What is up Engine Heads? In today's video we're talking about ECUs. And we'll be comparing OEM
stock ECUs vs aftermarket ECUs. We'll see the pros and cons of both, and we'll
see what can be achieved with a refreshed OEM ECU vs a stand-alone ECU. And we'll see which approach best
suits which type of end-user. So ECU stands for engine control unit. Sometimes you'll hear the term
ECM, which is engine control module Or PCM, which is power control module
But all these terms mean the same thing. The ECU is an integral part of
every fuel injected vehicle. It receives inputs from a bunch of sensors, which essentially tell the ECU how
much air is coming into the engine. Based on these inputs, the ECU then controls
the fuel injectors to inject the correct amount of fuel, and it instructs the ignition coils
to fire the spark plug at the correct time. All with the goal of extracting the maximum
possible efficiency and/or power from the engine Now the controlling of injection and
ignition is done with what is known as maps. Now there are different ways to
display fuel and ignition maps, but all maps boil down to the same thing. And it's controlling injection and ignition,
based on engine RPM and engine load. Now engine RPM is represented
of course by engine RPM. Engine load can be represented either
by the percentage of throttle opening. So how much you're pressing down on the throttle. Or the air pressure inside the manifold. Or the air mass, the amount of air
mass entering the engine each second. It really doesn't matter what you're using. All three can be used equally successfully. And it works like this. Basically, sensors tell the ECU that
the engine is running at this much RPM, and that there is for example this
much air entering into the engine. Now the map is going to contain a
value of fuel or ignition advance at the intersection point of RPM and engine load In fact, all possible engine RPM and engine load
values will intersect at some point on the map. And what the ECU simply does,
is that it reads these values and then controls the injectors and
ignition coils based on these values. Now when you modify your engine, by for example
let's say, installing a different index manifold, or a larger throttle body, or something
more drastic like adding turbocharging. You're obviously changing the amount
of air coming into the engine. Now, this change in engine hardware must be
reflected by a change in engine software. Because
if the change in hardwareisn't reflected by a change in the maps inside the ECU, then you're wasting
money on installing different hardware, and also potentially risking engine damage. Now an OEM ECU is technically
not designed to be tampered with. If evidence of tampering with it is found,
this will obviously void your warranty. And also it risks potential engine damage. But tampering with anything engine related risks
potential damage, and the risks of tampering with things have never been sufficient
to deter humans from tampering with them. So, we tamper. So how do we even tamper with an OEM ECU,
if it isn't designed to be tampered with? Well, obviously manufacturers aren't keen
on giving pretty much everyone with a laptop access to the data stored inside the ECU. And this is why the data in the maps of an OEM
ECU isn't really that straight forward to read. But people have decrypted anything and everything. An OEM ECUs are no exception. Once the ECU is decrypted, a software interface, which reads and displays the data in
a meaningful way on a PC is created. There are countless different
software interfaces out theres Some are open source and free,
others need to be purchased. And they all cover different makes and models
and many interfaces overlap with each other. Obviously, popular vehicle
platforms will be better off here, because they will always have access to more
aftermarket community and software support. Whether it be paid or free. The step will be acquiring a special cable,
which will connect your vehicle's OBD port, with your laptop's USB port And allow you to see and modify the data
stored inside the maps of your OEM ECU. So this is great, right?
