Need your input guys. On the fence about which unit to buy. Would like to know pros and cons.

 

do a search....this has got to be one of the post talked about comparisons.

 

accessport, nuff said.

*EDIT* I was assuming you had someone who could tune a protuner AP for you, apparently not, so utec would probably be better in your situation

 

The pros and cons of each.

Accessport - Unless you get the more expensive tunable unit, you're locked into certain combinations of parts that may or not be what you're after. Cobb is a reputable company.

UTEC - Let's you control everything, which may or may not be a good thing, as you can harm your motor with a bad map or stupid settings. The good thing is you're not locked into certain combinations, you can run whatever you want. Another good thing is that it's been around a long time, and there are maps out there for just about any combination you have. WRXHackers is a good source for maps. TurboXS is a reputable company.

Personally, I got tired of waiting for the Accessport, and after I had waited for over a year, Cobb informed me that parts they had recommended I purchase wouldn't be supported.

Talk to Ryan at Vakamon as they sell both, and he'll let you know what's right for your particular needs. You really didn't spell out what you're after.

San

 

^^ what san said is correct..also accessport now has that pdx tunning map which can fine tune ur setting's a lil more..you'll have to check it out i know brent posted about it..


me i'm running the cobb ap stage 2 and sorta loving it..cant really compare it to stock cuz i had the car for a few months then threw everything on so i cant help u there..but there is power..but i crave a lil more..hope this helps

 

I'd say go with the accessport if you're looking for safer performance. Their maps have to be tailored to a wide variety of cars all over the world. Also you can get the accessport + streettuner combo if you feel you know how to tune it yourself. The Streettuner also gives you the ability to make changes on the fly as you are driving, so you can make all the changes you want, test it, then flash it on as a base map. Oh and if you go to iwsti.com, cobb will release their Stage3 for the STi by the end of summer. They're not set on the hardware, but they're leaning toward td06-20g, jecs/nissan 720?cc injectors, tmic/fmic, and a fuel pump. Like hayn said, pdxtuning.com sells their maps for $150. You send a request stating all the mods you have, local fuel octane, and elevation and they'll see if they got one that matches. Not to sure, but I think their maps are also much more aggressive than the Cobb ones.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I've only ever tuned carbureted engines so EFI systems are new to me. I'm basically looking for more bang for my buck and something that will keep up with future mods. I've searched all the forums (Nasioc, IWSTI, i-Club, etc.) and read nearly everything that has been written about piggyback and ecu tuners. I wanted input specifically from locals cause I wanted to know what works in Hawaii.

I read a review about piggyback tuners (like UTEC) and it said they tend to cause confusion with the car's ECU. The UTEC allows the car's ECU to take care of functions at low speeds and low power demand, but once you punch it the piggyback takes over. Sometimes this "switching" of command doesn't go smoothly and problems occur. The review said the Cobb AP's design is different and works with the ECU throughout all functions. It sounded very favorable to the AP, but then I also noticed Cobb's ads all over the site.

 

Btw, my car is pretty much stock under the hood. When the warranty expires I plan on working the engine. Rods, pistons, cam and some work on the heads (if i can find a shop that does good work on Subarus).

 

Wow, sounds like you have big plans for your engine. With that kind of work you're looking into putting into your engine I'm guessing your aiming for 500+ horses. Might be hard making that kind of power without an awd dyno. Sounds like you'll need a stand alone engine management system.

Not sure what your goals are but if you're not looking at making that much power, you won't need to touch the engine internals.

 

Like I said, I'm new to EFI. Grew up tuning old school Chevys where the standard mods are intake manifolds, bigger carbs, bigger cams, over bores, pistons and rods, and aluminum heads. Sti engines already are all aluminum...yipee! Maybe I'm taking the wrong approach I don't know. But I really wanted to build an AWD car and so far I absolutely love my Subaru. The neighborhood of 500hp tuned sounds nice. I don't believe in NOS, but I do believe in alcohol injection.

 

I hear ya. I grew up around Chevy's too. I'm no expert by any means when it comes to EFI either. I don't even have a piggyback ecu on my STi.

I do know that the easiest way to make more power is to put on an aftermarket turboback exhaust. Probably worth around 30 hp or so on an STi. The stock exhaust is restricted.

I don't think anyone really knows for sure how much power the stock STi shortblock can take, but if your goal is for 500+ hp, then it is probably safe to say you should think about upgrading to forged internals. You would also need to upgrade your turbo and go to a front mount intercooler, upgraded fuel injectors/fuel pump, etc.

One major problem is that there is no AWD dyno here in the islands. That means if you do have stand alone engine management, there is no way to tune your car to make all that power. I'm sure there are guys out there that could sort of tune your car using the 'butt dyno', but it wouldn't do justice for all that money you invested in your motor. If you were willing to ship your car to the mainland for a tune that would be another story.

On another note, did you take a look at the Vishnu Exede? Jt-sti runs that on his STi and he's the fastest STi on the island right now. Runs a 12.6 in the quarter with just the exede and QTP downpipe.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! by the way.

 

like the oldman said... talk to ryan at vakamon... ryan=wealth of tuning experience...and they sell both. i had planned on using the utec(for sale btw) but due to my upcoming plans.... things change. i like the fact of utec allowing you to control every aspect of your performance.... what i urgently caution is this- that if you are an idiot in terms of "learning the rules" of tuning then your wallet will hate you. i cannot say anything about cobb except the fact that they are excellent tools for achieving power the easy way-



aloha from the summit of *-^-mauna kea-^-*

 

I talked to Brandon (the parts guy at Ohana Subaru, formerly Schumann Waipahu Subaru) awhile back (mid-2005) and he said they were discussing bringing in an AWD dyno. Not sure what their situation is now. Maybe Pflueger might do it...sheeyah right

I'm leaning toward the UTEC, but I like Cobb as a whole. Seems to me they really stand behind their products and do a lot of design research.

Reasons why I'm leaning toward the UTEC are:
-like the launch control feature
-want to run water/alcohol injection and not sure if AP's maps are well suited
-Wary of the 100 reflash limit of the AP
-from what I've heard UTEC's interface is supposed to be more versatile

My wishlist includes:
-FMIC
-Cobb Stage 2 or 3 heads
-Aftermarket injectors and fuel rails
-Forged engine internals
-Water/alcohol injection
-UTEC or AP

I can hold off on the exhaust. Don't particularly like the increased cabin noise. Could settle on a catless downpipe for now. I read somewhere that the stock USDM 2.5 is good for 400-450hp without changing the internals. No solid facts to back it up though.

Btw, thanks for the b-day wish The big 3-0

 

Anyone know how the new gas will affect engine performance and tuning? I'm assuming the ethanol mixture affects the overall octane rating.

 

hmm im curious about that too, one day at one of my regular fill up stations i seen the new sticker stuck on there...