Hondata S300
Pros
Hondata has come a long way since the debut of its first ECU piggyback unit, which consisted of a crude homemade box filled with dip switches and telephone cords. The newest engine management to come out of the Torrance, California-based company, the s300, is a plug-in module to the factory Honda engine computer (ECU), which vastly expands the capabilities of the factory ECU. Forced induction, data logging, real time updating of parameters and engine protection are just a few of the s300's features. The most noticeable difference within the S300 is the main unit is now placed within the factory ECU, thus eliminating the need for a secondary box like its previous predecessors. Using a built in USB connection for speed and compatibility, the S300 no longer requires a pocket programmer or ROM emulator, which was mandatory in previous versions. Expanded fuel and ignition tables, both in rpm and load (i.e. 60 lbs boost and 11,000 rpm), as well as high and low speed 24 x 20 ignition and fuel tables for correct VTEC tuning are many of the features that accompany the new S300 Hondata unit.
Cons
As simple as the S300 unit may seem, we can't stress enough the importance of having an authorized Hondata dealer and qualified technician test and tune your vehicle to achieve optimal horsepower and drivability conditions for your vehicle. Yes, we understand you claim to be some self-proclaimed Internet engineer preaching your technobabble on the local forums, but before you plug in that S300 USB cable, we suggest you suck up that pride and pay those extra dollars before grenading your engine.
Dyno 2: Hondata S300
Peakhp 198.0 / Peaktq 120.0
Parts
Hondata unit/ ECU, USB cable, stickers, instructions, CD Rom
Tools
Laptop, some serious tuning skills
Installation Time
All day procedure
Notes
All Hondata S300s are provided with the necessary baseline maps to help get your initial startup program up and going within minutes of installation. Because the Civic used the previous model S200, we decided upon creating a completely new base map in an attempt to recreate a real-time scenario for the average reader. Of course, the older S200 base map would have been transferable to the new system, but we just like to do things the hard way and start from scratch. After our baseline run, which consisted of a rough tune of the S300, we performed a series of runs, carefully remapping the fuel and ignition tables to obtain optimal performance then we swapped out the camshafts and header. The new real-time feature in the S300 was obviously advantageous as calibrations and changes were uploaded to the ECU quickly (Hondata claims 2 seconds for a new calibration, a fraction of a second for anything else), without interrupting the operation of the engine.
• Horsepower Gain
• 3800 to 5800 HP range: 2 to 5
• 5800 to 7800 HP range: 7 to 5
• 7800 to red line HP range: 2 to 4
• Torque Gain
• 3800 to 5800 TQ range: 6 to 3
• 5800 to 7800 TQ range: 3 to 7
• 7800 to red line TQ range: 7 to 10