Rant Alert:
What gets me is, the EFI guys are playing with Dodge ECM's and still have not gotten V2 interface device to work 100% standalone. How long has the V2 been on the market?
Data logging - yes, standalone flashing - no... What else was the V2 going to do... I can't remember its been so long. How much was the V1, $5xx. The V2 is $800. $300 for the V2 interface device and it does not live up to it's $300 price tag. WTF.
RANT OVER... Carry on...
I don't speak for the EFILive team, but here's my take on it.
Yeah, seeing the V2's potential is like seeing a whole bunch of LARGE packages under the Christmas tree with your name on them but your cruel parents put up the tree in July.
But at this stage, only the $4000 Tech2 package is a standalone system, and it does not have the capabilities for custom programming. EFILive will datalog many things that the Tech2 cannot.
No other product on earth that I've seen has a better feature set for custom programming our trucks, regardless of price.
My guess is that when EFILive decided to support CAN programming (for us, LBZ+) and their V1 unit would not fit the bill, they put together a 10 year plan when designing the V2. "What kinds of things do we want to be able to do with this hardware in the future?" They made a shopping-list of all the things that they wanted done, and made sure the hardware would support it.
In the world of consumer goods, it is bizarre. Very few devices are planned with future expansion in mind. Normally the path is to make the hardware support what they need TODAY, then expect you to throw away their 2007 model and buy a 2009 model to get an additional feature.
Heck, if you want to upgrade your engine in a Prius, do you think Toyota makes provisions for it?
I'll admit though, when I hear folk mention EFILive's $799 price and question why they don't get more in the box, it baffles me. My Tech2 cost over $4k, and they want $1200 a year for updates. One of my machines at work needs a $6000/yr software upgrade fee. My CAD system is about $1200/yr for updates. This notebook I'm typing on was $1200, and I bought it after I bought EFILive. Both my V1 and V2 still work flawlessly, yet this computer is dying. As have 2 others purchased since EFILive came out.
If you want to blame someone for EFILive using their limited resources on expanding into other Common Rail engines, blame guys like me. Many of us started pestering EFILive many years ago to move out of familiar territory and expand into the unknown. GM has the MOST custom programming support of any auto brand in the world. I have used at least 3 different brands of custom tuning packages for a Vette. Probably many more. The other brands have far less tools available, and far less available experience to tap.
Like I've said before, my goal is to make the EFILive crew thrive. Not because I consider them my friends, but so their company stays healthy and well-funded. Products like LS1Edit and others essentially croaked because they did not expand fast enough into new markets. I want EFILive to be around 20 years from now.
