Hondata or Crome with IHE tune?

ITR01

New Member
Hey guys! Thanks for reading this post. I have a B18B1 with 40k with CAI, header, test pipe, exhaust, other bolt ons etc like new belts and distributor and plugs and fuel filter (if that maintinence parts matters at all). I am debating on what tune to get. My tuner suggest I can get either crome or hondata. My tuner told me I can get similar gains but crome can have bugs in the system etc and i can squeeze more out from hondata, is that true?. As of 2015 is Crome still buggy in the system and hondata is the most reliable? I know im not gunna get the most gains from just the bolt ons like 10hp but I know im not going to do anything crazy interally for a long time but am very interested in getting a tune! I also know that hondata is more expensive but if it really is that much better i am willing to get it. I am also aware that if i do add more mods i should get it retuned, but as mentioned before, i am pretty much done with my car as far modifications. I just know that i want the tune to be my next step this year and probably final step. What are your thoughts between the two programs and how much will I gain? I am just trying to squeeze the most of what I have now with the tune and enjoy the car for a long time. Thanks again for reading guys and any feedback would be much appreciated.
 

Muckman

Not a M0derator
For a simple tune Crome is fine especially if the tuner is OK with it. You wont gain anymore power from Hondata over Crome. Thats nonsense. I recommend Crome for you.
 

ITR01

New Member
Thanks for the reply, I have heard that crome has some problems with starting at idle, if those bugs can be elinated for sure i would go with that. But in all honestly i dont want that thought to be lingering in myind. So if hondata you think is more reliable, wouldnt the extra money be worth it instead of being stressed with crome bugs?
 

Aussie

Zoom-Zoom
Chrome isn't going to cause a poor idle; all it does is allow mapping of the a/f/i tables. Any idle problems people have experienced are the result of poor tuning or a maintenance issue. The problems I've seen in the past with chrome were usually with turbo setups related to boost control. Only reason to use Hondata is more fine tuning, more options, and a more friendly interface. All you're tuner's going to do is lean it out a little to try and make more power, chrome is fine.
 


ITR01

New Member
Thanks for your input. Crome is starting to look like a better option for me. I am afraid that while im driving five months down the road the program which glitch and run me really rich or get a check engine light. Are there any possibilities of it glitching after any kinks were fixed or picked up during the dyno tune?
 

ITR01

New Member
Im just concered that since there is no more support to crome it would be an unfinished program. As opposed to hondata there is support to fix bugs that may have gappened with updates. Even though im just doing a/f/i i just want the best for my car cause im trying to keep it running for a long time. If crome can do that garunteed i can do that. Is it a risk?
 

Muckman

Not a M0derator
I have tuned tuned several cars on crome and never had these glitches you speak of. The interface stinks and the logging is crude. The interface is not as polished as Hondata (or Neptune) but the core program (ignition and fuel tables) are the same as any ROM editor. Contrary to belief a large part of the Ecu is not reprogramable and the core functions like idle control are untouched. The ROM editors only get you limited access to change minor parameters.

There are many many more Hondas driving around on Crome maps than Hondata just due to the lower cost. If you had said you wanted advanced features like really precise boost control, or external inputs or coil on plug then Id say you need Hondata but you dont. Also if you had said you plan on tuning the car yourself I would say go with Hondata as the interface is better and real time programming is less of a head ache. But since you dont need any of those and your tuner will be tuning, Crome will be fine. You can certainly pay more for Hondata, which is nicer, but you dont need to. Crome is fine for you.
 


Nick_C78

New Member
Crome for sure. You don't even have vtec so tuning will be cake. Make sure the tuner is good though. A lot of people tune for wide open, but never for part throttle. Part throttle controls the drivability of the car. This shouldn't be an issue with yours since the mods are so mild, but future reference. Theres a lot of crappy tuners out there so be mindful that he is tuning for drivability and longevity. Not peak power alone.
 

ITR01

New Member
Thanks so much guys for the input, I guess crome it is! And yes you got that right, I want drivability as well as longevity and not peak power alone! Does it matter between crome free, crome pro, and crome dealer on how smooth the software wll run? Or is it just options and features? Will I get a better tune between any of them? Im going to ask my tuner but I just wanted a general knowledge between the three.
 

ITR01

New Member
I was looking on cromes website and saw some slight differences within the three. I hope my tuner has the dealer version. But if anything hopefully I can still get air fuel ratios adjusted by the off chance they only have crome free. Fingers crossed on monday!
 

Muckman

Not a M0derator
He SHOULD have the dealer license if he is offering Crome services. However you could get by without logging. All you really need to log is AFR which you can do manually by watching the wideband gauge or using a sniffer on the dyno if he has that option.
 

Bacon Bits

New Member
I've never had an issue with Crome in any car I have ever owned. I've only used Hondata in my current DB2. Currently, it's running on S300 V1 but I have V3 waiting to go in. My car is just a simple intake, header, full exhaust, Skunk2 intake manifold.....

.....Do I need Hondata? No. Is it overkill for our simple setups? Depends on who you ask. To me, I don't see it being overkill unless you buy it just to have that name in your ECU. Is it better than Crome? Also depends on who you ask. Hondata allows your tuner to do more adjustments as well as running a full map on a car with boost, BBG, and COP.

So, if you plan to go all motor or forced induction one day, you can go ahead and purchase Hondata. If you plan to keep this car as a simple daily with basic boltons, go with Crome.
 
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