I just a 280ZX Turbo and was wondering what stand alone management system I should get, what is out there for this car? Also what is a good intercooler for this car? Right it has a Porsche Intercooler. Thanks please let me know.

 

Consider who is going to fit the ECU and tune it. Unless its a complete DIY job then an ECU for which local assistance/tuning is available can save a lot of aggro and expense. And if money is no object then MoTec.

 

In order of cost it would be Z31 ECU, megasquirt, then SDS. The Z31 swap will get rid of the crappy AFM and can be flashed to run larger injectors but with megasquirt or SDS you have infinate tunability. There are other options out there but are more pricey. Check this thread.

https://www.zdriver.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18858

 

The engine management system really depends on your preferences but I would suggest megasquirt. Look around the megasquirt forum on Hybridz, theres a lot of good info,
http://forums.hybridz.org/forumdisplay.php?f=88

and as far as an intercooler it depends on your mechanical abilities. Most people like myself get an intercooler of an NPR truck or something like that and custom fit it. The only other choice is the HKS unit which is bolt on but costs about $1300.

 

Well I wouldn't say that is the ONLY other choice. There are plenty of companies that manufacture quality low cost cores that be bought in any configuration and size for a fraction of the cost of an HKS unit. Of course it's still a custom job...but universal piping is also plentiful. Either way, it's still usually cheaper to just find an IC in a junkyard like rob said.

And megasquirt is definitely the best bang for the buck.

 

yaa, thats what i meant. Other then the HKS everything else is custom made.

 

Gotta love that SDS.. Minimal wire, comes premapped (drivable), and very easy to tune..

 

There's also Electromotive. I have a TEC 3 system from them. I have yet to install as I'm doing a full stroker, tripple throttle body, cam, header, port/polish and coil packs. The instructions and wiring seems pretty straight forward though and the tech support is awesome.

 

Between price and simplicity, I prefer the SDS and MSNS.

If simplicity is the priority, SDS is the way to go. If cost is the priority, MSNS.

In my opinion, everything else falls outside my approval quadrant. Either too expensive or too complicated.

The the vast array of support for MSNS and the recent release of V3 mainboard and MSnS-E/MSv2 code, it's now a legitimate contender for nearly any application and will be what I plan to use if I convert my turbo to TWM/ITB's.

 

Yes, MS has come a very long way recently and is now, atleast I consider it, in a class of its own as far as engine management is concerned. It's got all the features you really need and at a price my son can afford on his toddler's allowance. No it's not the most intricate and precise system, but it can do the job (which is all that really matters), and do it inexpensively. I was always turned off by MS's lack of options and overall inability to REALLY control ignition...but that has all changed. I mean, for a few hundered dollars you can assemble your own megasquirt and have total control over your fuel and ignition and even run DIS. GM sensors dont hardly cost anything and Ford's EDIS can be had in its entirety from a junkyard for next to nothing.

 

How does the cost of SDS compare to MS? And how is availability and support for SDS too?

 

SDS starts out around $900 for a 6 cylinder, where as you can get a MSII kit fully assembled for $450 (or you can do it yourself for aorund $250)...plus you'll have to buy misc. things for each system...most options aren't standard on SDS and cost extra. But SDS comes with the coil packs where as with MS you'd have to purchase those seperately if you dont want to retain your dizzy (which you can with MS). SDS, from features standpoint is about the same as Megasquirt...but doesn't require a laptop to tune like MS does (extra cost if you dont have one).

But having never used SDS personally I couldn't tell you how the support is, but availability is good.

check out these sites:
www.sdsefi.com/ for SDS
www.megasquirt.info/ for megasquirt

Both systems however are kind of limited in comparison to a system like TEC-3 or some of the higher priced EFI systems. But most of what those systems offer is crap not needed on our older cars.

 

Im probably completely wrong but I thought I heard somewhere that there was no longer any support for SDS in the U.S. Maybe it was Haltech or something. Like I said im not sure though

 

Their website looks up to date... and they have a USA flag at the bottom... hum? From their website:

 

like I said I knew I was probably wrong, Someone was talking about one of these commonly used systems not being sold in America anymore. I dont know why the hell I thought it was SDS becauase arent they made in this country??? I think it was one made in Audtralia??

Thanks for correcting me,
Rob