# R34 GTR ECU options?



## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

Hi guys I need some advise on an after market ECU, I need to change my ECU as my current Mines one cannot be mapped by any UK tuners, what I wanted to know what you guys advise as a good upgrade? Most GTR seams to be running a Apexi Power FC or a HKS F-con Pro. Are there different types (models) of these ECU’s ? I want to be running approximately 600 BHP in the future with 2860 -5 in mind. what is a used Apexi Power FC (with out hand held controller) worth? as I am in the position of obtaining one.


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## pupsi (Aug 29, 2006)

For the Apexi PFC about £250--£350 without the hand controller but I would go for the HKS F-Con V-Pro if you can stretch the extra finance.


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## StretchGSK (Oct 24, 2006)

I have an F-Con so tend to agree with pupsi.

Nothing wrong with PFC but the F-Con is a superior piece of kit.
Only downside is that you cannot program it yourself.


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks for the advise I think I am going to go for the Power FC as you can change values on it yourself, are there different types/models of the Power FC? From what I can see there is a D-Jetro model and a standard Power FC? (Correct me if I'm wrong) if so what are the differences?


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

The D-Jetro model uses Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensors where as the L-Jetro (the "normal" PowerFC) uses Air Flow Meters. If you're not going for BIG power, I'd stick with the normal L-Jetro. You can always change the standard AFM's for Z32/300ZX-TT ones, as these have a larger diameter and are selectable in the PowerFC.

Marc


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## Red R Racing (Aug 22, 2009)

I run a Vi-PEC ecu in my 9.4 sec street GTR...truely awesome product.

I had a Power FC and an Autronic, both these items struggled to run the car nicely. The drivability suffered badly as the engine runs massive cams and injectors, single throttle body, big intercooler and plenum.

The Vi-PEC runs the engine like a dream, idle control on these things is also superb.


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

The V88 is an ECU I'd look into if I ever have to change for some reason.
I've got the distributor for Germany around the corner (EvolutionVI on here), but I'm unsure of support for it in the UK?

Marc


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

I'm looking to upgrade my turbos to 2860-5 want to run about 600 BHP will I need to change my AMF's to Z32/300ZX-TT?
Most tuner seam to recommend the the Power FC or F-Con pro not sure about the support with the V88 it mite be simulator to the Mines ECU which no one in the UK will touch


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

I think so.

Marc


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## David (Apr 25, 2003)

How much is an F-Con V-Pro?


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## matty32 (Dec 18, 2005)

power fc for the cheapness


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

£1500 - £2000 approx,mapped depending on tuner for a R34 GTR.


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## Red R Racing (Aug 22, 2009)

bashman40 said:


> I'm looking to upgrade my turbos to 2860-5 want to run about 600 BHP will I need to change my AMF's to Z32/300ZX-TT?
> Most tuner seam to recommend the the Power FC or F-Con pro not sure about the support with the V88 it mite be simulator to the Mines ECU which no one in the UK will touch


Mark Shead from MA Developments is the UK distributor for Vi-PEC V88 ecu's. Very easy to tune...using Quick tune the fuel map tunes itself...look

YouTube - Vipec QuickTune

and this for something with a little more detail

YouTube - ViPEC Autotune Demonstrated by Lightspeed Innovations


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

I am considering the Vi-PEC ECU it is very impressive, Mark Shead from MA Developments wants £850 plus the VAT per unit. I think this will most likely be a better solution as you can map it yourself and you don't need to change the AMF's to Z32/300ZX-TT.


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## mattysupra (Oct 31, 2008)

i was under the impression that you are better to run a map sensor rather than AFM's when wanting 500+ bhp. 

1- they restrict airflow
2- they can cause turbo shuffle
3- if not changing the AFM's for Z32 etc then you need a map sensor as the standard airflow meters are maxed out at 500-550. 

Not sure if that is correct as different people have told me different things. 

I went out and purchased a HKS Pro to solve all problems. 

