Ok guys, thanks for all the input. When I finally have the cash to get boosted, I'm definitely going to a tuner. The problem is there isn't a decent tuner around here for another thousand miles (or on the next island, I'm from the Philippines ) I actually decided to go turbo because I was surprised when I got back from a trip to my nation's capital (Manila). There was a ****load of boosted D series Civs! I didn't even know that turbo technology was present in the P.I...

PS: Say I get my ECU chipped and programmed without the car being physically present? Can the tuner successfully remap my ECU?

 

yes

 

So what's the difference if I get the ECU remapped with the car present and not?

 

Car present means that the tuner will be able to tune the ECU exactly for the car.

Car not present means you get a basemap, which is general idea and will not make good power, and could result in a blown engine.

 

^Exactly. If you have a 94 civic with a turbo kit you will get a specfic tune. Your friend can have the SAME exact car and SAME exact turbo kit, but both tunes will be different.

 

the kinda tune u guys are talking about is different from a tune-up you would get from like pep boys right?

 

Basemaps are very conseratively done for this reason, and require further tuning to be optimum for your exact set up.

 

^Yup, tune here means reprogramming the ECU to handle FI

 

Anyways, thanks guys! Really aprreciate the help (especially the link about ECU tuning). I guess I'll have to transport the car to get it tuned...

PS: I think this thread should be stickied for further reference of newbs like me...

 

That's a pretty sweet deal. And I totally hear you on the oil starvation, however it's fairly easy to fix. I'll be doing a write up/DIY on it sometime this winter