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-   -   Ecutek VS OFT - Should I Switch? (https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104960)

Gopherboy6956 04-26-2016 12:10 AM

Ecutek VS OFT - Should I Switch?
 
I currently have a 2013 Vortech S/C'd BRZ.
I've had ecutek as my tuning software since I S/C'd it.

Last year, I went to a pro tuner in Minneapolis (Only EcuTek in the state) and had my car protuned above the rich perrin base Vortech tune.

Long story short, bent a rod 2 days later, engine game over.

Since then ( 1 year) i've just been running the standard perrin base vortech tune on a new engine.

I want to tune to my car, but I didn't have any other ecutek tuners close by, and i didn't particularly want to do an e-tune.

I had made the decision to go with OFT so i could use a reliable local tuner. Ordered it up, got it, and while grabbing a stock tune from Perrin (pre-OFT installation) I find out that Ecutek sells a $400 upgrade that will let ANYONE tune your car, even you lol.

So - now that I have BOTH OFT (Still unmarried) and ecutek (car still tuned on this), do I:

Keep Ecutek, add the $400 deal and have it tuned on that?
or
Ditch Ecutek altogether and go OFT?

I've heard that Ecutek is a more technically advanced tuning system, with better logging and tools.

Any thoughts would be great.

Thanks!

Shiv@Openflash 04-26-2016 02:20 AM

The end results all depends on the quality of the tune, not the tuning platform. Also if anything, I would say the OFT has the functional advantage in data logging/displays. But you may find that your local tuner won't tune on the OFT because his tune files can't be locked from viewing. In that case, your option may be limited. You might want to consider our custom e-tuning service. We have tuned a ton of Vortech cars.

tskaohu 04-26-2016 02:34 AM

I would recommend ecutek, personally i have run both setups. Granted nothing on a FI application like you but overall ecutek had much more features. i do miss OFTs datalogging and monitoring features though. But unless your planning on tuning and tweaking yourself its best to have the pros tune for you. I am of course saying this because i live 10 minutes from Delicious tuning lol. Doing an etune isnt always the end of the world though. you can get tweaks fairly easily from Delicious if you get some logs in their parameters. Its tough since you dont live readily close to any tuners. i can tell you though i will for sure be getting tuned by @DeliciousTuning when i buy install my C38 Jackson Racing supercharger in the upcoming months. Overall ecutek is just more widely tuned and used. Sell your OFT on the forums and get a good tune from delicious. Thats what i did :P Just my two cents.

Shiv@Openflash 04-26-2016 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tskaohu (Post 2633643)
Overall ecutek is just more widely tuned and used.

Really? I'm pretty sure there are many more FI cars running OFTs than Ecutek at this point. Personally I have over 200 e-tuning customers running turbos/SCs. This doesn't count another 50 or so running OFTs with their ESCs. Or the several thousand customers running OFTs on their NA set-up.

tskaohu 04-26-2016 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shiv@Openflash (Post 2633666)
Really? I'm pretty sure there are many more FI cars running OFTs than Ecutek at this point. Personally I have over 200 e-tuning customers running turbos/SCs. This doesn't count another 50 or so running OFTs with their ESCs. Or the several thousand customers running OFTs on their NA set-up.

but who tunes OFT besides you? ive never met a tuner who would tune my OFT when i had it. it was Ecutek or nothing. thats why i switched.

Kodename47 04-26-2016 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shiv@Openflash (Post 2633666)
I'm pretty sure there are many more FI cars running OFTs than Ecutek at this point.

I'd doubt that just given a number of obvious factors that I don't see any point in getting into.

@Gopherboy6956 you don't have to buy any upgrade package to tune with ECUtek yourself, the upgrade just gives you access to all the extra RaceROM stuff. If you have a cable and a dongle you can just start tuning from there.

steve99 04-26-2016 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodename47 (Post 2633679)
I'd doubt that just given a number of obvious factors that I don't see any point in getting into.

@Gopherboy6956 you don't have to buy any upgrade package to tune with ECUtek yourself, the upgrade just gives you access to all the extra RaceROM stuff. If you have a cable and a dongle you can just start tuning from there.

Maybe he went to tuner and tuner flashed ecutek tune. So he probably does not have cable, so I suspect the $400 is for the cable/dongle kit possibly


I think he might be confusing the Ecutek "upgrade" for racerom access with unlocking the tunes as well, as I suspect neither his local tuner or perrin will sell him an unlocked tune, he going to have to start from scratch.

steve99 04-26-2016 04:12 AM

@Gopherboy6956

You should find a tuner first then work out which system you want to keep.


almost all ecutek tuner will only sell you locked tunes all you can do is flash tune with ecutek cable kit.


you wont be able to edit locked tunes even if you buy the racerom upgrade.


