[99MustangGTman]

I currently have an 86 GT with A9L ECU, no tuning chips like the Quarterhorse or TwEEcer. I was talking to my tuner and he said he could install an SCT chip for $249 and then charge for 2-3 hours of tuning. I used him in the past to tune my Vortech 99 GT.

Over the winter I spent close to $2k on suspension parts since the previous owner literally didn't do a single suspension mod to the car. I'll be buying my best friend's wife's cousin DSS 331 stoker longblock for close for $3k, but he wants to get rid of it since he sold his Fox and I think I can buy it for around $2500. It has TFS 185 heads which I don't think they make anymore, TFS twisted wedge flycut pistons, and more. It's completely built and running.

Anyways, i'm tired of running the A9L ECU and thinking about chipping it. I want full and total control, so I am convinced of buying the Holley Terminator X stand alone set-up and I haven't heard anything but stellar reviews of it. I was considering the MS PnP 2.0, but fully loaded, the price is $1049 and I can purchase the Holley Terminator X for $1,180. I figure for $131.00 extra for what is considered one of, if not the best stand alone system is barely an inconvenience. It will be installed on my mild build TFS top end kit Fox, but will really come in handy once the 331 stroker is installed.

Is the Holley Terminator X all it's cracked up to be? I have friends with Fox Bodies that absolutely love the system.

Another friend has a Pro-M set-up, but there's no way i'm spending that kind of money of that system. His car came with it when he bought it, so it's not like he shelled out that kind of money on the Pro-M set-up, which I also hear is excellent, but damn, that a lot of money.

 

[kjb302ho]

Money vs time, needs vs wants. I've learned it always comes down to those 2 situations.

both will run the engine.

 

[sd_fox_racer]

Holley just discontinued the fox body kit so if you can find one now is the time to get one

 

[SLOWBRA]

I'm satisfied with the Holley system. Easy install, but you still need to know how to tune it properly. Holley's self learning system certainly helps, but it is not magic. All things considered I'd likely suggest keeping the OEM wiring/computer setup unless there is a specific reason why what you have won't support what you are trying to do.

 

[turboLXstang]

Pro-M is worth every penny, fired my tuner many moons ago, sounds like your on a budget, good luck, here is what my car does without paying someone to tune it...

427w Twin Turbo
E85 (true flex fuel, pump whatever the hell I want, whenever I want without touching the tune)
Nitrous Control
Water/Meth Control
Boost Control
Traction Control
Launch Control
Individual coils

Did I mention yet that this setup required no tuning...

 

[kjb302ho]

pay up front or pay in the rear. get whatever you want. your car your money

 

[Draggin90]

A chip and a tune is going to be your cheapest option. If you're not going to be changing the combo up a lot in the future, that is a good choice. The Holley is a great system if you know how to tune. if you don't, you're going to have to pay someone to do it for you on top of the initial cost of the Holley.

For a simple h/c na setup I'd stick with the stock computer.

 

[kjb302ho]

A chip and a tune is going to be your cheapest option. If you're not going to be changing the combo up a lot in the future, that is a good choice. The Holley is a great system if you know how to tune. if you don't, you're going to have to pay someone to do it for you on top of the initial cost of the Holley.

For a simple h/c na setup I'd stick with the stock computer.

A chip and a tune is going to be your cheapest option. If you're not going to be changing the combo up a lot in the future, that is a good choice. The Holley is a great system if you know how to tune. if you don't, you're going to have to pay someone to do it for you on top of the initial cost of the Holley.

For a simple h/c na setup I'd stick with the stock computer.

hopefully you have a quality tuner thats able to pick up on things wrong with your car that you thought was correct. things like vacuum leaks, fuel pressure, fuel system design spark plugs, charging system, starting system bad connections, battery cables, engine venting systems often go overlooked. some just take your money, install a Holley and not gaf. others take their time to see if your build actually will benefit from aftermarket efi system.

Youd be surprised how well your setup will run if everything is properly functioning. might not even need a toon. any questions pm me. Doesn't matter what system you go with, the basics are the same. gl

 

[kjb302ho]

Pro-M is worth every penny, fired my tuner many moons ago, sounds like your on a budget, good luck, here is what my car does without paying someone to tune it...

427w Twin Turbo
E85 (true flex fuel, pump whatever the hell I want, whenever I want without touching the tune)
Nitrous Control
Water/Meth Control
Boost Control
Traction Control
Launch Control
Individual coils

Did I mention yet that this setup required no tuning...

View attachment 1085853

All that is included with the pro m. not to mention that the harness is a direct replacement for your year mustang, the ecm can be mounted in the engine compartment (not fox body specific) and all the connections are OEM.

you definitely get what you pay for.

