Thread: Anyone Using a MAP ECU?

Greetings my friends and fellow tuners! I am wondering if any of you are using a unit known as a MAP ECU? A local tuning shop in my area who specializes in Nissan tuning is using a newer product from Finland I believe, called a MAP ECU. It's a unit that piggy-backs onto your factory ecu, converts you to straight air density maps and eliminates your MAF. ECU runs the basics and always sees happy sensors, and the MAP ECU runs the tuning. Kind of a cross between ROM tuning and stand-alone, but you get the best of both worlds. Re-tune whenever you change something like stand alone, but much more user friendly. And you still get all the niceities like cruise ctl and other things. The bonus is that the aqusition and start-up cost is around $800.00 vice $550.00 for a re-tuned ECU and almost $2000.00 for full stand alone and tuning.

This particular shop has had much success with these units on high HP skylines and 2JZ supras as well as a smattering of SR20, and 4G63 powered cars. In some cases gaining HP and torque over previously installed stand alone units.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with these or any info to contrubute? Thanks!

Sounds interesting......I'd like to see more info on this.

Location: Mile High

are u located in denver, colorado? if so i think the shop you are talking about is HRD right? they have installed tons of MAP ECU's there with the 2jz's and the skylines. (which drove crazy)

if not....what shop are u talking about?

The shop is MAC Auto Sport in Parker. And yeah, I'm in Denver. Is this just something thats taking off out here or what? I figured that the coasts would be all over this. All that I have seen on it makes it a more efficent, more cost effective solution to satnd-alone.

i donno if i would say its more efficent than a stand alone ecu, stand alones have certain physical atributes that make them superior over all other forms of tuning devices.

maybe in cost but the stand alones have alot of extra add ons that just a reprogrammed ecu will not..unless they are adding. electronic boost controller,programmable traction control,soft rev cut limiters,wet or dry nitrous control,2 step launch control,definable knock control,full idle control,ect

im not knocking the system ,just giving the differences between a full stand alone and the cost to the efficency of the tuning device..if your setup calls for stand alone. stand alone it will be

Well thats just the thing, it adds most of that without the need to get too in depth on the settings. Stand alone was, by it's very design, intended to be user intensive. This device does not have all the bells and whistles that stand alone has, but lets face it 95% of tuners out there do not need, use or know how to use most of the more intricate stand alone features. In addition, a lot of shops will tell you that stand alone is the "required" next step once you have passed a certian point.

This unit does not change your ROM settings on your ECU, it bypasses them all together. Therefore your ECU is no longer responsible for any aspects of tuning. If stand alone is designed to replace/control your onboard air/fuel maps on your ecu in order to take you off the MAF all together, and allows the user to control all the mecanical and electrical funtions of the car, (inj pulse, trac ctrl, rev limits, knock det) then by definition a MAP ECU IS stand alone. The diffrence is that you retain your ecu for everything besides tuning.

I think my interest in this lies in the fact that I have a significant amount of mods to my car. I was told by one shop that I needed to go with a stand alone or a close equivilant such as an Apexi power FC. These units are the norm. But I don't beleve that unless you run damn near a full race car that you really need that much control. If a MAP ECU does about 75% of what a stand alone will do in a "fire and forget" style of tuning, then why not?

I'm not a advocate of either system. I have no vested intrest in either, as I have not purchased either unit yet, just doing the research. But I'm unwilling to jump the gun on full stand alone simply because some guy who opened a race shop says I need one.

The Owner of the shop in question has years and years of experience in the motorsports community and personal experience with both systems, and he is inferring that for 95% of users, stand alone is over-kill. Since I don't just take the word of someone who may just be trying to sell me something I come to my brethren here on the forum! Lol. So all I need now is someone on here who has had a bit of exp with the MAP ECU or both.

Anyone?

Here is an info link to the MFG's website. All the capibilitys and features are listed here.



http://www.mapecu.com/

I have no experience with the MAP ECU, but I have extensive experience with stand-alone systems. I can vouch for the "95% of people don't need all of the features of stand-alone" comment. After dealing with cold start, idle control, decel enrichment, etc. for the umteenth time I can say there is a lot to be said about keeping the factory ECU settings, and only having to deal with fuel and spark maps. FYI I believe the Calum ECU is a really nice step in this direction, and much cheaper than the cost of the MAP ECU unit you speak of.

i agree the calum is right in this direction and as ben said its much cheaper.... it seems like the map ecu is semi stand alone as it does have some of the features of stand alone, but doesnt seem to go into full blown detail like stand alones do.

Not to mention, for the price of the MAP-ECU you're encroaching on MegaSquirt prices, and for the MAP2-ECU you're almost at the price of VEMS; both well supported stand-alones.

Not saying stand-alone is the answer, but for essentially a piggy-back, the MAP-ECU is expen$ive.

I know there's more that goes into the decision making process than cost/performance. A good piece of advice is to go with the solution that you have support for (local shops, friends, etc.).

I like to use AEM and VEMS/MegaSquirt, but that's because I know them. I wouldn't recommend them to someone just because I like them, or even if they are great. None of that matters if you can't get it working properly and tuned well.

That being said, luckily there are very good forums for the well-known stand-alones out there. I personally cut my teeth on stand-alone knowing relatively little, relying heavily on the support of a forum.

From the sounds of things, you're including the price of tuning the ECU in your estimations, which says to me you have little to no plans of tuning yourself, and would rather trust a shop (or similar) to do that work for you. This is a smart idea if you know your abilities when it comes to tuning are low. If this is the case, I'm not sure how well the Calum solution will work for you, unless you can find someone local to help you out, or you accept the task of tuning mainly yourself. There are many people running Calum ECUs, and many great maps flying around to grab.