Evo8 ecu=Pure WIN! Details inside.....

[transparentdsm]

wow imma get on this kick too.

381gvr4 when i get back east at the end of the month could i pick your brain a little bit due to the fact that i will be doing this exact ecu set up just with stock evo injectors and evo 8 mas. id like to see how easy/difficult the tuning is..

 

[EgonOlsen]

Was thinking on going this road as well, but it seems many have and the price on Evo 8 ECUs skyrocket atm.

First thread I saw was "get lucky and pay 120$" Last I saw on ebay, none below 300$
So if you are thinking on this and get a chance to scoop 1 up, you prolly should.

I have no connections in that area and here in Denmark there are hardly any Evos, ergo no used parts either.
So I kinda skipped the idea again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[boostx]

My friend was selling his spare evo 8 ecu for $150. I will check if he still have it if anyone needs it.

 

[broxma]

Ebay is not the place to buy an Evo ECU. Definitely go through EvoM. Even if you can't post in the FS section due to 50 post limit, you can PM people selling them.

In addition, I'll have one for sale next week.

/brox

 

[Okayplayer]

So you have out grown the evo ecu already? What gives? I thought the tuning ability was good enough to roll with it even with your 35r. So what are your goals now?

 

[524of1000]

It's a new experiment. I'll still be running the Evo 8 for a long time to come.

 

[Okayplayer]

Quoting broxma:
In addition, I'll have one for sale next week.

/brox



Sorry, I was trying to get brox to chime in on that

 

[524of1000]

Brox and I work very closely on these cars as we live about 10 minutes from each other. He's finished with his current setup and is moving on to something a bit different, though I'm sure he'll still be the go-to guy on the Evo 8 ECU.

 

[Okayplayer]

Okay. Depending on what I get as far as performance/dependability from the evo8 ecu set up, I probably will keep it there and just try to make it as responsive as I can. So what can I expect as far as diagnosing CEL's from the evo8 ecu? Will it throw a light when something is wrong? And will the code it gives correspond with what is actually wrong?

 

[stealthtt24]

This seems like a great 2nd option to dsmlink. You can either spend the money and forgo the work or save a few hundred and put the labor in. Thanks for the update_

 

[524of1000]

Quoting Okayplayer:
Okay. Depending on what I get as far as performance/dependability from the evo8 ecu set up, I probably will keep it there and just try to make it as responsive as I can. So what can I expect as far as diagnosing CEL's from the evo8 ecu? Will it throw a light when something is wrong? And will the code it gives correspond with what is actually wrong?



CEL and codes work normally. We spent over a week chasing down the cause of one in Brox's car. They can also be cleared or even turned off if you want them to. Anything you can do with a OEM ECU or DSM link can be done with the Evo 8 ECU. It's defiantly a viable and affordable option for tuning.

 

[Okayplayer]

So what about data logging? I just bought a palm, is there any way I can use this with the evo8 ecu?

 

[524of1000]

Sell the Palm, you don't need it. You can log via software on the laptop. Besides, it's likely the Palm runs on OBD1, your Evo 8 ECU will be OBD2. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[broxma]

I am simply switching over to an AEM. The switch is not because of any issue with the Evo ECU, rather a confirmation. I am in the fortunate position to be able to afford one and I found one cheap, so I am going to give it a look since the owner of the AWD dyno here in town specializes on them. I am also in the process of showing him how to tune on the factory Evo ECU using EcuFlash software and EvoScan. Fortunately for Steve(524of1000), we will most likely be doing this on his car once the turbo situation is resolved.

At the time I switch over to the AEM, I am also moving over to speed density, which is something I have not yet toyed with on the Evo ECU although I know it is now quite refined. What will probably happen is we will get my car running on the AEM, then switch back to the Evo ECU temporarily, to figure out the SD aspects and how similar they are between the two platforms.

