Power FC

Hey Andre, Just wondering if you have had much experiance with the Apexi Power FC? Customer would like his RB25DET tuned with one, Ive looked into it a little and it seems to be very outdated, Similar to Microtech... Tuning with a hand controller... navigating through the menu's seems like a nightmare... Is it actually a very good package and easy to tune? Or should I do my best to push him towards a newer Ecu?

The PFC is actually a really good unit and you can get great results with them. They do feel a little limited compared to a full standalone though as you are pretty much stuck within the confines of the factory ECU architecture - For example you can't add additional sensors directly into the PFC like you could with most aftermarket ECUs.

I wouldn't dream of trying to tune a PFC using just the hand controller though. It's very fiddly and time consuming and almost impossible to do a thorough job. If you plan to do much in the way of PFC tuning I'd recommend the FC Datalogit package which makes the PFC laptop tuneable. This also gives you access to menus you can't get to in the hand controller. Might be hard to justify the FC Datalogit package for a one off tune though?

Just had a look through the FC Datalogit trail software... Very much closer to what im used to with a normal aftermarket ECU and looks pretty easy to use. Around $400.00 AUD tho, not sure if its worth it but yea not keen on using the hand controller either tho. I can fit a supply and fit a Nistune for $400.00 and this also supports E85 and basic anti-lag launch control So I might push him in this direction.

Well I might play with the hand controller a little just for the experience but have the Nistune ready and waiting :)

It would be hard to justify for just one car. I used to tune a lot of PFC but they have become much less common lately. We maybe saw 2-3 a year through my shop. These days a lot of the plug & play aftermarket ECUs are price competitive with a PFC and offer much more flexibility and functionality.