jolt

I have a Hydra Nemesis ECU (complete replacement plug'n'play ECU) fitted to my 2003 Mazda Miata (MX5 here in Australia) which I'm extremely happy about.

The great news is that they have developed a plug'n'play version for the TSX which will be available in January 2006!!

Apart from some idle control issues which should be resolved in the next few weeks, I have been very happy with the 12 rear wheel kW peak power gain in my Miata/MX5 as well as a relatively greater increase in low-mid range torque.

In January 2006 we will finally have a proper complete replacement plug'n'play ECU available for the TSX with totally customisable laptop based tuning software. Does this mean the end for Hondata?

With Launch Control as one of its many advantages as well as being possible to tune it specifically to your car and your mod's, I think Hondata's glory days may be over ...

regards
Rod

kyotousa

is the website in USD?
1700 for TSX?... i don't that'll be end of HOndata at all

Chris_F

pretty big news! that means everyone with forced induction plans can finally get the ball rolling, nice find jolt

CCColtsicehockey

sweet if this thing works another chance to possibly do a turbo.

sauceman

If Hondata produced the K-Pro for the TSX, it wouldn't run you for much less...

kyotousa

^^^^
isn't rsx's price 1300 for kpro?

and 900 if u give them the ecu or somehting

btw...are they new? cuz their website look like crap =_=|||
if they are not new...ig uess that's fine

xizor

That's still an if

CCColtsicehockey

hey if this thing works i am in line.

waTSX

Pretty vague looking website. I'm not sure I'd plug something into my car that came from a company without an established rep. Has this outfit been around for awhile?

LoveMyTL-S

Those prices may be in Ozzi dollars.............which we have a good exchange rate with.........

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Is the Hydra Nemesis ECU OBD2 compliant?

kyotousa

lol...if that's true
aussi dollar is about the same as CAD.....

i guess that's about the same price as K-Pro would be....

are they reputable at all....i am noob so i never heard of them =_=|||
not that i would buy it or anything

no turbo kit for me

savage

quick someone find stokeless...

CCColtsicehockey

yeah where has he been lately how is that kit coming he is working on.

sauceman

I believe Stokeless is out in the Pacific on a boat somewhere...

As for the K-Pro, if it runs at 1300$ for an RSX, you can bet a lot of money it would run for a lot more for the TSX, because a lot more R&D needs to be done to properly program the VSA and DBW features that the RSX doesn't have.

xizor

but, if they overprice them, they run the risk of selling none

04_K24TSX

Hydra engine management systems have been around for a long time. They do wonders for MR2 turbo guys and such. The link posted is just the application chart. Keep in mind, these are full replacement EMS so it won't be cheap and the price sounds about right. This can break the forced induction wide open for the TSX.

Tsx536

Do they have a division anywhere in the US?
Are there any authorized dealers here in the US or would we be dealing with them directly?

I'm a little hesitent to get something as important as an ECU from a company that does not have a big presence in the US.

Other than that the ECU sounds pretty good!

04_K24TSX

yes, there are authorized dealers here in the states. Just go to www.hydraems.com and go under dealers to find the list.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

This is getting interesting... You would think if this company can overcome the DBW issue, Hondata shouldn't be too far behind.

kyotousa

yah..well i thought it was USD......
so the website list RSX kit as 1500.......and nobody heard of them
at least i didn't see it in reply so.......

rmpage

So this is a complete replacement ECU? Will it work for the USDM TSX and be OBD2 compliant?

The K-Pro is a daughterboard that plugs into the original Honda ECU motherboard, allowing it to be internally reprogrammed on the fly while at the same time leaving the original ECU to perform as much of the original functions as possible. Thus, a vehicle with a K-Pro will retain all of the original functionality, as its ECU has only been modified, not replaced with a generic aftermarket unit.

So, if you completely replace the entire box, you need to replace it with a computer that is designed exactly for that vehicle or else you will lose functionality. Keep this in mind. In an ideal scenario, you have an Australian company designing a specialized, expensive aftermarket system for a luxury vehicle sold only in North America whose mod-friendly owner base represents an unusually small percentage of its overall owner base, with the amount of people willing to do something this extravagant being even smaller.

aaronng

Haha, they sell the TSX in Europe and Australia as well under the name of Honda Accord (Euro in Australia).

jolt

Hold on a minute!! You guys are unbelievable, did any of you go to the Hydra EMS webpage? Did any of you click on the Contact Us link?

To the best of my knowledge, Hydra is an American company!! They definitely aren't Australian. Mind you, that's no bad thing, where do you think Motec's and Haltech's come from?!?!

Hydra has been around for a while and are very well regarded, there aren't too many aftermarket ECU's around that can control DBW technology and have Launch Control and Auto Tune (with wideband O2 sensor) built in too. I assume they just didn't see the point in investing big dollars into their website which I don't think is that bad at all, at least no worse than Hondata's!!

The Hydra Nemesis will come preloaded with basemaps for the TSX/Accord Euro so you will maintain all of the standard car's functionality, as well as adding some like Launch Control.

