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looking to start tuning, not looking to drop much $

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97 Demon

10+ Year Contributor
197
0
Feb 11, 2011
Antelope, California
Ok guys, I have my 97 ESi and want to start tuning/learning to tune, but don't have more than $100 to start this process with at the moment, where should I start and what should I start with, I am bone stock at the moment. When I do my rebuild I am installing an eBay CAI along with an aftermarket clutch - exedy stage 1 street clutch to be exact.

I plan on extensive upgrades down the road including a turbo system that's going to be 1-off
 
See if you can find a used megasquirt. Should run you in the $150 range, that's the only way to tune a 2gnt that's worth a damn.
 
I'm doing maintance now, but I want to figure out how to start tuning my car, I already know how to shift extremely quick. Now I'm looking to maximize the performance of my car to enable it to take out more vehicles than it already does, at full compression I can take down V6. Stangs. I would like the cars performance to be maximized for when my team gets off the ground and we start racing, I want this thing to be a true beast, N/A and turbo, both as I build it to where I want it.

End goal is ESi AWD pushing 450+ WHP
 
I'm doing maintance now, but I want to figure out how to start tuning my car, I already know how to shift extremely quick. Now I'm looking to maximize the performance of my car to enable it to take out more vehicles than it already does, at full compression I can take down V6. Stangs. I would like the cars performance to be maximized for when my team gets off the ground and we start racing, I want this thing to be a true beast, N/A and turbo, both as I build it to where I want it.

End goal is ESi AWD pushing 450+ WHP

Please explain how you'd go on converting to AWD. or you meant to type FWD?
 
I meant AWD, with all wheel steering if possible, its going to be CUSTOM with extra emphisis on the custom, my car will be a true 1-off Talon when I'm done with it.
 
You don't want to spend more than $100, how much do you want to spend in total?
 
Lol, I've seen this thread 1000 times before.

You won't, but I hope you do. You'd be the first person ever to AWD swap an ESi and one of only a few to make 450whp.
 
Ok, it's gonna be custom but you can only spend $100 on tuning..? Right. Good luck with that.

Did you even bother to read the whole thread?
Right now I'm looking to start tuning and learning how to do so.
Custom AWD is the end goal for my car, that's going to be 5+ years down the road most likely,:ohdamn:

Learn to read an entire thread before you just jump in and start flaming someone asking a simple question and then later explaining what their end goal for thei own personal vehicle is. Damn...


I really don't mean to sound like a dick here guys but, I don't have much choice when my thread wanders away from anyone just answering the original question I asked and then just posting retarded want-to-be flame posts...








Now to get this thread back on topic I will RE-ASK my original question, let's try to stay on topic this time.


I have roughly $100 to start my journey down the road of tuning my ECU, what is the best way to start down this road?
 
See if you can find a used megasquirt. Should run you in the $150 range, that's the only way to tune a 2gnt that's worth a damn.

The answer to your original question is right here in the first response to your thread.
 
Find a safc or safc2 off of craigslist a cheap logger is around $100. And a guy did answer your post with another good option megasquirt. But right now you don't need any of this. you have a stock car!!!!
Listen save your self some money in the long run, and buy a gsx or awd TSI, you will be way happier.But it's your car and your money GL.
 
Find a safc or safc2 off of craigslist a cheap logger is around $100. And a guy did answer your post with another good option megasquirt. But right now you don't need any of this. you have a stock car!!!!
Listen save your self some money in the long run, and buy a gsx or awd TSI, you will be way happier.But it's your car and your money GL.

An SAFC isn't going to do anything for him.

Megasquirt is pretty much it if you are looking for something good and cheap.
 
Auto-merged with previous post to prevent "bumping" within a 24 hour period Tips on avoiding the auto-merge feature - http:/ude pissed me off, I'm sorry to everyone else if that's the way my last post came across.

I'm seeing what options are out there for a beginner to tuning and was looking for advice as to where to start, thank you to: tkelly for having a quick responce and a helpful idea as to where to start.
Is the megasquirt a good tuning platform to start with and will it cross over to a turbo build or should I get a megasquirt for now and upgrade systems when I do my turbo build?

Megasquirt is pretty much it if you are looking for something good and cheap.

Ok, thank you.

I will look into getting a megasquirt if I can find a decent priced one.

Right now you don't need any of this. you have a stock car!!!!

Even a stock car can benifit from tuning, you can unlock HP an TQ that the factory doesn't have unlocked to meet certain epa and other regulatory groups standards.
 
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Hey man, I've been there and done this with a SOHC Dodge Stealth. I had a great time fabbing everything up making my own exhaust blah blah blah. But when it came to get everything to work together, all the tuning that is necessary, not to mention you're going to be looking at one off parts for your one off custom job. It's going to be a lot harder and a lot more expensive then you might think. If you want to do it I wish you luck, but by the time you get the end results you could have just bought a GSX or TSi and saved 4 times the effort and half the money.
 
