adi2009 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I ve been comparing the specs of the new Link Plus G3 Vs the Autronic SM4. What are the general opinions of the two ECU's??? Link Plus G3 http://www.tfelectronics.com.au/PageFiles/linkecu.html Autronic SM4 http://www.autronicforums.com/models.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel lane Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 forget the link go AEM...Now there people who know how to program the units correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 In the right hands ECUs are all pretty much the same, obviously certain features differ but at the end of the day they are just basic fuel computers. Choose your mapper and then the ECU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I believe the Autronic has a Peak/Hold injector driver built in that makes it superior to the AEM and possibly the Link G3 on injector control (a farirly makor part of any ECU!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 forget the link go AEM...Now there people who know how to program the units correctly. On what grounds? I'm getting tired with people making unsubstantiated statements. Don't get me wrong here the AEM may well be a better option but shouldn't we be discussing why this is so that people can make an informed choice themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I believe the Autronic has a Peak/Hold injector driver built in that makes it superior to the AEM and possibly the Link G3 on injector control (a farirly makor part of any ECU!) Only on low impedance injectors though, the AEM and Links work fine on high impedance direct drop ins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny g Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 The best thing, which I always go by, is to speak to your preferred mapper and then find out what they recommend. Ultimately, they will know more than you and can offer a solution for your configuration. If I spoke to someone who I trusted and they said Link, I'd go Link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 If I spoke to someone who I trusted and they said Link, I'd go Link. But what if that person only has experience of a limited amount of products and might not have access / knowledge of a potentially superior setup due to their own failings as a mapper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt k Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 If i go standalone i will buy a Motec m600:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian C Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 ECUs are like football teams or religion. It's bizarre. Michel, I'm disappointed in you of all people making such a statement I know Ryan rather likes the Link G3 for a start. TDR likes his MAPII ECU, I like the E-Manages, we've all got proven cars running on them... It's a bit like arguing which OS you use to host a web server to host your website. If it's in and set up right, the end result is the same regardless of which you choose... -Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Why so little support for the SM4 unit, I've heard some VERY positive things about it, and Sheady is by all accounts a rather competent mapper with the units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny g Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 But what if that person only has experience of a limited amount of products and might not have access / knowledge of a potentially superior setup due to their own failings as a mapper? But isn't that then your own fault for not researching your mapper of choice properly (i.e. feedback and reputation)? 99% of all standalones in todays market will achieve the same results - just the people who use them are better than others. A ECU and map combination is only as good as the mapper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 But isn't that then your own fault for not researching your mapper of choice properly (i.e. feedback and reputation)? 99% of all standalones in todays market will achieve the same results - just the people who use them are better than others. Feeback and reputation based on what though? Hype? Results that could potentially be better if you used another solution but are considered acceptable because they improve on the previous ones? Ultimately what matters is that the customer is happy with the results but I don't think it's unfair to question people when they throw out a blanket statement like "X is the best" without any justification. If the answer is because it's what they or their mapper prefer or know how to use then so be it but people should state that. A ECU and map combination is only as good as the mapper. ...and any potential limitations imposed by the hardware and software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonB Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 It's not true that all ECUs are the same. Although the basic idea of setting timing and fueling is the same they all have different features and capabilities. For example, some can only control low or high impedance injectors and some can be configured to do either. Some support certain types of sensor and not others. Some only do wasted spark ignition. That affects whether you need extra things like resistor packs, DLI drivers etc. The build quality and reliability also varies (althouth you tend to find lots of hearsay and not much actually first hand experience here). Also, some are supported more generally my mappers than others. The Autronic for example is supposedly a great bit of kit, but pretty much only Mark Sheady supplies and maps it. He's apparently very good, but what happens if he's miles away, or shuts down for some reason, or is too busy to fit you in? Like anything, you need to do your research. Find out the features and capabilities of each and how that fits in with your setup and aims, what the advantages and disadvantages are, find out who maps them, how they work etc. For example some mappers map only on the road which I personally don't think is the best way - I think you should map on a dyno and then trim and fine tune on the road. It's too simplistic to just say "find a mapper and do what they say". Would you just trust a tuner blindly to make whatever mods they think? I certainly wouldn't, I want to know the engineering behind things, why you are doing something and what the consequences will be. When you are informed you can actually make sensible decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muffleman Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I'm not yet decided on the ECU I wish to promote, but it needs to be one that is competent, robust and reliable. I do like the AEM but all the AEM is is a GEMS unit, interestingly so is the OMEX - I have to put an OMEX 710 on a Marcos Mantis 4.6 GT this week and although not plug n play, it does have a built in MAP sensor and comes in quite a bit cheaper than the AEM, so watch this space But I too have heard reasonable things about the Autronic, so might have to look into that in some detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny g Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Feeback and reputation based on what though? Hype? Results that could potentially be better if you used another solution but are considered acceptable because they improve on the previous ones? Feedback based on proven results from people you trust. Ultimately what matters is that the customer is happy with the results but I don't think it's unfair to question people when they throw out a blanket statement like "X is the best" without any justification. I agree, blanket statements are bad. Justification is relative though - what is enough justification? ...and any potential limitations imposed by the hardware and software. A good mapper should justify his choice to you though. A hardware limitation of a unit might be something that does not interfere with your configuration, so therefore it's not really a limitation as such in this instance. There's so many ways of approaching this and you can't get everyone to agree on everything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jevansio Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 I chose my ECU based on recommendations from Michel Lane, it does the job brilliantly, I'm not saying that the Link or any other ECU couldn't do the job as well, all I know is my ECU has been one part of the car that has never let me down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel lane Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 the way i look at this situation is that all the cars that ryan has done for me using the aem has been 95 percent perfect, the extra 5 percent is based on every day driving ,this is then revield later and adjusted accordingly. I look on the basis that the AEM works well with all my cars that we have put together. Having knowledge of the unit after it has been tuned and to do the fine adjustments helps alot. This is my views on the ecu that i use for my cars and clients. everyone has there own views but this works great for me , so why change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel lane Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Also the other thing is, has anyone tuned and standalone for an auto car and made sure that the gearchange is like stock ??... all the standalone units that i have encountered have not succeeded in running the autotransmission without using the stock ecu to control the changes. As yet i havent seen a standalone that does this apart from the AEM. Ryan and myself have spent a large amount of time to make sure the shifting is like stock, i guess thats why i prefer AEM's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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