Hello, I have an 03 S2k. AFE intake, PLM header - ceramic coated, 63mm Catless testpipe, Neuspeed exhaust. Eventually, I will be adding a ballade sports 70mm throttle body and the matching intake manifold. I plan to stay NA at this time.

I would like to keep things as simplistic and functional as possible. I do not have a tuner nearby and would like to reach out to you guys on your opinion on what would be the most cost effective and reliable option.

I have looked at Haltech and also AEM. I realize there are all sorts of models that are available depending on the brand. I will not be the one tuning the car but was hoping to get into one of the plug and play tuners that would allow me to e-tune. E-mail tune to reputable tuner, make adjustments, send it back to me and I load it up, copy, paste, repeat.

Keeping this safe, reliable, and buying something with the features needed and not overboard for my setup or future mod plans.

Please chime in if you have knowledge on what direction to guide me in. I have searched and this subject is exponentially deep and really have no idea of where to start and what would be my best route. Thank you for any and all of your help and participation.

 

Do you need to pass emissions or not? If you're staying as close to OEM as possible and need to pass emissions, Hondata Kpro or another OEM ECU based solution is best. There are kits now which avoid the need to swap your cam and crank sensor, but the adapter harnesses are bulky and expensive.

Out of all of the plug and play solutions on the market, I would use the Link G4X plugin. It's priced very competitively, fits into the stock ECU body, and plugs directly into the factory plugs. This is a brand new, modern ECU with some pretty sophisticated tuning options and a very active community. I had a support question and the Link team answered within hours even though I sent the request on a weekend. It's also significantly cheaper than AEM or Haltech. There are a ton of Link tuners. Unless you have very specific needs for a particular brand or for emissions compliance, this seems to be a no-brainer.
https://dealers.linkecu.com/S2000

I prefer AEM Infinity using the Science of Speed kit to Haltech, but both are very good.

Tim

 

I’m hearing the same ^^^ positive feedback about the new LINK ECU. I was about to buy Haltech, just to learn the user interface, but now I might get the LINK instead and then Haltech.

 

The AEM Infinity from Science of Speed is a great system too. There are plenty of remote tuners who can tune for you while you drive. Long gone are the days of emailing data logs and files back and forth. They can just connect to your laptop remotely and tune as you drive. It is wonderful.

 

A few points:

• Download the software for both and see what you like. For a while, the Link software barely ran for me in VMWare Fusion. Every other software worked perfectly. The Link software worked perfectly in BootCamp. I almost took Link off of my list because I like to review logs and do base tunes in VMWare, but connect to the ECU in BootCamp. Then, I had a driver update and it became one of the fastest software packages I had installed in both VMWare and Bootcamp.
• The other thing installing the software does- it shows you how the tune is setup and what you're able to do. You can test adding sensors, math functions, boost control, etc. I made a list of every sensor I wanted and made sure that they were supported in the software and had the available physical IO. There are a few extra IO connections on the Link which are not wired (Analog T3, Analog T4, Analog V11), so if you want to max out the IO, buy one special ordered with these wired from the factory.
• The Link documentation for the S2000 isn't currently on their website, but is in the help files in the tuning software.
• GM fuel injector data provides massive benefit if you have a fuel pressure sensor and E85 sensor.
• Link has some very advanced fuel models available, but their S2000 base map doesn't use them.
  • Modelled multi-fuel is what you want for E85
  • Modelled Fuel Equation would be the best for regular pump gas.
  • The Link basemap for the S2000 uses their traditional fuel equations. This is not bad, but you miss a lot of the benefits of a modern VE based tune. Not a big deal assuming your tuner has a decent modelled base map or experience creating one.
  • https://linkecu.com/software-support...ations-pclink/

My current rankings / thoughts as as follows.
No holds barred: Emtron, Motec, or similar. Prepare to pay including for a basemap.
Best for most people: Link G4X PnP. Can be simple or advanced. Very cost effective. Newest ECU and tons of support. No modifications to factory harness or sensors.
BMW DCT swap: MaxxECU Race or Pro. I thought they had the easiest software of any I tried, but they also have a ton of advanced features available. Factory-like control of the DCT. Custom harness required. S2000 basemap exists.
AEM Infinity: SOS harness is great, tons of tuners, SOS has tons of basemaps, and these were designed to be a world class ECU. Hard to go wrong with this choice. Unfortunately they're getting pretty old and aren't maintained actively. IMO, the Link software is worlds better than the AEM Infinity software. There's also a lot more free IO in the Link PnP.
When I looked into Haltech, I loved the software, but there didn't seem to be enough IO for what I wanted to do and I thought there were better options at the same price.
ME442: I looked at it. Seems to be ripped off from Microsquirt. Lots of bad press in the Miata world.
Hondata KPro 4: Best for emissions compliance and has a pretty significant amount of spare IO. Best thought of as an integrated piggyback rather than a standalone ECU.

 

Does anyone know if there is a patch loom that would make a Motec plug and play?

 

Yes. Do you know which Motec package you would run? GPR?

If you're considering Motec, take a look at Emtron KV8.

https://www.boomslang.com/pnp-harnesses.php

 

I think a M130 Motec, unsure at this stage I don’t really want to do a custom wiring loom. Would like to use the current loom that’s in the car which the Hondata works perfectly.

 

I'm looking to pick up an ECU for my ITB set up. I'm looking for the set up that's going to be the most OEM as possible when it's all said and done. I was originally looking at the Infinity or Haltech, but have had several people mention the new Link ECU to me.

Anyone happen to know if you can do the MAP/TPS blend tuning with Link? Does it have the same VE tuning capabilities that Infinity does? I'm very uneducated when it comes to ECUs and the nuances that go along with them. Also does this new Link ECU set up run the OEM coolant gauge in the dash properly?

 

My 2 cents. Get ECU that is Volumetric Efficiency based tuning. Makes it easier to tune and as an end user easier for you to check your own tune. Don't know if hondata or the link ecus offer that but if they are VE tune based, keep all OEM sensors, and start up like OEM, I'd pick one of those.