Whats up guys. Im in the middle of a mini-me swap adding vtec in the form of a d16z6 head on an a6 block. Question is in regards to hooking up a controller for the vtec. No, im not looking at an ebay POS one, but was leaning towards an Apexi VAFC Vtec Controller. Problem is, I dont have the ecu for the z6. So can I use thr controller to activate the solenoid while monitoring the other systems? And if so, how would you hook it up? Thanks in advance

 

there is a way

 

Yes but the fuel maps will be wrong when the vtec hits and it will run very lean. you can correct this with a VAFC but without a wideband o2 sensor its going to be difficult to do. I have a VAFC installed in my car and I would suggest spending the money on a P28 and not the VAFC. its not really worth it.

 

Ok sweet thanks a bunch. I heard that some guy even just had a switch on his shifter to actuate the vtec, but i have a feeling thats not the right way...lol. I could get my hands on the original ecu for the z6 if need be, would that work with the vtec controller? It should according to the apexi manual, but I thought I haven't had to much experience with this, soo...?

 

p28 ecu is your answer and yes it will work with the vafc you'll have to go obd1 though

 

lol ya i was just doing some more research and discovered that. Was hopin to avoid converting to OBD1, but whatevs. I managed to get the whole engine of the z6 from a friend(clutch was shot), so i actually have the z6 wiring harness which I believe to be OBD1, but we shall see. Will keep you posted as it comes time. For any of you with the VAFC, would you say it is worth it in regards to the control and tuning you have over the system?

 

i have one installed same set up p28 with vafc2 runs cool no problems i messed with the af ratios and it indee make a diff

 

Without a wideband o2 sensor any adjustments you do will be 100% guessing. Dyno time or forking out $200 for a wideband, on top of the VFAC cost are the only options to actually make power.

With that said I've seen many people use a VFAC to pull power out of a car. 10-15 WHP in some cases.

My personal reccomendation is to spend the same money and get the ECU chipped. any tuning shop can do it for $50-100 and it will accomplish the same goal and you wont have the VFAC sitting somewhere where thieves can see it.

 

he has a point well my vafc is clean from thieves and cops eyes i have it in my vents

 

vafc's are old technology. spend the money and do it right with a chipped and tuned ecu.

 

chipped ecu's are older technology than a vafc not to mention its a 20+ year old car ....and if he's a tinkerer the vafc is more fun until you blow your motor from running to lean

 

Lol thanks bro. So I kinda realized I may have set you all off on the wrong track. The way I was hoping to do this was without an ECU swap, and just kind of control the vtec manually. And thats what I was hoping to get out of the VAFC in addition to being able to monitor my sensors and tune etc. So here is the question: is it possible to run the VAFC on the stock a6 ECU(and use the VAFC to adjust the fuel), and have it control the vtec? Just a thought...

 

It is totally possible and can be done safely, however I would HIGHLY recommend getting a chipped OBD0 ecu and adding the vtec, if you must stay obd0.

The VAFC way is full of guess work like I said before, and you run the risk of running the motor to lean and cooking the pistons.

 

ok sweet! Lol, ya gotta love that classy OBD0... That makes total sense though so thank you. In that case, I should let in on the idea that were thinking about a turbo kit next summer. In such case, should we just wait on the chipped ecu until then when we can get all the electronics dialed down perfect?

 

vafc is a bad idea for pretty much anything. Vtec increases power in 3 ways. The first is obviously cam lobe change, the second is fuel map changes, and the third is IGNITION MAP CHANGES. The vafc will not make any ignition changes, hence you will always be on "low cam" timing map.