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Thread: Plex Knock Monitor V2 - Experience?

  1. #1
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    Plex Knock Monitor V2 - Experience?

    Has anyone used this device before?

    https://www.plex-tuning.com/products...knock-monitor/

    looking for first hand experience with inline 6's.

    About 4k cheaper then an in cylinder pressure monitoring system.
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  2. #2
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    I only have experience with the Knock system on the Motec M1 ECU.

    Andre Simon is probably the best person to ask, as he has used all of the knock products out there....

    Another option is the Phormula system...

  3. #3
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    That better be awsome considering it costs as much as a standalone ecu with knock monitoring. It better be able to hear knock with the sensors in the glove box.


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  4. #4
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    It costs about 1k. And thinking that this could be used for multiple vehicles not just one.
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by euro2fast4u View Post
    It costs about 1k. And thinking that this could be used for multiple vehicles not just one.
    I would think that if your pushing the limits of octane, $1k is a small price to pay to have the best knock detection. But if your build is a known recipe with proven tuning, no need.
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  6. #6
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    key words. Tune is not proven it works but is not set up for max power.
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  7. #7
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    http://www.jandssafeguard.com/

    Though the best and cheapest option is some home made det cans. Its hard to beat your ears and brain for filtering.
    -Nick
    91 E30 M42 on VEMS

    Turbo Camshaft Thread

  8. #8
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    Ill have to research that product. Looks like its around 600 bucks.
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Butters Stoch View Post
    I would think that if your pushing the limits of octane, $1k is a small price to pay to have the best knock detection. But if your build is a known recipe with proven tuning, no need.
    It doesn't seem to do anything more than an AEM Infinity does on the knock side... and misses out on all that cool standalone stuff, like running your engine and adding safeguards based on the knock processing, in the process.

    Add-on boxes are such a 1990's/early 2000's method of tuning. There's really no excuse in using one these days unless it's to stay well under the cost of a standalone system.


    Voted - waste of time, this would have been much better if it came out 10-15 years ago.

  10. #10
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    It does communicate with standalone which is interesting. Only two communications at a time. Knock level + one of the other 7 features.

    So sounds like consensus is its not for a hobbyist.
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Def View Post
    It doesn't seem to do anything more than an AEM Infinity does on the knock side... and misses out on all that cool standalone stuff, like running your engine and adding safeguards based on the knock processing, in the process.

    Add-on boxes are such a 1990's/early 2000's method of tuning. There's really no excuse in using one these days unless it's to stay well under the cost of a standalone system.


    Voted - waste of time, this would have been much better if it came out 10-15 years ago.
    For real time tuning on the dyno, I'm told that some tuners prefer to use the Plex box, and then plug those #s back into a Motec M1 or AEM Infinity.

    For what I'm doing, I find the Motec M1 knock system to be all that I need. It's really easy to correlate signal traces against engine parameters...which is tough with an external box.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by euro2fast4u View Post
    It does communicate with standalone which is interesting. Only two communications at a time. Knock level + one of the other 7 features.

    So sounds like consensus is its not for a hobbyist.
    I don't think it's for anybody.

    I still don't know why you'd want to try to tune with some external add-on vs. doing it with the internal knock monitoring capabilities of your standalone, and create engine safeguards based on that.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Def View Post
    I don't think it's for anybody.

    I still don't know why you'd want to try to tune with some external add-on vs. doing it with the internal knock monitoring capabilities of your standalone, and create engine safeguards based on that.
    It's a tuning tool mainly that allows you to additionally use headphones as det cans to listen in (and filter) knock.

    Yes many aftermarket ECU's already have the option to detect knock, but you have to set it all up first and the best way to do so is to actually verify there is knock in the first place by listening to it. That's where this comes in.

    Not everyone will see a use for it, but tuners would. I have a similar box (not a nice) that I use sometimes to listen for knock, it allows me to switch filters on the fly for the connected headphones and graph out the peaks. The Plex is nicer due to better options and inputs. But works similar.

  14. #14
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    Yea, I understand what det cans are, but modern bandpass filters and high sample datalogging make it pretty easy to tell if there's actually knock occuring. Especially since you can back off timing and see if the knock signal remains.

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    what ive noticed while tuning on the street is the following.

    Trying to tune the car your self + have det cans on + looking for cops + trying to figure out if this is knock + trying to determine which load/rpm range you are at.

    Ive actually given up trying to tune well on the street. I have no access to a dyno and this is what i think the next best thing. Yes its expensive but it allows me to tune the car much better then i have had in the past.

