Now that the radiator issue has been resolved, it's time for me to move on to the next mod I want to put in place before going SC - an EMS.
Does the AEM EMS have any quirks that I should be aware of, like idling issues, cold starts, or anything else I should know? Can someone give me a ballpark figure on what it costs to get one tuned? Also, is there any point of getting the version with wideband if I'm not going to be constantly tweaking the thing?

 

I'd PM Todd about getting it tuned. He and Rick have done a few of the AEM EMS's on the boards.

 

Your temperature gauge on the dash will not work unless you get modifry's adapter. If your battery is low, it will stall the 1st attempt to start in the morning, but the 2nd one will fire up right away. Your starter will crank for up to about 5 seconds before the car will actually fire up, but other than those few small quirks, it works wonders on bringing the car alive. I would PM Todd or Rick at 2rwerks. They do an outstanding job.

The wideband will make tuning much, much easier. It's much more reliable than the wideband they throw in the tailpipe at the dyno (used 100 times a day), and will give better feedback to your EMS for closed loop driving. Going with a built in wideband EMS saves you the trouble of having to splice one in later, which I heard is a PITA.

 

They're who I have in mind for the tune, but I want to have the AEM in my hands before I start bugging them about prices. I don't want them knowing what a PITA I am until it's too late.

 

That's good to know; I wasn't aware of the closed loop feedback issue. I figured the EMS would pick up CL data from the primary O2 sensor. I'm ready to pounce on the Berk header as soon as it's available and it already has the bung for wideband, I believe.
How much access/control does the AEM give you over engine programming? For example, turning off the secondary O2 sensor for the cat to avoid a CEL when running a test pipe, or setting temp range for the fans, and things other than idle speed, fuel maps, etc.?

 

complete control. The AEM EMS could care less if there's a secondary o2 sensor in there or not. My 2ndary is completely sheared off, no CEL here.
The AEM will run on the stock o2 sensor, and work just fine, but if you plan on going FI, you're really going to want the primary to be a wideband. You won't need a bung, as the new wideband will replace your existing primary o2 sensor.

The AEM give you total control over every aspect of engine management, from individual relays for your fan control, to timing and fuel maps, to nitrous, boost, 2 step rev-limiters, etc. I could not be happier with my purchase.

 

Ok, you've convinced me.
Two more questions for you - is the AEM owner's/install manual available online some where? And does the AEM have some type of base map/programming so I can install it myself then drive the car to Tampa for tuning, or is it better to have everything done at once?

 

Have 2NRwerks do the install. That is a lot easier.

Have them do it all at once.

 

The AEM EMS comes with a cd that has AEMPro software and AEMLog software, along with AEM EFI Basics, AEMLog usersguide, and AEMPro users guide .pdf's, so you'll have more than enough documentation.

It does come with basemaps, but they are not pre-loaded. You can install it yourself and load the basemap, but I would recommend just letting them do the install...just to make sure that everything goes right and you don't end up with a fiasco on your hands in the middle of nowhere (basically, where you live)

 

I've been there before. Living alone and stuck out in the middle of NFP, Texas waiting for parts to be over-nighted to me before I could get something to eat. It sucks.