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Haltech vs Pro-M vs Holley...thoughts?

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  • Start date Start date Apr 5, 2018
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FastDriver

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet
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#21
  • Apr 6, 2018
  • #21
I can't answer that question directly, but I can point out one difference in high end stand-alones worth considering before purchasing an expensive and time consuming installation.

One of the most important factors that drove my decision towards the BS3 was the state-of-the-art injector drivers. I was worried that I would not be able to idle and cruise without tune issues when I went from 30# injectors and ~420 rwhp to massive injectors pushing ~1000 rwhp. Accoding to reputation, the BS3's injector drivers are precise/fast enough to control 160# injectors in street cars. I have 120# injectors in both of mine and can lean the car so far out even at idle that it stalls. My understanding is that this is not possible with some of the aftermarket systems. I'd imagine this is especially true of the high impedance injectors with stock drivers. I have seen plenty of folks that do ok with 42# injectors in street cars with the stock computer, but when you want to make 700+ rwhp using 80+ # injectors and you still want to putt around town, you'll want a good system. Before I bought my next stand-alone, I'd get a good idea of how well it controlled big injectors. I might be out of date. I don't know if the new systems are all on par in this area, now.
 

a91what

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#22
  • Apr 6, 2018
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That's a great point, the ms3 has some very very good drivers and options it can do everything the more expensive can but it is open source.
I run a basic ms2 that is controlled from a microsquirt. Basically if you remove the relay circuits I built on a break out board and the eeciv jumper board (allows direct plug in to factory harness) my ECU is just a smidge larger than a credit card, no joke.

With this basic system I have no issues with the 52lb injectors I'm running I can lean them out fully at idle and sustain pulse widths less than 1ms (most cheap/older systems become erratic at this point).

If I did it over I would run a ms3x gold box hands down. It's the most bang for the buck you can get in a standalone and at less than 1400 it's a bargain. I am however partial to ms....
 
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Steel1

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#23
  • Apr 7, 2018
  • #23
I plan on posting my experience with Pimpxs soon. I purchased the ECU to replace my Moates set-up, just didn't
have/take the time to learn it, hoping Pimp is a little more user friendly.
I am definitely a novice tuner but not novice to hot rodding cars.....so it should be interesting.lol
 

a91what

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#24
  • Apr 7, 2018
  • #24
Steel1 said:
I plan on posting my experience with Pimpxs soon. I purchased the ECU to replace my Moates set-up, just didn't
have/take the time to learn it, hoping Pimp is a little more user friendly.
I am definitely a novice tuner but not novice to hot rodding cars.....so it should be interesting.lol
Click to expand...
Pimpxs is 100% based on a megasquirt3, if you need any help or a how to let me know. If you haven't check out the help and tech threads I have in my sig.
 
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killer5.0

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#25
  • Apr 7, 2018
  • #25
Once my combo and engine is built i honestly dont plan on changing much. It will be a dart based, supercharged setup with a custom intercooler. Looking to go SD or blow thru so i can run a bov to clean up the plumbing. Most likely run a bbrc fuel system...tko600 or t56 and a DIS to clean up the engine asthetically...so if i would be better off with a standalone ill get it but if what i have is no problem then ill probably keep it. Street only so driveability is important.

Spoke to my tuner again and he said for what i plan to do an aftermarket setup is a waste of funds...my biggest fear is swapping the standalone in and not getting it to run right...ive read horror stories of people having driveability issues for years before they get it right. I know 0 about tuning, that being said im a fast learner and pick stuff up pretty quick. I know someone said if you can play a video game you can tune lol...im a big gamer and fairly tech savvy. After my last tune...its a little fat on WOT (i know he did it for a safety bc of the stock block) but its a touch too much and it lost the throttle crispness. Being able to make small tweaks like that would be nice on the fly instead of having to take the car back somewhere...but i suppose once its set properly it would be done?
 
Last edited: Apr 7, 2018

Sparky714

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#26
  • Apr 7, 2018
  • #26
killer5.0 said:
Spoke to my tuner again and he said for what i plan to do an aftermarket setup is a waste of funds...my biggest fear is swapping the standalone in and not getting it to run right...ive read horror stories of people having driveability issues for years before they get it right. I know 0 about tuning, that being said im a fast learner and pick stuff up pretty quick. I know someone said if you can play a video game you can tune lol...im a big gamer and fairly tech savvy. After my last tune...its a little fat on WOT (i know he did it for a safety bc of the stock block) but its a touch too much and it lost the throttle crispness. Being able to make small tweaks like that would be nice on the fly instead of having to take the car back somewhere...but i suppose once its set properly it would be done?
Click to expand...

Waste of funds is all relative. I built a MS DIYPNP and I'm pretty tech savvy, but actual tuning was over my head. @a91what was kind enough to help me get it running and follow it all the way thru to final tuning. Car runs excellent, idles good, very street able. I put several hundred miles on it in the Black hills of South Dakota last year without a hiccup. I've also had it to the track, where it ran flawless. I leave all his tables alone, but it's nice being able to tweak idle settings if I need to, and I've also set up the two step/ flatshift and shift light.

Now, mine is strictly a hobby/fun car. I don't have to depend on it to get me back and forth to work, so the whole thing is basically a waste of funds. If I ever decide to sell it, I know I'll never get my money back. But it's worth every penny I've spent for the enjoyment my wife and I have got from it.

