DSMLink v3 vs AEM EMS (Merged)

[YZFR1]

I know i'm not an expert, far from it actually. All i know is that i started out with aem and when i go over to link, i personally feel like it's lacking.

aem and link employ the same tuning strategy so one is no better from that standpoint.

Link was designed around maf and aem was designed around map so YES the tuning strategy is different.

A car is going to run better, faster on link.

Is that a fact? Is the rear spoiler going to make it faster too?

You will spend a lotore time with the aem.

In general you are correct, you will spend more time with aem. However, if you are running speed density you don't have to worry about setting up any VE tables like you would in Link.

The best thing i do like about aem is that the actual tuning, at least to me, seems a lot more straight forward than link. No boostests, afrests, airflow tables, etc. It's all the other drivability aspects of it that are more tedious.

Dsm link does not have near the features, but they left NOTHING out that is important in my opinion.

That is your opinion and you are entitled to it. I'm not going to tell you NOT to post because of it BTW, my name is not Mark.

Lets keep this thread clean, if someone has something to say or disagree just say what you have to. I'm all for learning something new. Without the Marks, please don't post, you are not an expert comments!

 

[donniekak]

Mark, please don't post about things u are clueless about. Reading about things on the Internet and posting things you have heard does not make you an expert.

To to poster, aem and link employ the same tuning strategy so one is no better from that standpoint. The aem allows u to create custom correction maps, but link has factory corrections in place that obviously have oem quality. A car is going to run better, faster on link. You will spend a lotore time with the aem. Dsm link does not have near the features, but they left NOTHING out that is important in my opinion. Really aem plug and plays leave out a lot of the really desirable features of a standalone. If you want a standalone I'd want something that didn't have factory nber of ignition outputs.

Tuning the aem is different. On link, target afrs are what are entered for fueling. On aem you set the actual Ipw in each load cell.

 

[tkelly27]

If you've never tuned before, link is a good place to start. If you are considering link and want something a little more hands on there are open source tuning options for the DSM ecu. I use tunerpro and I feel it offers some advantages over link for me. AEM is not a good place to start, but it is.ultimately better than anything currently offered through a stock ecu. AEM is not as user friendly, but it is very powerful. I prefer the true speed density of AEM over the calculated load in all the current DSM speed density solutions. Tuning the VE table is only useful in comparimg SD tunes to MAF tunes. I threw all of my MAF sensors into the recycle bin years ago.

If you don't know if you need AEM then the chances are you'll be very happy with link. If link will make you happy and you've got a few weeks to learn about the open source stuff you'll be happy with the exra $200 or so in your bank account and the knowledge you did it yourself.

There were 1000hp+ turbo 4 cylinder cars using mechanical injection in the 70's. Hp levels are not an indicator of how effective a tuning solution is. Try as you might, a 20 year old ECU designed for a stock daily driven car is not going to have the features of a 5 year old ECU designed for racing. It can be good enough for most people though.

 

[viperlp01]

If you've never tuned before, link is a good place to start. If you are considering link and want something a little more hands on there are open source tuning options for the DSM ecu. I use tunerpro and I feel it offers some advantages over link for me. AEM is not a good place to start, but it is.ultimately better than anything currently offered through a stock ecu. AEM is not as user friendly, but it is very powerful. I prefer the true speed density of AEM over the calculated load in all the current DSM speed density solutions. Tuning the VE table is only useful in comparimg SD tunes to MAF tunes. I threw all of my MAF sensors into the recycle bin years ago.

If you don't know if you need AEM then the chances are you'll be very happy with link. If link will make you happy and you've got a few weeks to learn about the open source stuff you'll be happy with the exra $200 or so in your bank account and the knowledge you did it yourself.

There were 1000hp+ turbo 4 cylinder cars using mechanical injection in the 70's. Hp levels are not an indicator of how effective a tuning solution is. Try as you might, a 20 year old ECU designed for a stock daily driven car is not going to have the features of a 5 year old ECU designed for racing. It can be good enough for most people though.

FWIW I can tune a 9 sec DSM on speed density starting from scratch in about 20 minutes. The car starts right up in any weather, drives down the road like a factory car, and makes smooth power.

Many can argue in both fields and everyone has their own preference. I love DSMlink and it flawlessly well for 100s or 1000s of DSMs

 

[rhamlinii]

FWIW I can tune a 9 sec DSM on speed density starting from scratch in about 20 minutes. The car starts right up in any weather, drives down the road like a factory car, and makes smooth power.

Many can argue in both fields and everyone has their own preference. I love DSMlink and it flawlessly well for 100s or 1000s of DSMs

I've ran dsmlink in my cars for years. From as far back as 2005. Ive tried to stay with dsmlink because it works well on street cars. My cars went through many different injecters, turbos, maf to sd conversions aswell. All the way up to my current ID2000/ s366 setup. On pump gas 93 octane, my car still idled and performed like the stock 450s were in the car. My current setup is making decent power but, im trying to crack the 850 awhp bubble. I keep coming back to adding nitrous as a 2nd power adder. I maxed out my 4 bar map sensor. I got the aem 5 bar and was going to rescale my tune. Now, I believe im going to give AEM a try. My reasons is the safe guards you can enable with boost and nitirous are just better with AEM. TOM AND DAVES CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS SECOND TO KNOWONE. To the op if its a street car with no spray ill do the link. If you really want to spray the car and safety is your main concern. Id suggest you talk to a good tuner and have him explain to you what AEM has to offer.

