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Are Chip Upgrades Worth It?

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Comments

  • highrollerhighroller Member Posts: 351
    Hopefully you will get some good lowering springs to adjust your ride comfortbility. 18s and cheap springs will really make your car bouncy without even going over 45mph. For the shocks, if you don't lower it too much, you'll probably get by them in several yrs or so IMO./ I have stock shocks right now and still doing fine for about 2 years now. Car is lowered 2 inches front and 1.5" in the rear. Also, get a camber kit if you need one.
  • onkloud9onkloud9 Member Posts: 25
    FYI: For those of you who own B7 A4 2.0t's, ECU tuning for these cars is not what it seems. Tuners such as APR and REVO are seeing massive gains just by flashing the ECU. APR is showing 232hp, 273lb-ft estimated to the crank on 91 octane, and 241hp, 292lb-ft estimated to the crank on 93 octane. Stock numbers are 200hp/207lb-ft from Audi, but these numbers are very conservative. APR dynoed a stock B7 2.0t and found on 93 octane, it pulled 178hp to the wheels. If you assume that you are losing 20% power to the drivetrain loss (this is pretty conservative), that would equal 220+ hp to the crank. I own a 06 A4 2.0t quattro and I have to admit, this thing pulls as hard if not harder than my 98 Mitsu Eclipse GSX (210hp, 214lb-tq) I owned previously.

    Also, the new Civic was first advertised with 200hp, but since SAE changed the way it measured hp, they legally had to post 197hp. Funny how Audi didn't have to lower its hp rating.

    Word of advise, if your gonna chip your car, it will definately increase power/torque. But the fact of the matter is, if your car is not forced induced it turbo/super, I would imagine the gains won't be that impressive and therefore not worth it.

    The solution? Force induce your car! :shades:
  • billherrmannbillherrmann Member Posts: 108
    Kloud9: Doyou have a chip recommendation for 2.0t A3 DSG. Thanks.
  • byronwalterbyronwalter Member Posts: 220
    ...and I certainly do feel the extra torque. The B7 might not look like much of an upgrade from the B6 but, man, what an improved car. I've had my '06 B7 since August and even with the cold weather here in NE Ohio, the car hasn't had a burp or squeak.

    And naturally it's Quattro with the sports suspension and manual tranny :)

    My only regret is that I only average 30 mph on my short drive to work. I used to be able to nearly do that on a mountain bike.

    B.W.
  • cavyneedsworkcavyneedswork Member Posts: 12
    has anyone heard any good news or results from these performance modules im goin to put it in a 99 cavalier 2.2 l engine. any feed back would be appreciated thank you
  • tko4reelz85tko4reelz85 Member Posts: 2
    Trying to chip my vehicle, i have read all the posted messages and i am indifferent about what to do. Is it a good idea or a bad one and who should i work with?
    Please give me some information thanks, I have done a little homework on this, but gettin confused about the 1.0 and + numbers and so forth. Thanks?
    please email if possible
    Josh@mega1.net
  • tko4reelz85tko4reelz85 Member Posts: 2
    Here is some information, what are the differences and does anyone have any further guided info.

    http://www.ecstuning.com/stage/edpd/pagebuild_v2.cgi?make=Volkswagen&engine=1.8T- &model=Passat%20B5&submodel=FWD&category=Engine&subcategory=Chip%20Tuning

    thanks
    Josh@mega1.net
  • flash11flash11 Member Posts: 98
    Just heard from the Chrysler salesman you can mod the new 2007 Sebring 3.5L from 235hp to 280hp with a simple upgrade to a larger air manifold and change out the chip to a Chrysler 300 performance chip. Maybe just hogwash but I will do a little more research. Just test drove the production line version, nice power with the 3.5L with the auto stick and sport tuned suspension, 18" wheels, she flies, imagine at 280hp on that midsized car. He also mentioned the new Chrysler Caliber SRT4 will have 300hp with a turbocharged 4 banger, wow,how will that thing stay together,thats a kids car, so cheap for so much horsepower.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    45 hp on an NA car with a chip and intake? I don't buy it for a second.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • upon35supon35s Member Posts: 1
    I have 2002 chevy with a programmer and dual exaust im wanting to add more after market parts but I dont want to dump a hole pile of money into mods that r not going to do anything can anybody help me!Perferablie sombody who has gone though the same problems and has found the best results.
  • phaetondriverphaetondriver Member Posts: 175
    I want to know if there is a way to override the Speed limiter and adjust the shift delays in the 6-speed in the XR?
    Not much this car need but these two things would make it a lot better.
    I have looked at Jet, Super chip and a few others but none do Saturn Aura's.