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Every engine combination is different, to just throw in the same set of tables and say it's optimal for everything is ridiculous. IDGAF what system you're using, Holley, Motec, Haltec, AEM, Pro-M, Jesus Tune, MS3, ect... You can make anything "run good" if you numb things down enough. Hell, we ran a single turbo 408cid 700hp car with a stock untuned A9L no problem. But it was far from optimal.

I've been very happy with the TermX. I have put some time into it. I've enjoyed learning the aspects of tuning it. (I started with a Tweecer/Quarterhorse on an A9L) The end all is better than any of the stuff people here run. The part I really like is that as a community I can get help pretty much anytime from other users. The Holley EFI FB group has over 32 THOUSAND members. I have local friends with the same systems to bounce idea's off. So far I've put about 8,000 miles on mine. I take my kid to school and commute to work in the summer. I run open track sessions, drag, and auto-x. Pretty much just beat the hell out of the car any chance I get. One pro I've really liked is the ability to data log straight to the SD card on the 3.5" touch screen display. I'm glad it ditched the MAF.

That being said, honestly, with the setup your mentioning, spend $250 and get a Moates Quarter Horse, then have your tuner tune it. This will give you the ability to make any changes you want down the road yourself especially for drivability stuff. Unless you a planning a build that will go outside the processing abilities (7000+ rpm) of the A9L stay with it. Chip burning is a huge thing of the past, it's also very costly. If you want to make one slight change you have to have the chip completely reburnt. The support network for the QH are pretty good. Mathew Harris at Leech Motorsports has a ton of good videos and there are a couple of good online forums/fb groups as well. Cost per control, it's the best bang/buck for a typical SBF street build, but it can have a steep learning curve because there are a gazillion tables/scalars. Also another perk of this is keeping your emissions items and compliancy.

There ya go, Way overkill answer from a "do it or don't" question.

P.S. Yes, Holley is discontinuing the "F" systems. They have a longer harness and bracket to mount the ECU under the passenger seat. Also the Ford specific IAC plug pigtail is installed and pinned. The standard 550-937 & 550-943 systems will still work great.

 

[99MustangGTman]

I contacted Holley this morning to confirm the the dire stock/discontinuation of the Terminator X and the guy I was talking to confirmed it. He told me the government was cracking down hard on things like this, which I already knew about some performance parts, which I first saw with the disappearance of the O/R H/X pipes quite a while ago, and then other items that weren't that hardcore pollution emitting aftermarket pieces just up and disappeared, and even items that weren't even really related to the engine and the end product of multiple carbon deposits which puzzled me, but the government/EPA tends to make no sense in what their end decisions tend to be while they ignore or are paid offf to look the other way on issues that really affect the whole pollution issue.




Anyways, I went searching this morning after a few retailers that said they had stock, actually didn't, and I was able to find AFM still had stock of the Holley Terminator X set-up for Fox Body 302s, so I went ahead and made the purchase. They were charging a couple hundred more than I intended to pay, but they didn't charge tax and only $10 for shipping. The other places I was going to order from charge tax and the end price would have been only $100 less, so it's not that much I would be saving. I'm just happy I was able to order the Holley Terminator X while I still can.

 

[Dwain]

Most people can tune a stock computer with more than adequate results. For 250 you can buy a qh and tune it yourself. Unless you need specific features the Holley offers, i don't see the point.

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Most people can tune a stock computer with more than adequate results. For 250 you can buy a qh and time it yourself. Unless you need specific features the Holley offers, i don't see the point.

Agreed, got pretty far for 12 years with a tweecer/binary editor setup. It wasn’t until this recent build I needed to up the game. Plus I really wanted to ditch the 30 year old wiring.

 

[LEE Boss]

I contacted Holley this morning to confirm the the dire stock/discontinuation of the Terminator X and the guy I was talking to confirmed it. He told me the government was cracking down hard on things like this, which I already knew about some performance parts, which I first saw with the disappearance of the O/R H/X pipes quite a while ago, and then other items that weren't that hardcore pollution emitting aftermarket pieces just up and disappeared, and even items that weren't even really related to the engine and the end product of multiple carbon deposits which puzzled me, but the government/EPA tends to make no sense in what their end decisions tend to be while they ignore or are paid offf to look the other way on issues that really affect the whole pollution issue.




Anyways, I went searching this morning after a few retailers that said they had stock, actually didn't, and I was able to find AFM still had stock of the Holley Terminator X set-up for Fox Body 302s, so I went ahead and made the purchase. They were charging a couple hundred more than I intended to pay, but they didn't charge tax and only $10 for shipping. The other places I was going to order from charge tax and the end price would have been only $100 less, so it's not that much I would be saving. I'm just happy I was able to order the Holley Terminator X while I still can.