 

[killercolt]

AEM was once better than Ecmlink for high boost. Now Ecmlink is just as good if not better and way easier to use. The factory computer can do thing that AEM only wishes it to do correctly. You have to go with Ecmlink for best idle, quick setup, fast startup with few crank, good support, reliable hardware, accurate datalogging, price, quick service, and user friendly.


The on AEM has the ability to rotate the fuel and ignition graphs around so you can tune the fuel and ignition like a SAFC. A lot of people like boost comp function in AEM. It does make tuning the fuel like using the SAFC once you set up the microbit and the basic fuel map. You can run 4 secondary injectors with AEM which is useful for methanol.


In your case, Ecmlink is all you need.

 

[YZFR1]

The OP mentioned nitrous in his original post, so i guess it's up to him to decide how much he wants to spray and if he wants that free lean protection and superb knock control. All the facts are pretty much layed out there for him to decide.

For what it's worth, i have two dsm's in the driveway right now on E85. One is a 2.0l stock compression motor with link, the other is a slightly higher comp 2.3l w/eliminated ISC and aem. They both take an approximately the same ammount of cranks to start in the cold. The ecmlink on e85 would never start on the 1st try, however, if i play with my foot right i can get my 2.3l aem going on the first long ass crank.

But i would have to agree that in general, drivability might be better with link.. but a properly setup aem could be just as good.

 

[casperfast]

I have set up cars on ems..... my car runs link v3.... any questions?

 

[rhamlinii]

I have set up cars on ems..... my car runs link v3.... any questions?

If its a street car then use dsmlink. If its a race car and you value the life of your motor. AEM is hard to beat and its basically plug and play.

 

[LouieAWDTSi]

Hey guys, I been looking for ecmlink v3 full or lite used. I had a seller flake out on me after I paid the money, but I was refunded.

I got two options now and they are basically right about the same price...

ecmlink v3 and AEM EMS version 1

I have read that ecmlink is much more user friendly and easier to use, but I have also read that aem is amazing when used by the right tuner (my car will be professionally dyno tuned as soon as I get either tuning system). Once I get it done by my local performance shop, I will continue to read up on tuning and as I make changes to the car, I'll most likely make adjustments myself to the tune.

So for the same price...ecmlink v3 or AEM EMS v1???

Looking for a 300hp range for now on the 16g. Eventually, maybe a bigger, not mitsu turbo, but it will always be a street driven spyder.

 

[n0de]

Hey guys, I been looking for ecmlink v3 full or lite used. I had a seller flake out on me after I paid the money, but I was refunded.

I got two options now and they are basically right about the same price...

ecmlink v3 and AEM EMS version 1

I have read that ecmlink is much more user friendly and easier to use, but I have also read that aem is amazing when used by the right tuner (my car will be professionally dyno tuned as soon as I get either tuning system). Once I get it done by my local performance shop, I will continue to read up on tuning and as I make changes to the car, I'll most likely make adjustments myself to the tune.

So for the same price...ecmlink v3 or AEM EMS v1???

Looking for a 300hp range for now on the 16g. Eventually, maybe a bigger, not mitsu turbo, but it will always be a street driven spyder.

If you've never tuned your own car before and are new/semi-new/moderate at tuning (whether using gm-maf, s-afc, or link) then you should go with the ECM link. AEM (even though I've never used it) appears to give you few more options over link, but nothing extremely desirable (unless you are doing some serious tuning, ie/ ignition timing, secondary injectors (which link supports anyway), etc.

For 300hp range... shit, even if you were going for 900hp (or even more) ECM link should still be able to get the job done, and the learning curve is not as steep as learning to tune with AEM. Also take into account the vast amount of tutorials, and members that can help you with ECM as opposed to AEM EMS.

I was able to start, and get s decent street tune within 20-30 minutes on ECMLink without prior use. I even got a decent WOT tune in very little time as well. This was on a 1g w/ evo 16g, 550cc injectors, and other supporting mods.

 

[boost97gst]

Since youre getting it pro tuned on a dyno to start with, you have the chance for a free lesson on the AEM. The AEM will give you the exact timing you ask for, that is one of the benefits i remember hearing about.

 

[danielsl1999gsx]

I am in the same pickle as you my friend, though i have both in my hands at the moment. Ive already spoken to two tuners about this and they all say go with link if you want cheap and quick. However, they also highly recommend AEM EMS if i plan on going big. Shoot they said even use it now because all the features it has, its just gona cost me more. If you want my EMS shoot me a pm and we will work something out

 

[LouieAWDTSi]

I am in the same pickle as you my friend, though i have both in my hands at the moment. Ive already spoken to two tuners about this and they all say go with link if you want cheap and quick. However, they also highly recommend AEM EMS if i plan on going big. Shoot they said even use it now because all the features it has, its just gona cost me more. If you want my EMS shoot me a pm and we will work something out

What version do you have?


