DSMlink or SAFC?

[shift_racer]

First I did use the search tool and did not find the questions or answers that i needed so here I go. I am getting a parts list together and am stuck at a crossroads. I know everything that I want but when it comes to tuning I have no clue which to go. My car will be a daily driver. I'm planning on eventually putting on a big 16g with all supporting mods. So my question is which should I get and which one is easier to tune with a SAFC or DSMlink? Please keep in mind that I am a big newb to tuning.

Thanks for your help.

 

[FastGS-T]

depends on what you plan on doing with your car... id say get the dsm link if you had big plans with it.... as far as my setup goes im running the 16g and im only using the AFC / Maf translator combo... but if i ever went bigger than the 16g id definately get dsm link

 

[racinmasonc]

AFC and maybe get 550cc injectors depending how much boost your going to run.. and if you will upgrade the turbo

 

[Mitchel63]

I personally feel that DSMlink is the best mod ever no matter what "level" you are at. You don't want to be one of those people who buys an SAFC and a logger and then sells it to get DSMlink.......trust me.

 

[96whgsx]

I personally feel that DSMlink is the best mod ever no matter what "level" you are at. You don't want to be one of those people who buys an SAFC and a logger and then sells it to get DSMlink.......trust me.

Yeah, the DSMLink has more capabilites overall than the S-AFC. I have the S-AFC right now and I'm going to upgrade to either the DSMLink or ECU+ but that decision is a different subject.

 

[1gfromND]

I would go DSMlink because you get the ability to control some of your timing and then everything else a SAFC can. It doesn't matter what kinda caliber of mods you do with DSMlink either. I had a SAFC2 and hated it. It was such a pain to dial in plus it didn't do too good of a job. Don't get me wrong the SAFC is a solid piece of unit. It works good with a blow through setup but I feel DSMlink would far surpass it when climbing higher and higher up the mod list and it wouldn't have to be replaced either. Spend the bones and get the reward of easier and more efficient tuning. Sam

 

[Flip_4G63]

If i was you i would get the DSMlink! I have the SAFCII and i really am not happy with it. I have used DSMlink before and it is SO much nicer and user friendly.

 

[Thomas91169]

I personally feel that DSMlink is the best mod ever no matter what "level" you are at. You don't want to be one of those people who buys an SAFC and a logger and then sells it to get DSMlink.......trust me.

i will second this. i bought your run of the mill palm and pocketlogger and safc2 combo. never felt i was going the right way as far as tuning went. slapped the money down for dsmlink and a laptop, and hot diggity dam, was i impressed. just zeroed out on 550cc injectors yeilded better results than the safc tuned to the max. and that was before getting the airflow, timing, and even leaning out even more. plus being able to log EVERYTHING you could need to log at once, and ease of making changes(even on the go) was a major advantage.

i like the fact that instead of logging stuff with pocketlogger, and only being able to log 3 parameters at a time(unless you want a really crappy transfer rate, more paramaters=less info), then looking at that in one hand and the safc in the other, using safc's stupid menu knob and button, you can have the laptop sitting there, click start, do a run, click end(if you leave the pointer on the start/stop, you only have to reach over and click the clicker), then pull over(unless youre doing 2 person tuning, a driver and a tuner), see the log, figure out using quite a few data points where you need to make changes, then make the changes you want, and do it all over again, till you get it how you want it. also the ability to post logs in the dsmlink forums is another advantage. lots of genius tuners there that will more than likely help you out even when things seem like theyre just not clicking, one of the great tuners will always know whats going on and how to help things for the best. hell, they were able to tell me i wasnt running 20psi, and that my boost gauge was wrong, sure enough, new boost gauge a week later showed i was only at 14psi. and here i thought i was just used to my cars fastness.

i bought the safc and palm logger telling myself i wouldnt go crazy with the dsm. boy was i wrong. id say just get dsmlink right off the bat, its definately worth it.