The only way you get an unlocked tune with ecutek is if you do it all yourself from scratch


most tuners wont tune with oft as they cannot lock their tunes and they prefer to use system they know ie ecutek


Unfortunatly you cannot onsell your ecutek licience in ecu, but you can onsell the cable kit


Luckily oft sell well so if you decide to go ecutek, you wont loose much on it.




tuning FI yourself is not easy.


sounds like your going to have to go with an e-tune from either an ecutek tuner or the OFT guys.

COO86L 04-26-2016 04:43 AM

I wish I could use my Powegate 3 system purely as a logging system like OFT (hint hint @Shiv@Openflash)

EcuTek is good, OFT is good. Both have pro's and con's. There is nothing at all wrong with an e-tune / road tune and depending on the tuner, can infact be safer than a dyno tune as you are reading real world effects of their tune each log.

Step 1. Choose a tuner
Step 2. Use what they recommend.

churchx 04-26-2016 05:43 AM

Real world driving tuning = pro of possibility to tune for worst case. Dyno tune = pro of controllable/repeatable environment to see exactly what each change does, not that being hidden or exaggerated by some environment/road state/whatever change

IPGJames 04-26-2016 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shiv@Openflash (Post 2633626)
The end results all depends on the quality of the tune, not the tuning platform. .

This.

We do a lot with drag racing Honda's and I get asked regularly what the best EMS to use is...my answer is simple...the one that the person working the keyboard is an expert at.

In the Honda world you can make Hondata, AEM, Motec, Haltech, Fueltech, etc all work very well...it ultimately comes down to who is behind the keyboard giving the commands.

Jyn 04-26-2016 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shiv@Openflash (Post 2633666)
Really? I'm pretty sure there are many more FI cars running OFTs than Ecutek at this point. Personally I have over 200 e-tuning customers running turbos/SCs. This doesn't count another 50 or so running OFTs with their ESCs. Or the several thousand customers running OFTs on their NA set-up.


How do you manage tune revisions for so many FI applications?? That's impressive.:eyebulge:

Dru670 04-26-2016 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gopherboy6956 (Post 2633522)
I currently have a 2013 Vortech S/C'd BRZ.
I've had ecutek as my tuning software since I S/C'd it.

Last year, I went to a pro tuner in Minneapolis (Only EcuTek in the state) and had my car protuned above the rich perrin base Vortech tune.

Long story short, bent a rod 2 days later, engine game over.

Since then ( 1 year) i've just been running the standard perrin base vortech tune on a new engine.

I want to tune to my car, but I didn't have any other ecutek tuners close by, and i didn't particularly want to do an e-tune.

So - i had made the decision to go with OFT so i could use a reliable local tuner. Ordered it up, got it, and while grabbing a stock tune from Perrin (pre-OFT installation) I find out that Ecutek sells a $400 upgrade that will let ANYONE tune your car, even you lol.

So - now that I have BOTH OFT (Still unmarried) and ecutek (car still tuned on this), do I:

Keep Ecutek, add the $400 deal and have it tuned on that?
or
Ditch Ecutek altogether and go OFT?

I've heard that Ecutek is a more technically advanced tuning system, with better logging and tools.

Any thoughts would be great.

Thanks!

If your cal id is an F00C your OFT won't be giving you accurate readings so good luck relying on the data logs when trying to tune your car. Took me over a month for the OFT guys to fix the issue.

Gopherboy6956 04-26-2016 11:31 AM

I believe my Cal ID is A00C - At least that's the Stock Tune I received from Perrin - ZA1JA00C - so hopefully not an issue?

I get what everyone says about the tuner. At this time, @Shiv@Openflash is going to e-tune when I get the header.

We DO actually have a tuner / dyno here in Fargo, ND but he's pretty new on the scene as far as tuning goes, maybe only a year. The shop i'd work with if I got Dyno Tuned is RS Motors in the Twin Cities.

Either way, if I also did a Dyno tune, I know both of those tuners well enough that they wouldn't lock tunes - they know I wouldn't share it. But - the other issue is neither of those guys have experience with EITHER OFT or Ecutek, so it's a draw there.

We'll see how things go with the OFT / E-Tune and take it from there. Has to be better than the base Vortech Perrin tune - sure, it's not blowing up my engine, but it's rich as shit and i'm only in the neighborhood of 235whp with it.


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