which would you prefer?

[my97mitsGSX]

Ok, everything is being assembled as we speak. My only concern now is which piggy-back to go with..?

I was thinking either dsm link or ecu+.

right now i'm running the t-25 still w/ a built motor.. yeah i know, i need to buy a new turbo (just using it for break-in) and i'm still using the stock MAS..

I was thinking of running a GM MAFT 3" w/ translator, and s-afc also.

which do you recommend, and why?

I have only experienced the S_AFC on a N/A car, but I hear people rave on DSM LINK and others say don't get it.. never heard of ECU+ though (but i like the idea of not needing a eprom ecu)

its for a 97 GSX w/ 6bolt

 

[1LE]

If I had to go with one, I'd do the ECU+ right now. I have an eprom ecu, but the ECU+ feature set exactly matches what I want.

 

[my97mitsGSX]

yeah, i rather not have to go through the hassle for the dsm link.. so its basically ecu+, greddy emanage, or s-afc

 

[kpt4321]

DSMLink is NOT a piggyback, which gives it a huge advantage right off the bat.

There are not many things I would recommend over DSMLink, and ECU+ is not one of them.

 

[Blk_99gst]

I would agree with kpt4321; dsmlink is way above any "piggyback" alternatives that you listed. Check out this link for a few options:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122341

My order of preference:
1) dsmlink
2) gm maf with pocketlogger and/or wideband
3) safc with pocketlogger and/or wideband
4) ecu+

 

[u6t9]

and if you get dsmlink you dont have to get an s-afc because it has one built in!

 

[Violater101]

DSMLink is NOT a piggyback, which gives it a huge advantage right off the bat.

There are not many things I would recommend over DSMLink, and ECU+ is not one of them.

Agreed

 

[jmakado]

ecu+ is still a piggy back. think of it as a afc with timing control and a logger built in.
dsmlink is an emmbeded (sp?) controler. it offers much more than a piggyback could ever hope for. you only have to use the features that you want, so you could just use it as a logger, fuel tuner (afc), and wideband. then once you get more comfortable with it you can start using the other features as well. what i'm saying is that i wouldn't worry about "not getting it".
i am speaking from experiece as i have an afc-II and wish that i had all the other features of dsmlink constantly. when i want to tune, i have to go to the dyno (wideband), hook up my pocketlogger, and tune with the afc which is a total PITA and then look at the dyno sheet, logger, and afc settings to make ANY adjustment. this is both expensive and time consuming. dsmlink has all of this in one easy place to read and tuning can be done whenever you want.
i purchased the afc because it was a "good deal" and i was worried that i would not know what to do with dsmlink. the money i have spent at the dyno has more than made up for the extra cost of dsmlink and it took all of 20min to want more than what the piggyback afc offers.....so dsmlink all the way.

 

[Blk_99gst]

.....so dsmlink all the way.

Agreed with that. I have spent money on safc, gm maft, pocketlogger, and lm-1 wideband. I wish I just had dsmlink, and maybe the maft to get rid of the 2g maf.

But jmakado - I don't understand why you say dsmlink has wideband built into it? It has inputs to accept the output of a wideband sensor and to log it, but you still need the cost of the wideband unit.

 

[jmakado]

But jmakado - I don't understand why you say dsmlink has wideband built into it? It has inputs to accept the output of a wideband sensor and to log it, but you still need the cost of the wideband unit.

not sure if it is only V2, but it makes an "estimated A/F" that it displays. it uses a bunch of calculations to make this, so it's not like the blinky light gauges. on the dyno with a wideband, dave found that it was within .2-.5 of the wideband at all times. so it's not perfect like having a wideband in your car, but neither are the tailpipe sniffers that most peolpe use at the dyno.

 

[Blk_99gst]

on the dyno with a wideband, dave found that it was within .2-.5 of the wideband at all times. so it's not perfect like having a wideband in your car, but neither are the tailpipe sniffers that most peolpe use at the dyno.

That is still a pretty good margin of error for the dsmlink's estimated a/f ratio. I mean there's a big difference being 11:1 and 11.5:1 on pump gas if you were using a wideband.

I think it's a mute point though. With dsmlink, you can see 2g knock count, and that's really all that matters.

 

[jmakado]

That is still a pretty good margin of error for the dsmlink's estimated a/f ratio. I mean there's a big difference being 11:1 and 11.5:1 on pump gas if you were using a wideband.

I think it's a mute point though. With dsmlink, you can see 2g knock count, and that's really all that matters.

i agree, it is a fairly big margin of error. they also found that the tailpipe sniffer was about the same amount off of widebands mounted in the downpipe. the dsmlink landed almost in the middle of the wideband in the DP and wideband in the tailpipe. plus, the tailpipe sniffer is just a little behind the "actual" A/F because of it's placement.....so it is also a little bit behind the hp and torque curves it is supposed to be lined up with. i also agree that it is a mute point though. most people tend to tune on the conservative side with there tuning and theirfore being at 11:1 or 11.5:1 is really not a big deal. also, the A/F is just used as another "gauge" as the best A/F is whatever your car makes the most power in (within reason)! from personal experience: i recently dynoed at 319hp on a small [email protected]:1. going up to 12:1 as we wanted resulted in only 305hp. the same held true on pump gas. good stuff from you though!! really makes me think