The prices are is US$, but aren't too expensive when you look at what you're getting for the money. I'll be VERY surprised if Hondata are able to release a K-pro for the CL9 for less based on their DC5 prices and the additional features needed in the CL9.

Remember you might also be able to take the Hydra Nemesis ECU out of your TSX and then use it on your next car (perhaps with a few extra features and assuming it is supported). That's something that can't be done with a Hondata unless you buy the same car again!!

I am not associated with Hydra in any way whatsoever, apart from having one currently fitted to my 2003 Mazda MX5/Miata and I'm VERY happy with it.

thanks
Rod

rmpage

Yes, but does it use the exact same powertrain, instrumentation cluster, climate controls, VSA, and other related features?

I don't intend to come off as a naysayer, but I'm curious how these things will be resolved. In any case, this is interesting and I'm eager to see what becomes of it. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Tsx536

Has anyone else here in the US ever heard of Hydra ECUs?

04_K24TSX

Just ask the mr2 turbo guys www.mr2oc.com or the miata guys about Hydra EMS, it works great for them. Also, standalones are loaded with base maps specifically for your model to keep basic features operational. I ran a Apexi Power FC on my celica gts and everything worked fine, and once it's tuned to your specific mods, it really makes a difference.

CJams

Will wait for pics and a write up before I even consider it. Damn slow ass hondata!

PrecyseStylez

If this is anywhere like the K-Pro i'll be all over this when it comes out.. From what i remember, Hondata moved the cam angle on their TSX from 25 degrees to 45 degrees and made about 20WHP and 20WTQ more over the reflash.. So if this is capable of changing cam angles, then im alllll the wayyyy in! Plus it'll be good for my future turbo setup..if this is the only one of its kind to be made for the TSX! Maybe some 13 second all motor TSX's?? Is DBW only on the TSX in the Acura Family? I think Hydra had the jump on DBW since they make piggy backs for so many other cars.. Hondata only works with Honda and Acura and we dont have too many cars with that feature

04_K24TSX

In order to advance the cam timing to 45 degrees, a RSX-S cam sprocket was needed as the TSX one only allows up to 25 degrees of timing.

shaang

Are you sure a RSX-S cam sprocket was used? Or did they just modify it to 45 degrees?

HoRRo

From http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...icle_id=401733

25 degrees of cam movement is fine for a stock TSX engine, but completely inadequate for a modified engine with as little as race headers and intake. A stock engine needs no more than 20 degrees of cam moment on the high cam. A well modified setup needs no less than 25 degrees on the high cam. Take a good look at the modifications we made to the VTC mechanism. If you have a TSX, you are going to need these changes. Although you could probably purchase and bolt on an RSX VTC mechanism for 50 degrees of travel, there is less valve to piston clearance on the TSX pistons. Our measurements suggest 45 degrees maximum cam movement is much safer. Allowing the full 50 degrees movement leads to a greater risk of valve to piston contact should you accidentally mis-shift and over-rev.


In short, they modded the TSX one.

04_K24TSX

Oh, ok. I thought for some reason that they had used an RSX-S sprocket. Either way, u would need to modify the TSX VTC mechanism or get the type s one. This of course would only be needed when extensive modification is going to be done.

PrecyseStylez

You dont have to moddify anything...and we dont need the VTC from Type-S.. the VTC in the TSX is adjustable just like the Type-S.. and with K-Pro, you can adjust the VTC with it.. Its not something thats done by hand (from what i was told). The guys with the Type-S with K-Pro said that they adjust the VTC thru the K-Pro.. So if the Hydra ECU works like the K-Pro we could see some really nice gains in N/A form..(I/H/E/etc.)

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Yes, the VTC on the TSX is adjustable but only to a certain degree. If you need more adjustment than 25 degrees, you need to either modify the existing sprocket or use the one from the RSX.

http://www.hondata.com/tuning_the_tsx.html

04_K24TSX

^^^Exactly, if you truly want to get the most gains, your gonna need more than the 25 degrees of adjustment that the stock TSX allows.

PrecyseStylez

Um....nothing on the Hondata site said anything about them using the VTC from the RSX!?? They said that RSX was set to 50 degrees but that would be too high for the TSXso they set theirs to 45 degrees..but nothing about them using the one from RSX inside the TSX?? Where did you get this?? Ours is set to 25 degrees in stock form..but since its adjustable it can be set higher.. I need Hondata to tell me otherwise since nothing on the site said they actually used the one from the RSX

JTso

iTrader: (2)

You need to read the link again, slowly this time.

chuson

Hey JTso~ I've seen you in alot of post around here, especially in the Performance section. Anywayz, I got a quick question to ask cause I search but people answer vary. For all this ECU reflashes (such as Hondata or Hydra), they were tuned w/ I/H/E from skretch, and yields are Noticeable gain. However, does it matter that I must to I/H/E first, then send to Hondata for reflash? Can I send my ECU to Hondata to reflash first, then get my IH/E after and still gain the same amount of HP/Torque as previous method?? THX

CCColtsicehockey

i think you should be fine. you will jut want to unplug your battery for about 15minutes each time you add a new part to reset fuel mapping. i think that is right atleast.