hello guys,

some of you may have noticed that the vortec sold on ebay. she went for $2000 which is awesome cause now there has been major plans for the turbo setup. i decided that im getting an AEM stand alone ecu unit for the cavy. the hell with all the mega squirt kits and everything else im going all out. my brother just installed one one of gm's cavaliers with the hahn kit on it in detroit and he talked me into it. i will be able to tune this thing to its FULL potential with the AEM. they are a little expensive but so so worth it. so basically heres what im gunna have: im running the j-tuners manifold, garret turbo (pending on a couple different ones right now with the flow maps but will be running around 15 lbs with the race stage on the AEM), HKS SSQV blow off valve, k&n filter, RC Engineering injectors, front mount intercooler. im planning on hitting over 300 hp at the wheels. its about time the wisecos and ealge h-beams see what they deserve. i dont know if this will be the first full stand alone unit installed on a j-body here? any comments let me know guys

why not get the HP tuner's program and use your stock pcm , instead of wasting money and alot more time trying to the AEM to work

damn someone got ripped on that blower set up.

and i agree with ^.

good luck and keep us updated.

Maybe if the AEM was plaug in play, but HPT is a pretty nice setup and easy to install

Ugh, no you won' t be the first stand-alone jbody...



Blew it up, build numbers coming soon

johny mack , mike karas are two guys that come to mind.

.

from seeing the HP tuners stuff in person that a friend brought over( brian). i am a firm believer in what HP tuners can do for the cars that have been heavly modd'd. we are very lucky to have something like this available.
(doest work on my 96, damn it!!, but worked on my wifes 02 ls sport).

Jake, not to get off topic, but switch to the 97 pcm....it doesnt look like taht big of a task, interior harnesses are the same, so all you need to do is rip out the engine harness and 96 ecu and swap those two with a 97, and your in business....

youd be stupid to not go with HPT if your looking to tune your pcm id think. Other stuff is universal, HPT is application sensitive.

ya swapping to the 97-99 is on the mind. but car runs so damn good minus a EGR light. i have to think about it more.


anyways, back on topic.

$2000 will barely get AEM EMS running.. let alone the entire rest of the turbo system.

If you really want to go stand-alone.. do a full megasquirt set-up and delete the stock computer, Otherwise there is no reason to not go HPtuners.



Cardomain|Myspace

How about HP tuners software, Bosch injectors from just about any Mustang/Ford Performance shop, and the rest is just your average turbo setup.

I don't know, it just seems that everyone wants to re-invent the turbo J world when there's already plenty of good ways to do it.




O noes!

first off no matter what any of you say, there is no better way to fully tune a turbocharged engine than with a full management system and the aem is just my choice of unit. there is no way that your HP tuners (pretty much just another piggy back cause it STILL uses the factory pcm) even nearly compares to the AEM unit. you can calibrate everything on the AEM and i mean everything. your talking cost, well i dont know anyone that is worried about spending more money for the better setup when it comes to building and tuning a forced induction engine. my brother graduates in december from Kettering University in Flint,MI for mechanical engineering. he just installed an AEM unit on 2.0 ecotec for a project that was proposed to him. his obligation was to aquire the most power from the ecotec with the use of the stage 3 upgrade thats available for the cobalt and ion redline. he was also doing research with the new E85 fuel that gm is doing major testing with. he chose the AEM for his engine management system because he believe its the best unit right now for what you can do with it. he was able to attain 270 hp from a stock 2.0 with the stage 3 upgrade at 16 lbs of boost with the E85 fuel. this is amazing, he just brought home his software on his laptop and showed it to me. this AEM unit is amazing and is so worth it. so for all of you non believers, wait 2 monts and we will see who is puting down over 330 hp on the dyno there JAKE!!!! i mean come on man, im not some dumb kid that doesnt know what he's talking about, and i would appreciate if you would keep your comments to yourself about my vortech that sold. this is not a site to antagonize people, we are all on here cause we have similar interests and to help one another. as for all of you that have faith in my project, thanks.....oh yeah, JAKE just let me know when you wanna bring that team green machine down here and we line em up haha......i think my setup with run ok.

