1JZ300

iTrader: (6)

OK guys, as most of you know im doing my full on drift conversion now. Got the R154 tranny and all corresponding parts for the auto-5speed swap, got my new Bride seat and seat rails, got my Momo wheel, got my hydraulic ebrake....NOW comes the tuning!

I am going full standalone, looking at either the Apexi Power FC which is the most popular to run here in Japan(i take their word for it) OR....

The AEM EMS.....

Now the point of this thread is asking, which One to buy when it comes to specifics meaning i have a 1995 Sc300 with 1JZ-GTE with R154 transmission....I can buy the Apexi Power FC BUT what if the one i buy for the 1995 manual 1jz one doesnt match up????

Anyone have any experience with this? if you went standalone, what did you go with?
why did you go with it?
and how do you like it??

Greatly need your help fellow 1J owners!!

SuperiorSC

iTrader: (5)

the pfc will save you some serious cash!!! thats what i use on my 240sx

gldndrgn14

iTrader: (6)

i went the exact opposite of superior sc and went motec m400 on my civic. wouldnt change it for anything else. personally, aem is alright, but prefer motec. haha either way should be descent. are you going to tune yourself or you will have a qualified tuner tune it? if you are having somebody else do it, ask the person that will be doing the tuning, as they would know the system better.

1JZ300

iTrader: (6)

AWESOME!!! but what im looking for is if there is a universal Power FC or if i buy this and it doesnt match my harness, will it be a waste of money?

nolexhere

You buy the ems based on the engine more than the car so the pfc should really work with your car. If something doesn't work it shouldn't be more than a small wiring change and since your going through a whole swap that's really just small potatoes. Within reason all systems are universal and the only application specific thing about them is the wiring. Motec has good products as well as haltech and others of course it just depends on what you want to spend and how crazy you want it to be. You could easily spend a couple grand on an ecu setup but you could also get away with closer to 1k. I swore I saw someone selling a used ems on one of the boards too so that may give you another option. Gldndrgn brought up a good point when he asked who would be doing the tuning/install. After you see what they have the most experience with you can go from there. Also just so you know if you want to run the apexi you should really buy the datalogit. Lot's of rx7 boards have or did have people selling them and they pop up on ebay from time to time. I can't recall who else really has them at the moment besides here http://www.fc-datalogit.com/buynow.htm So that tacks on an extra $300-$400 on top of what the power fc will cost you.

Biggu

iTrader: (12)

Im running the AEM EMS in my 92 SC300 with 1jz swap. im using the AEM EMS from a MKIV supra 30-1100 with a patch harness to go from the soarer 1jz plugs to the supra plugs.

all of my stock sensors work and as always work with the aftermarket sensors.

Honestly one of the best mods ive ever done to my car and is what i need for future expansion.

AFAIK the power FC is fine but it has its limits. i know the the shop that sponsors me just removed a power FC from a GTR and then put an AEM in and retuned and it made 75 more HP then the power FC.

since ive already crossed this road feel free to pm me with more specific questions if you have more.

doing a stand alone isnt cheap btw so dont expect it to be.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

aem ems 1100 with a 2jz harness. 1jz.. 2jz.. the ecu can't tell the difference, its all in the wiring and tune.

cartmill

iTrader: (3)

PFC doesn't have quite as many features as the other standalones.
and to get the full functionality you'll need the datalogit box, so it will end up costing only a little less than the other (better) EMSs.

i personally have a haltech ps2000 ems on my SC.

and for the record, i've had multiple haltechs, a microtech, and powerFC with datalogit.
i haven't had an AEM, but i've messed around with them on friends' cars and i like them.

lots of the supra guys run AEMs too, so there's lots of documentation and maps. but really, if you know what you're doing with the EMSs you'll realize they all do basically the same thing, but it comes down to the software and features.

of the few discussed here, i'd personally rate them:
1. Haltech
2. AEM (haltech and AEM both very good)
3. powerFC
4. microtech
5. megasquirt

also keep in mind the most important concept is that if you're relatively new to the EMS stuff, pick an EMS you'll get the best support/maps/documentation with. a lot of noobs have AEM EMS and don't even know what injector duty is. that tells you how easy the AEM is

shern

iTrader: (6)

Biggu said it right. Dr. Tweak can wire up a harness for the MK4 EMS to interface with the 1JZ for a very affordable price. Give him a call.

nolexhere

Yea wiring it is easy and I agree with cartmills list. I have dealt with all those along with a few more and haltech is my favorite so far (also have a ps2000 on one car) but like I said it depends on where you want to take the car. If you want a bunch of options then a more expensive one might be for you. The only big downfall to an out of the box power fc is mapping on the handheld tuner sucks. That is why I suggested the datalogit if you go with a power fc. That would bring the cost to nearly $2000 new.

1JZ300

iTrader: (6)

Well what im looking for is something to tune the car to spool fast not just MAX HP. Now im in Japan so i can get the Power FC w.datelogit for $900 brand new in box for the 1JZ Specific!

I was thinking about the AEM EMS but ive seen many for sale and im not sure if they are complete kits or what. What should come with the complete AEM EMS kit???

nolexhere

O yea slipped my mind you have been in japanland for all this. It's no wonder you are buying stuff left and right lol lucky bugger. When it comes to an ems for the 2j/1j they are all basically just the ems box and nothing else. I believe the apexi doesn't even come with the commander when you get the 1j model actually so it's literally just the box. When it comes to the aem system most people do like biggu did which is buy the model made for a mkiv and get a patch harness. This is a basic breakdown for both systems. If you run the apexi you just buy the one meant for your 1j, plug it in, and then get it tuned. If you run the aem you get the mkiv one, buy a patch harness, plug the patch between the ecu and car harness, and then get it tuned. You don't need to buy anything else for either system to run the car and get it tuned. What kind of power are you looking to make?

Edit: If you don't want to go with the apexi feel like getting me one? lol

Carfreak70

iTrader: (16)

Im definatly going with AEM EMS. From what research I have done, it is the way to go. Plus there is a tuning shop down here that is AEM certified.

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

if youre getting the hook up for the 1jz application then just go for that. you wont have to mess around with any wires and you can probably grab a tune off someone locally. if it turns out to be terrible then im sure one of these guys over here will buy it off ya

Matador

Ive always been told to choose the EMS your tuner is most comfortable with as you will get best results. That being said, I have an AEM unit that should be installed shortly.