Oh, FWIW, it's an '89 hatch with a Vortech V3 on a rebuilt .030 over 302.
 

a91what

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#27
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Most aftermarket efi systems are speed density. From the newbs perspective it is simple to understand, for anything you don't understand I can explain it in great detail.
Look up tunerstudio from diyautotune it I the software used to tune the megasquirt and pimp systems. It's a free download for the light version, you can go in and play with the tuning software and look through all of the tables.
 

stanglx2002

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#28
  • Apr 8, 2018
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Another reason to go to SD is the issue of the MAF Meter pegging out. You would have to buy a meter that can handle our power level goals or play a little tuning vudo by tweaking the engine CID numbers.
 

killer5.0

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#29
  • Apr 8, 2018
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So the MS/Pimp has 0 additional wiring? Plugs directly to the factory harness and done? I like that idea. All of my wiring had been completely altered and redone...wrapped in braided loom and heatshrunk where applicable and i used tesa tape (audi bmw etc use it) for the rest. All re routed for a full wire tuck. So to not have to add new wires would be awesome. Wiring in a few widebands isnt a problem. Ill probably go with the innovate dual unit and swap it into where my LC1 currently resides. Im super OCD about not having anything in my car that doesnt serve a purpose or isnt hooked up so spent alot of time on my factory harness depinning all the unused harnesses and wires. Literally removed lile 10lbs of clutter.
The thought of the sct chip just sandwiched into the stock box always bothered me.
 

stanglx2002

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#30
  • Apr 8, 2018
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killer5.0 said:
So the MS/Pimp has 0 additional wiring? Plugs directly to the factory harness and done? I like that idea. All of my wiring had been completely altered and redone...wrapped in braided loom and heatshrunk where applicable and i used tesa tape (audi bmw etc use it) for the rest. All re routed for a full wire tuck. So to not have to add new wires would be awesome. Wiring in a few widebands isnt a problem. Ill probably go with the innovate dual unit and swap it into where my LC1 currently resides. Im super OCD about not having anything in my car that doesnt serve a purpose or isnt hooked up so spent alot of time on my factory harness depinning all the unused harnesses and wires. Literally removed lile 10lbs of clutter.
The thought of the sct chip just sandwiched into the stock box always bothered me.
Click to expand...
As long you use the plug-n-play version that uses the factory 60pin connector for attachment then YES.

If I chose again to redo mine is to follow the others advice and use the PIMP XS Verizon that is plug-n-play but uses the lastest MS3 platform
 

Steel1

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#31
  • Apr 8, 2018
  • #31
Yes Pimp XS plug directly into factory harness.
You'll have a little wiring for Pimp to use your aftermarket wideband and
you'll need to run a vac line to the ECU.
I'm going to be tackling the PimpXS install soon and will try to post experience.
They have a great support forum for it (Stinger performance)you might want to join and ask some questions.
As well as this site from a91what
 

TOOLOW91

If you're the village idiot what's that make me?
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#32
  • Apr 8, 2018
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As far as injector drivers. The Holley will run up to a 500lb billet atomizer . Nick @84Ttop car you can lean in and hit the button and it fires right up like it has a small injector in it . Cruises around even at the track with no issue .

As far as the comment of a full standalone having drivability issues - that’s your tuner plain and simple . You need to find someone comfortable with the system to Maximize it no matter what the system is .

The stock harness is over 20 years old at this point . It starts to become an issue as it slowly deteriotes . Replacing the harness is one of the best things I did
 
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FastDriver

I was uncomfortably high & wearing a helmet
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#33
  • Apr 8, 2018
  • #33
I was thinking about that too. Replacing the harness is nice, but I'd definitely take the easy way out if I could, LOL. PIMP XS was a fantastic idea for the DIYer.
 
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killer5.0

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#34
  • Apr 8, 2018
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When i redid my wiring i went over every square inch of the harnesses....all the wires i have in the harness know appeared to be in good shape. I literally stripped ALL the factory loom etc off and removed every unused wire etc and reloomed it so i got a chance to look everything over...yes there is a tab here and there missing on connectors (which i wish i could replace...maybe pro m will send me just the connectors lol) but they are all intact.
 

a91what

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#35
  • Apr 8, 2018
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You can buy new connectors and re-pin them or splice them.
 

killer5.0

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#36
  • Apr 9, 2018
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Where do you find them? I could never seem to find empty connector ends for the factory harnesses.
 

srtthis

the guy doing it does every local racers rear end
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#37
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Haltech is in a league of its own honestly... after running BS3 for years and it kind of being the "standard" in our line of drag racing. then now running haltech the stuff it can do is simply amazing. if your brain can think it up... it can do it
 

TOOLOW91

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#38
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srtthis said:
Haltech is in a league of its own honestly... after running BS3 for years and it kind of being the "standard" in our line of drag racing. then now running haltech the stuff it can do is simply amazing. if your brain can think it up... it can do it
Click to expand...
I agree 1000 percent . I love the holley though as well . We put the haltech elite 2500 in my friends notch with the Supra motor in it . We were able to get that thing running and driving with the haltech on our own . The ecu has so many tables for so many things it truly is amazing
 

srtthis

the guy doing it does every local racers rear end
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#39
  • Apr 9, 2018
  • #39
TOOLOW91 said:
I agree 1000 percent . I love the holley though as well . We put the haltech elite 2500 in my friends notch with the Supra motor in it . We were able to get that thing running and driving with the haltech on our own . The ecu has so many tables for so many things it truly is amazing
Click to expand...
im pretty sure there is an option that a head pops out and blows you but we havent found the table yet
 

TOOLOW91

If you're the village idiot what's that make me?
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#40
  • Apr 9, 2018
  • #40
srtthis said:
im pretty sure there is an option that a head pops out and blows you but we havent found the table yet
Click to expand...
If you do pleaseeeeee let us know .
Cuz it will do just about everything else .
 
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