I never said i dont believe you or anything againest you. so i said your previous set up is crap, big deal, prove me wrong . i never doubted what you/your bro' want to acomplish, i am all for it. seems like he has/is working on some sweet projects.
we all just chimed in with our thoughts on the HP tuners stuff,how it would be a easier set up for you and your goals. (see ..we like each other on this board and tell other people what works good for our cars) but if you want to go againest our word , so do it. dont come posting back on all the troubles you will encounter with the AEM unit on a j body and expect me /us not to laugh at you. all i did was simply wish you good luck and to keep us updated.., but if you want to point me out then i will be a prick to you.

i will wait two months, your car will :
A. not be running/ your brother didnt have time to work on it
B. have some sorta excuse why it runs like crap or why something dont work.
C.probably not see any update posts from you
D. got fed up with the project/ car mod'ing and bought a better car

i seen what HP tuners can do on heavly modded cars, and my 02 ls sport. i dont see how you can rag on something/ not want to use something a 1/3 of the price that AEM set up can do the same thing as a stand alone, you dont even have to touch any wires and it is easy to operate. plug into your OBD2 port and mess around on your lap top .. you basically can re write anything on the ECU.

but what ever, let you and your college grad' brother show us how easy it is to make power with a AEM unit on a 2.4L over the HP tuner program . Show us what we are all missing out on tuning our cars to the full potential.

team green car=it aint my car really to make decisons , i just helped a bit on it from the start of the project., but start trapping over 115mph and i am sure the owners will acknowledge . Funny thing is , the price of the car as it sits now is probably less then your stand alone ordeal will cost 'all' said and done.

later
jake

the AEM setup is awesome, I dont think anyone can argue its capabilities. However, it really isn't plug and play like HPT. Cost wise you're better off going with HPT and making the best with that.

If you're stuck on going standalone, why dont you try something a little bit more compatible with GM sensors? ie; haltech E6GMX, or Holley Commander 950?

Jake is right about setting the AEM up. When you're sitting in the garage without a running car, scratching your head over what part of your wiring harness you @!#$ up on, while everyone else is at the track getting times down... Thats where I'm at right now.

If you can, do a 97 pcm swap and get HPT happening... I don't envy anyone having to get an engine running on a standalone, and now I am one of them.

good luck though.

touche' Jake

BTW Good luck Daniel (no sarcasm)



Save a Tranny, Roll-on
15.3@88m.p.h.(I/E)
15.2@94m.p.h.(S/C'd)
15.5@89m.p.h.(Stock GTP)

like kettering univ is susposed to put us all in awe


there are guy out there right now getting 270whp and 271wtq out of a 2.0 s/c motor , with 60lb injectors and a 2.5 pulley , and hp tuners , in a real live working street car

big freakin deal


truth is hp tuner will save you money and time over the aem

other than that both are pretty equal , once you get them figured out


impress us with doing and not words


have a nice day and good luck which ever way you go

My ex-gf that graduated from Kettering (or was it GMI still?) couldn't figure out the gate to my parents house.

My mom looked up at her and asked "And your an engineer?".

Daniel Ksiazkiewicz wrote:first off no matter what any of you say, there is no better way to fully tune a turbocharged engine than with a full management system and the aem is just my choice of unit. there is no way that your HP tuners (pretty much just another piggy back cause it STILL uses the factory pcm) even nearly compares to the AEM unit. you can calibrate everything on the AEM and i mean everything.

First of all, HP Tuners is not a piggy back. It is nothing like a piggy back, it is nothing like any piggy back out there for our cars. It allows you to control, alter and re-write your factory pcm as if it was a full stand alone system.

Bring your 330whp ride out to some J-BOM meets, better yet, where are you goin to dyno it, i'd like to come watch?


- 93 mph in the 1/8 mile
Member of J-Body Of Michigan.

Shoot..... I'm in MD... a lot closer........... You're more than welcome to see what the rear bumper of a turbo/nitrous 2g on megasquirt looks like dipping out on you. Full stand-alone at one quarter the cost.



Cardomain|Myspace

Look at it this way... theres a bunch of different ways to do things. Doing one has it's pros and cons and doing another has it's pros and cons.
I'm not gonna list out the pros and cons of hptuners or AEM because i don't know enough about either of them.
He want's to use AEM, so be it. I went and looked at their site and thought it was pretty cool too.

As far as your goal of 300, good luck, it'll be a little tricky but it is very doable. I'm hoping so, cause my goal is 400 later in my cars life.

-Seth