Thread: Wolf 3d/Haletch vs unichip

The Unichip is a piggyback ECU which changes the signals from the sensors to the standard ECU, and adds the ability to have programmable ignition curve, and can have 2 curves.( I understand as I do not have this activated).
It is essentially fit and forget. You take the car to an agent and they charge you $1500, and you drive out in a much improved car. If you then change something you only have to pay for a dyno session to recalibrate the engine . This is about $280-300.

A Haltech et al is a stand alone ECU that replaces the ECU with a completely new one . It must be set up with new sensors and a loom to suit, then dyno tuned to optimise it. Usually to save costs you would do a lot of the fiddly work such as fitting ECU plugs, making looms etc as it costs a fortune to have someone do it.

I doubt if you would get out for less than $2500-3000. Graeme Cooper says he is always reluctant to fit a Microtech, for whom he is an agent, as they are never as perfect as the factory ECU in operation and customers complain when the car oes not perform to expectation.
I experienced this on a recent club trip where one of the people had a Motec"the Best"on a 4.6. Every time he hit the brakes while idling over an obstacle the engine revs shot up, a well known downside of MAP sensed ECUs. This is just an example. To tune out such glitches can be a LOOOOONG and maybe ultimately unsuccessful exercise.

Ted Lehmann (Rangee)and I recently fitted Thor manifolds to our cars. Mine has been going a couple of months and his started last weekend. Part of the problem was that a Haltech software upgrade was incorrect and gave incorrect values to his sensors. Its pretty hard to find something like that. I think he has a lot less hair than before.

There is a cheap avenue in a Megasquirt, but if you are asking the question that you have then I do not think it is for you. Google Megasquirt and have a look. BUT be aware that AFAIK no dyno shop knows anything about them, so once you commit you are on your own, or rather in the hands of an enthusiastic amateur group.
So there you are . Hope this helps.
Regards Philip A

Yeah, have been doing a bit of reading on the aftermarket ecu's and am slowing coming to the conclusions that they might be more trouble than they are worth, especially in the bush, would be good on a club car or a competition truck, but for a daily driver, maybe not.... more than likely head towards the unichip, after seeing what those aftermarket piggy backs do to the TD5's, think they are well worth the money, especially if they have 2 curves (will check that out) then it will be great for LPG.

Anyone else had any experience with the UNICHIP on a V8 disco ?

Thanks Philip.

Matt.

G’day

I’ve been running the unichip in a 3.9 LSE for a couple of years now, all I can say it’s the best 1500 bucks I’ve ever spent, made a huge difference to the car, and on the up side if you sell the car its easy to take off and revert to the original ECU so you don’t have to spend the money again and I believe they are duel curve so would set up a duel fuel car really well
Hope this helps

Tony

The Wolf 3D or should be 4D by now are a good unit. Check out their website and give your distributor a ring. They are faily knowlegable and these units look like a great replacement for a dual fuel vehicle. I was quoted around $1399 for the st up for duel fuel and was told the fitting is fairly simple with most able bodied people being able to carry out. Fuel maps for various vehicle engines including most Rover vehicle engine configurations are down loadable and can be programmed in easily. The system has a manual control unit and can be hooked up to a laptop for diagnostic as well. The advantage of these units is that the MAF sensor unit can be thrown out eliminating the damage done by lpg backfire. I believe a lambda sensor is used in its place and these are inexpensive.
With the cost of the unichip being around $1500 and only a piggy back unit the wolf or a haltech could be justified. Like I said give them a ring and get a current price and have a chat about self or professional install.
http://www.wolfems.com.au/products/enginem...nagement/wolf3d

Go for an EMS from Sydney they are better than the others. I've used both Wolf and these, EMS is way better.
http://www.enginemanagementsystem.com/

What are $$$ like on the EMS?

I didn't pay for any of them weren't my cars. I think it was about $1500, model was "dual sport" now a Stinger I think, they will do sequential etc. I didn't set out to use one but a part fom a Motec ($$$) it was all that could drive big injectors that draw big current. This engine uses the same injectors as a V8 supa car and with 65psi -70 psi fuel rail pressure on boost, these draw some current. You can change the maps by a toggle switch on the dash, just have to set this function in the ecu. I've done some work on Wolfs on Jag engines. Both are the same to instal, both run a map sense instead of airflow meter, and can run closed loop. Both can map ignition (wolf 2d can't). Best you use some coil packs off a Holden v6 or Mercury outboard(these are great), and just use the dissy as a trigger for the ecu crank,angle or bush it completely and run a crank trigger. Both need a new wiring harness. I use TPS only on the Chev cause I can't get a stumble out of it using map sense, when it comes on boost, just can't get the fuel in quick enough. On TPS it's sweet. Ron Moore at SRS had some new old Wolf 3ds on the shelf, don't know if he wants to sell them. Forget the hand controllers, these are a pain and make tuning slow, use a pc. With the pc software you can see what the engine is doing while you tune it as well as the whole fuel/timing map real time, go to the EMS site and down load the stinger or dual sport tuning prog for a look. Don't pay for a hand controler, take if they are free but otherwise go with a PC. AC goes through the ECU on a Disco as well, not a big drama.

I just want to amplify a couple of things
1 Any ECU can make an engine run well at full throttle. It is starting, part throttle, tip in, idle etc that are the things that manufacturers spend millions on. Graeme Cooper quote 2DAYS dyno time to set up a Microtech, and then say it is still not perfect and they get customer complaints. this is for a drive in drive out customer who has no knowledge to do some of the work themselves.
So if you want the car to drive and start well in a reasonable time, and not be driving for weeks or months with a laptop on your lap, the price of the ECU is just the start.

So lets say $1500 for the ECU, plus either your labour or say 4 -8 hours at $75 to make a loom,( there are guys in Sydney who have businesses doing this).
Some but not all sensors usually come with the ECU. Do not assume your sensors will work, Lets say $200 for sensors , relays , wire. Injector plugs are between $5 and $10 each. , say $80.
Dyno time. Lets say you wire it ,fit all the plugs,and get the ECU to starting stage.
It should start on the supplied map but if you have any changes such as extractors , the map will be wrong. So you will need dyno time. Assuming the map is not too bad it usually costs about $300 to just trim a unichip , so you are looking at $300 -500 AT LEAST to get good driveability and fuel economy. Base maps are usually rich. Rich =safe.

That is where I get my $2500 from.

AND this assumes no changes to the ignition system. If you want direct coil triggering EDIS then you will have to arrange a sensor and sensor wheel and buy 4 coils , mayb e Commodore.Say $500-700 for the bits.
AFAIK no one makes one for a Rover engine, so a Chev crankshaft pulley trigger will have to be modified. You can organise to lock the distributor and run the advance through the ECU but again this is an area that it takes a lot of Dyno time to get correct. And it is important that you do not have detonation or bye bye engine, so it is wise to have it set up on the dyno.
I am looking at doing this soon as my 14CUX and Unichip is just about at its limit,( Unichip can only fool the ECU to change fuel delivery within certain limits, say 15-20%) but I will probably go to the modified chip in 14CUX route before going to an aftermarket ECU. I understand ChipTorque at the Gold Coast can do this. maybe I will keep the unichip to run the advance curve and upgrade the chip to handle the fuel.
To really look at an in depth study of this , look at the Autospeed articles on "intelligent Performance" particularly no 4.
Regards Philip A