Hero

yep...i mean for one, with the extra power down low, you avoid looking like a jackass kangarooing the car from stop signs, especially in the ap1.

more importantly, when you see people post i got x amount from tuning or this part, they are mostly referring to peak power. so with my e-manage ultimate i picked up 13hp and 11 ft/lbs of tq on my first tune...but i picked up more than that throughout the midrange. most people just dont talk about those numbers, but i think they are just as important.

again if you look at only peak hp numbers, you'd think my ricks header was worthless because i lost 3hp peak. if you look at the dyno you'll see i gained 6-8hp throughout the low to mid powerband and a similar amount of tq.

liquid_helix136

Well I'd like to only spend a few hundred for the tuning hardware and then a few hundred for the tuning itself. But after these replies Im considering trying to see if I can save up a little more and go for the GEMU, they typically run about $400ish used correct? Also how much more does it typically cost to tune with a GEMU? I got a quote from a shop up here that said $150 to tune a VAFC?

My mods will include (in the transition of swapping out atm)
K&N FIPK
Comptech Header
70mm Invidia TP
70mm Invidia Q300

With this small amount of mods how much would you expect a GEMU to pick up over a VAFC? Not looking for concrete evidence, just some comparisons of past experiences etc. would be nice

littlerocket777

I was in the same position you are now. VAFC for $150 Used) or EMU for $500 (new). Big difference in dollars, almost 1 to 3. But after much contemplation, I went with the EMU and I love it, altho, no experience with the VAFC. My reasoning was I'd rather get something I can use across the powerband/throttle instead of something I would just use for WOT. The only time I WOT is when flying up the onramp onto a freeway. WOT is too much for the street IMO because you can really get into trouble there. I live in a city, so 99% of the streets are not WOT suitable for more than a second. After that, you are risking accident or worse. So it came down to do I want to use 20 bucks of a 150 buck item or all 500 bucks of a 500 buck item.

Hero

never thought of it that way....good way to put it.

Hero

WOT will be similar...with a slight edge most likely going to the greddy unit if you're tuner can find the sweet spot with that header and lowering vtec. ( you have more vtec flexibility w/the greddy ).

low to mid range power will be similar on both with the edge ( a few hp ) going to the greddy. but you won't have to reset your ecu every week to keep your tune.

also, the em-u has two maps you can switch between w/the flip of the switch. so you can have 2 tunes on your unit at once ( like say one for 91 gas on the street, and maybe 93+ for the track ). useful to some...cool feature.

you can expect 10-15hp increase w/a good tune, and probably about 10-13 ft/lb tq increase i would conservatively say.

littlerocket777

Hero, you were one of the key people that helped me make my decision. Thanks for that.

liquid_helix136

Hmm.. this may be the selling point, I did not know that about the GEMU

Im currently living/going to school in oklahoma, but go back home to texas every so often, Oklahoma only sells 91 octane whereas Texas only sells 93

Being able to switch Maps for ideal octane levels would be AWESOME!

or if I wanted to take performance to the max, theres a place that sells 110 octane or something along those lines some odd 30 mins away from where i live in OK, so I could pop in, throw the 110 in there and flip the switch to the 110 map and have LOADS of fun!

oh the options..

drewmob

Should part of the conversation about the EMU be that a lot of shops aren't very good at tuning it? I've talked to 2 local shops who have flat-out said that they can't tune partial throttle properly.

Apparently Giles made a special trip to Atlanta to help out the local club but I missed it. The EMU is a great product that I want desperately, but is useless to me because I haven't found a tuner.

devs2k

[QUOTE=drewmob,Sep 18 2009, 09:29 AM] Should part of the conversation about the EMU be that a lot of shops aren't very good at tuning it?

DFWs2k

Yes, I haven't even been able to find a good Greddy EMU tuner in my area, or within a 4-5 hour drive...