To reiterate what Steve has already said since we build our cars simultaneously, I haven't outgrown the ECU. To my knowledge, there are many stock ECU Evo's running north of 600 hp right now.I am not sure what the stock ECU record is but outgrowing it as far as capability is not something I worry about. A recent change to the map allowed for what is essentially "load doubling". What this means is that if you are running such high load on the map you begin to run out of resolution, you can tell the ECU to cut load values in half. This essentially makes the ECU run out to loads in excess of 550-600. To put this in perspective, my car at 362WHP 278tq was around 270-290 normal load.

Logging can be handled by any logging software which logs time/data. The preferred logging software is EvoScan which you do have to purchase, but it's relatively cheap at under 30 dollars, and comes with lifetime updates. Plus, it is cross platform in that it can log OBDI DSM's, Subarus, 2G's, Evo's, 3000GT's and just about any other vehicle running this type of protocol.

The hardest thing to find these days is the older v 1.3 Tactrix cables. They are arguably less of a pain than the new v2.0 cable. I suppose someone could pin out the 1.3 cable and make a copy of it but they would need to find a female OBDII connector side with wires and I'm not sure where that can be purchased.

/brox

 

[DR1665]

I've been planning to go speed density on Jackal with an Ostrich emulator. Reading this, I'm kinda glad I didn't buy them yet. Methinks a trip to the junkyard for a little 3G Eclipse (Sebring?) hunting is in order. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

For the money, this seems a better value. I mean, we're looking at almost $200 for the Ostrich, alone, and this gives a more powerful processor, among other things.

At the yard, I should be looking for the 3G ECU, pigtail, and OBD scanport, right? Assuming I wanted to make a patch cable, where do you recommend scoring the connectors on the stock ECU side? Just desolder from a dead/non-EPROM ECU?

Thanks for doing the legwork on this one. Kudos.

 

[381gvr4]

I sourced my ecu plug from a n/a ecu at the yard. I melted the solder and straitened the pins that went into the board. Then I soidered to them and then shrink tubed.

 

[mountaineerjeff]

Quoting QnzMostWanted:
just an idea for those who cant find an ECU
the 3g Manual ECU is EXACTLY the same as the Evo ECU (pinouts etc) just with a different ROM
the 3g guys just flash an EVO Rom when they are ready to boost...



does this include the performance? I know the biggest gains for switching to an evo is from the ecu being able to make more and faster decisions.

 

[QnzMostWanted]

my friends over at blackheart motors confirmed that the ECU is exactly the same, same pinouts, same performance, the only difference between the 2 is the ROM, the 3g rom is NA and the Evo is obviously a turbo rom, Flash a EVO Rom into a 3g ECU and u have an EVO ECU, this has been tested and confirmed over at galanttuners.com


im actually in the process of making a conversion harness from the 3g to my GS harness and going to run the 3g Rom in my GS...

 

[nickbuilt]

My last gvr4 made 545 whp on pump gas on Evo 8 ecu with speed density sh*t is great just as good as a full stand alone big thanks to broxma for all his help on that!

-nick

 

[Leon_R]

Quoting Okayplayer:
I'm surprised more people aren't getting on this mod. I think that it's pretty cool that you can put modern computing in an older car. And it seems to be very cost effective sans some sweat equity. I haven't tried ecmlink or dsmlink yet, but to me I don't see the downside of this.



You want a downside? It isn't a DSMLink /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

Seriously, because you are coming modded chip world, this seems so awesome (and it is very good), but if you had DSMLink, you might have a differnt opinion... Have you actually tried tunning with this ECU?

Log -> Review -> Adjust -> Log (over and over)

This process is much more seamless in the DSM Link.

EVO ECU is better suited for hard core hackers, who MUST put their own spin on things! Where as DSM Link "just works" and does so extremely well! It is similar to Droid vs. iPhone debate /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

You do know that some people convert their EVOs to 2G ECU w/DSM Link, right? Ask them for the downside /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Both are good options, EVO ECU is cheaper, so if you have limited budget, it might be a better choice (only if you are up for a tuning challenge, or have a friend who is) Or... You could just get used DSM Link, just make sure you are not getting counterfeit copy (older versions).