Tag: 4e-fte

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Which ECU should I choose for my Toyota Starlet?

The answer to this question depends on a few factors. Generally speaking, any standalone ECU from Link, Haltech, ECUMaster, DTA Fast, Motec, MaxxECU etc will do the job perfectly. The 4E-FTE, 4E-FE and 5E engines are fairly simple 4 cylinder engines so most of the base model ECU’s will do the job. One thing to think about when choosing an ECU is where will you have the car mapped? Picking an ECU which your mapper will be comfortable tuning will usually yield the best results or if you really want a particular brand, be prepared to travel to someone familiar with the platform.

Trigger inputs

If you are using the 4E-FTE cam sensor as the trigger then you will need to make sure the ECU has 2 trigger inputs. If you have a late model 4E-FE or 5E engine with the 36-2 crank trigger (or you have retro fitted a missing tooth trigger wheel to your crankshaft) then you can use a single trigger input ECU such as the MaxxECU Mini and run it in wasted spark. You will need a cam sync signal for fully sequential.

Do I need a more expensive ECU to make more power?

There is a common misconception that you need a more expensive ECU to make more power. In fact, usually you can make the same power figures on a manufacturers base model ECU as you can on the most expensive model.

See this article from High Performance Academy who explain this subject in depth https://www.hpacademy.com/technical-articles/which-standalone-ecu-is-the-best/

If most standalone ECU’s will produce the same power then why would I get a more expensive model?

In a word, features. Base models will often have just enough inputs/outputs for the engine to run but be missing some more advanced features like onboard wideband (most ECU’s can add this using a CAN wideband module), drive by wire (e-throttle), sometimes they are missing additional engine safety features such as knock sensor input/control (knock input is available on all Link ECU’s), additional temperature, analogue inputs, pulsed speed inputs for wheel speed and outputs etc.

See the Link ECU comparison list below

Our ECU recommendations

We like the Link ECU range as the software is really easy to use, the support has been fantastic any time I’ve created a forum post, they are really common so lots of tuners know them and the documentation is really good as well so anything you aren’t sure about you can learn from the PC Link help files. You could probably learn to tune your car using the Link help files alone.

  • Link G4X AtomX – This ECU is the perfect for most people, I personally ran the G4+ version of the Atom for 4 years. I would highly recommend adding a wideband input using the Link CAN Lambda module if you are tuning the car yourself or for closed loop fuel control.
  • Link G4X MonsoonX – Very similar to the Atom but comes with a few more inputs and outputs and motorsport features such as launch control and anti-lag. One additional feature worth pointing out is the built in 4 Bar MAP sensor meaning you don’t need to wire a map sensor in. You can also add DBW/E-Throttle to this ECU using the Link E-Throttle Module at the cost of 3 ECU outputs.
  • Link G4X FuryX – This is the big daddy of the Link G4X lineup and is overkill really but this ECU does it all. Way more ignition and injector outputs than you will probably need. Built in E-Throttle/DBW and wideband without using any external modules. Can run 4 wheel speed sensors for the ultimate traction/launch control. This is the ECU I’m currently using myself.

Which ECU should I avoid?

The following is just my opinion so don’t take it as fact. I won’t personally wire either product due to the following reasons.

  • Greddy EManage Blue / Ultimate – These piggyback ECU’s are getting pretty old now, while they do work fine for the most part the main issue you face is the operating system you need to tune them is Windows 7 (32 bit) which is long discontinued. The E-Manage blue has been discontinued for a while but the ultimate seems to still be available new. They are also fairly expensive for how old they are.
  • HKS F-Con – Again, same reason as above. They are getting on now and tuning them will be more difficult as time moves forward.

What about sensors?

For the most part I would recommend using this opportunity to swap out your 20+ year old temperature sensors for new ones. I’ve made a list of recommended sensors on another page.

Link to sensor recommendations

Where should I get my car mapped?

I highly recommend Chris at Dyna Tune in East Kilbride, Scotland. Dyna Tune have an awesome Dynapack Hub Dyno and Chris is a Starlet owner himself so is very knowledgeable on the 4E/5E platform. Dyna Tune have developed EP parts along with us and supply all the Link ECU products for EP Wiring customers. I hire out their dyno to tune my own car.

For people further south in the UK the following tuners are recommended by the community, RaceCal and SSA Performance. Note that I don’t have any personal experience with either company so please do your own research.

Can I map my car myself?

You can! But you must be prepared to commit at least 30-40 hours to learning how to do it. I personally mapped my own car at Dyna Tune when I made my first wiring harness for my Glanza V back in 2016. I used High Performance Academy’s courses which are awesome.

How do I fit a standalone ECU to my car?

We have created a ECU mounting bracket for most Link, Haltech and ECU Master Black ECU’s

As you might have guessed, that is what we at EP Wiring specialise in. Wiring harnesses are manufactured in house by using motorsport grade Spec 44 Tefzel wire and TechFlex fibreglass braid or DR-25 heat shrink.

