hi guys
i would like to get some information on apexi power fc!!!
everytime i think of installing a stand alone system..power fc pops in my mind but i have so many questions and i dont get any answers to them.. mayb you guys can help me out
1. does it matter that i buy a new or used power fc?
2. is it true that everytime i install a part .. i have to tune the pfc for example if i install a downpipe
3. what does pfc really do? that makes the car runs better.
4. and if you guys know cool features about it or if you think it makes pfc different pls share....!!!

these are the mods of my car rite now... sum on the way and will be installed before next summer starts
upgraded radiator
SMIC greddy (trust)
KnN air intake but i will be installing hks RS
knightsports ecu.. i guess thats what it is..will be replaced by PFC
knightsports boost controller
knightsports catback exhaust with cat converter.. will be replaced by 3" dp and midpipe
thats about it...
any ideas or thoughts pls share

 

1) You need to make sure you get one that works with your FD. If you go to the Engine management forum and PowerFC subsection, read the FAQ and it will tell you which power FC serial numbers work with urs. This is important if you're buying used. If you're buying new, just get one for your model year and you're honkie dory.

2) You can probably get a good tune that will cover a range of small mods, but if you change too many things you will need to have a retune. If I were you I would just stockpile all your parts and then have everything go on at once. I'm not an expert on this though and hopefully someone else will chime in.

3) It allows a user to adjust the fuel maps of the car. in layman's terms you can tell the car how much fuel to inject and how much air it should expect.

4) I'm pretty sure it slices and dices and maintains its sharpness for a lifetime, but I might be confusing that with Ginsu Knives.

Good Luck!

P.S., where did you get your Knightsport parts from.

 

hi,
i got my knightsports parts with the car when it came from japan
i never checked my ecu but sum1 checked it and told me that its not stock!!
what i have rite now is knightsports111 ebs.. a while ago i got the japanese manual translated and played with it myself
it has options like u can make the boost sharp so it hits the desired boost level instantly and other options where the boost will *** in slowly to the desired level

one more thing i need to ask u guys
when i boost my car .. the gauge needle goes up to 0.5 or 0.6bar and stays there until i let go of the gas...
can sum1 tell me how much PSI is that
can sum1 also tell me that if i am running seq or non seq turbos?

 

1. The PFC is a decent EMS, but it is getting a bit long in the tooth. What is great about it, is it's plug and play cabability: No rewiring of the car, it uses all the stock sensors, and it works with the sequential twins.

Getting one used shouldn't be a problem, since failure rates are low, and prices are good. Our PFC lost the fuel pump driver, but that seems pretty rare.

If I was planning on going single, I personally wouldn't use the PFC. Too limited, plus I'd rewire the car with a new harness anyway.

2. There are two 'original' PFC basemaps: Base Stock, and Base Mod. Base stock should be safe for intake and catback exhaust. Base Mod should be good for intake, intercooler, no cat and catback exhaust.

All this means is that it should be safe to run those mods with those maps. Safe does not mean optimal tune, though.

Minor changes to your setup, like going from one catback to another, probably wouldn't require a retune. But, if your car was tuned with the stock intake, and you went to an aftermarked CAI, then you'd probably want to at least check the tune, and/or make adjustments.

Also, most 'tuners' tune the car rich anyway to allow for variances, so you can probably get away with some stuff, if you're so inclined.

3. It's main function is to give the user control over fuel and ignition mapping of their engine, along with other features not accessible via the stock ECU, such as transition of the twins. It also has built in boost control, for instance.

It gives you the freedom to change injectors, add mods, up the boost and all that jazz, while allowing you to adjust your running parameters accordingly.

The PFC can increase your fuel mileage, get you more power, and can help drivability IF the tuner knows what he's doing. It is very easy to tune for WOT power, but getting the car to drive like stock when cold, or at part throttle, takes time and knowledge.

4. Well the PFC is pretty useless without the datalogit. This add-on is what gives the user access to the real features of the PFC. The commander you see in a lot of peoples cars is a waste of time, in my opinion. Sure, it displays some engine parameters, but as a tuning tool, forgetaboutit.

Also remember, that when the PFC first came out, only tuners with the special Apexi software could fully tune the car, because only they could access the features beyond the commander. That's why the datalogit was created in the first place.

