Megasquirt or warchip?

[blueapplesoda]

MS all the way. WAR chip is a great idea, but pointless for turbo'd m20s.

RRFPRs, AFMs....not my ideal boost setup. not with motronic 1.3 anyhow.

I can't explain how much of a difference MS gave me over M1.3. throttle response, drivability, tuneability. I thought an rrfpr was alright....MS blew it all away.

[Danny]

Just get MS, sooooooooooooooooooooooo goooooooood.

[Lurker27]

If you care about performance, you need the logging and tuning abilities MS brings with a wideband. If not, just get a RRFR.

[TS87325IS]

so I could run 35 lb injectors with war chip ?

[416stroker]

You can change your timing curves also correct? War ship sounds the way to go on an m50. It would save a shit tone of time.

[Jbpka06]

you can

[NC325iC]

So with the war chip you can or can't change fuel mapping?

[StereoInstaller1]

you can run COP with MS2 ;)

Duh, OBVIOUSLY I meant with the WARchip...even though I did not make that clear...

basically it comes down to this:
MS, harder to setup, more flexibility
WAR, easier to setup, less features

Truf.

[StereoInstaller1]

wonder if you use the 413 red label if it makes a difference?

more importantly what i wanna ask him, is if i can use this and run meterless with a carbon fiber intake mani? if so this will cut my costs almost in half as opposed to a Alpha N setup aka MaXX.

I chatted with him a good half hour...really nice guy!

[smonkbmw]

Response from Brody:

You are right, this really is the last chip you would ever need as long as you are staying OBDI. Im not an expert on the Engine names, but I believe M52B28 is OBDII? If it is, then the W.A.R. Chip won't work, but if it is OBDI, then yes, the W.A.R. Chip will still be of use.

wonder if you use the 413 red label if it makes a difference?

more importantly what i wanna ask him, is if i can use this and run meterless with a carbon fiber intake mani? if so this will cut my costs almost in half as opposed to a Alpha N setup aka MaXX.

[nando]

you can run COP with MS2 ;)

basically it comes down to this:
MS, harder to setup, more flexibility
WAR, easier to setup, less features

[StereoInstaller1]

the war chip sounds like an easier alternative than MS and I think it may be a little cheaper.

No, a full DIY MS system can be done for about $300 if you gotz skillz.

The WAR chip has WAY less features, but is far easier to setup.

Both can be changed to other motors. No COP setup capability on M20s either, so gonna have a distributor forever.

[Jbpka06]

the war chip sounds like an easier alternative than MS and I think it may be a little cheaper.

[StereoInstaller1]

Response from Brody:

Hi Luke,

I tried calling as it would be easier to talk about than type. Anyway, The W.A.R. Chip works for most BMW ecu's right now as long as they are OBDI. If you purchase the W.A.R. Chip for you M20, you can choose a $60.00 option for a custom base map to help you start your turbo file. Its better than starting from bone stock files. This isn't a perfect tune, just an educated guess to help you get going a little faster.

When it is time for you to swap you engine/ECU, all you have to do is email us for the upgrade to 413 W.A.R. Software for windows. The software will eventually be one complete package, but for now troubleshooting and bug detection, we have each ECU with its own windows software package. You would then use the 413 windows software and 413 files to retune your new setup. You are right, this really is the last chip you would ever need as long as you are staying OBDI. Im not an expert on the Engine names, but I believe M52B28 is OBDII? If it is, then the W.A.R. Chip won't work, but if it is OBDI, then yes, the W.A.R. Chip will still be of use.

Thanks for you positive words, we have been getting a lot of "heat" from the self proclaimed gods of BMW tuning. If you have any more questions or need clarification on the above, let me know.

--
Brody Saari

[nando]

this depends on what you want.

MS is going to give you a lot more flexibility, better software/support on the datalogging and analysis side, extra I/O and control over everything. The extra control can be overwhelming if you aren't prepared to learn and understand way more about engines than most people care to.

The WAR chip is going to give you a head start with things like startup, warm up, idle, etc. already built in. You will be able to tune fuel and spark, and change your rev limit. You won't be able to do much else aside from that. No acceleration enrichment, single coil with a cap and rotor.


with MS there is no need for different tunes based on different levels of boost (actually, there's no need for that with any ECU including motronic and the WAR chip). That is built into the 3D fuel and ignition maps. You tune your maps to the highest PSI your engine will see. If you set your boost controller to 4psi on a map tuned to 8psi, it just won't go into the 8psi part of your map.

the only time it would make a difference is if you had a tune for race gas (110 octane or higher). But you could still do that with MS very easily using table switching.

also there is a limit with motronic and how big of an injector you can use. 24# injectors aren't going to be good for very much boost, 8psi will be skirting the edge. And you won't have a way to tell motronic that the injector opening times of your new injectors are different from the stock ones (this is a problem with swapping random injectors into your car anyway).