I have a MY01 with a confirmed 37820-PCX-A01 ecu (AP1 00-01). I found a few of the A02 model (02-03) for sale around the 200 dollar mark. I am aware that the later AP1 ecu's run leaner, my question is if they run lean enough to make a justifiable enough power increase to spend 200 on?

Thanks in advance.

 

If you use vfac you will make more power then buying the 02-03 ecu. Also you will need to have honda reprogram the ecu to your car which cost about 100 bucks.

 

Just get a VAFC then get tuned and call it done.

 

Hmm, never even considered that. Always thought of it as kind of a hokey tuning method. Basically I was just looking for something to slightly preoccupy my sense of speed till I picked k-pro up around Jan or so. Thank you guys, I'll look into it.

 

I did the Ecu swap some time ago and liked the result but there are other things that can be done. I went FI and sold my 2002 ECU for $50 so if you really want to do it just lay in the weeds until a cheaper one is available. And the dealer programmed mine for $60.

Instead of VAFC (which is not a bad bit of hardware) see if you can find an Emanage ultimate and a good tuner if you want to stay NA. I found one used on Ebay for about $400 to use with my supercharger. You will get about double the power that VAFC will get you because you can change fuel, timing and VTEC. It will also be able to fine tune whenever you add something like an exhaust or header or whatever, and works well if you decide to pick up an SC kit in the future.

With an emanage tune you will notice more power than just VAFC, especially down low where you can monkey with timing, and it is powerfull enough to tune for a used SC that you can find for about $2k or less these days in the for sale forum. But first make sure you can find a tuner who knows emanage. This is not easy because most only know KPro or EMS which are much more expensive.

The nice thing about emanage (or other setups) over something like VAFC is that the stock computer can "learn" and cancel out what you have done in VAFC over time and you have to keep resetting the ECU. My emanage has a wideband O2 sensor hooked to it and is programmed to set fuel ratios at a certain target and keep it there automatically. So if you have a tuning solution that does this, whenever you change something (like a header or exhaust) that might lean or richen the fuel mixture, the computer will automatically alter your fuel map to the target. It is more expensive than VAFC but still pretty cool, and much cheaper than EMS.

For complex setups with big turbos, EMS and KPro are better, but for NA and mild SC applications Emanage is a great setup on a budget. EManage, harness and tune if you look around can be had for about $800 total and net you about 25 hp and some nice midrange torque with a good tune. That is better bang for your buck than just about any mod out there. But remember before you buy one, make sure you found a good emanage tuner first.

 

'02-'03 ECU is a good upgrade for people that want to stay stock. However, as others said above, the gains will be small compared to a tuned piggy back or EMS. If you're already planning to get a KPro, then it would be somewhat wastefull to buy an '02-'03 ECU now.

 

Aside from a leaner A/F mix, what are the other benefits of a '00 to '01-'02 swap?

 

Less money in your pocket to weigh you down

 

if you eventually plan on getting a tune, dont get it. if you plan one staying relatively stock, yes. better driveability in lower RPMS over 00-01s. ive personally done this so i have first hand experience. im looking at getting the car tuned now that im FI and regret not keeping the richer ECU. you live and you learn.

 

Well if you go FI then you're going to have to get an aftermarket ECU anyway right? It seems to be a stop gap measure for those who can't do too much until they decide to either get boosted or until they buy a real aftermarket ECU.