Tuning questions and help

[KonTheory]

Im no mechanic and dont really know what to look for...

I used to have an Evo X, but have recently traded it in for an FRS

For my Evo I had the Cobb AccessPort and had my car tuned to stage 1

Now with the FRS Ive been reading quite a bit, and most people seem to like the ECUTEK for tuning

My question is,
Is ECUTEK the best? and why?
And where to buy it from, because Ive noticed different shops make their own stage 1 tunes... so whos the best?


I know there probably is a single best for these questions but please explain why you like it?

[Kodename47]

At the top of the page:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29340

The only thing that's missing from the original post is that you can self tune with ECUtek allowing use of other maps etc.

[KonTheory]

Of course it was at the top of the page, i looked thru almost 10 pages to see if there were any answers, course i didnt look at the top...

But is there any difference from where I buy the ECUTEK from?
as far a stage 1 tune is concerned,
buying from Perrin or Crawford or, what have you...
is there much of a difference?

[Shiv@Openflash]

Originally Posted by KonTheory

Im no mechanic and dont really know what to look for...

I used to have an Evo X, but have recently traded it in for an FRS

For my Evo I had the Cobb AccessPort and had my car tuned to stage 1

Now with the FRS Ive been reading quite a bit, and most people seem to like the ECUTEK for tuning

My question is,
Is ECUTEK the best? and why?
And where to buy it from, because Ive noticed different shops make their own stage 1 tunes... so whos the best?


I know there probably is a single best for these questions but please explain why you like it?

For something conceptually similar to your Cobb AP, you may want to look at the OFT (OpenFlash Tablet). Most people here use it. Free maps, fully editable/viewable by user, datalogging, diagnostic in a handheld device. No laptop requires unless you want to do custom tuning or view datalog files. And can be unmarried and re-sold to be used on another car (including selected Mazda and BMWs).

www.openflashtablet.com

[marcoaferrer]

@KonTheory Depends on your goals for your car. If your looking for something simple and basic then OFT but if your looking for a more complete and proper tuning solution Ecutek is a no brainer.

[Shiv@Openflash]

Originally Posted by marcoaferrer

@KonTheory Depends on your goals for your car. If your looking for something simple and basic then OFT but if your looking for a more complete and proper tuning solution Ecutek is a no brainer.

How is Ecutek "more complete" to 99% of users who have no reason to run speed density or flexfuel?

[marcoaferrer]

Its more complete because its backed by a team of developers constantly putting out new options, features, and fixing any bugs that may happen to appear. When you pay for ecutek your paying for flexibility and great customer support. Custom maps, Racerom, and tuner selection is also a plus with Ecutek. Ive had a few friends end up selling their OFT because even though they saved money with OTF on the initial purchase they had a horrible time finding someone that would agree to tune it locally. And the few tuners that said they would tune ended ip charging more for a tune because tuning with OTF takes longer than with Ecutek. Something thats rigged in OTF takes 5 min using a custom map in Ecutek. If all hes doing is I/H/E then OFT should be enough. But personally I wouldn't cheap out when it comes to something like a tune/solution.

Just speaking from experiences Ive seen other have.

[Shiv@Openflash]

Originally Posted by marcoaferrer

Its more complete because its backed by a team of developers constantly putting out new options, features, and fixing any bugs that may happen to appear. When you pay for ecutek your paying for flexibility and great customer support. Custom maps, Racerom, and tuner selection is also a plus with Ecutek. Ive had a few friends end up selling their OFT because even though they saved money with OTF on the initial purchase they had a horrible time finding someone that would agree to tune it locally. And the few tuners that said they would tune ended ip charging more for a tune because tuning with OTF takes longer than with Ecutek. Something thats rigged in OTF takes 5 min using a custom map in Ecutek. If all hes doing is I/H/E then OFT should be enough. But personally I wouldn't cheap out when it comes to something like a tune/solution.

Just speaking from experiences Ive seen other have.