Call Matt Harrison at Leech Motorsports before you install the Holley. He can give you the pointers you need and even send you a startup tune and remote revisions to get you going. You will need a laptop to set up IAC, can't just use the handheld for that.

 

[99MustangGTman]

Every engine combination is different, to just throw in the same set of tables and say it's optimal for everything is ridiculous. IDGAF what system you're using, Holley, Motec, Haltec, AEM, Pro-M, Jesus Tune, MS3, ect... You can make anything "run good" if you numb things down enough. Hell, we ran a single turbo 408cid 700hp car with a stock untuned A9L no problem. But it was far from optimal.

I've been very happy with the TermX. I have put some time into it. I've enjoyed learning the aspects of tuning it. (I started with a Tweecer/Quarterhorse on an A9L) The end all is better than any of the stuff people here run. The part I really like is that as a community I can get help pretty much anytime from other users. The Holley EFI FB group has over 32 THOUSAND members. I have local friends with the same systems to bounce idea's off. So far I've put about 8,000 miles on mine. I take my kid to school and commute to work in the summer. I run open track sessions, drag, and auto-x. Pretty much just beat the hell out of the car any chance I get. One pro I've really liked is the ability to data log straight to the SD card on the 3.5" touch screen display. I'm glad it ditched the MAF.

That being said, honestly, with the setup your mentioning, spend $250 and get a Moates Quarter Horse, then have your tuner tune it. This will give you the ability to make any changes you want down the road yourself especially for drivability stuff. Unless you a planning a build that will go outside the processing abilities (7000+ rpm) of the A9L stay with it. Chip burning is a huge thing of the past, it's also very costly. If you want to make one slight change you have to have the chip completely reburnt. The support network for the QH are pretty good. Mathew Harris at Leech Motorsports has a ton of good videos and there are a couple of good online forums/fb groups as well. Cost per control, it's the best bang/buck for a typical SBF street build, but it can have a steep learning curve because there are a gazillion tables/scalars. Also another perk of this is keeping your emissions items and compliancy.

There ya go, Way overkill answer from a "do it or don't" question.

P.S. Yes, Holley is discontinuing the "F" systems. They have a longer harness and bracket to mount the ECU under the passenger seat. Also the Ford specific IAC plug pigtail is installed and pinned. The standard 550-937 & 550-943 systems will still work great.

I appreciate your post! As for my car now, it's a mild 302. Mid to end of the summer though I am installing a DSS 331 stroker longblock, TFS 185 64 cc heads (which I don't think they make anymore), Moroso Oil Pan, TFS flycut forged piston kit, TFS 1.6 roller rockers, BBK shorty headers. all ARP head studs and bolts, Fel-Pro head and intake gaskets, TFS alignment dowels, TFS pushrods, block was bored .30 over and honed, stoker kit was professionally installed by a local shop, FMS valve covers, and a bunch of other stuff i'm forgetting. I'm going to place my black TFS valve covers, TFS Track Heat upper/lower manifold, and a few other things from my engine I think are a better option/looks better. Since it's my best friend's wife's cousin, he's willing to cut me a steal of a deal for it.

I really want to keep this car N/A since my other Mustangs have all been turned into a forced induction ride. My WRX obviously came turbocharged and I spent a good chunk of change tastefully modding it and the car was a blast to drive as my DD and the car was unstoppable with winter tires when it snowed here. I'm referring to the one year in particular we got hit with a blizzard with 6ft of snow and the car roamed the barely plowed streets with ease. Truly my best DD i've ever owned. That was a bit off topic, but I adored this car as my DD.

 

[99MustangGTman]

Call Matt Harrison at Leech Motorsports before you install the Holley. He can give you the pointers you need and even send you a startup tune and remote revisions to get you going. You will need a laptop to set up IAC, can't just use the handheld for that.

Thanks, much appreciated! Any help with this Holley set-up is welcome. After 1 year and 5 months of owning this car, this is the most expensive single purchase i've made for it. After installing this, I can't wait to install all the suspension parts I have for this car.

 

[SLOWBRA]

I second Matt @ Leech. He is who I'm working with on my tuning. If you go the Holley route I definitely recommend him too.

 

[kjb302ho]

Call Matt Harrison at Leech Motorsports before you install the Holley. He can give you the pointers you need and even send you a startup tune and remote revisions to get you going. You will need a laptop to set up IAC, can't just use the handheld for that.

whats a startup tune and remote revisions?

 

[99MustangGTman]

whats a startup tune and remote revisions?

I'm guessing like a base-file tune and basic parameters you should set to help you get started.

 

[turboLXstang]

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