I just bought a new hondata 3b for my integra. I'm up to speed on using hondata and I realize the ease of tuning...etc...

I have a chance to buy a used dfi for about $450 including laptop. This is the older gen, with the dos based software. I read a bit on accel's site and the installation looks a bit complicated with crank angle sensors, distributer wiring...etc....

I'm not really sure if this is a bit more than I can chew. Does anybody here have any input on this decision? I really like the idea of tuning on the fly and none of this burning chip and emulation crap so I think either way I'm going to be selling the hondata and buying something else, motec, haltec, dfi, ems...etc...

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Tuning in real time in nice, but how much tuning are you going to do to the car once you set it up on the dyno?

When I set-up my car I didnt touch the program till I pulled the engine out a few months later.

I had haltech, nothing but headaches and programs. The reliability went down the drain on the car. I tried for a solid month to have it start and idle well. No matter what I did I coudnt get the idle maps to work well at all. The haltech was basic, and very easy to use. I still have nightmares trying to get the crank and idle maps worked out.

For a street car, simplicity is the key. I dont think "standalones" get much simplier in terms of hondata.

 

DFI much better IMO ... just wiring and tuning is not for the everyday joe ... but you'll learn.

$450 with laptop ? if you don't buy it, send the seller my way, very interested.

greg

 

Basically how it goes.

 

wiring and tuning is a little harder for the avg joe.
450 for laptop, old dfi brain and harness? WOW Cheap!

 

I set up prophet's car (97 civic hatchback) with the s200 system. Using the new software (rom editor 3.0), I let the hondata make up the base map for the injectors. The basemap was so on that his car cranks and idled perfect on 680cc injectors the FIRST TIME. 10 minutes later we strapped it down on the dyno, and within 8 dyno pulls I netted him 250whp and 195 ft-lbs on 5.5lbs of boost. BTW, he is getting 26~28 mpg off boost with partial throttle maps that I never got to touch.

 

idling and starting up shouldn't be a problem with hondata becuase it's already pre-defined for you from the basemap which is made by honda.

i like how you switched out "Haltech" from boosted hybrid's post and put in "hondata".

Sorry to hear about your mishaps with hondata.

 

lol, Does anybody know the specifics on distributer (non-vtec obd1) modifications and the whole crank angle sensor thing ? with the dfi

 

Actually, all bullshit aside, the hondata works good. I just got tired of screwing with the romeditor --blue screen of death--, burning chips, various quarks with the full throttle shift, the lack of tech support that hondata gives you.....and I mean a serious lack of tech support.

I have ran my fastest time on the hondata, never dyno'd but I did go high 12's on a stock hurt motor with it.

I decided to run EMS just cause it has sooo much more tuning capabilitles then hondata will ever be able to give you. Plus, eventually I will surpass the tuning abilities the hondata will give by adding NO2 maps into the action and a bunch of other configurable options like coil on plug and so forth.

Hondata is nice for the person who wants to spend a little more money then an AFC and doesnt have the ability to tune himself. Also wants to "just boost it a use it" -- another words, doesnt want to be able to play with the car on a daily basis.
I want somehting that can be changed on the fly....if I want to change a simple parameter like fuel pressure and have no problems at all, unlike hondata you cant do this without spending 15 minutes on it.

 

Thats why I want a standalone, I'm going to be at the track every weekend with a tank full of race gas, screwing around with it all the time. I just don't want to spend a bunch of money having to replace the ignition system, distributer, crank blah blah...., I'm not sure what else is needed for an install

 

legend i need the same info let me know if you have any thnx

 

does any body know how to modify the distributor ??????thats all i need got everything else

 

add ons: Can the DOS calmap software be upgraded to the windows based and still work on the silver boxes? I was about to email them about this.

and can either gen dfi control staged injectors?

 

To my knowledge the first gen only runs in dos, and I believe they only run batch. But don't take my word for the batch though.
If I could give my opinion on the matter, I had my car wired up with the DFI Gen 7 about 3 months ago. I can honestly say that I am very happy with the unit just because my car idles and the ac works. Driveability is pretty much like stock, and getting it like that was the hardest part (thank's to Mike at DFI). Never the less if I had to do it all over again, I would most likely go with Hondata due to the success rate and ease of instaliation and so forth. For me I yse my car as a daily driver and a weekend racer so Hondata should have been my first choice. But like I said above the DFI Gen 7 is great.
Good luck!

 

no, dos is fine, I was just wondering if the software could be upgraded without shipping box back.

And batch fire will be fine too, but I think I'm gonna have a high idle. Other than that I like the system, I've played around with it and its easy.
I love DTA better though, if anyone has heard of them

 

Greg, I know you had a great time with your old DFI on the frog, but the DFI is worthless compared to Hondata. They do not interpolate their values - I could get better results running my CRX on a V-AFC hack, fat injectors, GM 3 bar MAP, and fiddling a PM6/PR4 ECU with Ghettodyne. The map resolutions are about the same, but the DFI's output is stepped which frankly sucks when compared to 15yo Honda ECUs that most the people on this forum wouldn't own.

http://www.hondata.com/ecucomparison.html speaks for itself.

I know there are limitations to Hondata when you're in some of the people here's shoes, and I ******* hate the chip burners they insist on using I'll never own one. But you have to give a little respect where respect is due.