|
Hydra vs Megasquirt
Going to buy a standalone ecu and I know that both of them functionality wise will do the job. I want to start off naturally aspirated then eventually add boost into the equation. What i want to know is what would be better for me (having done absolutely no tuning whatsoever and i understand jack shit about tuning) learning to tune? ease of use? better support? initial start up?
|
The benefit of the Hydra is that you can call up Jeremy @ FM during business hours and get tons of support. It's also supports some advanced features that MS does not, which you may or may not care about (I think CAN-BUS is one, for example). The downside is that it's expensive.
The benefit of the MS is that it's cheap, and you can read a lot about it on the web. So, if you don't care about the advanced features (look at FM's site to find out what all it does), then it comes down to how much time do you want to want to invest in learning about tuning on your own by reading stuff on the net, vs how much money do you want to spend to have direct support from FM. You also need to decide on MS2 vs MS3. --Ian |
Originally Posted by codrus
(Post 1133619)
The benefit of the Hydra is that you can call up Jeremy @ FM during business hours and get tons of support. It's also supports some advanced features that MS does not, which you may or may not care about (I think CAN-BUS is one, for example).
--Ian |
I have yet to read a compelling argument for Hydra over MS3
|
1 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by 18psi
(Post 1133636)
I have yet to read a compelling argument for Hydra over MS3
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400785779 How much more compelling do you need? |
I'd never get anything that wasn't fundamentally DIY. You gain so much by learning to tune, although it's a steep slope at first.
|
Originally Posted by Joe Perez
(Post 1133646)
It's blue.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1400785779 How much more compelling do you need? |
Originally Posted by hornetball
(Post 1133651)
I'd never get anything that wasn't fundamentally DIY. You gain so much by learning to tune, although it's a steep slope at first.
Originally Posted by 18psi
(Post 1133653)
sold......I'll send a couple thousand extra to pay for the future firmare updates too
|
All of this feedback is bringing up a ton of good points that i haven't thought about. i really appreciate it all. Keep it coming guys! How good are the base tunes for the megasquirt and how hard is it to really learn and be proficient at tuning my own car?
|
What about the completely unadulterated support you can receive through this forum?
|
Originally Posted by Harv
(Post 1133670)
What about the completely unadulterated support you can receive through this forum?
|
Not to mention after an hour or so of reading i still have absolutely no idea what the difference is between MS2, MS3, or MSPNP and which one would be ideal for me. I don't want to build my own, simply don't have the time or patience working with circuit boards. Im leaning toward the MSPNP Gen 2 because it is plug and play which will eliminate a lot of the time/frustration on my half. But are there benefits to the other ems?
|
Just have Reverant or Braineack build the MS for you and setup a base for you to work from, they are good about supporting people. I'm not really into building the thing or tuning the thing myself, but I installed an MS3x in my car that Brain built and it's been relatively trouble free, though if you are crappy at doing wiring/soldering you will need to work on that.
If you really want assured support all the time then buy the PNP from DIY and they will walk you through any issues that happen, but you still need to learn how to do your own wiring/soldering. The MSPNP is an MS2 with add-ons and the MS3 and MS3x expand upon the capabilities of the MS2 systems with additional features and higher resolution tuning tables. |
Originally Posted by 97miatanola
(Post 1133668)
Thats what I'm worried about.... i know that its a steep slope for learning how to tune but in the end it would be worth it... i don't like other people touching my car unless its something i can't do. I'm just afraid i will blow a motor and then be out of a car i dumped assloads of money into.
Though the blue color is compelling i do dislike the fact that Hydra owners have to pay for firmware updates. its so costly that i might as well buy another ems.... but I'm attracted to the support that is offered if i buy through FM.
Originally Posted by 97miatanola
(Post 1133669)
All of this feedback is bringing up a ton of good points that i haven't thought about. i really appreciate it all. Keep it coming guys! How good are the base tunes for the megasquirt and how hard is it to really learn and be proficient at tuning my own car?
Originally Posted by 97miatanola
(Post 1133674)
Though i am sure the support through this forum is great being almost all of the DIY'ers use Megasquirt i am really worried about MY ability to learn how to tune without blowing shit up, and still making decent power.
Originally Posted by 97miatanola
(Post 1133677)
Not to mention after an hour or so of reading i still have absolutely no idea what the difference is between MS2, MS3, or MSPNP and which one would be ideal for me. I don't want to build my own, simply don't have the time or patience working with circuit boards. Im leaning toward the MSPNP Gen 2 because it is plug and play which will eliminate a lot of the time/frustration on my half. But are there benefits to the other ems?