 

[Evil1gDsm]

depends on what you plan on doing with your car... id say get the dsm link if you had big plans with it.... as far as my setup goes im running the 16g and im only using the AFC / Maf translator combo... but if i ever went bigger than the 16g id definately get dsm link

AFC / GM Maf Trans is a great combo...But you can't beat a GM maf trans / DSMlink combo!!! Save the money and get DSMlink...You'll love it!!

 

[assa 98gsx]

Of course DSMLINK no second thought, why? Because you own a dsm and you will upgrade just like I did. But besides the upgradebility, one thing comes more important is the healthy of your engine. Why is SAFC bad? It's good to reach the same quickness and the link, but it lacks of the ability to check the stats of your engine. I used to rely on just timing, someone said if timing doesn't drop then it's good. So I kept telling myself i was in good hands untill i got the link. You will be surprised how many things you overlooked and you will learn a lot more just by having the dsmlink(especially when you start seeing knock that you thought it wasn't there.) Not only knock is one way to monitor, it can also allow you to monitor boost, egt and WBO2 all on your computer. I know you can hookup individual devices and check them, but, it's a better idea to compare them on the same graph. The launch controll and the water/meth injection controll also will help you greatly.

Cliff notes: SAFC <-- Made for all cars
DSMLINK <-- Your car only!

 

[Lunch_Box]

And when it comes to tuning I have heard that the DSMlink is easier to tune then the SAFC. For the money and what it does you can't go wrong with the DSMlink.

 

[FORMONTOYA]

the only tuning/logging device i have ever had for this car is dsmlink. i would HIGHLY recommend this unit. very easy to use and grasp the concept of whats going on. i could not imagine anything being easier.

jim

 

[Mist3r Spool]

I use the SAFC-II and I like it for my setup (16G turbo, 550cc injectors). I'm taking my car to a very reputable shop nearby for dynotuning (they prodominantly use DSMLink, but they do have some 500+hp DSMs w/a SAFC-II) and they confirm that a SAFC-II is more than sufficient for my setup. I got my SAFC-II for only $260 (brand new), DSM link almost double, I believe. I have my SAFC-II home-tuned right now and I'm very pleased with the results-can't wait 'till it's dyno-tuned though. I just wanted to share my experience with the SAFC-II since everyone else here has or swears by DSMLink. I don't doubt at all that the DSMLink is a more tuneable/useable product but I just wanted to give some props to A'Pexi for a very suitable/functional product (except for the stupid knock meter).

 

[larsenracing]

DSMlink is the way to go. but i use an afcII and it supports me very well as you can see i put down 260 hp and can support way more I'm pulling about 26% all the way accrost the full throttle board and it was dyno tuned and i have a wideband and it all runs great a/f mix I'm running 550cc injectors, 255 pump, fpr, big16g, 17psi, and much more and it works out great for me i know eventually i will be better off with DSMlink but its all about what you can afford right now and what your mods is going to be. but good luck.

 

[Talesin]

DSMLink. The overriding thing my 1G has taught me: Do it right, do it once.
Every time I've tried to cheap out on something, the car's come back to bite me. That in mind, I have a shoebox that I toss a bit of each paycheck into. Currently, it's going toward DSMLink, even though a buddy was selling an SAFC-2 for $80 a couple weeks back.

 

[Mist3r Spool]

DSMLink. The overriding thing my 1G has taught me: Do it right, do it once.
Every time I've tried to cheap out on something, the car's come back to bite me. That in mind, I have a shoebox that I toss a bit of each paycheck into. Currently, it's going toward DSMLink, even though a buddy was selling an SAFC-2 for $80 a couple weeks back.

$80?!! WTF That's a true buddy.

