recommended engine management sytems

[shady62]

Hi guys im in the process of sourcing parts for m42 stroker going into my e30 is. I have also sent off the head for a cnc porting and 1mm oversized valves from supertec. Being more mechanically minded I am a complete novice when it comes to engine management,  never having even looked into it before however I would like to ask opinions of what you would recommend and your reasons why. Being a novice I may have to ask for further explanations of terms used  thanks guys

[bmwman91]

Stock Motronic if the best bet if you aren't super electrically-inclined. It will probably cost less to get a custom chip tuned for the stock ECU to optimize the new engine's performance, while still retaining the reliability of the stock ECU and not having any hassles with wiring or sensor compatibility. Honestly, you are not missing out on much by running the Motronic ECU. Hell, I am using the original Motronic (with a custom chip) to run my 205bhp 2.1L M42 and have no real intention of switching to a stand-alone.

[shady62]

That's ideal, I would do all I can to stick with the standard management system, although I have heard conflicting views some say its a must others say its not. Do you still run the AFM?

[bmwman91]

In no way is an aftermarket ECU a "must" for a high performance NA engine. Even if you were to turbocharge your engine, you could still run it fine off of the stock ECU. Of course, in all cases you need to go to a tuner and have a custom chip made. The only advantages that aftermarket ECUs offer is the ability to use other air meter types (or even Alpha-N), have boost control, traction control, wide-band O2 input, etc. It's great if you enjoy tinkering and messing around with tuning parameters, although ultimately you will need a professional and a dyno to properly optimize power, with ANY ECU.

And yes, I am still running the stock AFM. It cannot quite handle the full air flow of the engine above 6500RPM, but my AFR's stay fine since the ECU is running off of maps at that point anyway. I will be switching to a MAF in the near future since I am pretty sure that pulling so much air through the AFM is causing a bit of a pressure drop through the AFM.