Not trying to change the subject but can anyone explain to me the difference in a race ecm from EBR and the stock ecm? Is there more to a race ecm?
The race ECM is intended for track use only, where you would spend a lot of time accelerating and at wide-open throttle. The fuel and timing maps are calibrated for that scenario, and also for specific combination of race muffler and air filter, which are less restrictive than stock. There are also a few other tweaks made to improve performance on the track.
Obviously, many (probably most) people buy a race ECM and have no intention of ever being on a track. The majority of those seem happy with the performance on the street, but you also have some folks that report poor performance in certain areas and are generally dissatisfied. Or, it ran fine for x months and now all of a sudden it runs like junk (it is difficult for many reasons to actually find out what the real issue is).
I mean, if I have an 04 Firebolt with a stock ecm, a computer with ECMSpy and a copy of a race map; what more could a race ecm do?
When buying an EBR race ECM, you have to choose which exhaust will be on the bike. This is because the fuel and timing requirements to make optimum power will be different from stock, and different from other exhaust systems. If you get a "copy" of a "race" map, just be sure you know what that means and have proper expectations. Who created it? Was it found online? Was it made by someone with experience? And, what was the goal of the tuner (very important)?
Bottom line: if you have the skills and the means to tune, there is nothing in an EBR ECM that you couldn't duplicate yourself on a stock ECM. But if you flash in a copy of some race ECM, I cannot even predict what your results will be. You might be happy (many have been), but just be prepared for possible frustration. Just want you to have the facts so you can make an educated choice.
