is either dyno time, or your own Wide Band o2 sensor to autotune. JWT requires you to send back and have the maps modified, again, and again, and again.

I like the idea of setting it up at my own home or taking it to the dyno to get it messed around with each time i change something. I have a job too, a hundred bucks for an hour of work on the dyno isn't something I hestitate with. It's something I expect as a part of tuning a car to run reliably.

Comparisons with the PFC. PFC only allows sections of 5x5 to be programmed. that's very rough. when you get to a Power Excel center, like XS Engineering, you can pay THEM to do all the work for you, they have dynos, ecu software, and importantly experience. But what if you know someone else that's cheaper, has experience, and dynos but none of the software? you're screwed and are left with the commander.

I don't like that.

Haltech is a winner, the only major things that set it aside from the EMS is that it doesn't have its own wiring harness. You gotta cut yours up and make one. I don't particularly like the idea, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it if and when I have to.

EMS is PnP, it's not plug in and forget. like most hardware you install into your computer, you gotta set it up, you gotta install drivers, you gotta choose the right setings.

EMS is not a beginner's ECU, but in the end, it's a good setup for the price and for what you get and what you save in time.

Why get PFC and an MSD ignition system when you can get it all with the AEM EMS, or the Haltech E11?


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Anyway, supporting for AEM to come out with an ecu has its good spots too, it can potentially saturate the market with ecus and bring down prices a smidge. If AEM's ecu's get more popular, prices will go down too and support will richen!!!

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'93 240sx coupe
'93 taurus wagon
-kalieaire (maybe grinder too on special occasions)

transient

Well, I hope I resolved that with my previous post.

Yes, now that you mention it, I agree with you. That's a personal bias that should not have been entered into the equasion.

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Learn everything you can, while you still have the chance.