Im new the civics so im lost... I got a EJ8 and just swapped a JDM B16A SiR2 w/ a p30 ecu in it. Im starting my homework now so i can build the engine. Right now i have the basic bolt-ons (Air intake, Headers and Catback). But im ready to start building it up somewhat. Its still gonna be a daily driver, just a fun ride to work.

My question is im looking at upgrading cam gears, cams, intake manifold, fuel rail, injectors and a Vtec controller. Now majority of these items will be skunk2. But im stuck at what is a good Vtec controller? Spoon, Apexi, Fields, Buddyclub... But i also need it to be user friendly. Will i need to get it tuned? This will be the first car i went all out on the motor, so yes im a NEWBEE. Anything would help... Thanks in advance.

 

Don't bother getting one at all. If you're going to go aggressive with the cams, then get a real engine management system and get the car tuned.

 

I concur. You're not going to notice much good out of a Vtec Controller. Get it running strong with a nice tune and you won't have to worry about user friendlyness or decent brands

 

I planned on doing Skunk2 tuner series cams stage 1... there not that aggresive.

 

No matter. I would not use a VTEC controller when you already have one in the car; the ECU. The ECU can do more than turn VTEC on and off. It also allows for timing and fuel changes. Don't waste your money on a box. Pay to get your ECU socketed and get the car tuned right.

 

okay i'll go through the ecu... but should I go piggyback or standalone? I need one that's good for beginners. I also need to find a shop here that can tune it. if I had a shop here that tuned civics then I wouldn't have so many questions.

 

Get your Ecu chipped. Or buy an already chipped ecu. The tuner can put any base map on it to start and then further tweak it to make your engine the most reliable/powerful.

 

Okay so again im a beginner here... So terms like chipped and socketed i understand but dont know how to go about getting it done. Like i said b4 there is no place here locally that tunes hondas. The closes place i found was about a hour away in Smyrna, TN and they work on muscle cars. I'm waiting on a call back from the shop that did my swap... the mechanic is out sick, he probably will be able to do the work but i dont know for sure. Just doin my homework.

What about hondata? Are they user friendly? Easy to install? Are you ruuning it and what is your opinion?

 

The factory builds the ECU with the correct fuel, ignition maps, sensor inputs etc. and all of this is stored on the ECU. When you "chip" an ECU, you're physically soldering a socket onto the ECU board into which a chip will plug into. This chip becomes the new memory that the ECU will communicate with. The person who chips your ECU for you will also likely be the one who burns new fuel/ign. maps onto the chip.

You can buy already chipped ECU's on the internet on eBay or on Phearable.net. Phearable will have an indepth form to fill out with all your engine specs and they will try and give you the best base map for your setup. This base map is usually enough to make sure the engine runs and not necessarily to take it around the block and beat it.

You need to get it tuned. IMHO, the B16 is pretty good already. Unless you're going turbo, I'd save all this N/A money for another project.