One other thing tho... Why would you want to map it yourself unless you REALLY know what your doing??


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

I'm not sure about the map sensor replacement I was told different things by different people also, I will probably end up getting the Z32 AFM's. And about the mapping you actually get the software and data lead to map it with the ECU (using Quick tune) so I think It is an option but to be safe I will just get it done from a tuner. Red R Racing did you map your GTR yourself? Would be interesting to know who has mapped a Vi-PEC ECU ? Anyone?


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## AlexH (Aug 17, 2008)

i had this exact same dilema, i have opted for a haltech platinum 2000 ecu, it uses a map sensor rather than afm's so no restriction's on the air flow
as for mapping it i am having it done for me but when i orderd it, it came with the lead from the haltech to a usb port on a laptop, it also came with the opperating software to download into a p.c and it uses the windows software
so all in all it's going to be a real easy system to tweek (not that i will be doing that)

also i beleive that the haltech system is a really easy system to use

but the down side was the price, it's in the HKS f-con money bracket (£1100) but it is a good system

just my 2p's worth 

alex


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## professor matt (Nov 1, 2005)

power fc is cheap and more than upto the job.ran my r34 with nismo afm's and 2530's and made 573whp @1.5bar


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## mattysupra (Oct 31, 2008)

best way maybe to look at it like this.....

Hks pro... 1200 + mapping (but you cant map yourself)

Apexi .... 600?? + afms £500?? = 1100 + mapping (hks being a faster better ecu, launch control, anti lag, switchable maps etc)


This new vipec .. £1100??? + mapping.... what else does it do? who can map it THAT KNOWS WHAT THERE DOING!!??? 

OR MOTEC .. ££££ The daddy that you can map yourself also. (leave the mapping to the pro tho)


Anyone want to add/correct that?


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

You can map the Apexi and the Vipec yourself, too.

I'm very unsure about it right now, but somewhere I read something about 140 Euros for one aftermarket Z32 AFM? New! Will try to look it up again.

Marc


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## mattysupra (Oct 31, 2008)

Stachi said:


> You can map the Apexi and the Vipec yourself, too.
> 
> I'm very unsure about it right now, but somewhere I read something about 140 Euros for one aftermarket Z32 AFM? New! Will try to look it up again.
> 
> Marc



You can map them all yourself apart from the hks pro.


That z32afm for that money will be one of them copys that dont work correct!


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

I don't know if they won't work correctly, thats just a price that was given me.

RB25DET Series 1 AFM's should also work.

I'm pretty happy with my PowerFC right now, I don't like the fact that you need special software/passwords/dongles and all this stuff. I don't have a HKS Pro Shop around if something gets lost.. 

Marc


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## M19 GTR (May 26, 2002)

pupsi said:


> For the Apexi PFC about £250--£350 without the hand controller but I would go for the HKS F-Con V-Pro if you can stretch the extra finance.



Point me to the direction were i can get the Power FC for this cheap, as the cheapest ive seen them is between £550 - £1000.

Tony


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

Thanks for your feedback guys I know my options now and will consider what ECU suits me best. I Appreciate all the feedback, recommendation and point of view shared between you guys. Ta

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## Cris (Sep 17, 2007)

From what little I know the ViPec unit is 'the same as' a Link unit so you may well find people who know one will know the other.

Also worth looking at some local ECUs. GEMS and Emerald have very good reputations. If you had a local expert who was doing the mapping then these might be worth a look. From what I remember of these units they offer a lot of features and the pricing is good. Perhaps someone into mapping can provide more insight.


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## Red R Racing (Aug 22, 2009)

bashman40 said:


> I'm not sure about the map sensor replacement I was told different things by different people also, I will probably end up getting the Z32 AFM's. And about the mapping you actually get the software and data lead to map it with the ECU (using Quick tune) so I think It is an option but to be safe I will just get it done from a tuner. Red R Racing did you map your GTR yourself? Would be interesting to know who has mapped a Vi-PEC ECU ? Anyone?


