As I have 2 NGK AFX units.....and they finished last in the test, I wanted to get their take on the matter. They find the test to be lacking in several areas. NGK is the largest maker of O2 sensors in the world. They package the Bosch WB sensor with their unit for cost containment in bringing an affordable unit to market. Replacement O2s are NGK- NTKs---considerably more money. The same engineer that designed the test gear used to evaluate these sensors (ECM LambdaPro) also had a big role in designing the NGK AFX meter. NGK uses the Horiba system for their in house testing of their products and work contracted from the Big 3. They do use the Innovate system for comparison testing as it is a good one. NGK has found that the results in their testing between the two systems are not really discernable.
As for the analog wire not being in the kit, they said that's not really possible. The first 100 units produced last year did not have an analog out wire, but every one since has. When they realized what demand there was for data logging, they sent them out free for those who asked on those first 100 units. I bought my first AFX unit in 3/06 and mine had the wires (2 needed -- separate ground). These pigtails for analog out are only about 8" long and come stuffed inside the loom harness. Evidently the Ford Muscle guys didn't read the manual about where these wires were. How did they get the output correct from the NGK unit?
The article also states the Bosch sensors are factory calibrated. One of mine was not. .... Another feature only the NGK has: You can calibrate the sensor in open air. Checking my sensor this spring after 11,000 miles last summer showed it still in calibration. BTW, this is the sensor that I had to tune in last year.
Another point of contention with me is that the AFX unit is panned for ease of use, software, and display. It couldn't be any easier to use and I'm not a computer guru by any stretch of the imagination. As for the display, I have never had trouble seeing it, even in bright sunlight with the top off the car. The numbers are very large -- no glasses needed. I'm not sure what prompted this negative critique of the unit.
Here's a little more of NGKs comments in their own words:
If you navigate through this Ford Muscle website, you will see advertising from Innovate and F.A.S.T. I know it is difficult to have any kind of truly unbiased evaluation of anything, but it doesn’t look good when your top finisher is one of your advertisers. Also, if you look to the sidebar of the main page, they list related articles on this topic of AF tuning. Two of the three articles are about Innovate, and the remaining one is about F.A.S.T.
After reviewing the article, it seems there are many variables not taken into consideration here, nor are they explained. The so-called “accuracy test” is a test with bottles of simulated exhaust gases. Innovate designs their meter to match these simulated gases and for this article, rigged the accuracy test to be based on these gases.
The gases are just that, “simulated exhaust gases” and are used to calibrate gas emissions benches, not wide-band ceramic sensors. Using these gases to calibrate wide-band ceramic sensors is wrong. Wide-band ceramic sensors operate on a different principle than gas benches and use not just the CO and O2 in the exhaust but also the H2, water, and hydrocarbons that are not present in these synthetic gases to determine the AFR. Using these gases to determine the accuracy of a ceramic sensor is like using a ruler to size pistons for an engine.
I guess the bottom line for me is that I am, to date, completely satisfied with my NGK units. If my logged AFR readings were potentially off as much as the article claims, I likely would have broke my non-cooled, cast piston car long ago. Instead, I have 15,000 miles on the blower using the NGK meter for tuning. The Innovate system is definitely a good one, but it appears this test may lack some scientific credibility.
Steve