Using multiple maps?

[pwpanas]

Originally Posted by norcalkev

Hey all... I'm getting a supra soon and i just have a question concerning the ecu as I am trying to plan ahead. I had an sti but I didn't get far enough into it before I gave it up to get familiar with this stuff. I remember talking to people about standalone ecu's, piggyback chips, and plug n play programmers. Basically when I get a supra I want to be able to use multiple maps so that I can have a range of hp that I can use either towards fuel economy or with the flip of a switch I can take down vettes ect. Of course I plan on doing this after I've modded the engine, how what I go about doing this and what piece of electronic equipment would I need. Thx

Gosh...where to start. Here goes:
1) A fuel efficient vehicle can also be a high horsepower vehicle. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is that your cruising rpm range and load is a very different part of your fuel/timing map than the high load, high rpm (and subsequently high boost) part of your fuel/timing map.
2) The Mkiv's ecu can't be 'chipped' or reprogrammed. There is an expensive procedure to add a 'daughter board' to allow the oem maps to be replaced, but most folks go straight from piggybacks to standalone ecu replacement.
2) A standalone ecu replacement is very pricey. It's at least $2500 for everything you need (including sensors), and then that much again for a *proper* tuning job. The oem Mkiv TT ecu (with piggybacks) will take you to 700rwhp (6spd) and beyond. To me, spending the coin for a standalone is only necessary above 800rwhp...
3) Piggyback ecu's (eg. an A'PEXi AFC Neo) can allow you to create a quickly-changed fuel map for a lot less $$$ than a standalone ecu.
4) The use of race fuel together with high boost is a legitimate reason to keep a secondary map handy. A secondary map is not necessary for fuel economy vs. horsepower if both would be on pump gas.

Above all (relative to your situation):
- Be sure to get an Mkiv TT (not an n/a)
- Read through the basic BPU modifications. These will get you significantly more horsepower than stock, with a minimal expense.
http://www.mkiv.com/faq/faqtt.html#bpu1
Consider mastering this level before moving on to anything fancy like multiple maps.

Please read through these points, and post any followup questions you might have.