Rolling road/aftermarket ECU

Im in the process of building a mk1 golf 16vg60 and am now starting to think about what management ill be using. After reading around it seems that the most important thing to do is find someone who is competent at mapping this kind of engine first then ask them what ECU system they can work with to get the most out of the engine. My question is can anyone recommend me someone who is regarded as being a specialist with this type of engine. I know they can be mapped with standard digifant ECUs but im wanting to go standalone for the flexibility it will give as i may change direction with it further down the line and will be constantly tweaking things as i go. Im based in the north-east near middlesbrough but would be willing to travel to get the car set-up properly. Ive tried calling Chipwizards but cant get hold of them. If anyone has any experience of these kind of engines or knows of a specialist who work with them then id appreciate the information, thanks.

 

You can use any SEM in that application i.e

Emerald, DTA, MBE, Omex, Autronic, Megasquirt, Diktator, Motec Hydra EMS, Vipec etc.

Any good calibrator knows they all relatively achieve fuel and ignition control with varying added features. This extra options also also dictates the cost.
If you are concerned about local experitse, then I would suggest fitted an Emerald or DTA unit.

16v G lader engines do respond well to just small amounts of boost as was seen on the recent London Dyno and Clinic day here.

Just 0.4bar boost pressure with a bit of mechanical fettling resulted in

 

Thanks, thats impressive! Ideally id find a local specialist who could get the most out of my engine. Ive heard good things about DTA and emerald and they are looking like likely candidates. What would you say are the limiting factors with an engine like this in achieving more power? was there anything obvious that could be done or is worth considering doing to a 16vg60 to unleash more power?

 

I went with DTA as Stealth are local to me.
You're doing the right thing, find someone local, and get the ECU they're familiar with.

 

Hi mate, how did you find the service at stealth and what motor do you have? cheers.

 

Yeah most tuning outfits are familiar with DTA and Emerald.
The limiting factor in G60 motors is the speed and boost you can safely operate the charger at, depending on who built the charger.
For example in general, I would avoid over 1.0 bar and engine speeds in excess of 6500rpm.

 

you have to keep ringing to get hold of Wayne at chipwizards,try first thing in the morning or teatime as he is always busy,you could try Automark at Stokesley,he`s also busy and has a waiting list http://www.automarkuk.com/

 

Can anyone tell me the best number to catch wayne on please?

 

A mate of mine gave up trying to get hold of Wayne and went elsewhere, with 1 racecar and the subsequent work from another 2. ! He just never replied to texts, voicemails or email. He must be very busy and not need the work

 

Try auto mark in stokesly, they do aftermarket ecu's like dta etc.
They have a website also.

 

Cheers Dan, have you tried him before? or know anyone that has?

 

Are they still trading?

 

Not used him before but have heard they are supposed to be good.
Think they get a lot of race cars in so it can be a wait to get booked in.
I'm gonna ring them when the time comes for me to get my car done. That's atleast a year away mind. But I have a dta s40 pro to use with my car.

 

Cheers guys. Id already heard good things about DTA so i think thats looking like a very likely candidate. What model would suffice for my needs? I may also be putting a turbo on it sometime in the future along with a possible R32 turbo build so id need whichever model would be able to cope with those things.

 

If I'm not mistaken all of the new S series dta ecu's will run a turbo. However my s40 will only run a 4cyl car so you need to check that it is capable of running a 6cyl car. I'm pretty sure the s60 and up can do this.

Check out the dta fast website the specs of their ecu's are on there.

 

I run a custom build 9A turbo on mine, an S40 will do what you want above. As above, it's only for four cylinder engines.
About the only thing an S40 won't do that may be useful is logging.
www.dtafast.co.uk has all the information.

 

Id quite like to be able to view the logs after a blast out to see whats going on although im going to be fitting a wideband lambda which will allow me to keep an eye on whats happening as well. How much power did you squeeze out of your 9A turbo sparrow and what car is it in?. Im going to be wiring the engine up myself so im guessing ill have to buy some kind of loom to go with the ECU, is this within the realms of possibility for the DIY engine builder? Ive built the engine myself but havent tackled anything like this before.

 

I'm running a safe 330BHP on Stealth's rollers. It's in my Mk2 track car.

I didn't do mine, I got DTA to make it for me. It's not something I have the skills to do myself.
MEF Motorsports also make them. I've not used them personally but they're a DTA specialist. www.mefmotorsport.co.uk

 

That must go like a rocket! ive no idea what to expect out of mine, its a 9A block with a fully ported charger, 65mm pully etc. The charger is going to be the limiting factor as toyotec mentioned but if so there is always the possibility of upgrading it to a G65 and smaller pully again but ill have to rebuild it on a more regular basis if i go down that route. Just want to get the thing fired up and see what its capable of. Ill give automark a call and see what they say. Ill probably have a look down to their unit when i get home from work. Im hoping DTA do a loom that i can just plug in and connect up all the sensors with.

 

It's pretty quick.

Both DTA and MEF will make one, but at a cost. You'll need to measure up if you want a custom one.
MEF had a generic one for sale for 295 last month. All wires around 1500mm in length. Gives you an idea of cost.