    Car will remain at 75% ability until i can either get on a dyno or get this tool.

    Maybe i just like tools. (reached out to knock sense) 100 bucks vs the 1k. May do the same thing but i not as easily.
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Def View Post
    Yea, I understand what det cans are, but modern bandpass filters and high sample datalogging make it pretty easy to tell if there's actually knock occuring. Especially since you can back off timing and see if the knock signal remains.
    What I was getting at is, not always do you have an ECU that has GOOD knock sensing abilities. That's where these tools come in. It's more a tuner tool than anything else.

    If everyone ran up to date ECU's it would be less necessary... but that just isn't the case

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by NOTORIOUS VR View Post
    What I was getting at is, not always do you have an ECU that has GOOD knock sensing abilities. That's where these tools come in. It's more a tuner tool than anything else.

    If everyone ran up to date ECU's it would be less necessary... but that just isn't the case
    ie my 10 year old ecu
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by euro2fast4u View Post
    ie my 10 year old ecu
    But why not put this money towards a modern ECU that will then save your bacon if you get some bad gas or an injector clogs, or the fuel pump starts giving up etc. etc.?

    I could totally understand if this thing was about half the cost it is. Sure, you can tack it on top of an existing, if outdated setup for less than the cost of a standalone. As it sits, you're like 80-90% the cost of a standalone that can do 99.999% of what this can, and a whole lot more.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Def View Post
    But why not put this money towards a modern ECU that will then save your bacon if you get some bad gas or an injector clogs, or the fuel pump starts giving up etc. etc.?

    I could totally understand if this thing was about half the cost it is. Sure, you can tack it on top of an existing, if outdated setup for less than the cost of a standalone. As it sits, you're like 80-90% the cost of a standalone that can do 99.999% of what this can, and a whole lot more.
    This is true

  20. #20
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    New ecu that can handle this is about 1700? correct?

    Time require to rewire the current engine harness. ~3hours
    Time to learn new software ~10 hours.
    Rough hourly rate that my time is worth ~75 an hour.

    ~975 on top of the ecu.

    Total about ~$2675.

    Now what happens when i start screwing with a second car or third car?

    use the cheap ecu i know, with this tool and keep the price overall low.

    From what i seen it seems like it would take about 30 minutes to get up and running on this unit. I like that feature a lot.
    Last edited by euro2fast4u; 07-25-2017 at 02:46 PM.
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by euro2fast4u View Post
    New ecu that can handle this is about 1700? correct?

    Time require to rewire the current engine harness. ~3hours
    Time to learn new software ~10 hours.
    Rough hourly rate that my time is worth ~75 an hour.

    ~975 on top of the ecu.

    Total about ~$2675.

    Now what happens when i start screwing with a second car or third car?

    use the cheap ecu i know, with this tool and keep the price overall low.

    From what i seen it seems like it would take about 30 minutes to get up and running on this unit. I like that feature a lot.
    Seems like a cherry picked way of looking at things with some high time estimates.



    But if you want hypothetical time estimates:

    Parts it'll cost to rebuild your engine after your old "no safeguards" ECU let it blow up $1500
    Machine work to rebuild $800
    Time to pull engine, reassemble, reinstall ~15 hrs

    Total cost of not running a nice ECU: ~$3425!!!!!!!!

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Def View Post
    Seems like a cherry picked way of looking at things with some high time estimates.



    But if you want hypothetical time estimates:

    Parts it'll cost to rebuild your engine after your old "no safeguards" ECU let it blow up $1500
    Machine work to rebuild $800
    Time to pull engine, reassemble, reinstall ~15 hrs

    Total cost of not running a nice ECU: ~$3425!!!!!!!!
    Lol very true, though stock blocks are cheap m20b27!

    idk its more i like tools and this one seems like its pretty sweet. And you know PE's make in the dc area lol
    Last edited by euro2fast4u; 07-25-2017 at 03:59 PM.
    Capital Driving Club Car # 102
    How to turbo your car:
    Step one. Install ecu and learn to tune and or have it tuned.
    Step two. Install injectors and retune.
    Step three. Install turbo parts and bits. get it running with out leaks. DO NOT DRIVE IT. Idling should be ok
    Step four. Retune car
    Step five enjoy

  23. #23
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    For the people that might have purchased a course....the webinars are free.

    https://www.hpacademy.com/previous-w...knock-monitor/

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