If reflashing is so powerful and allows us to modify the ECU, what
is the purpose of a stand-alone ECU? Well, reflashing like
anything has its limitations. And depending on your vehicle platform, goals, and desires, these limitations might make
a stand-alone ECU a much more sensible option. The underlying reason behind this is that your OEM stock ECU is designed to operate your
specific engine in your specific vehicle. In contrast to this, a stand-alone ECU is designed
to operate pretty much any engine out there. This is where its name comes from. Stand alone. It can stand alone, and operate the engine independently from all the other components
and electronic modules of the vehicle. For example, the AEM Infinity
506 that I'm holding in my hand, can run any engine with up to six cylinders. It doesn't even care if the engine
is four stroke or two stroke. The injectors can be high
impedance or low impedance. The engine can be naturally aspirated,
supercharged, or turbocharged. The throttle can be drive-by-wire or cable. Additionally, it can control nitrous Compensate for flex fuel, or the
amount of ethanol in your fuel. It can control boost. Based on RPM, vehicle, speed, gear, ethanol content. It can even perform traction control and launch control. It can protect your engine based on coolant
temperature, pressure, oil temperature, knock, intake air temperature, fuel
pressure, air fuel ratios. It can even control stepper motors, and log
data for you, without the usage of a laptop. And this is still not all the features. Even the most advanced reflashing
software will have trouble keeping up with a serious stand alone like this one. But there is a catch. Because the a stand alone
is infantly more flexible. It's also a blank canvas. When you read data from the OEM ECU,
you're going to have a starting point There's going to be numbers in the maps, and this
is going to be a setup that is known to work. A stand-alone ECU will have nothing written
in its maps, unless you type something in. And this lack of a starting point and the
very large number of settings and features, often makes stand-alone ECUs seem more
intimidating than they really are. So, to better see the pros and cons of each setup, let's go through a number of
different typical end user scenarios. To see which setup shines where, and which use
category do you see yourself fitting the best? This is a type of user that has
bought some form of sporty vehicle and wants an experience that is
a bit more exciting than stock. This user typically won't go far beyond fitting a
slightly louder aftermarket exhaust, and growing a desire for a bit more horsepower, and some
pops and bangs when he releases a throttle. These simple requirements can be easily met with
a single visit to any local qualified tuner. Purchasing a reflashing interface or a stand alone
ECU will be a waste of money in this scenario, because visiting a tuner will be the quickest
and simplest path to the desired goals. But beware Tuners cannot work with all vehicles, because
not all ECUs can be reflashed or modified. For example many ECUs made before the year 2000
cannot be reflashed or modified in any way. Some can be modified to some
extent by physically soldering chips onto the board, but even
if you went through this trouble, it's a not worth it, because these
ECUs are obsolete by modern standards. They have very limited features
and very low processing power, and most tuners either don't know
or don't want to work with them. In this scenario, a stand
alone will be your only option. Fortunately, most vehicles made after
2000 can be reflashed with relative ease. Now, when it comes to vehicles made after
about 2010, these can also mostly be reflashed. However, if you decide it on these vehicles,
you either want the features and settings of a stand-alone ECU, fitting them onto stuff
made after 2010 can become complicated. And this is because starting with 2010 or
so, it really depends on the make and model, the ECU has become an integral part of a
complex network of multiple electronic modules. Now these auxiliary electronic modules are
picking up data directly from the ECU, and if you remove the OEM ECU and install a standoff
the stand alone will be able to run your engine. But all your other electronic
auxiliary systems, like your automatic transmission, or your
AC, or your lane change assist, and many many other driver aids and
features... will not work properly. In the case of these newer vehicles, it's usually
more sensible to reflash them if it can be done. Because fitting a stand-alone ECU requires a
model-specific plug and play stand-alone ECU, that's outputting the signals required
by the auxiliary electronic modules. So that every in your car
actually works as it should. Now there are vehicles out there
that are made after 2000 or 2010, but can be difficult to reflash. A typical example is Toyota & Lexus
vehicles fitted with Denso ECUs. There are companies out there offering
certain solutions to reflash these ECUs. However, still most tuners
will not refresh these ECUs. Now, by far the most difficult ECUs to reflash or modify are the ones found on the
latest generation of vehicles. An example is the Yaris GR. This ECU is extremely difficult to access and
modify, and if you somehow do manage to modify something, it carries an important safety risk,
because none of the driver aids and autonomous driving features, like lane changes systems,
stuff like that... will be working properly. So, at this point in time, it's a
risk to try and modify this ECU. Which is why nobody sane is doing it. A similar thing is happening with the
latest Bosch Tricore platform-based ECUs as found on the latest BMW
Volkswagen and Mercedes vehicles. These ECUs cannot be reflashed. And your only real option is a stand-alone
ECU specifically designed for your vehicle. This is going to be a plug
and play application that outputs the signals needed by
the auxiliary electronic modules. So everything works properly. As things stand right now.
