Whats the deal with the aem ems?

[talonc]

Does anyone know what the deal is with the new AEM ems; does not seem ever so popular. Whats wrong with it. Even the performance shop my cars at told me to sell it and install haltech instead. I just figure canadian shops don't know how to tune it.
Also seems like no one is willing to pay anything decent for it. It retails for 1500.00US.
Just wondering whats the deal; is it crap, is good- who has one and hows it going?

 

[autronicDSM]

Guess what...the shop was right! AEM is junk, still in beta and allcustomers are their beta testers. If you ask me it's targeted at ricers since they dont know any better.

 

[Ronin17]

I disagree, the latest version has had good results so far and the system has been proven to make some good horsepower (dre's gsx for instance). You can pick one up for 1200 new and the thing is capable of some pretty cool stuff. I think the whole beta tester thing has been blown out of proportion, if the product is good now, who cares what it was like in the past. AEM has been good about updates and they don't seem to be loosing any steam. "AEM is for ricers" :laugh:, maybe you haven't seem some of the cars that are using the AEM and what kind of numbers they have put out. If AEM can sell a few EMS's to some dumb honduh kids then good for them.

*edit*
I'd suggest going to the AEM forum and doing some research, that's what I've been doing. Link
*edit*

 

[nowayout]

It hasn't been out for 1G that long. For racing use or set up for a specific use I think it's a great system.

But for daily street use a constant change is conditions I'm going to wait a little longer.

Don't get me wrong it's a great system. Just like anything it takes time to iron out all the bugs.

 

[Violater101]

Lots of bugs that the average Joe won't be able to figure out until its too late and you blew your motor. Even some reputable shops have blown motors with this thing. If you pay big bucks to get it tuned by someone who knows what they are doing, then it will work good. My 2 cents

 

[Slappster]

To utilize the ems you must have the basic knowledge of your engine and a LOT of time. IMO its the best standalone that is mass produced. The support from aem is great and when you supra after supra put down insane hp with the aem you become a believer.

 

[LILGSX96]

AutronicDSM I must SLAP you! hahahah nice of you to to join the boat of AEM is a bunch of beta tester.
By the way just what version is DRE on 1,000,000,000.1? ( what ever version he is doing good now) They have a update every month. The only person that has gone fast with it is Shep. They flew out a AEM rep to tune the car for him the 1st time. But then agian he was allready runing a PRO EFI which I do believe is the same people that make the AEM. I am not sure on this. But I also know that after the AEM guys setup his car, he went in a change the setting and went faster. I am not knocking John in anyways I am very happy that he got the AEM to work. I have said it before and I well say it again Once the AEM get sorted out it will be a good unit. But as for now AEM has been blowing motors. Maybe not all but it has done its fair share.

 

[TurboAWD92GSX]

aem does not blow up motors its the poeple using the system that blows up motors. the aem will not do anything the user did not program it to do. you must have the right tools and knoledge to use the system. true there were some bugs but with 1.03 out now its a solid system now. with automapping base maps and all the support its the best system out there. john shep is running 9.08 now with his ems. Brent Rau put down 800@ the wheels with his aem ems. a fluke i think now. a beta test maybe for a while but now its on the rise to becoming the best system ever used out there. shops are pushing haltech cause they have prewired harnesses and base maps which cost EXTRA. aem ems has them for free.

 

[Ronin17]

Originally posted by nowayout
But for daily street use a constant change is conditions I'm going to wait a little longer.

AEM has an option to use a wideband o2 sensor as your main o2 sensor in daily driving. It can then adjust your fuel settings really accurately with changing conditions.

Autotune, ability to switch to speed density, awesome knock control, and plug and play are just some of the reasons why I really want to get an AEM.

Of course it's not perfect, but every update is making it alittle more bug free.

 

[autronicDSM]

Originally posted by TurboAWD92GSX
aem does not blow up motors its the poeple using the system that blows up motors. the aem will not do anything the user did not program it to do. you must have the right tools and knoledge to use the system. true there were some bugs but with 1.03 out now its a solid system now. with automapping base maps and all the support its the best system out there. john shep is running 9.08 now with his ems. Brent Rau put down 800@ the wheels with his aem ems. a fluke i think now. a beta test maybe for a while but now its on the rise to becoming the best system ever used out there. shops are pushing haltech cause they have prewired harnesses and base maps which cost EXTRA. aem ems has them for free.

go on NABR and search for AEM and see opinions of one tuner and then tell us about right tools and knowledge. AEM is junk, I don't care how many updates it will take them before it's considered good. They had recalls on their products before such as piece for cold air intake pipes that prevents sucking in water. That thing was falling apart and being sucked in to turbos. AEM did volunteered recall...

