| PRODUCT: | Field's SFC VTEC/MIVEC controller |
| REVIEWER: | Chong |
| DATE: | 16/11/1999 |
| RATING: | B+ |
Most of the features can be found in the product catalog. I will briefly touch on the more important/useful ones. To begin with, the fuel adjustment function (+/- 30%) allows you to tune the fuel delivery from 1,000 rpm to 8,000 rpm, at an interval of 1,000rpm. There is a limit to how much fuel increase you can specify since the unit does not directly alter the injector pulse duration. It works by intercepting and altering the MAP signal which in turn 'tricks' the ECU into supplying more/less fuel. Since the MAP signal can only be raised up to a pre-determined maximum voltage, there is little you can do if the MAP signal is already at the maximum level (the unit will display OF when that happens). As such, if fuel delivery has to be increased by a substantial amount, you should go for stuff like larger injectors, remapped ECU, increasing the fuel pressure, etc. On the other hand, the SFC is pretty effective in leaning out fuel delivery. Bear in mind however, we are talking about fuel delivery at Wide Open Throttle (WOT). At part throttle, despite of the user entered settings, the ECU will attempt to compensate the fuel delivery for optimum economy.
The programmable shift warning indicator is a nice feature. It comes on as a beep which tells you that it is time to change up to the next gear. I only wish that the beep could be louder since at those lofty rpms (8,000+), the engine is practically screaming away, not to mention the deafening exhaust note. Apart from this feature, the unit also comes with a speed-cut defenser. It basically allows you to disable the Japan domestic speed-cut at 180km/h. Certainly useful if you intend to make long distance trips beyond Singapore.
There are certain areas which I feel needs improvement. Firstly, there appears to be some side effects while using this unit. If you switch the unit on/off (especially with the rear power switch) while the engine is running, it can occasionally trigger the ENGINE CHECK light to come on. Secondly, setting the HI-CAM Vtec point while the engine is spinning above 1,000 rpm will usually mess up the setting. Thirdly, the supplied male-female connectors are not exactly 'bullet proof'. In time to come, due to vibrations and other factors, the connection can come lose and it can be a hassle to troubleshoot, especially so if the engine stalls while you are in a hurry for an appointment! My advice to people who are thinking of getting this unit. Make sure you purchase the wiring harness. It may cost more now but it certainly will save it a whole lot of hassle later.
In conclusion, despite of some short-comings, the SFC VTEC/MIVEC unit is a useful tuning tool. It works well with mildly modified setups. For wilder setups using larger injectors, it can be used to lean out the fuel delivery to improve driveability. The programmable VTEC setting is a bonus, especially so if you are running a set of aftermarket high-lift long duration cams which require a different setting from the stock cams. Short of spending $$$ on programmable engine management units, this can be considered a 'poor' man's tuning tool.