Im doing this all for the most cost effective way possible. What i want is right around 300hp(i hope). Its a fwd and i dont really want to go all out on a fwd. This is my setup so far 650cc,walbro fuel pump+rewire,front mount intercooler,mbc,free mods+k&n cone filter,16g evo III,full 3" exhaust with 02 elimantor. I will also be making this a daily driver(or close to it) with it seeing maybe 50miles a week. Now what im wondering is what should i go with for tuning. Ive heard all kinds of different things but no reall proof besides my buddys 99gsx with safc that runs great. I know i could probably get the apex s-afc for cheaper than 200 bucks but how much more tuning ability will i get with the gm maf translater.Should i definately get a dsm link or will i be alirght wtihout? Ok guys any help would be great i really appreciate it thanks,kevin.

It all depends on your hp goals and how much you want to spend. You could go cheap now, but if your hp goals go higher, then you might have to upgrade fuel control/tuning twice. If you think you'll stop at 300hp, then you don't have to go all out (aka be happy with safc and pocketlogger). Here are some options. Remember you need both fuel control, and something to tune/log with.
(What year car are you? I'll assume you're a 2g)

FUEL CONTROL WITH LOGGING CAPABILITY
Dsmlink
The best money can buy. You can see 2g knock, adjust just about everything. Buy it once, never buy any more fuel control or tuning device again. (Looking back I wish I had gotten this from the start, but oh well). It's very pricey though, ~$650 for the software, ~$150 for an eeprom, plus price of a laptop if you don't have one. Could easily spend a grand here.

ECU+
Several recent threads about this. It's decent, in my opinion. Many set points to adjust fuel and timing, and fast logging capability. But you can't see the inside values of the ecu, which is very important in my opinion. So you can't clear Check Engine Lights, can't see fuel trims (which makes tuning idle and low throttle easier), can't see real ecu o2 voltage. Price is about $470 or so.


JUST FUEL CONTROL
safc
Probably the cheapest fuel control, and 80% of people use it or start out with it. You can get lots of help on it since lots of people use it. The older safcI's are fine, 8 points to tune, and gets the job done. the SafcII are a litle nicer, 12 tuning points, save a pump gas and race gas setting. The older models can be had for about $200, new units safcII units for $268 on ebay.

gmmaf transilator
The latest craze, mostly because it give you the option to vent the bov properly. I have good experience with the 1.37 version of the translator, and I'm only mildly impressed. Instead of getting the 2.0 chip, I'm actually going back to my safc, but leaving the translator in so I can vent. Anyway, the 2.0 chip is suppose to be better, with more tune-ability. But this setup is very expensive:
gm maf 3" : 20-100 dollars
translator electronic box : 200 dollars
new gm upper ic pipe (much better than just couplers) : 250 dollars
new vpc intake pipe and filter : 100 dollars


JUST LOGGING
digital tuning's pocketlogger
This is the pocketlogger most people use. Their is a 1g and a 2g version. The 1g allows you to see knock, which is very nice. The 2g version is good, see lots of parameters, timing, real ecu o2 voltage, fuel trims, clear CEL's. Can be used on any OBDII car. Comes with cable and software for about $175, then a palm if you don't have one already.

free pocketlogger
Their are some free logging software out there. I don't have much experience with it, but some people like it. You would just need the OBDII cable and a palm

wideband.
Wideband prices have come down quite a bit lately, making them very affordable. A wideband will tell you your exact air fuel ratio, which makes tuning a breeze. Say tune for 11:1 on pump gas, or 12:1 on race gas. Very easy to see results. I would say that this is almost all you need, and that you almost wouldn't need a logger. But a wideband won't tell you anything about timing or knock. You could tune for 11:1, but if you don't look at timing, then it could be getting pulled (because of knock) without you knowing it. Also a wideband isn't that great for tuning the idle/just cursing. I just bought the LM-1 wideband, and it was close to $500 for the unit, rpm detector, and some other cabling. But then you'd be the hit with your friends if you had one!

yah im going to stop at 300hp(hehe i hope unless the speed demon crack whore gets me) anyway i have a 91 fwd and realyl dont want to go over 500 bucks . I think my best setup from what ive gathered is afc,pocketlogger and a chip. I'm not sure but this seems ok for my needs and considering ive never tuned it shouldnt be too hard to start with right? thanks.