The PFC is decent, because it is readily available, cheap and has a large user and support base. You can plug it in, and in a few minutes are ready for some zoom zoom. There are more advanced PnP EMS for the FD, like the Vipec for instance, with better resolution and more features like TC, but they are costly, and you'd be more of a ginea pig.

0.5 bar is roughly 7 psi.
0.6 bar is roughly 8.5 psi.

Stock boost is 10 psi.

Non-seq cars have a lot of vac lines removed, will be slighly laggier in the lower rpms, and should not see a boost pressure variation at 4500 rpm. A seq setup is very noticeable.

 

thats really great man
thanx alot for all that info..
i was at this website forgot the name.. it was like sumthing smr tuning maybe i am wrong
it said that if u buy the pfc from them.. they can tune it according to your mods and ship it to you?
should i do that
and when i get it installed .. the tuner can look over minor changes?

 

and i think i am running non seq... because as you said the car is slightly sluggish when around 3500 to 4000.. but after the boost comes in ... it takes of

 

Mail order tuning is like buying a suit from Moore's:

They've seen enough people that look like you, so they've got stuff hanging there that will approximately fit you. If it's a decent fabric, then the chicks are going to smile at you.

Or, you can go to a real taylor, he'll measure you up and down, and give you something that will fit like a glove and the chicks will want to get into your pants.

Just get a PFC off the forum, or ebay, and have someone like the wird drive and tune your car.

 

????... quote: "Or, you can go to a real taylor, he'll measure you up and down"..???
TROTS????..heh!,I can imagine!
Trot's Name is Taylor............TAILOR is a guy that makes Suits!
I liked the Pfc Info though,.Very informative!

 

hmm
i see
so the person who tunes it will drive my car to tune it rite.. or he will jus plug in the datalogit or both ...
drive n tune?

 

Dyno & tune, or drive & tune.

The mail order tune will be more like a general set of parameters for the fuel & ignition.

 

dyno and tune sounds better

 

New or used doesn't matter as long as its the right ECU. Quite simply, if you take that cat off you have to get powerfc AND a tune or your risking blowing up your motor. How your car runs is completely dependent on the tune and has nothing to do with the fact your using a powerfc. However, the PowerFC is best at making your car run like stock since it controls everything like stock.

For an FD there is no reason to use anything other then a PowerFC for 99% of owners.

thewird

 

alrity
1 quick question
i can still keep the knightsport boost controller setup and still run powerfc with it rite

 

I'm not familiar with the knightsport boost controller and can't find any good info on it but I don't see why not.

thewird

 

I'd say your best bet is a combination.

The Dyno is certainly better for the WOT pulls, because even in a stock Fd you'll be 50-over-streetracin' in no time. But, all of us have tuned on the street at one time or another.

Plus, the dyno is really the only place to tune your ignition map. It will show you if you're making more power with more advance, and it will tell you when to stop. Yes, you can tune via EGT, but it's not an exact science.

For steady state tuning, like cruising on the highway, the dyno works well, too. But it is not that necessary, since it is not too difficult to cruise around on the highway at a constant rpm.

For driveability tuning, like throttle tip-in, or puttering around town at partial throttle street tuning seems to be a bit better since the dyno loads the car differently than the street.

So, if you're going to spend the $$$ and take it to a dyno, you might as well do the WOT and steady state stuff, then polish up the tune on the street.

 

u guys are the best
power FC going in my fd for sure next summer
hope i also gain a bit of hp from here n there in the process of tuning and adding sum parts
do pulleys make a difference?.. in gain of small HP

 

Two seperate questions:

Do pulley's make a difference? Yes, they can, you are reducing a rotating mass.

Do pulley's add HP? No. a pulley can't "add" HP (unless it's attached to a supercharger)

-Geoff

 

At stock, well running FD makes on average 210-220 at the wheels @ 10 psi.

With a tuned PFC, intake and open exhaust, you should be at 270-280 rwhp or so at the same boost level as stock. Up the boost a bit and you're at 300.

If you're actually running a properly converted non-seq. probably even a bit more. But, I'm a purist, so I'll take sequential any day of the week .

 

thats my goal to achieve around 300hp to the wheel with these basic mods

 

if i add the pulleys for
alt, p/s, crank...
do i have to eliminate the AC and air pump?

 

Depends what pulley set you get. Different pulleys for different things. For example you can use the Greddy pulley kit to eliminate the air pump which you should do if you remove the cat.

thewird