Hey,
I have been looking into some new engine management for awhile now. My current mods include mbc, up-pipe, down pipe, catback exhaust underdrive pulley, and unichip. I want to get rid of my unichip because it is outdated but am undecided on what to get. The accessport looks a little more user friendly but the utec seems as though it is way more advanced. Also with the accessport it seems as though there is only a couple of baseline and realtime maps out but with the utec I can get it specifically tuned for my car which seems better. It would be great if I could get some feedback on which one would be better for me and also which one would I see better horsepower gains with? Thanks

Blake

The ecu tuning wont help you gain or lose power just help your engine handle the mods you have correctly. You should do some searches in the forums for more information but....until the accessport has been out for longer you're stuck with the maps they have and even then they arent specifically tuned for your car. They're just maps that are generic enough to not damage a car that it is downloaded for. IMHO the UTEC is better. You can get it dynoed for your exact setup and there isn't a hellacious waiting line for it like the AP.

p.s. do some searches
-Chase

AP is good for people that want to set it and forget it. UTEC is good if you like tuning. However, one thing to keep in mind is that Cobb will be releasing AccessTuner soon, which is an upgrade to the AP. This will allow you to tune your own maps. I like this solution much better then UTEC only because it gives the user the ability to change the maps on the ECU itself and not have to tune a piggyback ECU. Granted, there are a lot of UTEC users out there, but you have to keep in mind that the factory ECU is a very advanced piece of electronics in and of itself and you retain all of it's safety features with the AP/AT.

Calvin

Thanks for the help guys. I guess i will just do some more research and just decide what I like better, as of now I am leaning toward the utec.

Blake

Assuming two points: First, you wish to tune your own car. Second, you wish to have this EM installed immediatley. You have narrowed your choice to the UTEC.

However, the COBB AP with the AccessTuner will be more powerful, robust and dealer friendly. Given two exact cars with the same mods, the AP tuned with the AT software will drive better and be more reliable. The AP-AT package has complete control over the Subaru ECU making it a more powerful tool for the dedicated tuner enthusiast.

Originally posted by SubaruCO
However, the COBB AP with the AccessTuner will be more powerful, robust and dealer friendly. Given two exact cars with the same mods, the AP tuned with the AT software will drive better and be more reliable. The AP-AT package has complete control over the Subaru ECU making it a more powerful tool for the dedicated tuner enthusiast. [/B]

I don't want to start a UTEC v. AccessPort flame war here, but do you have authority for these broad assertions? Given that the UTEC is moving closer and closer to being a standalone with every firmware release, it's a pretty powerful solution.

More dealer friendly? Come on - the moment you play with engine management, Subaru will void your warranty regardless of what you're running, so that's a rather moot point.

I fail to see how a car tuned with an AccessPort will be faster and more reliable than an equivalent car tuned with a UTEC. The engine management platform matters less than the expertise of the person tuning the car. In capable hands, either product should yield excellent results. If anything, the UTEC will perform more consistently because timing will be fixed and under OLF, AFRs will be rock solid.

I believe that the AccessPort is a fantastic product, and I even considered purchasing one. However, I fail to see how one can label the UTEC as an inferior engine management solution when the AccessTuner hasn't even been released yet. Until the AccessTuner is in widespread use, it remains a few lines of text and pretty graphics on a web page.

I agree. I would like the AP, but I don't know of any Cobb tuners in my area. There is a UTEC tuner about 1 1/2 hrs, away and that is the closest. Until I know for sure that they can tune the Cobb, then UTEC it is.

Originally posted by peterex
More dealer friendly? Come on - the moment you play with engine management, Subaru will void your warranty regardless of what you're running, so that's a rather moot point.


Quote from AP FAQ:

Q. Can a dealer detect that I have an AccessPORT (AccessECU reflash)?

A. With the tools currently available at Subaru dealerships, it is not possible for them to detect that the ECU has been modified. We own the same service tools used by all Subaru dealerships and have verified that their function is unaltered by the AccessECU. Therefore, your vehicle can be serviced by the dealership in the same way as a stock vehicle.

Hey, I'm not trying to knock any products here, I'm just throwing out some well thought assertions. With a competent tuner any top of the line EM (UTEC, AP, Link, ECUTek, ect.) can be done well. The issue with the UTEC as it becomes more standalone is the lack of refinement under part throttle, idle and cruise conditions. These are items that the stock ecu does very well and constitute a vast majority of daily driving. Sure, the UTEC can default to the stock ecu programming but it never works with it, just turns it on or off. Because the AP actually changes the stock ECU code the overall unit works more seamlessly with less processor lag and code swap stumble. The AP just has a better inital approach at solving the problem, making it ultimately a more powerful tool for the discerning tuner.

Originally posted by peterex
I fail to see how a car tuned with an AccessPort will be faster and more reliable than an equivalent car tuned with a UTEC.

I said "drive better and be more reliable" not faster. Faster implies WOT which almost any tuner can attempt. If you want to actually enjoy driving your car every day, the devil is in the other 99% of conditions.

Originally posted by SAL-23
Quote from AP FAQ:

Q. Can a dealer detect that I have an AccessPORT (AccessECU reflash)?

A. With the tools currently available at Subaru dealerships, it is not possible for them to detect that the ECU has been modified. We own the same service tools used by all Subaru dealerships and have verified that their function is unaltered by the AccessECU. Therefore, your vehicle can be serviced by the dealership in the same way as a stock vehicle.

What he said.

Originally posted by 5spdfrk
I agree. I would like the AP, but I don't know of any Cobb tuners in my area. There is a UTEC tuner about 1 1/2 hrs, away and that is the closest. Until I know for sure that they can tune the Cobb, then UTEC it is.

With the AP you don't need a "tuner" to install the EM. It's a simple OBDII plug and play. Assuming you stay reasonably close to the COBB modification stages you can just download a new map from thier website plug it into your car and go. (I say reasonably close because with the AP you retain the stock ecu's learning ability, so it will optimize itself for different types of catbacks or the addition of a new intercooler. It won't learn for a new turbo, but for that COBB will give you a free upgraded map.)

Just a thread backing up my earlier assertions.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=567199

Yeh, I understand how the AP works, but I am talking about the once the Tuner version comes out. So, unless a AP tuner will be reasonably close, then I think a UTEC would better suite my needs.
Originally posted by SubaruCO
With the AP you don't need a "tuner" to install the EM. It's a simple OBDII plug and play. Assuming you stay reasonably close to the COBB modification stages you can just download a new map from thier website plug it into your car and go. (I say reasonably close because with the AP you retain the stock ecu's learning ability, so it will optimize itself for different types of catbacks or the addition of a new intercooler. It won't learn for a new turbo, but for that COBB will give you a free upgraded map.)

I have a feeling that when the access PROTUNER is released, the number of professional tuners utilizing Cobb's acess technology will increase rapidly. There are a multitude of benefits a tuner can capitalize on using the acess pro tuner. Mainly efficiency.

I went the route of the accessPORT looking at the future and not the now. As soon as the accessPROTUNER is released the availability of getting a professional dyno tune with Cobb's technology will expand quickly and dramatically, IMO of course. And with the streettuner in the population as well, maps will be springing up out of the word work like mad!

Very good point. And more than likely the UTEC tuners will at least have some knowledge to help in the tuning of COBB's product. Definitely something to take into consideration. Thanks for the post.:)

I have a UTEC and love it