Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Considering PFC's for R33s require a mortgage these days anyone tried a wolf V500?

Ive been looking around at a few ECU's and theres a fair bit of useful info around here, but no-one's said much about the V500. If anyone's used one with a gts-t, your opinions would be appreciated.

Cheers

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/164684-wolf-v500-on-r33-gts-t/
Share on other sites

  • Replies 55
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

That is slightly untrue. As you need to look at what is best for your car and the long term goals you have. For example I looked at the Wolf (and still considering it) for a few reasons. Some of them being: the ability to have dual maps (one for street, dyno/circuit), internal 30PSI MAP sensor, inbuilt turbo timer, add on boost controller, easy to use screen (far better than the old style PFC one). They have a direct plugin and not all that expensive for what they are. Looking around $1900 for the ECU and Controller.

The tune will only be as good as the tuner, but the ECU is definately not determined by the tuner.

Thanks for the reply PSI those are good points which are swaying me too when looking at the v500 ;)

$1900 is a decent price considering a PFC + new AFM (which many people forget to factor in) is not all that far off in terms of price.

We all know a tune is only as good as its tuner... what i was getting at is the whole deal with the V500 as compared to other stand alone ECUs, i.e.: ease of use, tuner availability, bang for buck??? Haven't heard of all that many people putting them in 33 gts-t's (yet)... anyone else?

The main problem you will find is trying to track down a tuner. Some are reluctant as they have to spend time getting to know the user interface. There are Wolf premium dealers around so either try to track one of them down, or speak to your preferred tuner and ask them if they are willing to take the time to get to know the Wolf. I dare say that they will be pleasantly suprised at what Wolf can offer them. Your totally right about the price being about the same with people getting a Z32 as well. Removing the AFM altogether is a better option IMO too, it unclutters the engine bay that little more and a MAP sensor gives a true indicator as to the amount of air being fed into the engine. As the air that passes through the AFM still has to hit the compresser blades, travel through the intercooler, some more piping, and then into the plenum, with possible leaks and pressure drops along the way. There are different trains of thought however.

As for cars that are currently using Wolf, see issue 77 of HPI, the GHOSTT car is running V4, soon to be upgraded to V500, and puts out 487RWKW. And just remember, just because people aren't doing it, doesn't make it wrong.

Very true and all the more reason to look seriously at one ;)

Since u mentioned it, and just out of curiosity, how does the old v4 stack up these days as a cheapo alternative in terms of features? The V500 has an impressive features list... what are the differences?

That is slightly untrue. As you need to look at what is best for your car and the long term goals you have. For example I looked at the Wolf (and still considering it) for a few reasons. Some of them being: the ability to have dual maps (one for street, dyno/circuit), internal 30PSI MAP sensor, inbuilt turbo timer, add on boost controller, easy to use screen (far better than the old style PFC one). They have a direct plugin and not all that expensive for what they are. Looking around $1900 for the ECU and Controller.

The tune will only be as good as the tuner, but the ECU is definately not determined by the tuner.

Ok scenario.

Tuner has never used a Wolf. Yet the tuner has used PowerFC's for 3-4 years.

Would you give them a wolf and expect the best possible work? No.

I know what your saying and I agree somewhat, however any decent tuner should be able to tune any ECU. The main point I was trying to get across is that you have to have the right ECU for your engine/power goals/current modifications to get the full benefit.

however any decent tuner should be able to tune any ECU.

exactly spot on, couldnt of said it any better, id go with a v500 for sure, heard lots of good things about them and looking at the features it has you can almost compare it to a MOTEC (almost) but if if had known this computer was coming out i would of got it instead of a PFC 100%

I'd be very reluctant to try an ECU that is at this stage fairly well untested in the industry unless you dont mind paying for the extra hours that may be involved. From what I've seen of the earlier wolf versions aka 3 I would be very reluctant to use. It's one thing for an ECU to say it supports say closed loop cam or ETC but its a whole nother ball game to actually prove that it can - incomparison to the factory ECU (and that includes the all bells and whistle M800 motec). That said the r33 is a donkey in terms of new electromechanical features so as long as it does fuel, timing and a few other things correctly you SHOULD be fine.

  • 3 months later...

