what will the emerald give you that the OE one (mapped properly) can't
conversely - what will you lose?
Personally, i think changeing to aftermarket management shouldn't be taken lightly and really isn't necesary for many.
But, there are advantages. Launch control, full throttle gear change, staged boost levels are a few extra 'features'. The ability to bin many of the problamatic sensors and valves like the maf etc. Imo people think that they need the fault diagnosis of the stock ecu, but in my experiance its the needless sensors that find fault with the other needless sensors!!!
A big benifit imo is that you won't be tied to any mapping company.
I think Hooch will need to think long and hard about what he wants from the car and how he plans on using it, before taking the step to stand alone.