cobb ap v2 vs infamous opensource, which?

for some reason I cannot get the search function to work...

What are your thoughts. Accessport or opensource

05 LGT 5eat

for some reason I cannot get the search function to work...

What are your thoughts. Accessport or opensource

 

 

What changes do you have in mind or have done to the car thus far? Arent you doing a UP/DP or something similar? OS tune done by the right tuner is always a good choice vs an Off-The-Shelf tune aimed at the owner having a specific set of mods

 

I personally have been down this route went OS over COBB AP because I have a 2.5i and only wanted to smooth out the throttle tip in tables, torque request values, hill holder, rolling RPMS, 93OCT and UEL headers. While COBB has an AP for my car and maps I was able to get a Tactrix Cable and OS tune for cheaper.

 

You have a turbo vehicle so much more at stake as far as tweaking the engine, etc but the right tuner can work wonders. You are in Culpepper there is a good shop in Winchester (the name alludes me dammit) and then there is Mach V here in Sterling that can help you out with your tuning needs.

 

Im sure many of the members have been in your shoes and can help you make an informed choice!

With a good tuner and time, opensource is a very good way to go. It also depends on your mods and how often you will be changing parts out. Off-the-shelf tunes are good in the aspect it will get you somewhat close to where you need to be but every car is different and mods will effect every car differently.

 

I am currently tuned open sourced right now by a local tuner but I will be picking up a Accessport not for the off the shelf tunes, but I will have 4 different maps for my car and it will be easier for me to put the tunes in the AP and flash my ecu than carrying around my laptop everywhere. I will have a Gas tune, E85 tune, and 2 gas-e85 tunes. One for when I'm switching from gas to e85 and one for when I'm switching back. E85 is very prominent where I live but when I travel will switch back over to gas.

 

It sounds like you are in an area with some good reputable shops so talking to them also can get you pointed in the right direction.

I had a cobb ap OTS stage 2. It left alot on the table and had quite a bit of knock. Now I am finishing my infamous tune and haven't even looked back. The infamous tune is so much better than the cobb ots tunes.

On my 05 LGT 5eat,Im going BNR 16,and turbo back. Found a decent deal on a Cobb APv2 however if Im just gonna have to tune it afterwards anyway then maybe opensource is the way to go..

 

Is it as painless as most say it is?

I have only e-tuned twice but I am sooo glad I did as opposed to going with an AP. You will also learn a lot of valuable information and processes while going open source. It really is a better option.

 

my $.02

I like the cobb for the functionality of it all... You can have your car protuned via a cobb AP. Etunes are also a bit easier, and the options appear more plentiful with an AP.

 

The AP interface is easy to use... Fits in your glove box... and has a boat load of other functions on it. You can use it as a boost gauge, data log tool, code reader/clearer... etc, etc.

 

I prefer an AP over having to lug around a laptop personally.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3660759&postcount=30

 

Pros of AP:

1) small and convenient

 

2) "realtime" map loading - valet, economy, 91 octane, etc. maps that are available off the shelf.

 

3) on the fly tuning if you have a laptop with their accesstuner software. connect your laptop, and i think you can make a tweak to the realtime map immediately and see what happens. no need to reflash.

 

Cons of AP:

1) price - $400+ for a used one. $500+ for a new one. tactrix is about $100-150, vagcom is $10.

 

2) smaller screen, can't display as much on the screen. with RR you can display a buttload of parameters on the screen at once.

 

3) larger logging interval. RR recently introduced a function called "fast poll" which allows me to log about 18 different parameters with a logging interval of about 98ms. AP can't even approach this. i think their interval is something like 200+ with 8 parameters.

 

4) doesn't have access to as many different parameters as RR. opensource tuning has a lot of support from the community. AP support is really... only from Cobb vendors/tuners (infamous will tune for AP)

 

5) as bmx said, RR has a ton of customization available to you.

 

So there you go.

^ That 'review' certainly leans towards someone that chooses RR over an AP.

