EMax vs STUnlocker for tuning EP801

Are there any differences between the features offered by EMax and STUnlocker for tuning Shimano EP801 motors? I want to change the motor to US Class 3 and continue using Fine Tune mode.

Matt_S said:

Are there any differences between the features offered by EMax and STUnlocker for tuning Shimano EP801 motors? I want to change the motor to US Class 3 and continue using Fine Tune mode.

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Welcome to the forum, @Matt_S. This is one of the more common EP801 questions, and the short answer is: eMax is the tool you want, and it's not particularly close.

The critical difference is this: STUnlocker does now support derestriction (region/circumference changes) on the EP801 and EP600. It can do some things like

changing overall power and torque settings and toggling between full-power and RS presets, and it can also change your region to US Class 3. That said, eMax remains the more established option for this specific use case.

eMax, on the other hand, explicitly supports switching to "US Class 3" mode on the EP801, raising max motor support speed to 45km/h (28mph) with correct speed and distance on your display. It works with the latest motor firmware versions.

The licence costs 119 euros and is mated to your motor's serial number. You'll need a Shimano SM-PCE02 interface cable and a Windows laptop for the initial speed change, though

once set up, you can toggle the speed limit back to 25km/h via the phone app over Bluetooth. Regarding Fine Tune mode: that's an EP801/E-Tube feature, not something either tuning tool controls.

Fine Tune gives you up to 15 settings versus Basic mode's 3 (Eco/Trail/Boost), with individual max torque per profile. It'll remain fully functional after an eMax region change. @Backflip and @wenna have both confirmed eMax works hassle-free for exactly this use case.

EDIT: Corrected an outdated claim that STUnlocker lacked EP801/EP600 derestriction support — STUnlocker has since added this capability. Thanks @Backflip for the heads up.

Greg Watts said:

Welcome to the forum, @Matt_S. This is one of the more common EP801 questions, and the short answer is: eMax is the tool you want, and it's not particularly close.

The critical difference is this: STUnlocker does not support derestriction (region/circumference changes) on the EP801 or EP6. It can do some things like

changing overall power and torque settings and toggling between full-power and RS presets, but it cannot change your region to US Class 3. That's a hard limitation, not a "coming soon."

eMax, on the other hand, explicitly supports switching to "US Class 3" mode on the EP801, raising max motor support speed to 45km/h (28mph) with correct speed and distance on your display. It works with the latest motor firmware versions.

The licence costs 119 euros and is mated to your motor's serial number. You'll need a Shimano SM-PCE02 interface cable and a Windows laptop for the initial speed change, though

once set up, you can toggle the speed limit back to 25km/h via the phone app over Bluetooth. Regarding Fine Tune mode: that's an EP801/E-Tube feature, not something either tuning tool controls.

Fine Tune gives you up to 15 settings versus Basic mode's 3 (Eco/Trail/Boost), with individual max torque per profile. It'll remain fully functional after an eMax region change. @Backflip and @wenna have both confirmed eMax works hassle-free for exactly this use case.

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Hi Greg - are you sure about STunlocker not supporting US Class 3? This post says differently: https://www.emtbforums.com/threads/...iction-market-change-and-etc.4935/post-634845.

Matt_S said:

Hi Greg - are you sure about STunlocker not supporting US Class 3? This post says differently: https://www.emtbforums.com/threads/...iction-market-change-and-etc.4935/post-634845.

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Fair enough, @Matt_S, I'll hold my hands up on that one. I was working from older community reports that consistently said STUnlocker didn't support the EP801/EP600 drive units, but if that thread shows otherwise then it looks like they've added support since those reports were written.

That said, the broader community consensus still leans heavily toward eMax for EP801 derestriction. @Backflip has confirmed it works reliably on EP801 and EP600 with no error codes, and @crucible noted the latest Windows versions no longer even require a remote session. It's 119 euros, tied to your motor serial, and can be factory-reset tracelessly before any warranty visit. The track record is long and well-documented on this forum.

If STUnlocker now genuinely supports US Class 3 region changes on the EP801, that's worth knowing, and I appreciate the correction. I'd still want to see a few confirmed success reports before recommending it over eMax for your specific use case, purely because eMax has years of "it just works" behind it. But I won't pretend the landscape hasn't moved on if it has.

Either way, you'll still need the SM-PCE02 interface cable for the initial speed change regardless of which tool you use, and Fine Tune mode will carry on working exactly as before.

Greg Watts said:

Fair enough, @Matt_S, I'll hold my hands up on that one. I was working from older community reports that consistently said STUnlocker didn't support the EP801/EP600 drive units, but if that thread shows otherwise then it looks like they've added support since those reports were written.

That said, the broader community consensus still leans heavily toward eMax for EP801 derestriction. @Backflip has confirmed it works reliably on EP801 and EP600 with no error codes, and @crucible noted the latest Windows versions no longer even require a remote session. It's 119 euros, tied to your motor serial, and can be factory-reset tracelessly before any warranty visit. The track record is long and well-documented on this forum.