A mate and i mapped it for pump fuel tune using Quick Tune...Mark Jacobsen from Godzilla Motorsport did my race fuel tune. They are very easy and straight forward to tune.


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

Guys i need your options on a Haltech ECU, anyone running one on a R34GTR ? will i loose my display screen (boost oil temp etc) you guys have already given me your options on the Vi-pec and links also need to know if the display screen works or not with these ECU's. 

Im choosing between the Links, Vi-pec or Haltech


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## MartyV (Apr 19, 2009)

I had a similar choice to make last year. 
Needless to say I ended up with the PFC.

I wouldn't want to lose the screen either. Damn people spend 100's of £'s on gauges just to read the stuff it tells you.


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

so with a power Pc you dont loose your screen. 

how about the Links, Vi-pec or Haltech?


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## matty32 (Dec 18, 2005)

bashman40 said:


> so with a power Pc you dont loose your screen.
> 
> how about the Links, Vi-pec or Haltech?


why dont you just go for a power fc

i doubt your 34 is a 1000bhp drag monster


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

because the Power FC is kind of old and the new ECU's seem to have a lot of extra stuff also with the power FC I will still need the upgraded Air Flows and I can jus go map sensor with Links, Vi-pec and Haltech. there isnt much of a price difference. I’m looking to run about 600.


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## infamous_t (Jul 9, 2007)

bashman40 said:


> so with a power Pc you dont loose your screen.
> 
> how about the Links, Vi-pec or Haltech?


MFD is just a gauge independent of the ecu, you could connect the ecu plug to an orange and it would still work... sort of :chuckle:


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

infamous_t said:


> MFD is just a gauge independent of the ecu, you could connect the ecu plug to an orange and it would still work... sort of :chuckle:


fruity display :chuckle:


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## M19 GTR (May 26, 2002)

PFC DJetro then if you want to run afm less. if you think any of those ecu are any newer then the PFC then i beg to differ, ive ran a PFC on my R34 for 6 years now and will never knock it.

Unless you want to go Fcon Vpro or Solaris?


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

infamous_t said:


> MFD is just a gauge independent of the ecu, you could connect the ecu plug to an orange and it would still work... sort of :chuckle:


if its independent of the ECU my screen show a max boost of 1.2 and if you run 1.5 bar boost will the values change or will I need to upgrade the MDF to a Nismo or something?


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

M19 GTR said:


> PFC DJetro then if you want to run afm less. if you think any of those ecu are any newer then the PFC then i beg to differ, ive ran a PFC on my R34 for 6 years now and will never knock it.
> 
> Unless you want to go Fcon Vpro or Solaris?


I’m not knocking it just the other ECU's seem to be a newer concept with more safety and more add on's.


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## matty32 (Dec 18, 2005)

go for a power fc djetro then

as M19 says, they are a good bit of kit, and im sure its sufficient to your needs


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

matty32 said:


> go for a power fc djetro then
> 
> as M19 says, they are a good bit of kit, and im sure its sufficient to your needs



doesnt the power fc djetro have to be wired in? or is it just plug in?


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## matty32 (Dec 18, 2005)

plugs in like a stock pfc just have to use the map sensors


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

cool i mite consider it? as i know that the display don’t rely on the ECU, seems like most people use the Power FC then I mite be different and use one of the others as some tuners have given me some really good feedback.


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## mattysupra (Oct 31, 2008)

bash the mfd will work. 

however you will need the Nismo upgrade if you want it to read past 1.2 bar. The display will turn red and stop at 1.2bar other wise.


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## MartyV (Apr 19, 2009)

PFC is old, but it reminds me of the old saying 'if it's not broke...'
But more to the point, it does a good job and it's cheap


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## Richard Bell (Jun 29, 2001)

I would go for a Link/Vipec plugin unit. Has alot more features, newer technology and its a great bit of kit.
Price wise if you were going for a new PowerFC Djetro there will be little or no difference.