    Thanks
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    its just way too new.
    what engine is in there again? is it an ecotec? if so, they MAY develop a chip. If not, then I wouldn't hold my breath.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • phaetondriverphaetondriver Member Posts: 175
    The engine is the 3.6 L Twin cam 24V, V6 from the Cadillac CTS.

    Sure would be nice if someone would let us reprogram the top speed and transmission
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    OH. The aura. geesh. for some reason, i was thinking of the new compact ... uh, the astra? (this is why companies shouldn't name their products so similarly)

    WELL, I would think they'd come up with one for the 3.6 since it is being used in more and more vehicles. Did you try calling any companies? You might find one who would do yours for free just to get a prototype on the road. :)

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • toperskitoperski Member Posts: 4
    what is WOT and SOP? I am a little confused on exactly what you are talkin about.
    I am wonderin if a chip upgrade will help enough with towing to be worth the money? My truck(04 2500 HD 4x4) could use the help towing @ 70 with hills and high wind, but @ 55 or a flat 70mph zone with no wind i'm fine.
    Also does hypertech program shift firmness? I really know nothing about re-programing. can i go from performance to stock settings for fuel economy or should performance mode be better for milage? please help! thanks.
  • altasnowmanaltasnowman Member Posts: 2
    hi i have a 2002 ram 1500 w a 4.7 and am looking for anything to get better fuel mileage and would like to do it for as little as possible as i don't have much money. an help would be appreciated.
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,891
    There is nothing that will improve your mileage except changing your driving habits.

    Even if, by some grace of the car gods, you eeked out slightly better mileage with something like a better breathing intake (very unlikely, regardless of what the manufacturers of these products would have you believe), it would probably take 10s of thousands of miles of driving to recoup the cost of the add-on in gas savings.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I have been researching some Hydrogen-producing bolt on modifications that are supposed to yield 35% better milage for about $600. I am not convinced they work yet but will report back when/if I test one out.

    -mike
  • dbweaverdbweaver Member Posts: 88
    I have a ''99 F250, 7.3 liter Powerstroke. I bought a superchips power programmer, K&N air filter and cut the muffler off. The truck had 30,000 miles on it. I have ran it on the performace tow setting for 99,000. It increased my mileage 3-5 mpg and a very noticeable power increase
  • inguanoinguano Member Posts: 3
    edited February 2015
    "I have a ''99 F250, 7.3 liter Powerstroke. I bought a superchips power programmer, K&N air filter and cut the muffler off. The truck had 30,000 miles on it. I have ran it on the performace tow setting for 99,000. It increased my mileage 3-5 mpg and a very noticeable power"

    Was the Superchips you got the flashpaq model or one of the others? 3-5mpg increase is good but may have been due to the k&n air filter or the muffler mod you did. Jury's still out for me on whether to Superchips my mustang....
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    Do not EVER believe a manufacturers claim about HP improvement with a chip. On an n/a, street car, a mail order tune on a chip will have extremely marginal improvement. Anyone who says that they can feel the difference with the bott-o-meter, is only only noticing the fact that their wallet is thinner.

    I have seen many a car on a dyno with a mail-order tune where the car actually made less power, yet the owner swore it was faster.

    On a 300 hp car, expect to see about 5-8 rwhp improvement at most, UNLESS, the original tune was pig-rich to begin with. Chips should pretty much never be used unless you are getting a custom dyno-tune. And on a stock car, even a custom tune makes only a small difference. If you see larger gains, then something was wrong with the car to begin with.

    Things change a bit on a turbo car, because the tune can adjust the waste gate setting and you might be able to make more boost. With an s/c, you can also make improvements presuming the original tune left some power on the table.

    Chips basically make power by advancing timing a bit, and leaning the a/f. This is why you generally need to run higher octane.

    If you have an automatic, you will benefit by having a tune/chip because you can adjust the way the car shifts. This makes the car shift faster and firmer.

    On a deisel, a chip can make measurable power even with a mail-order tune, but that is the exception.

    There are some cases with certain cars, where adding a chip in conjunction with a CIA can add pretty good power so long as the tune on the chip is a dyno proven match for the CIA.

    Chips void all warranties! If you use a chip and get caught, you are hosed. This si why using a flash tuner is much better. This way the tune can be installed and removed w/o using a physical chip and no one will ever know the tune was there.

    I have used chips, hand-held programmers and multi-position chips. I currently use an SCT 4 Position Switch Chip with 4 custom tunes on an after-market supercharged application. The car is dyno-tuned.

    A dyno tune WITH a chip will typically cost around $500 on a stock or near-stock application.

    If you are really interested, find a local tuner in the area who uses either SCT or Diablo and get it on the dyno if you really care. Otherwise, don't waste your money on a mail-order tune. Make sure the tuner has experience with your car.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Great post, and very informative. I agree, with the exception that a lot of the newer ECUs can detect even if it's been re-flashed.

