Well Folks,

After some serious consideration. I decided to dive in and purchase the WR intake and ECU kit. After some of my previous experiences and other driver's experiences with different Intake/ECU combos I was definitely leary to try a different vendor but after some initial reviews and talking to a few different people I decided it was worth a shot...

The ECU on the GS is one finicky piece of electronic equipment. Any tuning of it takes some serious experience and know-how and guts to R&D and make sure it works. As evidence is the long arrival date of the Tom's ECU. Last I heard we are still waiting for it. With that being said, here are my initial thoughts and experiences with the WR piggyback ECU...

First of all, this ECU is really very very different from what's already out there. I know there is a lot of talk regarding using an Apex S-AFC and tune an intake with it. This WR ECU does more than modify the fuel maps. The throttle response is changed - WOT's and downshifts occur sooner in the pedal position. Before, I literally had to slam on the gas pedal to get any response. The tranny shifts are quicker/harder making it a much more agressive performance response. And, of course, the VERY distinguished HP difference. The butt-o-meter is flying off the handle! My car behaves very different than before and is much more agressive in performance. You get the added bonus of the fact that it can be retuned whenever a new mod is added (eg, exhaust, cam gears, dare we say...Supercharger/turbo???) to extract the most out of the ECU tuning. In addition, it's all hardcoded so I don't have to mess with buttons or play with it (ie, it's plug and play!) like an S-AFC.

Yes, it is an expensive mod but worth every penny! The ECU is a winner. You can call WR yourself and they will back their product 100%. I feel it's a definite must for those looking for more performance from the GS. I honestly, didn't know the GS was capable of such performance and some you know how much I have complained about how timid this V8 feels compared to other cars I have driven. Well, not any more! I now feel the missing torque that the Tundra has...

I am planning to dyno the car in the next month or so, so please be patient with my dyno results. If you want to see some dyno charts I believe they are posted on the WR website. From the charts they posted I don't have any doubt I will reach the same numbers and if you ask WR they feel the same way. So stay tuned...

Brent

 

Bliu, that got me interested! My two concerns are the following

1) Installation ! Is it complicated to install the ecu/intake.


2) Warranty. What if something goes wrong down the line, is WR going to cover some costs? Adding any piece to an engine worries me because you never know what adverse effect it does to it.

TIA

 

BLIU - Other thing I would be interested in your comments on are intake noise. My understanding is that the WR setup is one of the quieter ones. I know this is subjective but care to make any comments?

 

Here some answers...

1) Installation is straightforward if you follow the directions. The most difficult part is the soldering of the wires BUT if you ask anyone here on the forum that has done, it is not too difficult.

2) This is a tricky question. Like you said, there is a definite risk anytime you mod the car, whether it's suspension or engine performance. If installed correctly, WR will back their product but for finer details you should call them directly and ask for Leo. Keep in mind though, that this is the same engine as the Tundra and the LS. The Tundra has gobs of torque and not all of it comes just from the heads. I am not surprised the WR ECU can pull out such higher torque numbers - the engine is definitely capable of it. So if you are worried about adverse effects on the engine, I would say that if you drive the car hard in stock form you will also have adverse effects. As more and more people purchase this product, I think these answers will play itself out.

Hope this helps...

Brent

 

Yes, it is one of the quiter ones. With their cold air box, it will most definitely be quieter if not nonexistant.

BTW, the cold air box will be available within the month. When I receive it, I will post more results...

PS I assume you have a 430. You may want to ask them regarding availability for the 430.

Brent

 

~1000 for an intake is crazy, but it's just me, i am not into speed, i am into handling mod, i would go with a torque converter instead or the real supercharger if I want more power.

my conclusion:
Lexus makes very bad engine, no optimizing, since with alittle bit fix in the ECU you get a whole bunch of HP, (like american car)

What kind of optimization is it (from lexus)? I could not every extract 10 HP out of my prelude, 2.2L 200HP stock, 90HP/Litter

lexus 4.0L 300HP 75HP/L

alright, where is the S2000 when you need it:eek:

 

Where did you get the WR ECU from, is there a website or phone number you can give out. Thanks

 

That is a pretty ironic statement.....If you feel that way about the Lex. motors, how do you feel about the SupraTT engine?? It is one of if not the most under-engineered motor ever.....But, I dont know a single educated "car person" who can name a better engine for drawing power using after-market mods....
I think alot of people will agree that an under-engineered factory motor can lead to less problems for us consumers and ALOT longer street life for the car/motor.... Its just waiting for people like us to mess with it a little...heeheehee

Hey Brent, how are you? What I really want to know is the following:
1-Do you have to tell WR how you want your ecu tuned based on the performance you want or your driving habits? Or, does it just come one way from the start with the ability to re-tune as new mods require?
2-How many wires do you have to solder and are they the same wires I soldered for the SRT ecu???
Thanks, Tiny

 

Brent,

Let's do lunch and also check out your car @ the same time!

Looking forward to the dyno result. By the way, did you dyno when you had SRT intake/ECU?

 

I spoke to the regional Lexus Rep and asked him why they don't have a different ECU etc to increase horsepower for the GS430. The Rep said they designed it so there would not be a Gas Guzzlers tax like on BMW. The Rep said the engine is capable of a lot more horsepower. They can't release it themselves because that would be breaking the gas guzzler law etc. They will not even give us the specs on how to increase horsepower ourselves because of this. Maybe someone can figure out how to get this top secret info. Any Ninjas out there?

 

wcirksena: WR is Weapon R. Their website is www.weapon-r.com...

tinygs: good to talk to you to. I have been lurking around but not really posting because car has been in the shop. As for soldering wires, there are more wires to solder and they are not the same wires (maybe one or two of them) compared to the SRT which right there tells me they are doing more than just mucking with the A/F ratio maps. If you are planning to switch it shouldn't be a problem - I just tapped all the SRT solders and tapped new ones. The ECU comes tuned assuming you have the intake although I believe you can get the ECU alone. Talk to Leo about purchasing the ECU alone. When a new mod is introduced then the ECU can be retuned with the new mod included. I think you can work out the particulars with WR. However, I don't recommend adding your own mod and then expecting WR to burn a new ECU for because that requires tuning on their part. BUT, as they have new mods for the GS400 introduced, then I am sure they will retune the ECU for greatest optimization. It just puts them in a position to really get good performance numbers with the tunable ECU rather just plug and play bolt-on parts...

RA: You have my e-mail. I am available for lunch anytime Although the month of Nov is a bit busy for me and I assume you will be preparing for finals. Let's do it after your finals are finished at UCLA! Go Bruins! Beat SC

Brent

 

I think the Ninjas are both SRT and WR....heehee J/K Tiny

 

HKG Harrier, any good news for the gs430 ecu? I am very interested in one. As BLiu mentioned above, is it possible that I can purchase the ecu alone, how much would it cost? PM me if you don't feel like posting the price. Thanks

 

that sounds awsome good parts leo good parts!!!

 

So Brent, what's the answer to the question we all want to know: which ecu/intake do you like better, SRT or Weapon R? Or is it fair to judge yet?