opinion on megasquirt
02-26-2009, 04:42 PM
#1
Staging Lane
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opinion on megasquirt anyone here use mega squirt for their ecu and tuning. Ive got a friend with a miata and for the money it seems great. literally just build all the functions you want into it and a decent amount of maps out there. mostly wondering how it is compered to using the stock ecu and the tuning software out there
02-27-2009, 10:15 PM
#5
Say what you want, my post is not uneducated, I DO know what a megasquirt is, I DO know that Parish made over 1000 RWHP with a megasquirt, and I feel that when you're simply swapping an engine, there's no need for it, nor is there a need for it when running any form of an engine that can be tuned well with injectors that'll work with the stock LS1 PCM.
99-2002 LS1 PCM with HPTuners, or EFILive is FAR superior for 99.99999% of the LS1's out there. AND, have you ever priced out a replacement LS1 PCM? How about pricing one out when you're 1200 miles from home and the car is dead on the side of the road with a dead computer...thats very rare to see happen...though probably less rare that a stocker will die than a megasquirt (aftermarket electronics are never as reliable as they should be)...and when it does, you can go to just about any salvage yard and pickup another 0411 PCM, plug it in flash it (if necessary...if you tune your car, you probably don't travel far without your laptop) and be on your way.
99-2002 LS1 PCM with HPTuners, or EFILive is FAR superior for 99.99999% of the LS1's out there. AND, have you ever priced out a replacement LS1 PCM? How about pricing one out when you're 1200 miles from home and the car is dead on the side of the road with a dead computer...thats very rare to see happen...though probably less rare that a stocker will die than a megasquirt (aftermarket electronics are never as reliable as they should be)...and when it does, you can go to just about any salvage yard and pickup another 0411 PCM, plug it in flash it (if necessary...if you tune your car, you probably don't travel far without your laptop) and be on your way.
02-27-2009, 10:22 PM
#6
Say what you want, my post is not uneducated, I DO know what a megasquirt is, I DO know that Parish made over 1000 RWHP with a megasquirt, and I feel that when you're simply swapping an engine, there's no need for it, nor is there a need for it when running any form of an engine that can be tuned well with injectors that'll work with the stock LS1 PCM.
99-2002 LS1 PCM with HPTuners, or EFILive is FAR superior for 99.99999% of the LS1's out there. AND, have you ever priced out a replacement LS1 PCM? How about pricing one out when you're 1200 miles from home and the car is dead on the side of the road with a dead computer...thats very rare to see happen...though probably less rare that a stocker will die than a megasquirt (aftermarket electronics are never as reliable as they should be)...and when it does, you can go to just about any salvage yard and pickup another 0411 PCM, plug it in flash it (if necessary...if you tune your car, you probably don't travel far without your laptop) and be on your way.
99-2002 LS1 PCM with HPTuners, or EFILive is FAR superior for 99.99999% of the LS1's out there. AND, have you ever priced out a replacement LS1 PCM? How about pricing one out when you're 1200 miles from home and the car is dead on the side of the road with a dead computer...thats very rare to see happen...though probably less rare that a stocker will die than a megasquirt (aftermarket electronics are never as reliable as they should be)...and when it does, you can go to just about any salvage yard and pickup another 0411 PCM, plug it in flash it (if necessary...if you tune your car, you probably don't travel far without your laptop) and be on your way.
02-27-2009, 10:30 PM
#7
No, thats one example, I base it on buying something you don't need and spending time wiring it when you dont need to, when a stock PCM is already there and plugged into the harness...even during an engine swap...the harness that comes with the engine plugs into the stock pcm.
Standalones and in some cases, piggybacks have their place (like Parish's truck), but lots of the standalone's installed didn't need to be, and 99.99999% of the engines on this forum, and every other LS1 forum, don't need them. GM's hardware is great to work with.
Standalones and in some cases, piggybacks have their place (like Parish's truck), but lots of the standalone's installed didn't need to be, and 99.99999% of the engines on this forum, and every other LS1 forum, don't need them. GM's hardware is great to work with.
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02-28-2009, 06:10 AM
#8
Megasquirt is a great setup. If there is no way to practically use an OEM setup.
They were popular among those of us wanting to build turbo Dodge's back in the late '90's because there were no programmers available for those engines.
They were popular among those of us wanting to build turbo Dodge's back in the late '90's because there were no programmers available for those engines.
02-28-2009, 08:12 AM
#10
I agree with Mike454SS, for most users, the stock LS1 hardware is better, there are great tuning products out there to use the OEM hardware, allow for real time tuning, 2/3 bat SD setups, n20 control, ect.. and no worries about aftermarket electronics, and such, finding replacement parts on the road, ect.
For non LSx vehicles the MS is a great affordable setup, that provides good tuning functionality at a good price. For Ford/GM vehicles, I would use the OEM hardware up until about 800 rwhp or so, (or the limit of your stock style high impedance injectors) and when you cannot control the injectors, you can step up to a MS or aftermarket controller. I've worked on vehicles making 1200+ rwhp using OEM hardware, without any real compromises.
MS can be a full stand alone, or run in conjuction with the OEM hardware, depending on how it is setup. The original posters question, was very broad, and without giving information about the planned setup, it's hard to determine to stay with oem hardware, or go aftermarket. Also, the OEM stuff is emissions legal, or can be tuned to be as legal as possible, the MS does not contain the thousands of functions/parameters that are necessary to get OBD2 emissions compliance. This could be no big deal, but if your somebody who has had calibrations certified by CARB, this is a major concern, depending on what your looking to tune, and for how many applications.
