how about this? would this be ok for a temporary deal? until I could afford the Hondata s300 setup?
http://www.apexi-usa.com/products/?id=5347
That is what is called a piggyback. Named for how it works..it just piggybacks over the stock ECU. What it does is alter the signals that are sent to the stock ECU, so instead of changing the settings, it tricks the ECU. You can see the inherent problem with that.
Another downfall of something like that is the fuel and timing maps are dependent of each other. That means you cannot adjust one without affecting the other, so any kind of tune acheived with that is just an "almost on point." It's not quite right, but it works. Thats the reason it doesn't make as much power as a full standalone system(like AEM's EMS) or a semi-piggyback like Hondata.
Hondata is semi-piggyback because it takes over all engine functions like fuel and timing, but lets the ECU run the rest of the car(HVAC, radio, wipers etc..)
Basically, people used those when there were no other affordable options. It was either piggyback or shell out a couple grand for a standalone system. Now with the countless affordable tuning options(Hondata, Uberdata, Crome etc..) those are obsolete and less than.
Comapnies have added features and updated them to try and keep up and compete with the better options, but despite all the add-ons, they're drawbacks are still there. And like I said, the main drawback is that you cannot adjust fuel and timing individually.
You can use it, but like you said, just temporarily. I wouldn't use it as a permanent tuning solution and I definitely wouldn't try any type of extreme tune or try to make maximum power with a piggyback.