The MFD will work fine but it does get some information from the ecu such as throttle position, injector duty etc.

Richard


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## [email protected] M/S (Feb 16, 2002)

Apex-i De-jetro in my opinon isnt good enough, due to the fact the ECU has no tweakable throttle map. High rpm/boost and part throttle always seems to over fuel and make the cars shuffle and surge real bad.

The GTR with their multi throttle bodies seem to need very careful mapping on part throttle right up to high rpm/boost 

I have not used a LINK/VIPEC yet but looks like we will be dealers for these ECU,s very soon so I will be able to give my advice on these soon(but from what I have read you can set up a 4 axis map for throttle)so it will work like a Motec. 

HKS F-con has a good throttle map as well, rpm v,s throttle postion in % which allows you to tune the throttle fueling real well. 

Motec is in it's own world for making different trimming maps so works very well (but needs a Crank trigger and phase sensor to work real well)

Power fc will run the MFD all okay , F-con pro/ motec needs a small re wire to make the injector output work ( seems to use a extra injector output)

good luck on your choice.


Mark


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## Irish GTR (Apr 23, 2007)

1 word..............MOTEC.


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## gavman (Apr 12, 2006)

but at what price? (mapped)

what about autronic?


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

I think i have decided to go for the Links or Vi-pec as it has more features and newer technology. No one has anything bad to say about them the only difference i can see between the two is the Vi-pec comes with a better Map sensor.

Regard the MFD screen i will just put up with the red zone light and change to a Nismo board in the future.

Motec is the daddy ECU but it comes with a lot larger price tag so I think the Links or Vi-pec will be sufficient for me. 

Thanks everyone for your comments especially Mark with a good breakdown of all the common ECU discussed.


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

gavman said:


> but at what price? (mapped)
> 
> what about autronic?


The Vi-pec is costs £1116 plus delivery direct from Vi-pec and I’m still waiting on a price for a Links. Plus the price of mapping.

I don’t know anything about autronic as it isn’t one i was looking at.


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## bigchris350 (Mar 9, 2009)

theres a guy in guilford whos been mapping thease vipec ecu's for a while now , and ive got a mate with a gtst whos happy with it but i wouldnt recemend the guys there tho as theyre pants to be honest


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

i have ordered the Links at the end its on its way. thanks again for your feedback.


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## JackoGTR (Apr 28, 2009)

*bashman40*

What ECU did you go 4 in the end ?


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

My car has been delayed due to my clutch failing it should be with me 2morw so once it here and fitted i will most likely go for a VI-PEC ECU


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## Julio2906 (Mar 18, 2009)

I have all the internals out of the R34 GTR standard ecu if that's any good to you,you could swap them over from the Mines one and it would then be mappable.

(not just the chip but the motherboards as well,basically just needs a casing)


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## bashman40 (Feb 16, 2007)

Apparently they are not mappableeven with out the mines chip


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## Julio2906 (Mar 18, 2009)

I thought they could be done ???? or is it just the R34 GTR ones that cant?
My standard 32 GTR ecu has been done by Rising Sun,hmmm,Oh well,you know where it is if you find out different.


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## DrGtr (Jul 18, 2009)

How about an AEM ??? Anyone have tried the new series 2 EMS?


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## DrGtr (Jul 18, 2009)

Red R Racing said:


> A mate and i mapped it for pump fuel tune using Quick Tune...Mark Jacobsen from Godzilla Motorsport did my race fuel tune. They are very easy and straight forward to tune.


How difficult it was to tune it your self tell us some more info is it really that easy to use the autotune? my plans are to brake in the engine with setting it up my self with autotune and when i break in properly after 5000miles i will take it to a pro or bring someone over to do it. Also would this really affect my r34 screen readout? i have the nismo version. And i would prefair to buy the nismo afm do you thing it will work as well for high hp with afm than maps?


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