My father is the proud owner of a 1986 SE, 2.8 with TH125 auto...

He has a stock 86ECM installed currently, and has an 87 V6 Auto ECM with Calpak sitting in a box...

There is a company out there that says they can reprogram the stock Fiero PROM with a "better" program to eliminate the inherent issues in the original programming, such as idle hunt, slow-ish throttle response, etc...

I'd like to get my father into a 7730 ECM, but he does not want to take the car down long enough to do that, as he just wants to drive it and have fun in it... I can't blame him. Ever since he sold his first Fiero, an 84, he has been itching for a new one...

Are you aware of any changes that can be made to the stock ECM or code to just make it "better" overall?
Before he goes and burns money at a company I have never heard of (found via aldlcable.com), I'd rather hear from you and see what you think..
Also, is it safe to slap the 87ECM with the stock prom into the 86? Any wiring differences?
Does the 87 handle the cooling fan relay directly or was that specifically the 88?

Any help you can provide would be great.

quote Originally posted by Synthesis: My father is the proud owner of a 1986 SE, 2.8 with TH125 auto... He has a stock 86ECM installed currently, and has an 87 V6 Auto ECM with Calpak sitting in a box... There is a company out there that says they can reprogram the stock Fiero PROM with a "better" program to eliminate the inherent issues in the original programming, such as idle hunt, slow-ish throttle response, etc... I'd like to get my father into a 7730 ECM, but he does not want to take the car down long enough to do that, as he just wants to drive it and have fun in it... I can't blame him. Ever since he sold his first Fiero, an 84, he has been itching for a new one... Are you aware of any changes that can be made to the stock ECM or code to just make it "better" overall? Before he goes and burns money at a company I have never heard of (found via aldlcable.com), I'd rather hear from you and see what you think.. Also, is it safe to slap the 87ECM with the stock prom into the 86? Any wiring differences? Does the 87 handle the cooling fan relay directly or was that specifically the 88? Any help you can provide would be great.

Obviously I'm not Ryan, but I can give some advice/info. As far as I know, there really isn't anything you can do to the stock ECM/chip to make more performance, all you end up doing is wasting gas. Considering how slow the 7170 computer is, it's the best you'll most likely get. Like you really can't get better throttle response or idle control because the stock ECM is just too slow.
There are no differences between the 86-88 Computer's besides Auto Or manual, so switching them won't be a problem nor do anything performance wise.
And no V6 ECM controls the fan relay directly, Only the 87-88 Iron Duke ECM's do that.

quote Originally posted by Synthesis: Ever since he sold his first Fiero, an 84, he has been itching for a new one...

Oh man, I remember my old 84... I miss that car.

I know this is an older post, and I see Ryan hasn't replied, but if I can chip in my $.02, being the owner of 2 86 SE's w/2.8 auto, maybe my experience can help...
the idle, about all you can do is proper maintenance items. filters, gaskets, vacuum lines, check the EGR, make sure you use decent gas (premium is never a bad thing, especially considering these are slightly higher compression motors, they do appreciate the higher quality), don't be scared to run a bunch of good-quality injection cleaner thru the system (it can almost do miracles, lol)... and mileage on the engine does make a difference... these motors do wear out with time and/or abuse, and once they start to wear, it is noticeable.

Both my cars have almost the same mileage on them (around 90k miles), but the one I first bought, which was near mint condition, ran beautifully, Idled smooth, and had decent power...
the other one (rescued out of a body shop's back lot), had obviously been abused, glass was broken, body rough, big aluminum ricer wing on the decklid where the luggage rack used to be (they didn't even fill the mounting holes from the rack), and a stupid aftermarket CAI on the TB (pointless in a fiero, considering the stock intake setup IS CAI), and even after a mittfull of work and new sensors and a ton of hours fine tuning, it still has idle issues (although not nearly as bad as when I got it), and the city mileage still isn't quite up where I'd like to see it, but it did get 31mpg (imp cal, not us gal)on a weekend hiway trip last summer (800miles in 3 1/2 days and 4 tanks of fuel) with no issues other than an EGR code in the computer.

As for the throttle response, that's something you can tinker with on your own... the fuel injection and ignition in these cars is not the same setup and the newer (re:OBDII, or even 87 and newer OBDI) cars where ANY changes have to be done in the computer... you DO have a distributor, and you can set the base timing on your own, and although you do have to know where to unbury it, there IS an adjusting screw for the idle, and with a little bit of knowledge, the IAC IS adjustable... so other than actual mixtures, the rest of the settings are actually adjustable with little more than basic hand tools and some knowledge. the other exception to this is the timing curve, which you still have to set in the ECM...
And trust me, it's not easy getting 31mpg from a tired and abused 2.8/auto, lol, but it CAN be done...
Unfortunately, even if you do get the throttle response set up well, you're still hampered by the crappy 125 tranny, with it's sluggish torque converter and soft shifts... at least in stock trim, lol
but it's still a fun car to drive, and if the motor runs well, it will still make for a respectable showing against more modern cars...

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1986 Fiero SE 2.8 Auto - Blackie
1985 Fiero GT 2.8 4-spd - Goldie II - To be driveable this season
1985 Fiero SE Targa - 3.8SC - long term project
1987 Cavalier Z24 2.8 5-spd - daily beaten driver
1993 Bonneville SSEi - 3800SC donor for 85 Targa