Raymond and Joe:
This has been asked by many, but I'll try to do it calmly:
What stops anyone from doing any of the things you have pointed out from doing so now?
Example: My Saturn. I could spend the money to shoe horn an ECU into the factory box. A MOTEC will fit. Creating the adaptor to go from the stock wiring plug to the MOTEC is actually fairly easy (just need a donor stock computer). Then Dyno time (yeah, like there is anyone else with a baseline MOTEC program for a Saturn!), at least 1 engine (though I'm a test engineer, the limits do need to be explored), and other assorted stuff. All told, it will probably cost about $10K to put a MOTEC in the car, under the current rules.
Under the new rules, things can change a little bit. I can now run a megasquirt n spark (it wouldn't fit into the stock housing before. Believe me, I looked, modeled it in CAD, tried using a shoehorn...) and can get a baseline Saturn program that will at least make the engine run. Combine that with a DAQ system, and I can now adjust the fuel mixture on the track/street (I'd mount it all in my daily driver to see if it works). Sure, I will probably spend some money on the Dyno, but I will have a good baseline to start with. Based on my estimates, this will reduce the cost of the ECU by at least 50% (not including DAQ, which I'm going to ask Santa for this year), leaving me extra money for a Skip Barber school (which will probably improve my times more than the damn computer).
There are no flash programmers for a Saturn. There are no performance chips for a Saturn. Saturn has not and will not release the encryption codes for the computers. Am I complaining? No. It's my fault for not understanding this better when I built the car. Would I like the new rule to go through? You betcha! But, if it doesn't, oh well. It's not going to change where I finish.
Anyway, that's my $0.02. Please answer the first question.
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