I am going to think it over for a few days and I am also going to contact the tuner shop to get some feedback from them.

 

[Arthris]

Go with aem. Hands down. Running link is a joke. The CPU was designed in 1985 by motorola. Vs the AEM that was built with newer fast components. Learning curve is a learning curve. No matter what it is. The aem has a masssssssive support base for the v1 not so much for v2. Spend the extra money and go for it.

 

[LouieAWDTSi]

So aem ems v1 still has more tuning capabilities than ecmlink v3?

 

[Abe'sGST]

Ecmlink is the way to go for DSM's. Although I have never used AEM I have read that it is more difficult to tune with while link is simple and works great. You have a whole community of DSM'ers using it and most will be glad to help if you have any questions while there are far less dsm'ers tuning on ems. Like mentioned earlier even if you're aiming for 900 link is still the way to go on dsm's.

Go with aem. Hands down. Running link is a joke. The CPU was designed in 1985 by motorola. Vs the AEM that was built with newer fast components. Learning curve is a learning curve. No matter what it is. The aem has a masssssssive support base for the v1 not so much for v2. Spend the extra money and go for it.

How is running link a joke?

 

[Joethefallen23]

Unless this is a track only car, I'd avoid the EMS. It's not possible to pass inspection with it as there's no OBD2 communication. Unless you're willing to convert back to the stock Ecu, injectors ,etc every year, I'd just get link, especially for a 300hp goal. Its versatile enough and plenty to get you as far as you want.

 

[n0de]

Go with aem. Hands down. Running link is a joke. The CPU was designed in 1985 by motorola. Vs the AEM that was built with newer fast components. Learning curve is a learning curve. No matter what it is. The aem has a masssssssive support base for the v1 not so much for v2. Spend the extra money and go for it.

What? Feature for feature the ECMlink of a far better value, and is capable of sending our cars well below 10 seconds in the 1/4 mile. Not to mention, the amount of people that run link vs AEM on this forum is astounding, there will be more member support (if you have any issues) with link than if you went with AEM.

"Learning curve is a learning curve. No matter what it is." This statement is just ignorant (i don't know what else to call it). Is it easier to learn how to program a computer to display the text "Ignorant" in binary, or a higher level language like C, or Ruby? Given the two different methods to achieve the SAME desired effect, ecmlink would be the best. Take into consideration that the user (god forbid) wants to learn how to tune because he is sick of throwing $400-$600 around for someone to tune it if he changes so much as an alternator on his car?

Back in 2009 before link had SD capability

 

[Abe'sGST]

What? Feature for feature the ECMlink of a far better value, and is capable of sending our cars well below 10 seconds in the 1/4 mile. Not to mention, the amount of people that run link vs AEM on this forum is astounding, there will be more member support (if you have any issues) with link than if you went with AEM.

"Learning curve is a learning curve. No matter what it is." This statement is just ignorant (i don't know what else to call it). Is it easier to learn how to program a computer to display the text "Ignorant" in binary, or a higher level language like C, or Ruby? Given the two different methods to achieve the SAME desired effect, ecmlink would be the best. Take into consideration that the user (god forbid) wants to learn how to tune because he is sick of throwing $400-$600 around for someone to tune it if he changes so much as an alternator on his car?

Back in 2009 before link had SD capability

+2, couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Phantom DSM]

Go with aem. Hands down. Running link is a joke. The CPU was designed in 1985 by motorola. Vs the AEM that was built with newer fast components. Learning curve is a learning curve. No matter what it is. The aem has a masssssssive support base for the v1 not so much for v2. Spend the extra money and go for it.

I dont see how Ecmlink v3 is a joke
Ostrich 2.0 in your experience, you must be kidding
People have gone to the 8s on flashing that "1985" ecu that is old in your opinion, as long as it gets the job done and is user friendly, who cares man.
Since i dont have aem, i wont give opinion on it, but v3 can be setup rather quickly and you can learn with speed density adjustment rather quickly. They have wiki pages and videos you can learn to pick it up right away. For 300 hp goal even people with piggyback pull it off easily, i dont see why v3 cant handle it, its more than enough.

 

[n0de]

So aem ems v1 still has more tuning capabilities than ecmlink v3?

Put it this way. ECM link is created for DSM's by DSM guys.

If you are worried about having the best tune with the best EMS out there for your 300ish hp, 16g setup, then go with a Motec. If you want a PROVEN management system that most definitely has one of the best customer service records, support on their own forums, and support on the tuners forums, and can support your car past 900hp, then get ECM link.

 

[Phantom DSM]

^^^^^ Thank you, nuff said !

 

[LouieAWDTSi]

Yeah, kind of leaning towards v3, just saw the AEM EMS is available for a similar price at the moment..going to wait to hear back from the pro tuner shop and see what they say about tuning both programs.


Anyone know someone selling v3? If so..message me.

 

[Blindsey]

If you're having someone else tune it, AEM hands down.