Time to think about engine management
 

Here is my setup so far. T25 from an Eclispe, SAAB 900 intercooler, all cooling lines installed as well as heat shielding, dp, AFM and filter. It is all in a "mock up only" form to make required engine bay mods such as dropping rad etc. That is pretty well done and now I am wondering about suggestions on managment. I am not racing the car just looking for a little extra power. I was planning on just betting a BIPEs and leaving it at that. To be honest I understand the BIPES but the rest of it ????? Can someone give me a short version of the alternatives. I do not want to have a laptop mounted in the car but on the other hand I want to spend money wisely. I am finding it hard to grasp all the different things such as emanage blue etc. BTW I am keeping stock clutch and rearend until they are finished so this will not be extreme. Your advice is valued! Also do I need a boost gauge mounted in the cockpit?

2 options: piggyback and replacement ecu.
Piggyback is cheaper, replacement is more powerfull.

The Bipes as you know then is an ignition retarder, but you will also want some kind of fuel control.

A lot of this is going to depend on what year of car you have. If it's an NA then your fuel solution could be as simple as an auxillary fuel pressure regulator. This is the standard device in all North American-spec Greddy kits, and for years was a mainstay of Bell and FM. Basically, they raise the fuel pressure relative to boost to cause more fuel to be injected for a given cycle duration. Simple and effective, up to a point.

Later cars with a "returnless" fuel system can use something like the FM Voodoo box or the JR Powercard, neither of which I have any experiance with. But the idea is that they electronically lengthen the injector pulse, causing it to stay on longer. The FM Voodoo has a built in O2 clamp, the Powercard does not. Still no laptop required at this level.

Next step is the piggyback. These are the eManage (blue/black/gold), the eManage Ultimate, and at the very expensive end of the spectrum (US$1600) the XEDE. Varying capabilities but they all go between your stock ECU and the car, and control both fuel and ignition timing. You'll need a laptop for tuning at this point, but it does not have to be permanently mounted in the car.

Then the full replacements. These are the Megasquirt, the Hydra, etc. Pretty advanced stuff, but in some ways easier to tune than the piggies since you're not "fighting" the stock ECU every step of the way.

A boost gauge is required only if you want to know how much boost you're making. Which is sort of the same as a tachometer, an oil pressure gauge, etc. Not technically required, but I'd not personally be without one.

I'll sell you my FM Voodoo Box, just took it out of my '99. That is of course if it will work with your car.

sorry the car is a very early 90 NA, 1.6