View Full Version : Power commander or race ecu?
the booyar
21st March 2009, 08:30
Im looking to start doing some mods to my 05 ZX6R 636. It allready has a mircon muffler and dna airfilter. Thinking of getting a power commander or a race ecu then a dyno tune.
Any help on which is better???
Or any other mods i should look at instead?
Mental Trousers
21st March 2009, 11:16
Many racers in this country use both. The ECU for the ignition and Power Commander for fuel. I'm told it works out better because the race ECU needs large amounts of time on a dyno to tune the fuel side of things correctly whereas the Power Commander is far quicker and easier to adjust. But that's the difference between dedicated race gear and general stuff eh, the former requires commitment for ultimate performance while the latter is much more general.
Pussy
21st March 2009, 11:21
With some race ECUs you can lose road functions( eg: secondary throttle bodies, exhaust pipe valves etc).
Might be worth checking what functions get by-passed.
I myself am in favour of professionally mapped Power Commanders
cowpoos
21st March 2009, 13:57
Many racers in this country use both. The ECU for the ignition and Power Commander for fuel. I'm told it works out better because the race ECU needs large amounts of time on a dyno to tune the fuel side of things correctly .
More an issuse of the tuners not being able to use the product properly...if the tuner is experienced with what ever makes race ECU...thats the best option...other wise just get it teka tuned [cheapest option over all and pretty dam good for bikes that arn't highly modified like superbikes] or a powercommander
CHOPPA
21st March 2009, 14:10
I guess the race ecu for the rr would still work..? powercommander will be easier but not as effective
MentalFacility
21st March 2009, 14:21
Race ECU can be a real pain in the arse unless you are ready to trow some real time and money at your bike.
Firstly it is likely to increase your Rev limit. Even a few handred rpm over a stock redline can have CATASTROPHIC effects on your bike. And you arent gonna use full potential from race ECU unless you change alot of internal parts of your engine, but that you might need to service it more often.
Also as someone noted already, some road going features will not work. Your side stand will have to be disconected, which means that the bike will start in gear and stuff, not very safe if you forget to knock that up. Also race bikes do not have COOLING FANS, so your ECU will ignor it. If you comunte alot, you ll have to install a manual switch.
Your clutch in start will not work eather, so only from neutral, only with open clutch.
Also it is likely youll need to do some more mods before it even runs smoothly. ECU dups alot of air in to the engine, and unless you remove ur intake flapers it will create vacume and ur engine might sound funny at lowe rpm.
Also your range will decrease dramatically, as it will trough ALOT more fuel. Probably itll go down from ~300km per tank to around 180.
Also If you have a steering damper it might not work well with ECU, same thing for your troutle bodies.
Also the velocity stacks on the race bikes are very different from yours, and ECU will not know that, resulting in a unsufficient air cunsumption.
There are more nuances attached to every specific bike.
MentalFacility
21st March 2009, 14:22
I guess the race ecu for the rr would still work..? powercommander will be easier but not as effective
powercommander will also be ALOT CHEAPER.
HDTboy
21st March 2009, 14:29
Definitely race ECU. In the Kawasaki it can be used on the road with all of the original wiring, and has more functionality than the PC3
HDTboy
21st March 2009, 14:30
Race ECU can be a real pain in the arse unless you are ready to trow some real time and money at your bike.
Firstly it is likely to increase your Rev limit. WRONG Even a few handred rpm over a stock redline can have CATASTROPHIC effects on your bike. And you arent gonna use full potential from race ECU unless you change alot of internal parts of your engine, but that you might need to service it more often.WRONG
Also as someone noted already, some road going features will not work. Your side stand will have to be disconected, WRONGwhich means that the bike will start in gear and stuff, not very safe if you forget to knock that up. Also race bikes do not have COOLING FANS, so your ECU will ignor it. If you comunte alot, you ll have to install a manual switch. WRONG
Your clutch in start will not work eather, so only from neutral, only with open clutch.WRONG
Also it is likely youll need to do some more mods before it even runs smoothly. ECU dups alot of air in to the engine, and unless you remove ur intake flapers it will create vacume and ur engine might sound funny at lowe rpm.WRONG
Also your range will decrease dramatically, as it will trough ALOT more fuel. Probably itll go down from ~300km per tank to around 180.GET IT TUNED CORRECTLY
Also If you have a steering damper it might not work well with ECU, same thing for your troutle bodies. STEERING DAMPER IS MECHANICAL - NO WIRING
Also the velocity stacks on the race bikes are very different from yours, and ECU will not know that, resulting in a unsufficient air cunsumption. WRONG
There are more nuances attached to every specific bike.
Obviously you've never used a Kawasaki race ECU and don't understand how it works
MentalFacility
21st March 2009, 15:05
Obviously you've never used a Kawasaki race ECU and don't understand how it works
Never used kawasaki before, that is true.
Well thats what Ive been told about HRC ECU for the blade. For the most part it makes sence. Why the hell would a race ECU have a sidestand sensor, or a fan control?
HDTboy
21st March 2009, 15:17
Fan control is usually outside of the scope of the original ECU anyway.
The HRC unit is the least adaptible to road use, the Kawasaki, and Suzukis work fine on the road.
the booyar
22nd March 2009, 10:53
Cheers for all the info guys.
I can get a new Race ecu for $600 so thats what im thinking?
Ill have to look into it abit more as i still ride it on the road daily. and thinking of the odd track day.
cowpoos
22nd March 2009, 12:50
Cheers for all the info guys.
I can get a new Race ecu for $600 so thats what im thinking?
Ill have to look into it abit more as i still ride it on the road daily. and thinking of the odd track day.
if you want to save some money...and all you have done is a pipe and a air filter...spend your money on suspension..and forget about the ecu thing...bang for buck the bouncy bits are far better...and you will feel more confident on the machine aswell!!
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