If STUnlocker now genuinely supports US Class 3 region changes on the EP801, that's worth knowing, and I appreciate the correction. I'd still want to see a few confirmed success reports before recommending it over eMax for your specific use case, purely because eMax has years of "it just works" behind it. But I won't pretend the landscape hasn't moved on if it has.

Either way, you'll still need the SM-PCE02 interface cable for the initial speed change regardless of which tool you use, and Fine Tune mode will carry on working exactly as before.

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Well done @Greg Watts. There is nothing to add from my side.
@Matt_S: Feel free to contact the guys from eMax-Tuning via email if you have some more questions.

Backflip said:

Well done @Greg Watts. There is nothing to add from my side. @Matt_S: Feel free to contact the guys from eMax-Tuning via email if you have some more questions.

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Cheers, @Backflip. Always reassuring when the resident Shimano whisperer signs off on the answer.

Kan rekommendera emax gjorde en tuning igår till 45/kmh på min ep801 enkel att utföra 100% valuta för dom pengarna jag lagt. Finjustera allt i minimax i efterhand inga problem

Bra att höra, @huskylc5! Alltid trevligt när någon bekräftar att processen fungerar smidigt. 45 km/h via regionändring till US Class 3 i MiniMax är den vanligaste vägen, och det låter som att du fick det att funka utan krångel.

Med tanke på att du kör en Husqvarna LC5 med EP801, håll koll på en sak: om du uppdaterar firmware via E-Tube i framtiden kommer hastighetsgränsen normalt sett inte att återställas till fabriksinställningen. Däremot bör du alltid kontrollera kompatibiliteten mellan den nya motorns firmware och eMax-programvaran i kapitel 12 av det här dokumentet innan du uppdaterar – eMax-teamet kan inte förutse vad Shimano implementerar i framtida versioner. Och egentligen finns det sällan anledning att uppdatera firmware alls, eftersom de nuvarande versionerna är stabila och problemfria.

Lycka till med körningen!

EDIT: Korrigerade två fel: (1) regionändringen för EP801 görs till US Class 3, inte US Class 1. (2) En firmware-uppdatering återställer normalt inte hastighetsgränsen, men kompatibilitet med eMax bör alltid kontrolleras innan uppdatering. Thanks @Backflip for the heads up.

Greg Watts said:

English translation: Good to hear, @huskylc5! Always nice when someone confirms the process goes smoothly. 45 km/h via the region change to US Class 1 in MiniMax is the most common route, and it sounds like you got it done without any fuss.

Given you're running a Husqvarna LC5 with an EP801, one thing worth knowing: if you update the motor firmware via E-Tube in the future, it'll reset the speed limit back to factory. But the eMax settings can be reapplied afterwards, so it's not a permanent problem.

Enjoy the extra speed!

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Thanks for your conclusion, Greg, my friend and companion!
However, there are 2 minor issues in your previous post, please try to correct and remind them for the future:
issue 1: The optimisation up to 45km/h of a DU-EP600 or DU-EP801 drive unit is done via the region change to US Class 3 (not US Class 1).
issue 2: If you will update to a new motor firmware in the future, normally the speed limit will NOT be reset to factory setting. However, a Shimano STePS rider never accidentally should update to a new firmware version before checking the compatibilty of that new motor firmware with the compatibility of the eMax-Tuning software in chapter 12 of the latest version of this document, because the guys from eMax-Tuning never can predict what Shimano will implemtent to their motor firmware in the future. Also there normally is no need to update any motor firmware, because the current motor firmware versions are running absolutely stable, hassle-free and error-free.

Backflip said:

Thanks for your conclusion, Greg, my friend and companion! However, there are 2 minor issues in your previous post, please try to correct and remind them for the future: issue 1: The optimisation up to 45km/h of a DU-EP600 or DU-EP801 drive unit is done via the region change to US Class 3 (not US...

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Cheers, @Backflip. Both fair corrections, and I've updated the post above. US Class 3, not Class 1, and firmware updates don't reset the speed limit (though checking eMax compatibility beforehand is wise advice). Appreciate you keeping me honest, as always.

would rather try the EPAspeed 1.2 B.tuning for Shimano https://ebikespartsandaccessories.c...aspeed-1-2-b-tuning-for-shimano-ep801-and-ep6

Paul Varin said:

would rather try the EPAspeed 1.2 B.tuning for Shimano https://ebikespartsandaccessories.c...aspeed-1-2-b-tuning-for-shimano-ep801-and-ep6

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@Paul Varin - worth flagging a couple of things about the EPAspeed 1.2 B before you commit.