Is the miata your DD? If so I may suggest that you don't put in an ECU until you have another car you can use for when the miata is down. If you start NA like you said the chances of actually blowing up the motor are slim, it is doable, just a lot harder then doing it with boost. I only suggest not installing an ECU on your DD because of the learning curve involved. Yes it is possible to do and come out alive with a working car, but the risk involved is high, especially if you do not know what you are doing. So go pick up the book by Matt and Jerry. Here is the official MegaManual for Megasquirt. I suggest you start reading it now and get familiar with it all. |
Originally Posted by codrus
(Post 1133619)
The benefit of the Hydra is that when the next version comes out FM can give you some bullshit excuse about your old version not being compatible with Windows 7 and so you need to spend half a grand on a software upgrade that doesn't do shit to get support. You also get the joy in spending twice as much on a box that doesn't do anything better than MS3x. Also nobody will tune the things, so unless you live in CO pretty much get fucked
--Ian |
:laugh: that's pretty much accurate
|
I have no idea what Albumleaf is talking about. :rofl:
|
Originally Posted by shuiend
(Post 1133683)
I think the cost to update to Hydra 2.7 was $500+ depending on which previous Hydra you had. To put it into perspective you can build a brand new MS3X for not much more then that.
If you go to diyautotune.com Matt and Jerry are authors of a very good about about ECU's and tuning. I would suggest picking it up and giving it a read before you make any decisions. Realistically you want some form of a MS3X. It is the latest and greatest MS that has current active development. All the others are older, will work, but the future upgrade path is not there and you might be missing some features that are nice. I believe Reverant can make you a pnp one that comes with a decent basemap. Is the miata your DD? If so I may suggest that you don't put in an ECU until you have another car you can use for when the miata is down. If you start NA like you said the chances of actually blowing up the motor are slim, it is doable, just a lot harder then doing it with boost. I only suggest not installing an ECU on your DD because of the learning curve involved. Yes it is possible to do and come out alive with a working car, but the risk involved is high, especially if you do not know what you are doing. So go pick up the book by Matt and Jerry. Here is the official MegaManual for Megasquirt. I suggest you start reading it now and get familiar with it all. |
Reverant posted in your thread.
|
it is plug and play
repeat it is plug and play contact Reverant. give him your money. done if you make another post with "its not plug and play" I'm gonna post giant penises all over your thread in fact, its "more" plug and play than a hydra. mind - blown. right? |
Originally Posted by 18psi
(Post 1133697)
it is plug and play
repeat it is plug and play contact Reverant. give him your money. done if you make another post with "its not plug and play" I'm gonna post giant penises all over your thread in fact, its "more" plug and play than a hydra. mind - blown. right? |
diyautotune writeups are your friend
msextra.com or whatever is your friend this forum is your friend reading through thousands of threads of people diagnosing and setting this crap up is your friend. by the time you do the above, you likely won't have many questions left, and if you will they will be actual good questions we'd be happy to help with it does take commitment and dedication, but the payoff is pretty sweet. the flip side is just throwing cash at all your problems and have people set it up and tune it for you. |
Originally Posted by 97miatanola
(Post 1133700)
OKAY, penises on my thread or anywhere around me is simply not necessary. I will however contact Reverant when the time is near me ordering a MS. I hope you guys are ready to handle any stupid noobie tuning questions when i get it. lololol but seriously i will read up on EFI tuning and try and do as much research as i can before blowing up the forum.
|
Again i really appreciate all of the feedback. This forum is the shit! everybody here has helped in so many ways. The final product is really what I'm looking toward. and with the result being a direct correlation to my hard work is going to make the payoff HUGE. Thank all of you guys.
|
Hydra crew checking in.
Hydra will do everything that the MS3 will do, and it's nowhere near as inexpensive as the MS3 is. MBC FOR THE WIN!! Hydra crew checking out. |
Originally Posted by Reverant
(Post 1133623)
That specific example is totally wrong; all the MS2s and MS3s support CAN bus, in fact there are many devices supporting the MS CAN Bus system (ie AiM MXL, Racepak, etc).
I have a Hydra 2.5 in my car now, bought it ages ago when it was the only plug-in-no-wiring-harness-hackery-required solution on the market for an NB. I also have a Reverant MS3 sitting on the shelf waiting to go in the car as soon as I get around to it, basically for all of the reasons mentioned in this thread. It would've been a thousand bucks to upgrade it to 2.7 (mine was originally a 2.1 unit, so it's old). --Ian |
It's a good idea to go to the DIYautotune.com and download TunerStudio.
Open the program and play with it, and the software. It will give you a much better idea of what you've been reading about. Should help give a clear picture of the MS jibberish. |
MS uses a proprietary CANBUS protocol, which dash/clusters etc need to support to speak to it.
However the latest beta firmwares for MS2/MS3 support the standard 11bit CANBUS broadcast protocol, so will work with pretty much anything. |
Originally Posted by richyvrlimited
(Post 1133844)
However the latest beta firmwares for MS2/MS3 support the standard 11bit CANBUS broadcast protocol, so will work with pretty much anything.
|
Let me encourage you that the megasquirt is very doable. I had NO experience with any kind of tuning anything, and between all the forums got my old project car up and running, and it didn't have the plug n play support the miata does.
|
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:17 AM. |
© 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands