S197 Opinion on racing only ECU's

[ESP41]

Opinion on racing only ECU's (putting this here because its more opinion than tech)

Question: Other than stock and Crate engine Control Pack- is there one aftermarket ECU that is dominant in the 4.6l 3v race only world?

Backstory: I'm well into a SCCA CP autocross/ProSolo build. The car has already trophied at Nationals, but still has a lot to be done. There are no accessories left on the car (lights, AC, heater, windshield wipers, interior, side window glass, etc). I'd like to go aftermarket ECU to make things simpler, gain much better traction control (slip, blip, launch control), and have adjustment abilities and troubleshooting capabilities at the track.

I am leaning towards Haltech Nexus R5 VCU. An all in one ECU, Power distribution Unit with wideband O2 capabiliies make it enticing. I have a buddy (RX8 ) running it. The traction control is highly adjustable and he would be able to help me through the learning curve. Problem is I don't know of any 4.6 3v Mustangs running it. It is used on a lot of Coyotes and earlier 4.6 2v.

If there is an easier solution to try I would like to hear it. My skin is not thin, so feel free to speak to your experience.

Motech, Haltech, Emron, Megasquirt? What say ye?

Please God lets not turn this into a "brand of oil" fight, I just need to know if there is a solution that may be easier and I will research it.

Thanks- Mike

 

[navseng]

I am using Emtron on my racecar. I can't really speak much on other brands besides Motec which I use for PDM / Display... I will say that any of those brands you mentioned should be able to do everything you want to do just fine.. I wouldn't care that no other "my specific model " are using it, the engines themselves are pretty simple and would be very easy to work with on any standalone ECU.

To me what I learned the most important is SUPPORT like anything else.... Go with the brand that you can get help / tuning on. I finally have found tuners that I can work with on both platforms (Emtron and Motec) and I am happy with both.. Finding someone local has still been tough and it can be pretty daunting at first I will be honest. The biggest thing like I said is working with the right tuner so that is #1 .

Emtron's tech support right now has been VERY good. I was a dumb carb guy before, now I am just a dumb EFI guy, but they helped me through a lot of dumb questions as well as spending multiple hours with me on a Sunday (luckily its Monday in Aus) where they are remote into my computer helping me figure out things. Emtron's capabilties are also endless. Anything motorsport level you want to do, it either has a built-in feature or you can make what you need within the software. They also listen to the customers and are continually updating their software...

 

[ESP41]

Your point is well taken on the support. I have not found a local autocross tuner yet (Baltimore, MD area). A three hour tow gets me to one I know who is a great Megasquirt tuner, but is just learning Haltech. Having a local friend run Haltech is still tipping the scales towards Haltech.

You mentioned remote tuning, which is something I had not considered. I may have to re-evaluate where I purchase the ECU. Buying from someone who can do some remote support sounds beneficial.

Thanks

 

[Scootsmcgreggor]

I built a mega squirt back in the day and while it worked it was buggy and I never felt I could fully trust it. Sam for a few others I’ve talked with.

Then went haltech and it was a big step up in quality, functionality, and reliability. Great support which as others have mentioned is critical. Also having a Tuner nearby who knows whichever system you choose is really important.

motec definitely is the best, I’d say maybe 10% better than Haltech but double the cost. As with all things, diminishing returns past a certain point.

 

[Stan Whitney]

My POV is from running an oem GM ECU for my old C5 race car in prosolo with a crate motor style harness for a few years. And lots of years in prosolo in other cars.

Traction control - At 3V NA power levels, and with real CP style suspension and tires, you should not need traction control. Launch rpm would be nice, and maybe LC with TC for pro solo starts, but start conditions vary so much site to site, and even run to run (cold tire, hot tire, hot engine etc) that its hard to optimize.

Hardware reliability - Haltech's have always been strong on features, but do suffer some HW issues. That is part of the cost of a motec or similar race grade unit.

Going with a crate ECU means oem type reliability. Or even keeping a stock ECU, just using a race/crate harness. Have your own tuning software, so if the ECU bricks you can flash a replacement and keep going. Also tuning for driveability, cold/hot starts etc is really tough.

Features - blips, flex fuel, switchable maps - these are all nice to have. I rate flex fuel highest since you will want e85 for NA power.

 

[ESP41]

Good points above. Let me go further into my thinking.

I do run E85. The traction control with the 4.6 is for those rainy days and cold mornings(and maybe future 5.0l transplant) I‘m OK with manual launches. The blip shift would be handy for those rare 3-2 shifts.

The factory crate engine harness is very reliable. It is hard to find for the 4.6. It will not have traction control, and wont make the jump to a possible future 5.0l.

The ABS will be a BMW MK60 with the motor sports program. It will interface well with aftermarket ECUs

Stan- we have met a few times at Nationals. You have educated me a quite a bit on the modular motors when we talked. Have you seen hardware errors with the new Nexus Haltech units?

Merry Christmas all

Mike Snyder

 

[Stan Whitney]

Hi Mike, good to talk to you again. Haltech issues I’m not sure about nexus specifically, but a quick check on rrax shows 3 sets of Haltech ecu or firmware issues in 2022, John V, mr20turbo and one other.As small as that forum is, that hit rate makes me nervous. If you do go with it, just be careful with battery and alternator power to it.
Good choice for the abs.