I need a management solution for my E30 M20 ITB build. Is MS3x worth it over MS2x? I am very new to standalone tuning. I will most likely buy a plug-and-play solution.
This is going in my street convertible, with a 2.8L M20, 272 cam and minor headwork. The plan is a nice sounding engine, with ~40 more hp than stock, not chasing 10/10ths. Drivability is very important.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
An MS2 should be sufficient, especially with the Extra Code.
Check this site out: http://77e21.info/projects.htm
That should help you out a little bit.
Cool, thanks for the link.
Very interested in the feedback here. Are you going to control spark too, or just use the stock distributor?
Yikes! No distributor please. Crank trigger and wasted spark will serve you well.
MS3 is overkill unless you want internal recording. The expansion board needed puts the price over the top.
We currently have an MS2 based MSPNP, but nothing plug and play in MS3. Taking full advantage of the MS3's capabilities would require adding a cam sensor and some significant rewiring. I strongly recommend adding a potentiometer type TPS for an ITB build. The stock on/off throttle switches don't provide the information you need to really tune those.
On a track car the on board SD card logging (MS3 only) is worth it's weight in gold, IMO.
Everyone seems to be pointing me in the MS2 direction. Easier tuning, more PnP solutions, and more knowledge. This is a street car that will mostly see weekend trips and back roads, no track time. Will drivability be increased at all with MS3 and the increased map resolutions?
I'm looking into a cam position sensor, and a TPS is a given. M5x TPS sensor is a stock fit for the M20 from what I've heard.
On an ITB motor? I doubt it.
Just use ITB mode in the software which will help with drivability from idle to WOT.
The MS3 will provide more potential for long term expansion, but then you could also upgrade to it later with the MS3 daughterboard:
https://www.diyautotune.com/product/megasquirt-iii-daughterboard-kit/
DIYAutotune has sales occasionally, so you could keep an eye out for it and get a bit of a discount when you're ready.
Sorry, I read ITB = Improved Touring B, for whatever reason. Not sure if an E30 is even in that class or not now that I think about it!
If ITB = Individual Throttle Bodies then I would re-iterate Matt's suggestion on a TPS as well as Stefan's suggestion on ITB mode. It makes tuning those fun again.
I don't like PnP solutions on older cars with questionable wiring, as this is the best chance you will have to future proof things. If you have high confidence in the current state, then it makes some sense.
I have been using wire-in MS3-Pro or Microsquirt on nearly everything, even the cars where a PnP is offered.
I do have high confidence in it's current state, and no experience creating a wiring harness from scratch. Car wiring is by far the thing I have the least experience with. If I have to modify the harness, I will most likely buy a 2nd harness to mock up outside of the car on the engine stand.
The MSPNP is based on the MicroSquirt Module at its core, so it isn't upgradable to MS3.
Good to know. There are a few different people who make PnP systems for E30's that fit in the stock mototronic case. I'll most likely be going that route. They are based on the full MS2 board.
I've given up on the idea of running MS3, everyone else is running MS2 in this application, the support is worth more than a bunch of features I likely won't need.
In reply to mr2peak :
I know this is an old thread, but what did you end up using? I am on the same boat.
I have an MS3X and it certainly hasn't inconvenienced me apart from the initial purchase price. The onboard SD card logging is very handy, especially on track, I've done very nearly all of my logging with it.
In reply to GameboyRMH :
Are you running ITBs? AlphaN?
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