Hey man, I've been there and done this with a SOHC Dodge Stealth. I had a great time fabbing everything up making my own exhaust blah blah blah. But when it came to get everything to work together, all the tuning that is necessary, not to mention you're going to be looking at one off parts for your one off custom job. It's going to be a lot harder and a lot more expensive then you might think. If you want to do it I wish you luck, but by the time you get the end results you could have just bought a GSX or TSi and saved 4 times the effort and half the money.


+1

seriously consider the advice given here, will save you tons of time and frustration, and most important money....:thumb:
 
I want to do it with the ESi so that I can say its been done, and that it was me that did it.

I'm also planning on doing what snoopy did, I'm going to targa top my ESi. I think that just looks sick as #%@#
 
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Is the megasquirt a good tuning platform to start with and will it cross over to a turbo build or should I get a megasquirt for now and upgrade systems when I do my turbo build?
Yes, but you're getting ahead of yourself. You're jumping to step nine when you're at step one. Do the other things you need to do first before you start experimenting with an EMS.

A standard MegaSquirt system costs around $500 new. You can install it in such a way where it only controls fuel while the stock PCM controls nearly everything else. That's probably the safest way "get started" with tuning.
 
New and assembled they are $500, there are plenty of people that have given up on squirt and have them for cheap.

There are a lot of questions you're asking that can be answered by google. This is the megasquirt manual

MegaManual Index

I've read nearly all of it that pertains to tuning and boosting a 420a more than once. I'm not good with the hardware, but my friend is. I am good with the software, so I've been working with him to try and tune it. It has been a very big process, between him working and neither of us having money it has taken at least a year to get it to fire up on squirt. When it did it was found that the injector circuits were totally wrong.

If you love little headache inducing puzzles, it's a great path to go down.

For it being a good place to start, as far as I know it is pretty much the only real tuning option for the 420a. You can search for (and dip your toes into) stuff like MAP clamps, resistors on the IAT, SAFC, and all that, but you're not really getting to the heart of the issue with any of those. All I've seen a SAFC be good for is flipping to people who don't know better. Read the megamanual and you'll start to realize why that's not really tuning.

2GNT.com Forums - Board Main - Forum listings

the 2gnt guys have also heard this all before, but they may be more willing to help.

All wheel steer seems to be a gimmick to help people pull into parking spots. The 300zx came with an active system called HICAS which didn't really do anything and people happily get rid of. The 3000GT had a passive system that people also love to get rid of. I think a Honda had a passive system on some models too. I can't name a car built after '99 that has it. I think a better bet would be active traction control, especially with fwd, which brings me to...

awd conversion.
Chrysler AWD for us! (video and pics) - Turbo Dodge Forums : Turbo Dodge Forum for Turbo Mopars, Shelbys, Dodge Daytona, Dodge SRT-4, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Omni and more!
if you can't see that, you should register for the forums. The AWD minivans used a pretty cool system. The transmissions used in the 420a setups are VERY similar, the automatic is nearly the same thing. That's probably going to be your best bet, but I'd start taking some machining classes. I'm a mechanical engineer and I looked into it for my minivan and I don't want to touch it. When I get some money I'll probably snag all the stuff from the junkyard and moth ball it in the garage. I've got a few projects like that just in case I'm really enjoying the way things are going in my life and want to punish myself.

Bookmark all those, start with reading all the megamanual.
 
$100 budget and $100k dreams. If you do actually go through with all that you have planned I'll be the first to applaud all the hard work. But the most logical option is to just enjoy the Esi as a great DD and later on when you have more cash in your budget, sell it for an AWD. You'll come out MUCH MUCH cheaper and less stressed. Good luck though.
 
"Not a bad way to spend $10,000"

You're last name doesn't happen to be spilner does it? ROFL

Seriously, step back and look at what you're trying to do. You have to pay to play. $100 isn't going to get you very far with much of anything. Save your money if you want to embark on something like this because it's obvious you have zero know-how on what to do as far as anything automotive related goes.

Oh and tell your "crew" to stop stealing my damn electronics!
 
As mentioned already, you really should be starting at step one and not jumping forward into something you have no need for yet.

Tech Guide: 2G 420A Power Upgrades - DSMtuners

Full maintenance is often over looked by the people who just want to make power right away and will cost you more in the long run skipping over it. I don't know if you have replace standard maintenance items yet (full timing change, fluid changes, plugs, wires, belts) or even replaced any broken or damaged parts (sensors, leaks gaskets).

You said you have a long time frame, so take a step back and learn about the vehicle and what needs to be done at it's current stage. You'll get more out of it going this route.
 
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