AEM EMS or DSMLink

[Jordanbutter]

Ok so I'm starting college in the fall so I'm getting a laptop for "college". So which tuning program is better the AEM EMS or DSMLink, by that I mean which will be the best value, increase HP, and just be down right better!

 

[spoolup]

for your set up keep it simple. DSMlink will work great for almost 90% of the people of the board. Further more, dsmlink is still odb-ii compatible. Where as AEM needs to have a hook up to get it to pass emmisions if you have emmisions in your area (belive CO springs does).

DSMlink has outstanding support and Dave/ Tom are constantly upgrading with little fixes, calc routines, ect. Also, If getting a new laptop and plan on using it for DSMlink. Dont go to nice. I bought a CF28 from ebay just for DSMlink. The toshiba 3.2G proc 1g ram PC I use to use would overheat since the fans for the PC draw air in from the bottom. Plus if you have to hit your brakes you dont want the laptop to slide off the seat and smash againts the dash. Hence why the CF28 is so nice. "toughbook"

 

[Staytuned]

Best tuning software for daily driven, occasional strip car is DSMlink. Easy to use, uses all factory sensors plus you can add MAP sensor or WB O2 ....and version 3 will be out in the future with even more upgrades.

 

[boostedinaz]

Best tuning software for daily driven, occasional strip car is DSMlink. Easy to use, uses all factory sensors plus you can add MAP sensor or WB O2 ....and version 3 will be out in the future with even more upgrades.

Exactly.

AEM EMS technically is a better program becasue it gives you a ton more freedom, however, with that freedom comes more responsibilty and possibly headache. With EMS you have to setup everything, idle, cruise, WOT, all need to made to work by you. With Link it uses the stock ECU and basically modifies it as you tell it to.

Basically it depends on your tunning ability and time you can dedicate to it. Link is not as adjustable, but still enough to make BIG power, but easier to use. EMS is infintly adjustable but harder to use.

 

[logic]

Ok so I'm starting college in the fall so I'm getting a laptop for "college". So which tuning program is better the AEM EMS or DSMLink, by that I mean which will be the best value, increase HP, and just be down right better!

"Better" is subjective.

As a bullet point to consider, since this sounds like your daily driver: if you have to pass OBD-II emissions where you're going to school, DSMLink is your only option, unless you enjoy playing legal games with where the car actually resides.

 

[knighteclipse1]

If your planning on say...500 hp or lower the DSMLink is just fine, as stated above you have more control with the AEM system. But as its been said above its all subjective as to which is "BEST". I'm planning on DSMLink. I initially wanted the AEM system but was talked out of it by the local shop.

 

[keymaster]

Uh...DSMlink has proven itself on applications much higher than 500whp. There's several cars running it into the 9's if I'm not mistaken. One guy actually took out his EMS to switch back to Link.

 

[GVR4592]

A few people go back to Dsmlink after using Aem because they get in over their head's. They both have their place, Dsmlink is a better for most people.

 

[knighteclipse1]

down side to DSMLink if I am not mistaken is if you disconnect your battery for any reason you will have to go back and retune it. True it has been used for very high horsepower cars, but for most people using it with daily drivers, it is probably much better for them then the AEM. The AEM is harder to tune (well, maybe not so hard, just more involved...)

 

[Staytuned]

down side to DSMLink if I am not mistaken is if you disconnect your battery for any reason you will have to go back and retune it.

Not entirely true, yes you lose the info stored in the ecu but you can load it all back into it with the most recent log you saved. All you have to do is save all your recent logs and your good to go. Or you can have Tom and Dave burn you a new chip with all your favourite settings so you never have to worry.

 

[logic]

down side to DSMLink if I am not mistaken is if you disconnect your battery for any reason you will have to go back and retune it.

For a 2g, this is currently true. 1g owners get a battery-backup for current settings.

 

[Staytuned]

No you don't have to re-tune anything ....just load your most recent log back into your ECU. Your only lost if you are dumb enough to erase all your old logs.

 

[drivemusicnow]

Here is why I went with DSMLink:

With the DSMlink, a wideband 02 kit, with a MAP sensor and egt thermocouple, I spent just under 1000$. This is "plug and play" and is in my eyes the best possible tuning value for your money. You know exactly what is going on with your engine with extreme detail at all times, and you can log all of it all.

AEM EMS "plug and play" is 1500$. plus a wideband setup for it is 350 dollars (AEM with gauge).

Then you get to the fact that you have to spend some serious dyno time/street time, idle time to get everything to work properly.

If you were comparing it to say Autronic, or another one of the REALLY good ones there are probably significant gains to be had in the full stand alone department. As it is, I believe that the only thing holding people back with DSMLink is that almost all of them use thier cars as daily drivers

 

[knighteclipse1]

No you don't have to re-tune anything ....just load your most recent log back into your ECU. Your only lost if you are dumb enough to erase all your old logs.

WTF Unfortunetely that sounds like something I would do by accident...

 

[talonman2000]

While on the topic of DSMlink (and laptops). What are the suggestions for cheapest reliable laptops for a link setup?

 

[spoolup]

Could be concidered thread hijacking but, here you go. Ebay, friends old PCs, ect. You dont want something that is TOO nice, as long as it meets the criterial found here, your good. http://www.dsmlink.com/details-overview.html (scroll down to laptop requirements).

 

[talonman2000]

Could be concidered thread hijacking but,

I apologize . I was just looking for some actual names of laptops that people were using I'll just do more searching though.

 

[drivemusicnow]

I apologize . I was just looking for some actual names of laptops that people were using I'll just do more searching though.

... ANY laptop that is a pentium III or newer will work just fine. Just find one that you can afford, and use it.

I lucked out and get a pentium III from my buddy who works for a school district. Windows 2000Pro, and plenty of hardrive space for about 50$.

 

[-DSM2NR-]

You can't go wrong with DSMlink. I have it and it's very simple to use.

... ANY laptop that is a pentium III or newer will work just fine. Just find one that you can afford, and use it.

I lucked out and get a pentium III from my buddy who works for a school district. Windows 2000Pro, and plenty of hardrive space for about 50$.

It doesn't even have to be a Pentium III in order to work properly with DSMlink. I got a 300mhz Pentium II which I got for free from the place I work at. It works perfectly with DSMlink

You don't have to get anything too fancy........

 

[FORMONTOYA]

While on the topic of DSMlink (and laptops). What are the suggestions for cheapest reliable laptops for a link setup?

I use an old Toshiba Satellite 4010CDT industrial laptop. P2, 266, 4G hard drive with 160M RAM running 98SE. This things a monster, about 10" x 12" x 3" thick, weighs about 7-10lbs. But the thing works great, just don't drop it on your foot...it would survive, but your foot would hurt like hell!

Bought it off Ebay about 1-1/2 years ago for $75 shipped, put about $50 into it to max out the ram and get a car power adapter. As old as it is you could probably find one a lot cheaper now.




edit:
Very similar to this beast here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Toshiba-Satelli...883866341QQcategoryZ42206QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[drivemusicnow]

You can't go wrong with DSMlink. I have it and it's very simple to use.



It doesn't even have to be a Pentium III in order to work properly with DSMlink. I got a 300mhz Pentium II which I got for free from the place I work at. It works perfectly with DSMlink

You don't have to get anything too fancy........

Whoops, I was thinking of "my requirements" rather than DSMLinks...

anywho, yeah, almost any laptop made in the past 10+ years will work.

 

[talonman2000]

Cool! Much thanks!