    -mike
    Motorsports and Modifications Host
  • phaetondriverphaetondriver Member Posts: 175
    Good information. I have had a little experience which pretty well supports everything you are saying.
    One change I made, for $300, did only 1 thing, it removed the knock/ping detector input. This let the ignition advance up to 50 deg.
    Unless I ran two cans of octane booster on top of Premium gas, the engine would ping like mad. Note that most "Octane Boosters" are just kerosene and some detergent to clean your fuel system. I won't name the one I used, but it was made for "Off Road Use Only" and wasn't for use on cat equipped cars. The real downside was that, at that time a gallon of gas cost about $2.25.9 and the cost of a can of booster was $5.00. So 15 Gal of gas cost about $44. I got 10MPG in that truck with the computer on performance mode.
    Point is, be careful what you put on/in your car, the long term cost might shock you.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    That could be true....I don't know enough about all cars so I can't say for sure. Generally, though, you can flash an ECU and then pull it it right off w/o anyone knowing it was ever there. Before doing so, I would consult with a qualified tuner who knows the platform.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    That is what you call, getting carried away. Generally speaking it is a pretty bad idea to remove a knock detector....they are there for a reason.

    Octane boosters are all the same. Actually, there are two types. One that works and one that does not. The cheap crap is nothing more then cleaners and essentially alcohol. You get a small amount of octane increase....usually something like 0.1 to 0.2 octane points.

    The good stuff has MMT. There is no other way to do it. I have a sneaky suspicion that I know what you used - lol - and it has a lot of MMT in it, though, they won't tell you and it is not listed on the MSDS.

    MMT works VERY well. BUT, it will wreck your O2 sensors and it coats the spark plugs. It is unlcear if the reddish dirt that forms on the plugs hampers performance, but it makes reading the plugs impossible which sucks if you are racing.

    I always keep a bottle of it in my trunk and use it if I have no other choice. My car was tuned for 93 Octane. It runs fine on 92, but if I am stuck with 91, a half bottle goes in the tank. I am going to get a 91 Octane tune this spring to suppliment the 93 to avoid these situations. I also have an 89 octane tune. I would never use 89, but most of time, I drive with this tune. It keeps the cyclinders running a bit cooler and is less harsh on the car. I really don't notice the 30 hp loss certainly for normal driving.

    What REALLY aggrevates me, is when people make rediculous comments about the amount of HP some cheap, bolt-on mod will make. I hate to stereotype, but it seems like the younger the driver, and the fewer the cyclinders, the more hp a CIA seems to make - lol

    I do not believe any claims w/o a dyno unless someone is using the same configuration that has been dyno proven and is posted. As car guys, we work hard for our money and when people post silly claims, less suspecting people believe it and then spend their hard, earned money expecting something that will never happen.

    BTW, there is a lot of evidence that adding octane booster to 87 octane fuel works a tiny bit, but does nothing, in fact, lowers hp output when added to slightly higher grades of fuel. I have seen a few tests that concluded this.
  • dbweaverdbweaver Member Posts: 88
    It was the Superchip MAX Micro tuner 1705 for '99 to '03 Ford Powerstroke
  • ethanwkolsenethanwkolsen Member Posts: 1
    hi i just bought a diablo sport predator tuner for my 7.3 diesel is their anything i should be worried about or know before i install it. any info thanks
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    As long as it is the correect tune for the truck, you should be fine. Is it under warranty still?
  • getzy2323getzy2323 Member Posts: 1
    Hey i have a 2001 chevy HD and i wan to make it faster and have more power with pulling so i was woundering which performance chip would be the best.
  • colin_lcolin_l Member Posts: 591
    A chip will probably have minor impact on your '01 Chevy 1500 HD. --Unless it has a turbo diesel, I'll certainly admit to not knowing much about your truck. If you are towing very frequently, I'd look at changing the rear end gears. That will make a much bigger difference than a chip. Or you can get a different truck that is just plain better at towing-- trucks are real cheap now, although that means your current truck is low value, too.

    Chips have modest gains, at best, and as previous posters have said there are alternatives now as many cars support various types of reprogamming of the stock computer (ECU).

    Turbocharged cars generally respond the best to chips and/or ECU reprogramming but this generally voids the warranty and can be risky. It can also be easy, reliable horsepower. :)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "Authorities are searching for other possible victims of an Irvine-based company accused of selling a bogus car-performance chip nationwide.

    GForce Chips, which is owned and operated by 31-year-old Ravi Ghataode, is accused of selling fake car-performance chips to hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide at $69 each, generating more than $15 million in profits, according to a statement from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office."

    District attorney seeks victims of company accused of selling bogus car-performance chips (Orange County Register)
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