These are pretty expensive options. So if you plan to purchase and modify a vehicle,
it's best to first do a lot of research to see how easy that specific make and model is to modify
And whether it's illegal to reflash or fit a stand alone ECU in the state
or country where you live in. But let's get back to our end user. Let's assume that he has a
vehicle that's easy to reflash. So, he purchases the aftermarket exhaust, goes
to the local tuner, gets it tuned, gets the pops and bangs, and about an additional 30 horsepower
So he drives around, enjoys his car, listens to the pops and bangs, and makes a million Instagram
photos of his car from every possible angle. But after a while, this gets
old and the fascination fades. And now our user is craving another
dose of vehicular awesomeness. He also wants to beat his friend that
owns a heavily modified 1984 death trap, that keeps embarrassing his much
nicer and much more expensive car. So our user starts doing some research And he sees that he must modify his engine beyond
a loud exhaust to actually make some more power. So he starts putting together a list of parts. And after he adds everything up, he
real that it costs a small fortune, and that he cannot afford to buy it all at once. Like most people, he can only afford
to buy things one or two at a time, and increase his power output
incrementally one step at a time. But he also finds out that every time
he makes a modification to his engine, he must go to the Local Tuner to have his ECU
reflashed to accommodate the new modification. So he realizes that it's a lot more cost-effective to make a one-time payment of $500 for a reflashing interface. Than to makes seven payments of $500 to the local tuner. So he purchases the reflashing interface, gets a tuning course, joins a forum,
and starts dabbling in tuning himself. Saving a bit of money in the process,
and increasing his power output. Now he's not really saving money, vehicle modification is the biggest
financial mistake you can make. But we think we're saving money
for the sake of our mental health. Now things are really starting to get out of hand. Our user has not only dramatically broadened
his understanding of cars and engines, but also undertaking much more drastic tuning
steps, because he has become addicted to power. And also because he wants to honor the
memory of his friend who has since died. Trying to reach sub 9 second
times in a car that has the structural integrity of Donald Trump's hair. So now our user is pushing
his engine to their limits. And he realizes that his reflashing
software is kind of running out of talents, and it can't provide the
advanced features that he now needs. For example, our user is now
going more and more to the track. And he's also logging data at the track to see
how his setup performs in different conditions, and to see how he can improve it. Now his reflashing software can log data, but
it needs a laptop connected to it at all times. And our user has already smashed
three laptops against his dashboard, by breaking hard on this corner right here. And is sick of it. But a stand alone
like this one can log an incredible 64 gigabytes of data, simply by having a USB plug into it. The laptop can stay safely at home. By extracting more and more power from the engine, our user is also getting closer
and closer into knock territory. He's running on the edge of knock. and he wants his ECU to be capable
of reacting at the lightning speeds to protect his engine when Knock happens. but he realizes that no amount of tuning can overcome the inherent processing
speed built into the OEM ECU. On the other hand, a stand alone
has processing speed to spare. It also has map resolution to spare. The reflashing software is linked to whatever
map resolution is built into the stock ECU. Let's say that the OEM map looks like this. The stand alone map looks like this. Obviously, a higher map resolution leads to
an engine that builds power more smoothly and runs better in all conditions. Let's also imagine that a user was
naturally aspirated up to this point, and now he wants to go forced induction. Now, he's using a good reflashing
software that allows forced induction to be added onto the engine, but it's
going to be a bit more cumbersome. Because the reflashing software is
tied to the stock sensor architecture. In some cases, we might even need to
physically solder chips onto the OEM ECU. But a stand alone welcomes it all, turbocharging, twin turbo, supercharging,
twin charging, you name it. Sometimes, you might need to
build a custom wiring harness, but a stand alone will make the
most of your forced induction setup. Maybe our user is also participating
in different kinds of amateur racing. Maybe he wants one map for a dragstrip where
his engine goes all out for short bursts, and a different map for the local circuit track where he holds wide open throttle
for prolonged periods of time. Maybe the circuit track and the drag
strip are right next to each other, and our user wants to go from one to the other, in
the same afternoon, and he didn't bring a laptop. No problem. A stand alone ECU, you can store many many
different maps, and it lets you switch between them, on the fly, while you're
driving, with a simple turn of a knob. Another scenario is that our user