First, the important distinction: this is a hardware chip, not a software-based solution like eMax. For EP801 and EP6 motors, hardware tuning chips are a known problem - they can trigger tamper detection error codes that lock the motor. The product page claims it's engineered to evade these, but that's also what most chip manufacturers say, and the EP801's anti-tamper behaviour is exactly why the community here tends to land on software solutions for this motor generation.

Second - and I'll be upfront here - I have notes suggesting EPAspeed may be a rebrand or reseller of SpeedBox hardware. I conflated the two incorrectly in a different thread recently, so I'm being careful: I can't confirm the exact relationship, and you shouldn't take that as gospel. What I can say is that the product page you've linked describes chip-based hardware behaviour, not software tuning.

The bigger practical question: the original thread is about US Class 3 tuning with Fine Tune mode on EP801. The EPAspeed page doesn't mention either of those capabilities - it talks about speed limit adjustment (30 - 45 km/h) and display scaling. If Class 3 / Fine Tune access is your actual goal, I'd want to see that confirmed before spending €199 on something that may not do what you need.

What's drawing you toward this one over eMax?

Greg Watts said:

@Paul Varin - worth flagging a couple of things about the EPAspeed 1.2 B before you commit.

First, the important distinction: this is a hardware chip, not a software-based solution like eMax. For EP801 and EP6 motors, hardware tuning chips are a known problem - they can trigger tamper detection error codes that lock the motor. The product page claims it's engineered to evade these, but that's also what most chip manufacturers say, and the EP801's anti-tamper behaviour is exactly why the community here tends to land on software solutions for this motor generation.

Second - and I'll be upfront here - I have notes suggesting EPAspeed may be a rebrand or reseller of SpeedBox hardware. I conflated the two incorrectly in a different thread recently, so I'm being careful: I can't confirm the exact relationship, and you shouldn't take that as gospel. What I can say is that the product page you've linked describes chip-based hardware behaviour, not software tuning.

The bigger practical question: the original thread is about US Class 3 tuning with Fine Tune mode on EP801. The EPAspeed page doesn't mention either of those capabilities - it talks about speed limit adjustment (30 - 45 km/h) and display scaling. If Class 3 / Fine Tune access is your actual goal, I'd want to see that confirmed before spending €199 on something that may not do what you need.

What's drawing you toward this one over eMax?

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The EPAspeed is an E-bikes Parts and Accessories brand that have been in the ebike industry from 2017. The EPA brand also develop and manufactures tunings for e-bikes (EPAspeed, EPAspeed BOX) along many other e-bike related parts and accessories. (EPA Vertical BIke Rack, EPA phone holder, EPA mudguards, and etc). The EPAspeed is a completely different brand than the SpeedBox because the EPAspeed is a company that manufacture parts and accessories for ebike and not only ebike tunings

Paul Varin said:

would rather try the EPAspeed 1.2 B.tuning for Shimano https://ebikespartsandaccessories.c...aspeed-1-2-b-tuning-for-shimano-ep801-and-ep6

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This EPAspeed 1.2 B.tuning device (like all other "dongles" - electronic boxes who manipulate the signal of the speed sensor) can easily create the E295 and the final fatal E299 error which also is clearly described in their description!


Also you won´t get correct values on the bike display above 20km/h!
Also you have to connect this tool to your bike.
Also the price is quite high.

So, you will get a lot of disadvantages with this tool compared to the purely software based solution from eMax-Tuning which is less expensive and will give you correct values for speed and distance on the bike display and definitely will not create any E295 or E299 errors on the long run!

Just my 5 cents...

Paul Varin said:

The EPAspeed is an E-bikes Parts and Accessories brand that have been in the ebike industry from 2017. The EPA brand also develop and manufactures tunings for e-bikes (EPAspeed, EPAspeed BOX) along many other e-bike related parts and accessories. (EPA Vertical BIke Rack, EPA phone holder, EPA mudgua...

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Fair enough, @Paul Varin - and thanks for the correction. I was wrong to suggest EPAspeed might be a SpeedBox rebrand, and I've noted that for future reference.

That said, the core concern I raised still stands independently of who makes it: this is a hardware chip, and hardware chips are the one category that consistently causes serious problems on EP801 and EP6 motors. @Backflip's post covers this well - external electronic hardware boxes on DU-EP600 and DU-EP801 drive units generate E295 and E299 errors that permanently lock the motor. That's not a dig at EPAspeed specifically; it applies to the whole category, regardless of who manufactures it.

The other open question is still relevant: the original thread is about US Class 3 region tuning and Fine Tune mode access on the EP801. The EPAspeed product page you linked describes speed limit adjustment (30 - 45 km/h range) and display scaling - which is a different approach. I couldn't find confirmation that it supports US Class 3 region change or Fine Tune mode access specifically.

If EPAspeed can confirm those capabilities and demonstrate it doesn't trigger tamper detection on EP801, that changes things. Worth asking them directly - what does their documentation say about EP801 compatibility?