For EP91 owners we offer a plugin solution to make the installation process as simple as possible, see the product below.

Toyota Starlet Glanza V Plug-in Wiring Loom (Harness) - 4E-FTE - Link G4X Monsoon X / Atom X

Toyota Starlet Glanza V Plug-in Wiring Loom (Harness) – 4E-FTE – Link G4X Monsoon X / Atom X

£750.00 – £1,614.90

If you have an EP82 or the above option doesn’t suit and you would like to discuss your options then please get in touch via the contact page, Facebook or Instagram.

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Creating the EP Wiring Drive By Wire (DBW) Conversion Parts – Toyota Starlet 4E-FTE

DBW Throttle Body Adapter for 4E-FTE Intake

I’d been wanting to convert my own 1998 EP91 Starlet Glanza V to Drive By Wire (DBW / e-throttle) for a while. I upgraded from a Link G4+ Atom to the G4+ Fury so I had an ECU capable of running Drive by Wire which was only 1 piece of the puzzle. I was also going to need a number of custom parts to fit both the electronic throttle body and the electronic accelerator pedal. I’m definitely not the first to do the conversion. Anyone before me had usually made custom 1 off brackets for a pedal and often they were using an aftermarket intake manifold or welding a flange onto the stock intake. Aftermarket intakes usually have Honda or other common throttle body mounts for which there already exists Drive By Wire adapter plates.

I wanted to keep the stock intake manifold, it’s capable of supporting all the power I’m ever likely to run. I’ve seen dyno print outs of over 400 bhp using the stock intake (@gt_advance_ and Spuddy).

Drive by Wire Throttle Body Size

The next question was what size of throttle body to use? The OEM intake has a 50mm port I wanted to use a throttle body with at least this size. Bosch make a 50mm electronic throttle body but it turns out it’s pretty hard to source in the UK. The only place who would give me a price quoted me £1200! So I wasn’t going to be using the 50mm size but how much bigger should I go?

I’ve been using High Performance Academy’s courses since 2016 for both learning to tune my own car and wiring courses (both of which are really good and I highly recommend them). They covered this exact topic on one of their webinars and released a YouTube video on this topic too, see the video below.

The best option for drivability would be sticking with as close to the OEM size of 50mm as possible, not boring out the intake but instead tapering the adapter to the correct size with a cheap and easy to source throttle body which is why I went with the Bosch 54mm (available on the website here).

4E-FTE Intake Prototype #1

Original EP Wiring Drive By Wire Throttle body adapter for 4E-FTE

The original prototype was designed and had 2 slightly different 3D printed versions made before ordering the first 6082 Aluminium version made in October 2022. The original design had an air temp sensor port slightly offset of the centre. The idea was it would be in airflow even when the throttle was closed. But when testing, the datalogs show the temperature would plummet the moment the throttle opened. It would also rise about 3 degrees when the throttle was at idle or part throttle for cruise. Chris at Dyna Tune actually pointed this out to me that the design would suffer from heat soak. My testing confirmed this.

This was an expensive mistake to make. I had to redesign the part removing the port from and reducing the height to make it more compact. One off prototype’s are expensive but part of the process. I had to pay the machine shop to redesign the tooling path for the new model. This sadly pushed the price up for the production run.

4E-FTE Intake Adapter – Production Version

Finally got the time and funds to update the design and put it into production. I had the production parts anodised clear for corrosion resistance.

With the reduction in height of the part I needed to change the taper angle of the design so that it would go from 54mm at the Bosch side and down to 50mm at the 4E-FTE intake side. Interested to find out if the 54mm throttle body will actually allow for more airflow. The throttle blade at 50mm is a slight restriction in the OEM size so this should effectively mitigate that. It will be interesting to see what power people can make with this setup – please tag me in your results.

I’m really happy with how it turned out and it looks really tidy in the engine bay.

Making the GT86 Electronic Pedal Adapter

EP Wiring EP91 GT86 Electronic Pedal Adapter Mount

I wanted to use a pedal which could be picked up pretty cheaply. I bought a GT86 pedal from eBay for £20 and set about trying to figure out a way to make it fit. After removing the OEM pedal, I replicated the mounting surface in Fusion 360, then held the GT86 pedal in place and took a load of photos and measurements. Sitting both pedals on my desk and noted that the GT86 actually had about 20mm of extra travel. This wasn’t ideal as the EP91 pedal was basically hitting the floor so my only option was to raise the pedal, luckily it isn’t too noticeable when driving.

The pedal adapter took a lot of 3D printed prototypes until I was happy with the fitment. I considered having them 3D printed from carbon nylon but that was actually more expensive than getting it machined from billet aluminium! Once I was happy I ordered the final design which you can buy here

See the Drive by Wire conversion products in this article below, international shipping available for all parts. Get in touch for a quote if you’re country is not listed in the delivery options.