LSVIP

So I'm intending on getting a cam regrind and finding an LS400 at a junkyard, buying the heads and porting and polishing them. I'm also putting an exhaust on her.

After all this, would it be better to invest in a piggyback or full standalone ECU?

Or would it even be necessary?

Any response would be grand!

LScowboyLS

the LS400 is not a good car to build into high performance - it is very ECU-dependent and the ECU programming has never been cracked, therefore you can't really "chip-it" and the piggybacks don't do much and so they are not much help either, the only one that works even somewhat decent is way over $1000 (MINES) - you want to choose something else, like a camaro or mustang or Nissan GT-R if you want performance.

LSVIP

Even to adjust afm?

LScowboyLS

like I said, the factory ECU is locked up solid, you can adjust nothing, and the only piggyback that does much of anything is the MiNES and it is close to $2000 the last time I checked, and doesn't work miracles even then.

The LS400 is a LUXURY car - not a performance car! (and as long as the ECU encryption is never cracked, it will always stay a luxury car, and a NICE ONE!)

LSVIP

I mean, the 1U is a detuned racing motor, isn't it? So what you're saying is, I just don't do a dramatic build, it'll be fine on the stock ECU?

LScowboyLS

if you want to performance build a 1UZ and put it into a race car, fine, just hire a computer engineering staff to design an ECU for your race car like the F1 teams do, I would think about $10 million should cover it

Greg5OH

full standalone. do it. do it.
Will cost 1-1.5k, and you have to make your own harness probably but it can be done for sure.

SuicidnS13

iTrader: (2)

lol any stand alone under 5k is affordable and cheap IMO. I did not know we even had a stand alone option for a mere 1k. Hell my AEM EMS setups were all over 3k with out tuning and harness adaptors. this is actually all good news to me. LOL now I gotta google the Mines ECU

LScowboyLS

MiNES is a Japanese piggyback, and the only one that works worth a flip! - and even it doesn't do miracles, as a matter of fact, it's a huge amount of money for a very modest return on horsepower and torque improvement - the LS400 is just not a car to "build" - it's just a very classy, very reliable, very luxurious, very refined ride, to take your gal to the beach in!

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

Back in the day people used to mod all kinds of cars to make faster that were never meant to be fast. And im faking about huge boats that would normally just float down the road.

Cowboy, your way of thinking is the exact reason we dont have that many performance options for these cars. People just know its a luxury car and dont think about anything else. I KNOW our cars were not designed with performance in mind but that doesnt mean people shouldnt improve on whats there. Im just saying that there are a few options out there for tuning and you shouldnt discourage him so much.

On another note. OP, you could look into megasquirt.

LScowboyLS

Tuning is much more feasible on other brands of cars (like Honda, for example) where the original programming has been cracked and we can reprogram the original ECU and vary all sorts of stuff!

dengman

http://www.mapecu.co.nz/

no plug and play for LS400 but it might work?

Shmee

iTrader: (3)

Cowboy,
stop talking about all performance stuff. you don't know anything.
To you, there is no point in anything but OEM parts, so you are the LAST person people want input from when it comes to performance stuff. its a subject you have repeatedly shown you know nothing about and get called on it regularly. Your hyper-negative attitude to anything aftermarket is a detriment to the community and those that want to modify these cars for performance. It does not matter if the potential is there or not, you have never done any performance mods to your LS and the way you talk, probably not real performance upgrades to any car in your past.
Tuning is feasible on ANY car, its a matter of how lazy you are or how capable you are.... and it's people like you that make cars like this: http://www.carbuildindex.com/13213/b...er-motorsport/ impossible... it's just a old shabby 3-series BMW, right... why spend $150K on a $10k car?



LSVIP,
There are lots of options for standalones out there, NONE are plug and play though, all require custom harnesses or harness adaptors.
Prices range from ~$800 for a simple system like an SDS or $1300 for a DTA S60 Pro to about $3500 for a Motec M800... all of which also require at least a couple hundred to $1000 for a harness and then there is tuning.... This is a HUGE variable because you need a tuner who knows the system you are using, otherwise it's usually a really steep and expensive learning curve. Find a tuner who has a lot of experience with a specific system and you might be able to get a solid street and WOT tune for <$500 or in the case of that M3 I linked to above, a couple grand by an elite tuner to retain virtually all the factory functionality and drivability while maximizing output...

There are piggybacks and AIC's that can give you some control over the AFR but you are not going to get much adjustment out of them. I have never liked Piggy backs and couldn't begin to talk about what options are out there, i don't know but others might...

usoff89

iTrader: (2)

Just to add to this ^^^^

The piggy back systems are very limited like he said. Most systems don't allow you to have control over timing where most stand alones do. The fact of the matter is that there are multiple options out for tuning our cars. And honestly the prices are not going to vary much from any other car if you were to do a serious setup.

Cowboy, you are right. These are NOT Hondas but they could become a popular car to mod in the future if we had the proper support. We all already know how solid the motors are. And parts will slowly become more and more available as the interest becomes greater.

LScowboyLS

if you are modifying an LS400 for off road use, for example the race track, then you can use a standalone ECU, but the standalones are not going to be a good plan if the car is going to be driven daily, because the ECU also controls the transmission, the A/C, interacts with at least 11 other sub-ECU's that I have listed out before, and over 50 microprocessors throughout the car.

So repeating one more time, if the car is being built as race car with a rollcage and as a rather crude vehicle such as a drag racer, short track car, etc., then fine, put a standalone on it, but without the Toyota programming cracked, you are going to lose many functions of the rest of the car wholly or partially with an aftermarket standalone ECU. Not to mention all semblance of fuel economy or emissions compliance!

On other cars where the stock ECU can be reprogrammed (such as a Honda or a Camaro), you can have the best of both worlds, but sadly on LS400, you cannot.