This is contrary to most of the user feedback I've seen

[Shiv@Openflash]

Originally Posted by marcoaferrer

Its more complete because its backed by a team of developers constantly putting out new options, features, and fixing any bugs that may happen to appear. When you pay for ecutek your paying for flexibility and great customer support. Custom maps, Racerom, and tuner selection is also a plus with Ecutek. Ive had a few friends end up selling their OFT because even though they saved money with OTF on the initial purchase they had a horrible time finding someone that would agree to tune it locally. And the few tuners that said they would tune ended ip charging more for a tune because tuning with OTF takes longer than with Ecutek. Something thats rigged in OTF takes 5 min using a custom map in Ecutek. If all hes doing is I/H/E then OFT should be enough. But personally I wouldn't cheap out when it comes to something like a tune/solution.

Just speaking from experiences Ive seen other have.

This is contrary to most of the user feedback I've heard and seen on this forum.

[Malt]

Originally Posted by marcoaferrer

Its more complete because its backed by a team of developers constantly putting out new options, features, and fixing any bugs that may happen to appear. When you pay for ecutek your paying for flexibility and great customer support. Custom maps, Racerom, and tuner selection is also a plus with Ecutek. Ive had a few friends end up selling their OFT because even though they saved money with OTF on the initial purchase they had a horrible time finding someone that would agree to tune it locally. And the few tuners that said they would tune ended ip charging more for a tune because tuning with OTF takes longer than with Ecutek. Something thats rigged in OTF takes 5 min using a custom map in Ecutek. If all hes doing is I/H/E then OFT should be enough. But personally I wouldn't cheap out when it comes to something like a tune/solution.

Just speaking from experiences Ive seen other have.

Because OFT doesn't have a team of developers who is constantly putting out new options, features, and fixing bugs. Not to mention free maps that are completely unlocked an user editable.

If anything, Shiv gives some of the best customer support I've ever seen. Heck, the man was just on vacation in Hawaii and still was giving support to users with questions.

Off the shelf tunes get you 98% of the potential power of a custom tune if you are NA and with an ever increasing list of forced induction platforms supported, its only a matter of time before all choices are available to OFT users.

OP: Unless you are planning on using a forced induction setup that isn't currently supported by OFT or for some odd reason you feel its necessary to run a flex fuel setup, then OFT is probably the perfect choice for you.

[marcoaferrer]

Originally Posted by Malt

Because OFT doesn't have a team of developers who is constantly putting out new options, features, and fixing bugs.

OTF doesnt have 1/8 of the resources that Ecutek has.

[Argento86]

I suggest OFT. I haven't had ecutek but I will say that OFT has been the easiest thing Iv ever done to a car to get more power. I got the perrin filter with the OFT and it was an amazing improvement especially since it took all of 10 minutes of install, also with the OFT I'm now running e85 because why not try it and the 86 has much more potential than you think even in its barely modified form.

[Reaper]

can you build a custom map that uses wideband 02, map voltage(boost pressure) and load to close the throttle plate in a lean condition? saved my motor when my fuel pump died. Custom ecutek racerom. OFT is pretty great and benefits the market but RACEROM is pretty powerful.

[Malt]

Originally Posted by marcoaferrer

OTF doesnt have 1/8 of the resources that Ecutek has.

and yet Shiv still manages to produce results that are equal to or superior to several ECUtek flashes I've seen for NA applications. Take a gander at his Vortek OTS charts and show me an ecutek vendor that has surpassed those results.

Different strokes for different folks. OFT is perfectly fine for the vast majority of users and to claim anything else is just plain silly.

EDIT: This whole conversation is truly silly. Its been beat to death. To the OP: If you know of a local tuner that you trust and has experience tuning 86's AND you want to pay for a custom dyno tune, then use what he recommends. Otherwise if you just want to flash a map and enjoy all your new power along with the ability to datalog and custom tune, along with free maps for life, then get the OFT.