I heard that there were changes made to the ecu from the 1999 model to the 2000 (UK Turbo), if so what changes were made?
cheers Subsy

 

Emission changes, which gradually strangle the power on later models. AE800 is best then AE801 a close second but give the AE802 a miss.

F

 

so how do i know which one i have?

 

It's more than just emissions changes. The AE802 ECU in the MY2000 cars has slightly altered wastegate control, which makes the transition to boost slightly smoother/more progressive/less punchy than the 801 and 800. IIRC the 802's knock correction is also somewhat more effective, while this ECU also has a reputation for causing pulsing/hesitation under boost.

As for telling which one you have, if you have an MY2000 car, it's pretty safe to assume you have an AE802. If you have an MY99, you could have any one of the three, depending on which part of the year your car was made. The way to be certain is to lift the passenger footwell carpet, remove the cover plate, and read the label on the ECU.

 

http://www.ecutek.com/tuning/oemcompare/

 

I was just about to post that link but the phone rang.

I have a MY00 and have swapped the AE802 ECU for an AE801. The difference is quite noticable. As Greasemonkey says the big difference is in the boost map, the 801 demands maximum boost all throught the rev and load ranges, whereas the 802 is more progressive only obtaining maximum boost under load and as the revs come up. The already overly rich fueling map is slightly more lean at the top end on the 801 as well which should increase the power a bit. It is quite a bit more punchy.

If I went for a manual boost controller at some later stage then I would put the 802 back in as the extra richness at the top end gives more safety margin. I expect when I do start tuning things up I will go the Ecutek remap route anyway.