I prefer the OS. Why buy a ap for 500 bucks, when you can buy a laptop for that cost, and a really nice one at that? You can use the laptop for anything, searching lgt forum while your working on car, do school work, work work, look at porn... Granted the ap has some degree of user friendliness. But once your dialed in on a tune, why would you still need it? The cost for a custom ap map is the same as an os map... I can only imagine the ap being useful if you do not plan to get an etune or tune from a shop, or maybe you live 3-4 hours from any decent tuner. But I think the AP was king when the lgts first came out, but it looks like OS is by far the more cost effective, bang for the buck option.

^ True, unless your like many people, who already have a desktop computer, and aren't in the mood to spend another $500 on a laptop.

 

Eh, i like my AP (and i have a laptop, netbook, and a desktop lol). Sits in my car. It's there when i need it, or want to use it. It clips onto my vent too, so im no struggling with it on my passenger seat or lap during a log.

 

No right or wrong answer here, but there are strong points for either.

... and you can usually find a used AP for $300-350 ish

Do the math!

 

OS tune, 150 dollars for tune, 15 dollars for vag-com cable for 05-06 ithink, or 100 for tactrix for later than 06, but your an 05 so you can get away with a cheap cable. so basically if you have a laptop you can get a superior tune over an off the shelf generic for like 500-165=335 less than an ap. OS is better and cheaper...

 

You can buy a laptop for the same price as AP. Thats what made me go OS.

I never said that the AP was cheaper.

 

The 'better' part is subjective. I can appreciate both sides of the arguement. Not saying you made the wrong choice here.

 

Keep in mind that having an AP, doesnt equate to having an off the shelf generic tune. That's only true if you own an AP, AND have an off the shelf generic tune. One does not equal the other.

 

I've had three custom tunes with my AP. Two out of three of those, were with tuners that were AP only.

^ That 'review' certainly leans towards someone that chooses RR over an AP.

 

No it isn't. It only leans towards it if you count each item I listed equally. I stated the facts in an unbiased way.

 

I listed the AP as small and convenient as (1) because that's its biggest selling point. If you're someone that finds that important, you'll value that more. And if you find that being able to switch maps on the fly is nice, then it's worth it.

 

What I posted is the truth and those are the biggest differences between the two.

For me, I have a macbook so I didn't want to buy a second laptop just for the purposes of tuning. Yes, an AP is $500+ new or $350-$425 used, but in 2-3 years you can resell it for about $350-$400. A laptop won't get anything close to that, so that could be a positive for the AP if you look at it that way. I just purchased a used one and my reasons for going with the AP is that it's small, portable, simpler, and if I ever want to I could always sell it. Now if I had a windows 7 laptop and was familiar with OS on the laptop I would probably feel different.

Yes, but your AP is only useful for your car, and a laptop is...well, an actual laptop that does a whole lot of other stuff.

The whole juggling a laptop while driving is a pita. I've been the passenger during those data logs several times. Doing that solo has to be inherently more dangerous than an ap.

Only if you don't have a defrost button. But seriously, the AP definitely has its merits.

 

I've had both but I prefer the laptop and that's why I sold the AP.

 

Absolutely. It's nice that we even have an option for our cars.

AP is for newbies, or those who just want improved performance and then forget about it.

 

OS and eTune is for more the enthused or those on a budget (92% of us). IF u you want to learn about tuning and also get the MOST out of your car while staying safe, OS+etune is the way to go.

AP and a custom BrenTuning E-Tune gets my vote

 

 

Or if you're local a custom BrenTuning ProTune via OpenSource

AP is for newbies, or those who just want improved performance and then forget about it.

 

OS and eTune is for more the enthused or those on a budget (92% of us). IF u you want to learn about tuning and also get the MOST out of your car while staying safe, OS+etune is the way to go.

 

Not necessarily true. I am tuned opensource right now and the only reason I plan to pick up a AP is because I will be running more than 1 map. I live in Nebraska and E85 is very prominent here but when I travel I need to switch back to to gas. I will have 4 CUSTOM maps loaded on my AP and not OTS tunes. I know I could lug my laptop with me everywhere and flash when I need to but the AP fits in my glove box and I don't always have my laptop with me.