 

[shift_racer]

Thanks for all the help guys

 

[TeamPeregreen]

I was also debating on what to get. However with a dsmlink as a daily driver compared to a SAFC. I can imagine having to ask my passenger to hold onto my labtop everytime he/she sits down. I mean I know the ecu remembers what youve set it to even after you disconnect the labtop. But say for instance you are running a minimal amount of boost as a daily driver and a car is messing with you. You want to turn up your boost and you dont have your labtop w/u. Will turning up your boost affect performance? Or will your ecu automatically recognize your change in boost and compensate air/fuel/timing ect? (I hope I dont sound dumb Im a noob at electrical)

 

[akdsm]

I was also debating on what to get. However with a dsmlink as a daily driver compared to a SAFC. I can imagine having to ask my passenger to hold onto my labtop everytime he/she sits down. I mean I know the ecu remembers what youve set it to even after you disconnect the labtop. But say for instance you are running a minimal amount of boost as a daily driver and a car is messing with you. You want to turn up your boost and you dont have your labtop w/u. Will turning up your boost affect performance? Or will your ecu automatically recognize your change in boost and compensate air/fuel/timing ect? (I hope I dont sound dumb Im a noob at electrical)

why dont you tune to the upper boost setting.........

 

[iboostdoyou]

I'm mixed on this subject completely. Since you have a 95, you most likely have the eprom ecu hence no need to spend the extra $200 for an ecu which helps you out. Now you just need the $500 program and a laptop. However, for my setup I just picked up an safc, and had the car dyno-tuned by the local shop. I have a logger as well, but just to make sure it was running perfect I had it professionally tuned and tweaked the base settings myself as my mods changed. For a 16g you really dont need dsmlink at all, but if you have the cash to spend on tuning, go for it

 

[DSMDirkah]

Just get AEM EMS and be done with it

 

[TeamPeregreen]

why dont you tune to the upper boost setting.........

Yeah I guess it would makes more sense to...but how much more fuel do you burn after setting say 550injectors or higher on your AFC/Dsmlink? (Our cars burn gas as it is...and $40 sumthing dollars to fill up aint cheap)

Oh and not to change the subject.....but I usta live in Anchorage. And my x-girlfriend went to chugiak highschool.

I'm mixed on this subject completely. Since you have a 95, you most likely have the eprom ecu hence no need to spend the extra $200 for an ecu which helps you out. Now you just need the $500 program and a laptop. However, for my setup I just picked up an safc, and had the car dyno-tuned by the local shop. I have a logger as well, but just to make sure it was running perfect I had it professionally tuned and tweaked the base settings myself as my mods changed. For a 16g you really dont need dsmlink at all, but if you have the cash to spend on tuning, go for it

Yeah it sucks because I have a labtop, but I also have a pocket logger too. So do all 95 awd gsx/tsi have the eprom ecu? how can I tell? THanks!

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

dsmlink is better than the safc in everyway except for price..

btw im an ex-safc2 owner.. and im sure many others are ex afc owners

yea you 95 owners with eprom ecu.. the choice should be easier.. wish someone told me that before i bought my afc knowing i had an eprom already

 

[iboostdoyou]

Yeah it sucks because I have a labtop, but I also have a pocket logger too. So do all 95 awd gsx/tsi have the eprom ecu? how can I tell? THanks!

here's how to tell if you have eprom or not in a 2g (aka yours)
http://www.dsmlink.com/faq-eprom.html

If you have an eprom which I think 95% of 1995's did, sell that logger and pick up the dsmlink; with the laptop and eprom you have half of the setup done with and will save yourself about $500 over the rest of the dsm community that wishes to use dsmlink. Your fortunate to have that available, so take advantage of it!

but also dont forget that you have to send your ecu away to get it socketed for the program, which will take your car off the road for about a week, but is only like $50 to get done.

 

[TeamPeregreen]

here's how to tell if you have eprom or not in a 2g (aka yours)
http://www.dsmlink.com/faq-eprom.html

If you have an eprom which I think 95% of 1995's did, sell that logger and pick up the dsmlink; with the laptop and eprom you have half of the setup done with and will save yourself about $500 over the rest of the dsm community that wishes to use dsmlink. Your fortunate to have that available, so take advantage of it!

but also don't forget that you have to send your ecu away to get it socketed for the program, which will take your car off the road for about a week, but is only like $50 to get done.

i c so E=eprom i looked at my ecu after work! haha I should take advantage of it thanks for the good advise.

One more thing...my sister has a 95 gsx and I'm pretty sure hers is eprom also. But wouldn't it make sense to just have hers socketed and use my labtop and set hers up. or does the dsmlink prog specifically sets for one ecu?