Apexi VAFC - still worth using?

[Madrox]

I have one of the old school ones in my 92 TSI..haven't used it for years.

Is it still viable to use, should i replace it with something else?

I found a few threads about tuning which I will follow, but curious about using it in general.

 

[bryanwheat]

In my opinion they are worthless. Good for a little fine tuning only. Using them to compensate for larger injectors causes problems with too much timing and detonation.

 

[clipto]

junk.

 

[4Lurker4]

If you're running just a daily with a bigger turbo and want a quick tune the SAFC will work fine. Much better at 550cc (but 650cc can be donw) but they aren't worthless, just not as diversified and advanced as dsmlink or ecuflash. For small tuning, it's a great cheap alternative.

 

[Dude McGee]

All AFCs are good for selling, thats for sure. Ebay sells those fast

 

[Madrox]

I kind of figured it was worthless..was hoping for some minor salvation

I'll keep it in place for the pretty lights for now and once I get things back up to speed ditch it for something proper.

 

[Blurred Talon]

I bought one for cheap, flipped it and bought DSMLink.

 

[dsmcurse]

Wait, is it VAFC? Thats a vtec version. If its SAFC than thats normal for our cars. And yeah, theyre only good for one size larger injectors, 550cc is all they can really do with out it effecting timing in a bad way. Other than that theres still cool lil features to be used in a AFC. Knock sensor warning, shift light, battery voltage gauge, O2sensor voltage, TPS gauge, peak and hold values to click back and see the highest RPM, shit like this...

 

[Madrox]

ya its a SAFC.. didnt have it to get the label so had to search for it online to find the right model.

 

[Spanky_DSM]

All AFCs are good for selling, thats for sure. Ebay sells those fast

Very true!

I had a neo i bought for cheap. Put it up for 200, and sold with in minutes!

 

[TSiAWD666]

I'd like to offer a counter to the popular vote here. I actually find the damned thing useful in my time trial car. Why? Not for tuning, as I have ECMLink and I outgrew the AFC since I moved on from a 16g turbo 13 years ago. I actually use it for sensor readouts. Here's what I find useful:

- Peak MAF readings. Now that I'm familiar with what my peak MAF readings should be, I know when I have an intake tract issue reducing my overall engine hp. It usually tips me off to a problem if my peak Hz is suddenly less or drastically more than it should be.
- MAF readings in general. If I have intermittent connectivity with the MAF, or the MAF is broken, I can see it in the output value.
- TPS voltage. Helps me verify the TPS is working.
- Front O2 sensor voltage (wired to the unused blue wire). Let's me know if the O2 sensor is working and if it's cycling in closed loop.
- RPM output. I find the more detailed numeric output much more useful when understanding how my engine is idling. If I'm for some reason down 50rpm than normal I might have a change somewhere that's unexpected that could be or could lead to a problem, and I wouldn't really see the 50rpm in my dash gauge.
- Battery Voltage! Let's me keep an eye on my battery state when the car's off, plus the alternator output when the car's on.

Many of you may scoff at the above but believe me when I say each and every item up there has been from a specific problem (many of them recurring due to various failures) I've had daily driving and/or racing my time trial car, many of which sadly occurred on the side of the road or in the paddock of a race track where you don't have much to work with in terms of diagnostics tools. So I find the AFC VERY valuable in my interior, even if it's not for tuning like it was originally intended, because it gives me a multi-functional display of data I can't really get at without a laptop.

 

[jmfc15]

^^^^ Thanks for sharing. Sounds like I'll be getting one for those readings!