New Revelations

Oh yeah, that’s plug-and-play, baby.

The onboard data logger.

Danger, Will Robinson, danger!

Graphical view.

Build your own fuel maps.

More interesting than Tetris.

3-D fuel graph.

“The revolution is coming.” Does anyone remember the AEM ad with Steph staring at a Civic with beams of light coming out from under the hood? What the hell was he looking at? We even started taking bets at the office to try to guess what the glow was. The common consensus was that AEM was coming out with a huge monitor that would fit in the engine bay and only play Lexus Locklear videos. Could we be more wrong? We were a little disappointed when we found out that we were not even close with our assumptions. But seriously, what is the revolution?

Well, the revolution arrived at the ’01 SEMA Show and was more extreme than we thought it would be. AEM has introduced the Programmable Engine Management System. As far as full fuel-management is concerned, the EMS can hold its own with the big dogs. In fact, the EMS is a big dog itself. Since the EMS is a plug-and-play unit, you’ll be able to install it and get your car up and running in less than 10 minutes. No wires need to be cut, modified, or added to make the EMS work in your car. You’ll probably spend the majority of those 10 minutes trying to unbolt all the brackets holding down the factory ECU. revolution?

The Windows-based software can be accessed through the AEM Web site, along with fully detailed instructions on how to use the EMS. AEM couldn’t have made it any easier. Now you, too, can be a tuner. But too much power in the wrong hands can be dangerous. revolution?

Although the infinite versatility of the EMS may be too much for the inexperienced tuner, AEM has done a great job providing the requisite are-you-sure-you-want-to-do-that warning icons. revolution?

Almost every aspect of tuning fuel delivery can be accessed with the EMS. Fuel and ignition maps can be viewed and altered in table form or as 3-D graphs. So changing ignition timing is as easy as typing in a number in Excel. And smoothing out fuel-delivery curves is just a matter of moving around a couple of lines on the graph. This cuts down tuning time drastically, saving you from excessive dyno time. If you have an idea of how you want the fuel map to look, you can use the “auto fill” function, which automatically calibrates the maps according to a couple of values that the user inputs. revolution?

With a laptop at hand, you can use the onboard data logger to get all the engine statistics during the tuning session. Everything from engine speed to intake air temperature can be viewed on a graph in real time. With the Dash Editor, the user can create analog gauges or bar meters to display on the computer screen. Also running in real time are high and low warnings, which can be set for extra precaution. revolution?

The EMS was designed to use factory sensors, plugs, and harnesses. This is what makes the unit headacheless. That’s a word I just made up—pretty cool, huh? (Not really.—JW) revolution?

Even though the EMS is designed to use factory sensors, AEM is currently working on its own sensors, such as throttle position, water temperature, and knock. Probably the craziest add-on that AEM is working on is a wideband oxygen sensor that plugs into the EMS. This will allow the EMS to read the air/fuel ratio and calibrate itself accordingly. Sound unreal? Well, it’s as real as it gets. revolution?

One last tidbit we thought would be important: This unit isn’t just for Hondas. You read that right; the EMS unit is available for Toyotas, Mazdas, and even Dodges. But is that the end of it? No way. AEM is constantly grinding to come out with more plug-and-play EMS units. What’s even better is that the full race unit can be used on pretty much any car.