AEM F/IC on a 1.6?
 

Just out of curiosity, is there any reason the AEM F/IC wouldn't work on a 1.6 miata? I see a bunch of people running it with a 96 or newer, but haven't come across a older miata running it. I originally was thinking some sort of obd 2 requirement, then I see the list of compatible cars contains a bunch of obd 1 cars.

The FIC will work on a 1.6 but I don't see the point of going with the FIC when MS is so easy for the 1.6 with the MSPNP.

It's probably due to the lack of a vTPS on the 1.6 cars.

If you can build your own MS ( i cant :(. ). Then its so cheap to have management.

Well there's a new one lying around work that I think I can get for free, and free I like.

I didn't think about the lack of the vtps... wonder how much this would affect the function.

Go to the AEM web site and spend a couple hours scanning the forum on the FIC. Download the instruction manual and comprehend it.

IMO, the FIC is only a good option if you have an OE MAF that can handle the level of air flow you're going to have, or are willing to do the work to build calibration files to either alter your MAF or replace it with another one that has greater capacity. My admittedly limited knowledge of engine tuning says the FIC's built-in MAP sensor isn't sufficient to run an engine based on speed-density, because there's currently no way to get an intake air temp signal into the FIC, and no documentation saying the firmware or software would support its use if you could.

The 1.6 Miata has a tiny flapper box, which is lame and restrictive, and will max out on air flow quickly with a turbo. You'd have to go to some other MAF, and build a calibration to correlate the new MAF's signal to the old MAF's signal so you can feed the ECU a dummy signal it will believe is the old MAF, then let the FIC actually run the engine on the new MAF signal.

Way easier to go to MS, where the sky is the limit. When I was geeking out on the MS mailing list back in 2003 for my 13B-powered solar yellow 510 project, it took less than 24 hours for a new control strategy I suggested to be programmed and tested by the more advanced users in the community. The capability is awesome.

I am kinda torn between whether it would be better to pay the extra for MSPNP for the ease of set up and initial use, but based on the use of the non-ideal OE Miata sensors, or pay less cash up front, and invest the time to do a more challenging installation but have a better system in the end.

With MS basic, you can go straight to speed-density, and you can add a trigger wheel that will provide better ignition resolution and response rate than the Miata's OE CAS. Both are massive benefits for turbo tuning if you are willing/able to invest to get the most out of them. You could of course migrate to these if you had the PNP system, but then you've paid more for a system that uses OE wiring, which you then have to figure out how to modify to make do what you want. It may be easier just to go straight to a custom installation.

The downside of any fully aftermarket ECU is the driveability is almost impossible to get dialed in to OE levels. In most cases, the software algorithms simply don't measure up to OE capabilities to compensate for changes in conditions. You either end up chasing the "perfect" tune through all your driving conditions yourself, and that becomes your hobby, or you pay a pro tuner to get it as dialed in as possible at his shop the day you're there, and live with it not adapting perfectly to the weather, altitude, temperature, etc., the next day.

At least that is what I and most of my friends who have run EMS, Tec, etc. have experienced. On the positive side, you can have a car be f'in fast that wouldn't otherwise be possible, so it's all a tradeoff.

I'm totally jealous of Chevys and EVOs, where the OE ECU is totally hacked in shareware, and any redneck can blow up their car with a few keystrokes.