Is the AEM worth it for 600rwhp?

[MRSUPRA]

Alright. My half retarded question of the year:

Is it worth it for me to install my AEM EMS or just go with a piggy back like the MAFT-PRO? I bought the AEM used whichh was already tuned. I just don't want to be figuring out for another year how to get this thing running properly. I guess I'm looking for simplicity. Right now I still have the AFC and Lexus AFM.

So is the AEM worth the trouble, or money getting it tuned? I'm only trying to max out my GT35R. Thanks for the advise.

 

[IJ.]

The AEM will allow FULL control over everything.

I'm not a fan of piggybacks after the basic Lex/550's stage due to the fallout from how they "adjust" things.

With the AEM you'll also be able to control any and all accessories you have or add later this is priceless as it integrates the entire car into a system.

 

[MRSUPRA]

Thanks IJ. What are the negatives of the AEM (besides being able to blow up my motor easier)? Will everything on the car function like if it had a stock ECU?

I'm guessing my PTE680 injectors will not work since they are low inpedence?

 

[IJ.]

ALL of the standalones I've run end up MUCH better than stock.

I think/feel it would be far easier to blow a motor up using a piggyback then a SA.

Don't make large changes without understanding what you're playing with and you'll be fine!

Hopefully Chevyeater/Brian jumps into this thread being our resident AEM expert he'd be able to answer on the injectors as I don't run Gas I'm out of the loop.

 

[figgie]

Thanks IJ. What are the negatives of the AEM (besides being able to blow up my motor easier)? Will everything on the car function like if it had a stock ECU?

I'm guessing my PTE680 injectors will not work since they are low inpedence?

umm yes they will

see the thing about the AEM is that it uses the STOCK injector resistor pack. So you actually WANT low impendance injectors.

 

[upgradedsupra]

The AEM will allow FULL control over everything.

I'm not a fan of piggybacks after the basic Lex/550's stage due to the fallout from how they "adjust" things.

With the AEM you'll also be able to control any and all accessories you have or add later this is priceless as it integrates the entire car into a system.

I am with IJ on this one. A stand alone is the way to go. You will have many features on the AEM that you wouldn't have on a piggy back. Gear cut, launch control and being able to data log your maps just to name a few.

I don't run Gas I'm out of the loop.

I was told you always have gas Ian :icon_razz

Duane

 

[suprakid24]

Hopefully Chevyeater/Brian jumps into this thread being our resident AEM expert he'd be able to answer on the injectors as I don't run Gas I'm out of the loop.

There is a AEM expert on here!?!?!

 

[upgradedsupra]

There is a AEM expert on here!?!?!

John Reed is another from RREV.

 

[Doward]

I was told you always have gas Ian :icon_razz

Duane

It comes with getting old, you know

 

[MRSUPRA]

Good to know about the PTE injectors. I guess I mis-read which injectors work.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

 

[upgradedsupra]

It comes with getting old, you know

Have no idea what you are talking about :icon_razz

 

[chevyeater]

There is a AEM expert on here!?!?!

I guess you could say that.

MRSUPRA- Are you going to tune it yourself or have a professional in mind who you would bring it to? If the answer is you, what type of background do you have? If pro, have they done AEM 7Ms before?

AEM is vastly superior to piggybacks. It is also vastly more complicated. See all of the "help me turn it on/help me plug it in" threads here about AEM. If you are looking for simple, AEM isn't it. If you are looking for improvement, AEM is definitely it. You can lower your times at the track with the 2 step/anitlag for launching, speed based boost control for better traction, full datalogging to see where you and the car can improve, making more power safely, raising the redline if you need more RPM etcetera. Much nicer than a square pipe with a screw and a sensor. Not simpler though.

 

[turbogate]

I thought I could tune my AEM to certain point, which I kind of did. I installed it myself; car started on the first crank and idled fine. Was very rich at idle but that was easily fixed. I noticed that my map sensor was reading 30+ psi at idle. That was my first mistake, I had installed the map sensor wire in the wrong pin (people wonder why AEM get's a bad rap when it's mostly user error, I could have blown a resistor right there and complained to AEM about faulty unit) I drove around for a month, did a lot of research, asked a lot of questions and got the car to a point where I could start it and drive around on wastegate boost 8-9psi. Played with the O2 feedback and did a lot of logging.

It wasn't until one of the best tuners in the country (not exaggerating) checked my car for a lumpy idle and started laughing at my personal fuel map that I realized how much I wasn't even close to an even decent fuel map. My fuel map looked like Q-bert, all over the place lol. Even with my O2 feedback set to on with a large correction margin, my O2 sensor readings was all over the place. It took him only about 20 minutes driving around (temporary tune) to give me a fuel map that stayed steady at 11.5 on boost and steady at cruising speed AFRs WITHOUT O2 feedback being on. The car was so fast, I couldn’t believe it, and that's with a conservative timing map.

The moral of the story is, Make sure you get someone that knows how to tune to do it for you. It will be worth every dime you spend on it, So will the standalone investment. I came from a VPC/AFC set-up and it's not even close. There's no comparison between a stand-alone and Piggy backs. My car has never felt better.

 

[Poodles]

ALL the parts in the world are worthless without a good tune. Don't cheap on the tune and get the best person you can to do it.

 

[MRSUPRA]

Sounds like AEM is the way to go. I'm definantly not tuning it my self. There are a couple of good AEM tuners here in MD, but I'm not sure if they have any 7M experience.

Getting back to what I was saying. I just want to have a real car that I can use, not a project car with lots of downtime. If I can have the AEM tuned and then leave it alone until I do more modding, that would be ideal.