NEMU / NismoTronic ECU - looking good

gtirx2

Member
I am as always a little a head of myself here as my car is still in bits,but I am slowly getting the parts together now to finally get it back up and running and engine management is on the list.


So to ecu's of the budget variety,i have been about a while now and seen various trends come and go for the gtir from apexi piggy backs to greddy emanages etc and finally to nistune as the current favourite.

Obviously in keeping with the times I have been planning nistune for when the time comes.

I am still a complete newb with all this mapping stuff but recentally I have been considering reading up/leaning and maybe actually having a go at mapping myself lol.
I would obviously need many many more hours research before I would take it on, but even with the very few hours I have spent so far just researching mostly the nistune I do feel that it would be possible with this setup.

The nistune seems a very well supported bit of kit and the downloadable manuals and forums do really help to make things abit more understandable.it also helps that ed aint to far off so if things did go pear shaped he would most likely be able to sort it out being as he is proberly the most experienced gtir nistune mapper in the country.

So the nistune is the safe bet atm,well supported and seemingly understandable for a diyer,been about a while to iron any bugs out and an experienced local mapper if needs be.


BUT I keep getting drawn to these nismotronics real time boards and there speed density (map) setups, and cant help but think maybe just maybe these will be the future for budget ecu gtir tuning?
Everyone seems to rate map tuning over maf and the evo lot also seem to be getting good results when switching to speed density setups on there stock ecus.

It also don't end there with the nismotronics as it has many other options over the nistune like larger maps,twin maps,launch control,anti lag etc and proberly alot more.

Like I say my understanding of all this is still very limited atm but what I can make out a lot of these options possibly will never be avalible with nistune as it works in a different way than the nismotronics/tunercode which is more model specific.

The downside is it looks a lot more complicated for a noob especially when considering swapping to a map setup at the same time,its also pretty new with not as much info/support out there atm and could be buggy?
There is also the worry of it going tits up and atm cant seem to find a nismotronics mapper in the uk,although I would be sure to check with ed to see if he could map it if all went wrong lol.

I am still on the fence atm,nistune is a safe bet been done to death and as far as I can see most times are good results, also seems pretty understandable from a newbie stand point.
Nismotronics almost feels like the future,larger map and alot more features and most importantly moving forward to a map based setup over maf.

Costs are pretty much the same.nistune with z32 or nismotronics with iat and 3 bar map sensor.

What do you guys think,is nismotronic going to catch on over here?

I always get the vibe that we are behind here in the uk and even more so in the gtir community,we all tend to follow the crowd and this is proberly what a larger part of me is saying to do(nistune)the gambling part of me is saying be different and try nismotronics mostly for the speed density setup which just feels like the way forward lol
 

PobodY

Moderators
Staff member
It's essentially an embedded PC that emulates the EPROMs isn't it?

My concern has always been what happens then that little button battery goes flat; will it be like my old x486 and it forgets everything?
It says no need for a consult cable, but don't you need to open the ECU to put a USB connector onto the the embedded PC, or is the idea that you always have the cable hanging out?

I'm not all doom and gloom about them. - I quite like the idea of having an embedded PC; it appeals to the geek in me.
I like the possibilities of having all those inputs and outputs (although I'm not sure how man of them are valid, and don't require other hardware to make them work).

When someone I know and trust has had a play with one, maybe then I'll be convinced they're all that they claim to be; I guess that is following the crowd, but I'm OK with that.
 

gtirx2

Member
Yeah i have read something similar, although my understanding of it all atm is still rather limited.

I think the nistune sort of uses what is already in the ecu where as the nismotronic has actually completely rewritten stuff to be able to expand from what is originally built into the ecu,like the larger 20x20 maps.
Tbh I am still trying to get my head around it all lol,there is a little mentioned in this thread if you understand it...

http://forum.nistune.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1271

The battery yes I think you are right,if this causes an issue you can lose it all I believe,i have read a 10 year life expectancy on the battery somewhere though and I don't think this is the only system that uses a setup like this.

There is some interesting criticisms and answers in this thread...


http://www.240sxforums.com/forums/ecu-tuning-section/146962-getting-into-ecu-tunning.html


As for the lead I can only assume you would leave it in but I don't think that would be a problem though tucked under the dash.


I am still not sure, I change my mind daily lol

Question is would I even really benefit much by going to a map sensor? and the answer is proberly not lol
I am only going to be running a 2871 and not looking to push it, I surpose its just the human greed in me wanting the best I can afford and this nismotronics is sure tempting.

At the end of the day though it all comes down to the map, and if I am going to have a go myself it will not dout be underpowered with what ever setup I choose lol

The nismotronics just gives the vibe that its on the up with more to come from an already good looking package,some people are even comparing it to hondadata which I think has had great results.
The nistune don't seem to give the same vibe and seems happy with what it is,which to be fair is proven to work.

I also need to learn more about the advantages with map over maf,i am sure the car would proberly have better capabilities with just the larger 20x20 over the stock 16x16 map but once again I am not sure what I could really gain with this especially as I am not really going to be pushing it on a 2871.

I don't think there is going to be much to be had in the way of extra power at this level which ever way I go,but by going map sensor I think the car could have the potensial to be smoother and maybe better responding,which to my greedy side equals better lol

Then that being said I think I have read that the gtir's throttle bodies can cause mapping issues in the low revs cruising areas when using a map sensor,although I think you can possibly plumb the sensor some way to help relieve this.

I don't know,i am feeling nistune today but come tomorrow and if I am feeling abit more adventurous it will be nismotronics lol

More research me thinks..
 

PobodY

Moderators
Staff member
Yeah, I read that as "tunercode (and by extension Nismotronic) is aimed for the US domestic market"; the vendor is really aggressive about any concerns people may raise and seems to attack people rather than offer an explanation and convince people that his is the best product.

As Matt said in the Nistune forums; a lot of those features are available in Nistune if you really want to use them, but they are of questionable value. - For example turning the knock sensor off is a good way to stop the sensor causing a fault, but it's equally a good way to damage the engine when it won't retard the ignition.
Clearly because Nistune doesn't interfere with the "hard" programming of the ECU there are some things you can't change, and that might even be ECU dependant (so you might be able to adjust the fan trigger temperatures on our ECU, but not for an S13 Silvia as an example). - That's also why I feel more confident in it; fundamentally it's the same ECU, but it has been unlocked.

I'm pretty sure Ed already has the code to put launch control on a Nistune board (it's freely available, but obviously if you want it installed when it's mapped and checked it costs).

I'm no expert. It could be that Nismotronic really is the next great thing, but I'm just not feeling enthusiasm for it; it's certainly cheaper than a proper stand-alone ECU, and I guess the idea is that it can do some of what a stand-alone unit offers.
 

velly4

Member
Well if you're doing it on a smaller budget my advice is go with the tried and trusted Nistune. Playing with something you know little about can get very expensive and go wrong very quickly.
After watching my tuner playing around with my car while setting up the Nistune there is no way I would attempt it myself as I couldn't afford to pay for it if it went to shit.
 

gtirx2

Member
Thanks for the replys guys,
yeah have looked into it abit more and at this stage I think the nismotronics is just to much of a gamble, especially for a newb like me lol

Maybe in a few years if nismotronics catches on over here with tuners it might be worth a shot but for now I am going to order the nistune.
 
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