Standalone is a standalone, only reason every one jumped on their bandwagon because they advertised in every magazine. You don't see other systems being advertised besides occasional Haltech ad. Now you won't even see it anymore since US office closed.

As far as fast cars running AEM. Those are sponsored cars. AEM send out a team of people to tune them. They know of all the bugs and workarounds

 

[Violater101]

Originally posted by TurboAWD92GSX
aem does not blow up motors its the poeple using the system that blows up motors. the aem will not do anything the user did not program it to do. you must have the right tools and knoledge to use the system. true there were some bugs but with 1.03 out now its a solid system now. with automapping base maps and all the support its the best system out there. john shep is running 9.08 now with his ems. Brent Rau put down 800@ the wheels with his aem ems. a fluke i think now. a beta test maybe for a while but now its on the rise to becoming the best system ever used out there. shops are pushing haltech cause they have prewired harnesses and base maps which cost EXTRA. aem ems has them for free.

You couldn't be more from the truth . There was a bug in the system which had to do with setting timing advance etc at each RPM. Even though you had the timing set correctly, there was something going on in the background which was changing the actual timing. I don't know the whole in and outs of the bug, but believe me, the average Joe wouldn't have figured it out. I guess this would be the fault of the average person if he blew his motor, even though he had the correct settings.

 

[jmc94gsx]

Rau is now using a Motec, one down.
Shep gets a lot of support and doesn't even use the 30-1300. And didn't a nitrous function act up during the shootout?

And for the original poster: Canadian shops do know how to tune, do yourself a favor and see Magnus.
Hawaii LILGSX , do you care to testify how much Marco knows?

Interesting Violator101: that just goes to show how much of a Beta project this system is. AEM is too busy developing products and mass producing them instead of perfecting them. The bugs will probably be figured out in the end, but that was not for the public to figure out, in my opinion that is an inexcusable business practice.

 

[talonc]

funny thing i presently have my car at marco's.

 

[BoOsTiN4Hp]

What ronin 17 said!

The EMS is a awesome piece of equipment, way better then that afc thing i used to have. As far as people blowing up motors with it was simply that! The people blowing up the motors not the ems. When i first got mine last year i was 20 years old and installed, tuned, and coverted to speed density by myself in my garage in the middle of winter freezing my ass off. My GSX is my daily driver and i do not have lots of time to be messing around, i installed the ems then started it up and took it out for two hours and road tuned it with the wideband i wired up. Since then i have not retuned or changed anything except upgraded to new versions of the ems software. By the way v1.03 is tight! With this lack of tuning i was still able to run a 12.5 on a big 16 in a more then full weight car, i have a crazy stereo setup.

 

[LILGSX96]

Ummmm as to Just how much Marco knows... I do not know. I stayed with him for a week up at his shop the week of the east coast blackout. ( that guy made me work at the shop while I was on vacation hahaha ) I saw him pull a AEM out the car and put a Haltech in it with in 45 mins and the car was up and running great with about 30mins of tunning on it. Lets see I think Magnus were the guys who tought everybody about the 6bolt swap, 2.3 stroker, and the 2.4 stroker motors.
Bent Rau is useing a MOTEC to make all his power. Do not believe all the fine print in the magazines.
Last, I was having problems getting my car to stay running with my Haltech a few years backand This guy that was on his honeymoon nerver the less came over to my house and spent about I don't know 5 mins and she was running like a champ. It only had 20 miles on the new motor, this guy wanted me to take the car out on the road and drive it some while he tunned it a little more. So we were in 3rd boost set at 17 psi he says punch it! I look at him and said I only have 20 miles on the motor, he looked at me and say I BUILT YOUR F$$$ING MOTOR SO PUNCH IT!!!!!!! So I did and we have never looked back since! That guy was Marco.

 

[talonc]

i know that he(marco) is capable of great work, thats why i took my car there. just waiting for him to finish it.