Err...I'm a pre-med college student. Hence, the college friendly 2zz powered Celica GTS. This will be my test bed until I can get a Lotus later on in life
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And if you think the differences are to great, I beg to differ. The Lotus ECU isn't as much of a mystical box as many have drawn it out to be. Granted, it is more complicated than the Celica GTS ECU through charlie's posts, but I made a MYTH/TRUTH thread that fleshed out what exactly happens if you put bolt ons to the stock Lotus ECU. Header gains WILL make power and MAINTAIN power over time towards the particular RPM range it decides to focus on (4-2-1 Header = Low-Midrange Gains, 4-1 Header = Mid-Top End Gains) JUST LIKE THE CELICA GTS ECU. Also, exhaust gains WILL make power and MAINTAIN that power just like the Celica GTS ECU. Lastly, although intake gains are on a toss up for your ECU's, I've yet to see a dyno where intake gains were lost throughout the whole 2nd cam that needs more VE for more power. So just like the Celica GTS ECU, intakes generally lose power in the low-midrange, but gain power in the top end. And as charlie stated, it IS be possible for an intake to make gains if it's designed properly.
All in all, a tuned 2zz in a Lotus will make the similar numbers in a similar Celica GTS setup, especially if there's a standalone ECU tune. The Emanage Ultimate (kverges), Apexi Power FC (sleepless), and the Hydra (PERRIN) ALL have been successfully mated to great Lotus vehicles. Where are the Celica/Lotus differences now? Am I missing something?
The only difference between the Celica guys and you guys are that you guys want to sit on reflashes and call it a day for that extra factory'esque safety margin. As much as I respect reflashes and all of their glory for these exact reasons, I'd still rather go on the datalogg and street/dyno tune route for optimal power on my Celica GTS, and bring that 2zz tuning experience over to a Lotus when I'm financially ready. Some people feel that reflashes make your car run better in the long run, others say custom tunes from engine management units is the way to go for when you add on new mods. I'd rather have full control with the later, but that's my preference. Thus, my suggestion for a EMS to you guys.