bojangs

here's the setup
virtually stock itr motor in an eg.
only power adders are skunk2 cams & sprokets, i/e/h (jdm 4-1)
i'm running an obd1 pr3 (yes pr3, not p30.. very rare jdm ecu) currently. i really want to get this thing tuned but can't decide whether to tune with just my sprokets & sfc or whether i should chip the computer and then tune? the whole computer chipping thing seems a bit overrated to me.. sure you get a higher rev limiter and richer fuel maps, but everyone says afterwards they have to go through and lean out the rpm band anyways.. so what's the point? is it really worth it? just for the rev limit increase and a more 'aggressive' baseline? just seems like the fuel that the ecu chipping added could've been added with a fuel controller in the first place.. any thoughts?

unfortunately i don't have the money for an engine management system which is what i'd love to do, so i'd just like some opinions on where i should go from here.. should i just run the stock computer and use my fields for the tuning or should i look into a chip? i've heard alot of good things about the mugen proggy, but i hate the fact that it ignores the knock sensor.. does the skunk2 proggy ignore the knock as well?

thanks for any suggestions..

91sifreak

I have this very same question, should you go with a vafc or something like or chip the ecu?

rioninja

I say chip the ecu. You will probably need a little higher rev limit for that cam package anyhow. Most ecu programs are supposed to be good matches for an engine with bolt ons, so a nice program should give you a better starting point if your gonna tune with a sfc. Plus, theres the more agressive timing maps.

One thing i was thinking though, has anyone tried using a fuel controller to get better readings on the emmissions machine? I was thinking about leaning out the idle a little bit... i wonder if that would work.

bojangs

now i've heard the same thing.. "more aggressive timing maps".. tell me excately what that means. if you set your timing via the distributor, then dial in your cams, and readjust distributor timing, isn't that it? does your computer really make any alterations to the timing other than what the knock sensor may retard.. which on these chipped computers would be ignored anyways?? is that what makes it more "aggressive?" no knock interferance whatsoever?

92CivicSiR

I would say chip the ECU also. If you plan on during more extensive upgrades in the future, then the ECU will help a lot more in the long run. If you already have the afc then you chip it, tune it down a little(or to where ever you need it) then you have that much more room on the top end of the computers capacity to tune down the road after more mods come.

91sifreak

this was great, this weekend this friend of mine has a b16a powered crx and he has a spoon chipped ecu. He had some issue and we traded ecu's for a minute to see what was going on. Well put it in and my engine erupted, i had all kinds of diffrence in and before vtec, after we raced and it pulled a little on his car which used to pull on me, and then we put the ecu's back stock pr3 in mine and the car felt tame again. I GOT TA GET ONE, thanks stinkalope.