Yes, we can supply you with Wolf, PM or Email ([email protected]) for pricing and availability as the controllers are now a discontinued item (might have some left in stock) and they are looking for a replacement.

I'd be very reluctant to try an ECU that is at this stage fairly well untested in the industry unless you dont mind paying for the extra hours that may be involved. From what I've seen of the earlier wolf versions aka 3 I would be very reluctant to use. It's one thing for an ECU to say it supports say closed loop cam or ETC but its a whole nother ball game to actually prove that it can - incomparison to the factory ECU (and that includes the all bells and whistle M800 motec). That said the r33 is a donkey in terms of new electromechanical features so as long as it does fuel, timing and a few other things correctly you SHOULD be fine.

How can you say "V3 was shit so the V500 must be shit too"? Ever here of manufacturers advancing their technologies or upgrading by 'leaps and bounds'

How good was you PC 12 years ago? Will you now say that all new PC's are shit and slow, because your 486 only had 4 meg ram and a 20Mb hard drive? Same principal applies.

The V3 was a basic ecu and pretty damn crude. The V4 had MASSIVE improvements, i have actually been using one in my car for the last 4-5yrs. I have seen the V500 installed and running in two R33 GTR's, one gtst and a few other cars. I am very impressed with it's features, tunning abilities and how smoothly it runs the cars. I am currently considering upgrading to the V500, in the near future, that is how impressed i am. A.E.M. (wolf 3d designers/manufacturers) are currently looking for a replacement h/c as the N.Z. manufacturer went bust; so until i see the new h/c i will stick with the V4.

The feature that sealed the deal for me, over the Pfc, was PIN security. This stops the engine from starting, once enabled, until the PIN number is entered. When i take my car to my mechanic, i disable it, so he doesn't even know my PIN :(.

There is a shit load of features the new V500 can do, too many to mention. But Ash is 100% correct, it's only as good as it's tuner. Even though my mechanic has been tunning Wolfs for 5+yrs, he still occasionally rings AEM to get advise on how to tackle certain gremlins.

You will not regret buying the V500, provided you can find a good tuner.

PS: GHOSTT was built by my mechanic, and is yet to be hooked up to the NOS bottle in the boot :)

Yes, we can supply you with Wolf, PM or Email ([email protected]) for pricing and availability as the controllers are now a discontinued item (might have some left in stock) and they are looking for a replacement.

NO hand controllers left :(

sorry if im hijacking but maybe another alternative just discovered an interesting thing the adaptronic ecu now has an option to supply a plug in loom for the r33 rb25det :)

New Products: Plug in looms and Igniters

Adaptronic have designed and built a plug in loom for the R33 skyline(RB25DET) which may also suit other R33's and R32's, and a plug in loom for the Suzuki Swift GTi G13B Mk2 & Mk3, we are still interested to hear what other vehicles you would like plug in looms for. We are now also stocking single channel 'dumb' igniters for those of you who decide or need to change the ignition system

http://www.adaptronic.com.au/ $990 for ecu and $350 with loom and mapsensor

so $1340 all up and u can use a laptop to tune and monitor

maybe the new upcoming ecu for all *ponders the thought*

how does the wolf v5 compare to the apexi power fc for R33 GTST??

is it worth payin the bit extra for the V5??

as nismoid says it comes down to the tuner. if they are a good pfc tuner then the pfc will be ok, but as far as ease of tuning i'd probably say the wolf would be easier, since you don't have to fill in every part of the grid. with the wolf you can just change the scale and it will fill in lots of gaps.

plus it is all in english.

some cool features of the wolf:

you can set a lower rev limit for the turbo timer so if someone was to steal the car while the turbo timer is on they can't rev it very high

has both soft cut and hard cut rev limiter

good display

6 stage shift light control

can have 2 wideband o2 sensors hooked up to monitor/control afrs.

help text for everything.

if i had a spare few hours i would take some screenshots of it all, but there is just too much of it.

I would definately pick the V500 over the Pfc.

- as stated by mad082

PLUS

- PIN security

- Multiple AUX inputs and outputs (Control boost, thermo fan, NOS, water spray, Meth inj, C2O, warning lights, afr sensor, etc)

- turbo timer

- boost control via rpm and load

- map sensor

- full sequential injection (just like Pfc: V4 was grouped for 5+ cylinders)

- and a whole lot of other shit i don't even know.

