Engine Management Systems

[ianashdown]

Just wondering if anyone here uses an Engine Management System. I'm curious as to what others are using, how well it works etc. I'm thinking about putting FI and crank triggered ignition on a Lotus Twin Cam engine in a Caterham 7 I'm building.

 

Any comments or suggestions will be very welcome.

 

The main reason I'm thinking about this is not ultimate power, but drivability and the studid fuel that we are forced to use these days!!

 

Thanks,

 

Ian

[speedwagon]

Make friends with some of the young people with rice burners. there will be a local "tuner" or two that get recommended, usually is wise to use what the locals are used to. I have a haltech but in my area the kids like megasquirt. Do some research on line and perhaps you can get a map that suits your engine, I know one person who has a 2300 pinto and a 2300 vw and he uses the same sensors and computer on both motors, says 2300 is 2300 and the computer can't tel the difference. The megasquirt is a "stand alone" and is "open source" and can be bought assembled or as a kit with various add=ons out there.

[Mondo]

I have an AEM unit and am happy with it. They make a universal one for 4 cylinders:

 

http://www.aemelectronics.com/engine-management-systems-9/ems-4-universal-standalone-engine-management-system-58/?osCsid=qm4efs7espil1t5cvo18kl8763

 

Agree that you ought to check with any local dyno tuners, or the one you choose to tune it, as you want them to be comfortable with the system

[JohnK]

Caution, I am a (perhaps THE) Electronic Engine Management curmudgeon.

 

I've never had experience with an EMS that was actually 'bad', but have seen some situations that made them seem so: personal experience includes Haltec, Pectel, Edelbrock and Alpha. All of the one's I've had any kind of experience indicates they're all working out of the same basic model - with the notable exception of the production Ford system - which is amazing. The Megasquirt has been around for a long time and seems to have had a long history of improvement (a big plus). If you like technology, its software is Open Source so you can have a lot of fun playing with it. But, overall, the EMS is just a starting point: it is not a bolt-on, load a likely software calibration, and expect even a reasonably-running engine.

Experience with several engines/cars has overwhelmingly indicated that a Dyno and a well developed testing protocol (done by someone with a very fundamental understanding of how an engine works, patience, and his (her?!) head on straight). When done well, you can get truly wonderful results and most likely have you turning your nose up at distributor+carbs systems for the rest of your days.

Best of luck.

Edited February 21, 2012 by JohnK