Ryan
For non LSx vehicles the MS is a great affordable setup, that provides good tuning functionality at a good price. For Ford/GM vehicles, I would use the OEM hardware up until about 800 rwhp or so, (or the limit of your stock style high impedance injectors) and when you cannot control the injectors, you can step up to a MS or aftermarket controller. I've worked on vehicles making 1200+ rwhp using OEM hardware, without any real compromises.
MS can be a full stand alone, or run in conjuction with the OEM hardware, depending on how it is setup. The original posters question, was very broad, and without giving information about the planned setup, it's hard to determine to stay with oem hardware, or go aftermarket. Also, the OEM stuff is emissions legal, or can be tuned to be as legal as possible, the MS does not contain the thousands of functions/parameters that are necessary to get OBD2 emissions compliance. This could be no big deal, but if your somebody who has had calibrations certified by CARB, this is a major concern, depending on what your looking to tune, and for how many applications.
Ryan
03-01-2009, 12:01 AM
#11
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right now ive got an lq4 with the stock truck pcm. im going to be slaping a turbo on it and putting it in a datsun 240z. my friend came over the other night with his laptop and literaly spent 2 hours showing me all about megasquirt. im used to ecu flash and open ecu for tuning subarus and this went way beyond that. with its ability to log huge amounts of data, autotune to get maps close. he has it set up to controll a meth kit boost controll soleniod fuel pressure and can easily make it work for a 3 bar map. from what ive seen this is the 99% sure the way im going. ill use it in parallel with my stock ecu so i can have the stock ecu still pick up error codes and run the idle and stuff like that.
03-01-2009, 05:56 PM
#12
With HPTuners you can run a 2 (or 3 on some PCMs) bar MAP sensor with the stock GM computer...and I think you'd be surprised by how much you can datalog from the stocm GM computer as well as the fact that the resolution in the tables in the GM computer is better than it is in the megasquirt tables. Autotune isn't functional yet with HPTuners...but there's really no need since it's as simple as copy and paste for your VE tuning work.
Whatever PCM comes with the LQ4 will work out wonderfully for what you want to do with that engine...and like I said, it will plug right into a GM harness that should also come with the engine...and if they don't, there's thousands of them in junkyards, spare harness connectors are available for next to nothing as well, then you also have the experience of everyone tuning these engines on this forum, and on the software forums to help you out. A turbo LQ4 is a combo that LOTS of people have tuned with the GM computer, with it running very nicely and making great power.
Whatever PCM comes with the LQ4 will work out wonderfully for what you want to do with that engine...and like I said, it will plug right into a GM harness that should also come with the engine...and if they don't, there's thousands of them in junkyards, spare harness connectors are available for next to nothing as well, then you also have the experience of everyone tuning these engines on this forum, and on the software forums to help you out. A turbo LQ4 is a combo that LOTS of people have tuned with the GM computer, with it running very nicely and making great power.
03-01-2009, 07:13 PM
#13
I've megasquirted the following
vortec 8100
vortec 6.0L
vortec 5.3L on moonshine (ethanol)
tune port 305
3800 supercharged
I currently have 2 5.3L's with stock PCMs, however, when i get my turbo on one of my 5.3's, Megasquirt II will likely be controlling it.
The one thing I am sold on with megasquirt, is real time tuning, target air/fuel maps using a wideband, etc. Last I checked you can build a full featured Megasquirt II for $250 range. My first one I built, the original Megasquirt was about $150 completed.
vortec 8100
vortec 6.0L
vortec 5.3L on moonshine (ethanol)
tune port 305
3800 supercharged
I currently have 2 5.3L's with stock PCMs, however, when i get my turbo on one of my 5.3's, Megasquirt II will likely be controlling it.
The one thing I am sold on with megasquirt, is real time tuning, target air/fuel maps using a wideband, etc. Last I checked you can build a full featured Megasquirt II for $250 range. My first one I built, the original Megasquirt was about $150 completed.
03-01-2009, 07:43 PM
#14
You can real time tune the LS1 PCM too...so I'm not sure why you see that as a benefit.
I just don't understand why anyone would want to bother with it, especially the people who continue to use the stock PCM to run the dashboard and other features in the car...whats the point?
Can't even count how many times I've removed an aftermarket computer and it's associated wiring and swapped back to a GM computer...
I just don't understand why anyone would want to bother with it, especially the people who continue to use the stock PCM to run the dashboard and other features in the car...whats the point?
Can't even count how many times I've removed an aftermarket computer and it's associated wiring and swapped back to a GM computer...
03-02-2009, 05:46 AM
#15
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Some poeple love it, others hate it. It seems to work, but I don't subscribe to the idea that batch firing injectors is better, so I took mine off. But if I had a 70 Camaro that I was putting fuel inj on then I'd probably use it....or something similar.
03-02-2009, 09:55 AM
#16
Agreed...I'd run an older small block or big block with it too (who am I kidding, I'd use an 0411 and code from an express van)...I don't think it's specifically bad, I just think modern OEM stuff is better most of the time, especially since it can run the transmission too. I'd probably use it for a motorcycle engine.
