OverBooster

I should have clarified. This tune was using the Cobb Accessport and a manual boost controller. Instead of using the standard Cobb maps, I had custom maps made based on how I wanted the car to perform. I wanted a bit more power and refinement than the basic Cobb map is able to generate. I also wanted the peace of mind that the data logs had been checked and any bugs worked out. The Cobb maps while very safe are not always problem free.

civicson234

Thanks for the clarification. I'm looking forward to picking the car up, and getting the accessport. It's the plug and play simplicity that I'm looking forward to. But what are the bugs your talking about? I have not(I'll admit it) done alot of research on the ap, a I've only dealt with it once with a guy I work with on his 06 sti. Everyone seems to highly recommend it, so if you've got anything i can read up on to prepare myself I appreciate it! Sorry for the quasi thread jack....

whiteflash

The accessport would be the closest thing we have to the greddy emanage, in essence. Noob friendly? Sure. Tunable? Yes. Are you going to get the most pinpoint accurate tune out of it? Probably not. If I was taking my STi to Ed I would have used the freeware tuning over the Cobb; it's well... unrelentless in what it does. You have the entire stock ECU open to your disposal; and while I haven't used the Cobb unit, I doubt it gives you access to the entire ECU.

This decision of course would be based on that there are qualifiable tuners in my area (i.e. Ed, GSTMotorsports *stomache churn*) who are competent with this. Otherwise I'd go with the Cobb or whatever my local tuner suggested he was most comfortable with. There are plenty of free 'stage' maps made by the community; of course I have my issue of running premade maps on any car of mine, but that's neither here nor there. The bugs he's referring to, I believe anyway, is in reference to blindly running a map that you're unsure how well will run on your setup. Remember a tune is going to be different in Colorado than California; hell every engine isn't even deadset the same; and these pre-made maps are 'generally' made with flexibility of temps, air, fuel, etc., there's no guarantee you're falling in that range without having it done right. I'm not familiar with any particular bugs in the Cobb software/hardware, although I could be very wrong on that.

My ex-roommate spent a good 100+ hours doing 3rd gear pulls to fully understand the workings of the STi ECU, as it's variable timing maps are a REAL bitch to tune (they're however, extremely efficient in calculating/pulling timing).. there's a few of them that are dynamically linked. Also making the correct tweaks to the AVCS map is usually what separates a good Sub/Mitsu tuner, and the 'great' ones.

civicson234

Interesting. So basically then, it's safe to assume that for someone like myself who only will do basic bolt ons would be a good match for the ap? I'm in no way planning on going hardcore with tuning and dyno runs. Just looking for something that will more efficiently utilise the bolt ons than just the stock ecu.

whiteflash

What I'm saying is... if you go the freeware route all you need is a laptop (or the tuners comp) and a OBD-2 to USB cable. Personally I would never run a pre-made map for any extended period of time; so to me if you're going with a tuning option unless you know how to do it yourself (which I'm figuring you don't) then I would factor in the cost of a tune as well. If you feel comfortable running a pre-made map then yes the AP could be for you; I didn't run a premade map on the S (with flashpro) for longer than a week before I began tuning. That's just me... Being that the STi is boosted, I'd be even more weary of a pre-made map on a boosted engine.

Either way since you seem a bit lost I'd suggest talking to all of the tuners that are within an acceptable range from you, and take a look at what they suggest to you. But in short yes, the AP unit itself is more than enough for what you want to accomplish, whether or not that will be the best route for you to take might be up in the air. Better yet if you haven't already, I'd suggest taking a look at/posting on NASIOC as you'll find more detailed information there. All of my exploration through the (04) STi ecu have been through the OpenSource variety so I'm unqualified to answer your question 100% directly.

But I hope I've been able to be a little help

RT-B2

Can't say I like the looks of the STi Sedan.

civicson234

You've definetly been a great help. Just trying to figure out all my options now, before I buy the car, so I can have money set aside.

OverBooster

The AP was just the starting point for Ed. He had his laptop hooked up the entire time while making fine adjustments. He probably did 12+ pulls during which he achieved even more power than where we concluded.

MarMacMan

I also have a 2011 STI Sedan (DGM) and have just installed the Cobb Accessport using v1.06 91 octane stage 1.

I am gonna get a protune very soon because after posting my initial log on iwsti it appears as though I am having some detonation issues.
Seems as though running a off-the-shelf tune at 3000+ ft above sea level isn't the best idea.

Hope you love your car as much as I do. Love the sedan waaaaaaayyyyyyy more than the hatch. Hatch = boring.

MechaGodzilla

It's funny that you'd have problems at Cobb's favored altitudes. I tried the Stage 1 Cobb OTS maps on my otherwise stock 04 and 05 STI's and they both overboosted in 5th gear at sea level. That's an immediate fuel cut when you floor the accelerator at highway speeds, unhelpful. So then they made alternate OTS "LWG" maps with lower boost so that wouldn't happen. But those gave less boost than stock, unhelpful. I presumed that they just don't do any low altitude tuning/testing at all. I wouldn't put much faith in the OTS maps.