From what I can tell, the Sniper 2 appears to be the same as the first version. It's just like everything else in life that's "new and improved' - same thing just costs more now than before. If I still had the first version I'd run it, there is nothing inherently wrong with it. Just make sure it has the latest firmware. I've been known to buy things that sit around for way too long before being used but if it never came out of the box it's still new.
Regardless of the version, the external ignition and fuel components are all still needed. I could be wrong but I don't believe there was ever a package offered that included
everything, meaning the ignition parts.
One thing that the Sniper 2 utilizes is a "PDM" or
Power Distribution Module to make wiring easier. If I was considering a Sniper 2, I would definitely be buying the PDM. One could probably use it with the first version as well but I'm not 100% sure of that so confirm that for yourself before you pull the trigger on one. I thought it looked like a nice idea to simplify wiring and actually bought one to use with a Terminator X system I'm using on another car but got burned on it because
it only works with the Sniper.
Supposedly the new design is less susceptible to RFI. It is certainly true that RFI can be a factor with these systems - it's a digital ECU sitting on top of an intake made of conductive material. Even the air cleaner stud can cause of it. Thse types of electronic parts are probably more at home on modern engines than our antiquated ones especially with things like long pulsing ignition wires hanging all over the place and mechanical parts that rely on eletromagnetism like a canister coil or voltage regulator or starter motor.
I've experienced the effect of RFI myself though in my case it wasn't causing the thing to shut off or what have you. It was also intermittent and really hard to pin down the exact cause of it. This might be getting a bit in the weeds for some but it was basically creating gaps in the data. You can see it manifested in the log traces when you magnify them, the stream drops out for like a 6th of a second maybe? It's almost imperceptible unless you magnify the trace in the log viewer to the maximum and mark the data points. Kinda like a string of lights that loses a bulb but still stays on.
The stream would always pick back up and sometimes in a slightly different spot so there ends up being these 'gaps' that don't contain any data. My theory is those little lost bits reduce the amount of data the learn table uses to make it's determinations so it maybe it just takes a bit longer to reach a set paramater? I really don't know for sure. Just know in severe cases RFI can reset the whole data stream to zero and that's when it will be a real problem.
They were right to work that into the update though because #1, people suck at wiring and will invariably do the exact opposite of what the instructions say ensuring the chances of RFI causing problems are increased tenfold and #2, people read about RFI on the internet (like here) and how it causes problems and will automatically blame whatever trouble they're having on it whether it's the actual problem or not.
The RFI idea should not scare you away from the Sniper either because there's just as much of a chance it won't be a problem at all. They also never say they eliminated it completely in the 2nd version so that should tell you that it's the nature of the beast. Either way, if you take the time to understand it a little bit you can reduce the chances of it being a factor by being conscientious with your wiring. Read that to mean you will have to be fully aware of what the instructions are telling you when you're doing the initial install and then once the thing is running, you need to be willing to get into data logging to see what's going on.
That was all off the top of my head so as always, do your own homework!