realizes that his miserable engine will never give him what he wants, and
he decides that he needs an engine swap. In a scenario like this, a stand-alone
can practically pay for itself. Because you don't need to purchase the ECU of
the engine you're swapping in, or the sensors, or the wiring harness, or any other electrical
modules that the engine needs to run. A stand alone will make the swap a lot more
straight forward and a lot more elegant. It also save you from having to purchase a
different reflashing software, and learning a different reflashing software layout, in
case it's different from your previous engine Because a stand alone can run pretty
much any internal combustion engine, and it applies a universal
tuning layout to all the engines, it means it can stay in the car even if you
decide to get a different engine every month. By now our user is perceived as a complete
lunatic, who has trouble holding a conversation, without digressing into an endless
stream of complex vehicle terminology. And he's avoided by most of his friends and family. Save for his equally insane grandfather, who used to race hot rods in the 60s
and can tune a carburettor by ear. Our user is now a regular at racing events. Now the additional features present
in the stand alone ECU have become a difference between blown
engine, and a podium finish. He's now trying many different strategies
and different combinations of parts, and the stand alone ECU is keeping up with his
lunacy, thanks to its infinite flexibility. Advanced boost control strategies
allow him to put down maximum power, only when it doesn't break traction. Flex fuel capabilities allow him to run different fuels as required by
different racing sanctioning bodies. And if he wants, he can even run two
different fuel types simultaneously, through staged fuel injection. He can control his aggressive anti-lag accurately, and maximize engine protection with
dual knock sensors, and much much more. But if you think all this is extremely
complex and can be set up only by very very experienced engine
tuners, then you're wrong. Because modern day stand alone
ECU software, and modern day good reflashing interfaces have a very
similar approach to tuning the engine. And it's called VE, or volumetric efficiency
tuning and it's pretty user friendly. At the heart of this tuning lies something
known as an air-fuel ratio target map. An air-fuel ratio is simply the ratio of air to fuel inside your combustion
chamber, inside your engine. Different types of engines
require different air-fuel ratios at different RPM and different engine loads. Now, if you're using an AEM 506 Infinity
for example, you can use AEM setup wizard, to enter all the basic engine parameters
about your engine into your ECU. and then online you can find an
air fuel ratio target map that is known and verified to be safe for your engine. You can input the data and your engine will
start safely and easily for the first time, if you have done everything
correctly on the hardware side. Once you start the engine you can drive around
and using short and long term fuel trims, your engine will practically tune itself to about
80% or even 90% of its optimum running state. compared to older tuning methods like injection
pulse width for example, VE tuning dramatically simplifies startup as well as rough tuning, and
it also saves money by minimizing Dyno time. and using the Dyno only for fine tuning your setup So what can we conclude from all this? Well, the first thing is that if you plan
to modify your vehicle, research it first. How easy is it to modify? Can it be reflashed? Does it need a stand-alone, and so on. The second issue is that you have
to know yourself really well. Of course impossible to perfectly
predict how your future preferences will change in the long term, but if you
honestly ask yourself the question of how much are you into tuning, into
vehicle modification, into chasing power, into chasing track times and drag times,
and are you going to go into this seriously? If you are, then a stand alone
might be the better approach. It will save you from frustration
and purchasing a reflashing software, which ends up not having the
features you need things get serious. Also if you're basing a more serious
complex build on an older iconic platform, then a stand alone really is the only way to go, because older ECUs are pretty much useless at
anything, other than running the bone stock engine. On the other hand, if your
vehicle can be reflashed, and if there's a good reflashing software
available for it, and if you're confident, you won't be using the advanced
settings and features of a stand-alone ECU... then a stand alone might
be a waste of money, potential and time. A stand-alone general will be needed, only
if you stop being casual and decide to be more serious about racing, or start taking up
advanced stuff like an engine swap for example. And there you have it, a little insight into the
differences between a stand alone and a reflash I hope you enjoyed this video
and found it informative. Also if you're interested in chatting about
this and similar topics live and face to face, check out the link to my live streams below As always, thanks a lot for watching. And I'll be seeing you soon
with more fun and useful stuff On the D4A channel.
