PCM options

DionR said
I am going with an NGC. I want CC at some point and at the time I was deciding it seemed like the best option was the OEM controller. I don't think any of the aftermarket controllers can do CC, but there are now CC DBW kits that can control the throttle. The later GPEC2A controller has some headaches with the start signal so I decided to just stick to the earlier NGC controller.

I think another advantage to the MS stuff is the option to do traction control and (I think) no lift shifts. The Terminator X can't do either (I don't think).

My plans have expanded some since I was going to need a speed signal for CC so I am planning to do a 4 channel ABS setup. Not sure if I will try and do traction/stability control though. Either way, the road is still long and harrowing to get to that point.

But I will be paying for tuning at some point, so there is that. And I don't plan for a big engine build at this point either.

I know the MS now has "unofficial" DBW support. By that I mean that it technically offers it, but has lots of disclaimers everywhere saying it's experimental and not to be used as a primary control. That doesn't fix the CC issue though. I have been trying to add CC to my car via my own programming and tinkering for a while now, but have yet to come up with a satisfactory solution. I have a carb style throttle body though, so mechanical control makes that a little easier to develop at home (actually it would probably be easier to control a DBW throttle body if I could figure out how to control it, adding a servo to pull the throttle linkage has been one of the bigger headaches). I just can't come up with a control system that works well with my car yet. I put one on my old 71 Vette back in college for a project and it actually worked okay despite being very rudimentary in coding (basically if it was slower than set speed, add one "step" of throttle and check again in a second or something like that, if it was slow do the opposite). Had a lot of oscillation getting to the set speed, but held it okay once it was there. It's an automatic with less horsepower though, so the transmission "soaked up" a lot of the throttle response. I might go after it again one of these days, but I need to have more robust code with failsafes in it.

And yes, the MS can do no lift shift. I have it set up on my car with "launch control" as well (basically just a two step, nothing fancy) via a potentiometer on the clutch. The pot lets me tune the release point better than a physical switch. And I don't think the MS really has any stability control yet either. I know they make full aftermarket systems for that, but I think you need an ABS pump to get there.