Haltech Nexus S2 VS Elite 1500
Posted by Matthew Marks on 20th Mar 2025
I'm Matt, the owner of Exoracing, and today, we will be going over our brand-new Haltech Nexus S2 versus the Haltech Elite 1500. We have just had our new S2 arrive in the post, so I want to thank Mark at Haltech for helping us with this one.
This ECU is going to be used for our new AWD Civic build. I've dealt with Haltech for many years, and as soon as the Nexus S2 was announced, I knew it would be perfect for my build.
I'm writing this now because I've had many questions asking why you would go with a Haltech Nexus S2 over a Haltech Elite 1500. So, the Haltech S2 is the new Nexus platform that it shares with the R3 and the R5 and offers many different features.
So we will run through that today, show you unboxing, and go through all the various things you can do with it. If you would rather watch our video I'll add it below and please make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel whilst you're there!
What's in the box?
In the Haltech box, we have a wiring diagram which includes all the different inputs and outputs, and it's double-sided so you can figure out all the injectors, ignition and all the other various bits you need.
It also includes a quick start guide, which is incredibly useful for getting up and running quickly, and some stickers (we all like stickers, haha!). They have added a mounting template, which is excellent to offer up before deciding the exact fitting location.
We also have the actual S2 itself, a nice little Haltech lanyard, and a USB-C cable, which we'll go into depth about later on, as this cable is actually game-changing. You also get the mounting screws to make things as easy as possible for you.
Wideband
The main point of this article is to go through the differences between the Nexus S2 and Elite 1500, as there are a couple of features on the S2 that the 1500 doesn't have, such as onboard wideband.
Haltech has now included the wideband controller in the actual ECU itself, so you don't need to run the WB1 wideband controller like you would have had to with the Elite 1500.
Now, you can plug the wideband hardware pack directly into the ECU using the supplied DTM connector, and you don't need to have the extra controller box cluttering up your interior. Just this alone will save you around the £150 mark as all you need is a wideband now.
Map Sensor
The Haltech Nexus S2 also has an onboard 4-bar map sensor, which will read up to 45 Psi of boost, whereas the Elite 1500 only has an onboard 3-bar sensor, which will read up to 30psi of boost.
If you're on the borderline here and deciding on one ECU or the other, the S2 bridges the gap between needing to go with an extra higher BAR MAP sensor.
If you're not running a turbo or supercharger setup, this might not be massively important to you, but it is always nice to have in the future.
WI-FI
Another great feature the S2 has is the onboard Wi-Fi, which is fantastic when you're in or out of the car, so you can tune it or check sensors without running a cable.
Haltech have also now developed the Haltech connect app for your smartphone which allows you to do multiple things such as: seeing real time data, set up basic gauges, clear fault codes, assign wiring and much more.
Unfortunately the Elite 1500 doesn't have this capability although you can connect to something such as a digital dash if you want real-time readings.
USB-C Port and Cable
Another reason here to go with a Haltech Nexus S2 is the USB-C Port on the front of the case so you can plug it directly into your computer or laptop without any other wiring connected, and can power the ECU directly through that cable.
This means you can unplug it from your car, go into your house for example and edit the tune on a laptop, upload the file, plug the ECU back into the car and it will have changed the map.
In the past, for example, the Elite range, you would have had to use the ignition from the car to power the ECU to be able to read the map.
Also, the transfer speeds are now much higher with the new USB-C cable which is always a positive when making multiple map or sensor tweaks and being able to upload and download at lightning speed.
Wiring and Jumper Harnesses
The last thing to discuss would be how to connect them to the car. Luckily, they both come with a few options that suit you at any skill level.
From the essential plugs and pins option if you would like to make your own engine loom, to unterminated harnesses all the way to a full plug and play jumper harness.
There isn't a great deal of difference here between the two models as they are both very well equipped in the harness department.
Conclusion
So there we are, all of the new updated features the Haltech Nexus S2 has versus the Elite 1500! For the price point when you factor in the extra parts to compare the two ECU's it's not that much more expensive.
When you consider the wideband, Wi-Fi, USBC, all the other different bits to go with it, it's no brainer to be honest. We actually bought ours and had it in the first shipment to the UK, so the photos in this guide is the exact one that will be going on our AWD Civic which I cannot wait to drive!
Hopefully this was helpful for you in deciding which one to go for, or if it's worth the upgrade or not, and if you need any support regarding Haltech, please get in touch with us as we are here to help.