With the Pfc you are just limited to whatever the std ecu controlled, and the option for the added boost controller, which i have read/heard is a prick to make run properly.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • What 1.5 way? There's no such thing really as a 1.5 way, just different ways of explaining 2 ways with different ramp rates. HOWEVER. In any driving in a straight line your 1.5 or 2 or 1.7 way should have no clunking at all. With the clutch fully depressed the diff should be silent (unless it's welded but I'm assuming it's not). Something aint right here.
    • Clutch is a spec brand, new clutch system,( PP, flywheel, friction disc, etc. pull type) installed 100 miles ago, with no problems.
    • looking for some help and maybe some insight on others experience with a new LSD. R34 GT ran and drove beautifully, but always alot of grip loss due to the open R200 rear end, so I just installed a new 1.5 LSD way into the stock open R200 for a ER34. Simple. Everything seemed right. I test drove for the first time this weekend. as I started to back out the garage the first time slowly with tires straight it sounded and felt like I had a loose or half disconnected drive shaft...that was clucking around loose and shaking entire vehicle, and making it feel like the trans clutch was spontaneously slipping then grabbing very roughly while just letting out pedal slowly. I backed it out went to pull forward with the same noise, shake and slip grab feeling with hesitation, I turned the tires to back out more and then pulled ahead some same thing but worst because of added wheel resistance (which that I expected) puzzled … pulling it back in checking everything over and finding nothing wrong, I tried it the next day. same thing, couldn’t believe how it shook everything again making a terrible noise and making it feel like the trans clutch was slipping and grabbing, but I got it out of garage into the driveway, got it straight, drove forward and then reveres a few times in a straight line everything shaking , causing what felt like clutch slip and grab every time, sounded like right behind front driver tire and I could feel it in the floor board with my feet,... worst right when beginning to let clutch pedal out to engage slightly, shuttering and sounding terrible along the way…I managed to slowly get down the road, babying it the whole way, once I was rolling (out of 1st) seemed to be better and between shifts, then clutch felt closer to normal…not slip/ grab etc., but back down to any stop, straight road or turning, same thing. Made no difference if all tires were straight or if I was turning. All other gauge read out correct. with in 2 miles as planned I reached the empty parking lot and performed the break in procedure that came with lsd, essentially to drive in a figure 8 a bunch.  Did this, binding chattering, and shaking the car the whole way. I drove it back home seemed somewhat normal once I was in straight line and past 10 mph or so, and I know it will “bind” on corners and cause some tires squeal when turning especially from a stop, but when I begin to move it still causes what feels like the trans clutch to slip and jerk badly as well as shaking the entire car, and sounds terrible, that I didn’t expect. I used the fluid they supplied with LSD kit and did the breaking, planning to change fluid as they suggest after breaking, but wondering will it get smoother or less aggressive with use? maybe a 1.5 is just too aggressive for normal road driving?   I have a LSD that I put in my 71 cuda when I restored it, with amazing smooth , quite yet effective results. Different style LSD but that ones a joy to drive. maybe expecting too much from this R200?
    • Join SAU NSW for a flame-grilled feed & flame-spitting cruise! Sunday 17th August 2025 3:30PM Meeting Archies Flame Grille Sylvania Waters 4:45PM Cruise Departure 5:15PM Arrival at Cape Solander Kurnell Meet Location: Archies Flame Grille Final Destination: Cape Solander Kurnell *Disclaimer* There will be a lead and follow car so no one should get lost. If you would like to attend or bring others along please put your name down and a +1 as numbers will be needed prior! This is NOT a race and we will all be adhering to all road rules. If this is what you want please come to one of our many track days. This is an official SAU:NSW event and will be run under a CAMS permit. One of the things that really sets our club apart is our commitment to being true enthusiasts. When on normal roads we strive to maintain good relations with the authorities as well as the public in general. When attending one of Skylines Australia NSW events please try to: • Be aware of surrounding environment and act accordingly. • Drive courteously on the state’s roads as a true enthusiast should. • Understand how important it is to maintain the good name of SAU NSW and thus, treat others accordingly. • Any misbehavior will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave.
    • Yeah good luck out there! Will be good to see a mighty GTST going harder than the GTRs
×
×
  • Create New...