Posted: 4/22/2014 11:24:29 PM EDT
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Guy I work with is borrowing a JDM performance chip from one of his buddies. Apparently these ($200) chips boost your hp and gas milage by tweaking your ECM's programing a bit. All you have to do is plug it into the OBD2 port and let it do it's thing for a couple weeks. I've read a few reviews saying they work well and others that say the chips are shit. Guy I work with swears he can feel the difference and is getting 3 or 4 more MPG. My thoughts are that these things are a rip off, at least at that price. Anyone with experience with these things?
Edit: I have a honda civic ex. 5 speed, 1.7 vtec. |
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Guy I work with is borrowing a JDM performance chip from one of his buddies. Apparently these ($200) chips boost your hp and gas milage by tweaking your ECM's programing a bit. All you have to do is plug it into the OBD2 port and let it do it's thing for a couple weeks. I've read a few reviews saying they work well and others that say the chips are shit. Guy I work with swears he can feel the difference and is getting 3 or 4 more MPG. My thoughts are that these things are a rip off, at least at that price. Anyone with experience with these things? Edit: I have a honda civic ex. 5 speed, 1.7 vtec. The ecu in that model is not programmable through the OBD-II port. |
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The ecu in that model is not programmable through the OBD-II port. Quoted:
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Guy I work with is borrowing a JDM performance chip from one of his buddies. Apparently these ($200) chips boost your hp and gas milage by tweaking your ECM's programing a bit. All you have to do is plug it into the OBD2 port and let it do it's thing for a couple weeks. I've read a few reviews saying they work well and others that say the chips are shit. Guy I work with swears he can feel the difference and is getting 3 or 4 more MPG. My thoughts are that these things are a rip off, at least at that price. Anyone with experience with these things? Edit: I have a honda civic ex. 5 speed, 1.7 vtec. The ecu in that model is not programmable through the OBD-II port. Eh, just as well. I'm not going to blow $200 on a chip that isn't going to give me a decent boost anyway. |
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I've never seen a Honda that could take one thru programing, the chip itself had to be replaced outright in the car with the performance chip in a shop or in your garage if you were so inclined.
A good performance chip will do wonders for the car but the ones I've seen are around $400+ and are specific to the car as it sets itself to your car and driving habits. However it's been close to 10 years now since I've actively tuned cars, so shit may have changed since then. |
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"Chips" is a generic retard term. If the vehicle is OBDII then you're dealing with a programmer not a chip. For an unmodded or lightly modded vehicle a programmer can make a big difference. You usually have to use a higher octane fuel as opposed to regular unleaded gas. A programmer not only changes engine performance but modifies how the transmission works as well. Depending on the vehicle you can see some decent performance gains. A generic Superchips tune on my G8 GT was worth about 15 HP and chirped tires on 1-2 and 2-3 shifts.
If you have more mods like headers, cam(s), FI, etc then you'll need a custom tune. Edit: obviously you can't change transmission characteristics on a manual transmission. |
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Not JDM but I have a flash tuner from Troyer Performance for my F-150. It's not a plug & play though, he writes tunes for your specific vehicle. And yes, there's a very noticeable difference. Yeah man just change a few numbers and boom 10% increase in MPG! Im sure they have a secret that the physicists and engineers at the big car makers havent figured 
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Chipping without addressing the intake and exhaust is kind of pointless anyway.
Before I got the tuner I'd put on a Borla cat-back and AirForce One CAI. An educated guess is that running the 93 perf tune I gain ~ 50 or so HP. It's certainly much different from the stock tune... 
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Yeah man just change a few numbers and boom 10% increase in MPG! Im sure they have a secret that the physicists and engineers at the big car makers havent figured Quoted:
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Not JDM but I have a flash tuner from Troyer Performance for my F-150. It's not a plug & play though, he writes tunes for your specific vehicle. And yes, there's a very noticeable difference. Yeah man just change a few numbers and boom 10% increase in MPG! Im sure they have a secret that the physicists and engineers at the big car makers havent figured You have no idea what you're talking about. |
| If you're looking for a mileage and or HP boost just get a cold air intake. You can get most of them for less than $300 most of the time depending on the vehicle. Good for a couple of HP and a few MPG increase. I've put a K&N on all of my cars since I used to race my Integra in college and it adds a noticeable but not striking increase to both. |
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If you're looking for a mileage and or HP boost just get a cold air intake. You can get most of them for less than $300 most of the time depending on the vehicle. Good for a couple of HP and a few MPG increase. I've put a K&N on all of my cars since I used to race my Integra in college and it adds a noticeable but not striking increase to both. I put on the Borla first and just doing that got me a gain of almost 2 mpg highway. Nothing helps a F-150 in city driving though. Plus it sounds pretty fucking sweet... 
The CAI really changed the throttle response. Made the truck jump a bit. eta... pic of the AF One CAI  " />
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When I first got my Integra, I did a cat back Magnaflow exhaust with a cold air intake and a high flow header replacement. Those 3 bolt ons set me back just shy of a grand and added about 20 HP and near 10MPG to my Honda. I loved it and it got me hooked on performance racing at the time. (FWIW the Magnaflow on a Honda sounds awesome, no bullshit fart can sound) It wasn't until I updated the motor and added a turbo that I had the shop mod the ECU, at that point it was out of necessity.
I'd do it to my civic now just for the gas mileage boost except for the fact I don't want to be harassed by every high schooler and cop in town, I'm too old for that shit now. |
I actually just bough a CAI. Found one that was fairly cheap (50% off, $62 w/ free shipping). If I'm going to drop bigger cash it'll be for the 67 Cougar sitting in the garage right now. I just have to get the transmission looked at. It keeps pissing trany fluid everywhere...
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I put on the Borla first and just doing that got me a gain of almost 2 mpg highway. Nothing helps a F-150 in city driving though. Plus it sounds pretty fucking sweet...
The CAI really changed the throttle response. Made the truck jump a bit. eta... pic of the AF One CAI http://<a href=http://i.imgur.com/dEyjDwc.jpg</a>" /> Quoted:
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If you're looking for a mileage and or HP boost just get a cold air intake. You can get most of them for less than $300 most of the time depending on the vehicle. Good for a couple of HP and a few MPG increase. I've put a K&N on all of my cars since I used to race my Integra in college and it adds a noticeable but not striking increase to both. I put on the Borla first and just doing that got me a gain of almost 2 mpg highway. Nothing helps a F-150 in city driving though. Plus it sounds pretty fucking sweet...
The CAI really changed the throttle response. Made the truck jump a bit. eta... pic of the AF One CAI http://<a href=http://i.imgur.com/dEyjDwc.jpg</a>" /> Yeah nothing beats that whistle when you hit the throttle. Except maybe the waste gate on a turbo when you shift.
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I actually just bough a CAI. Found one that was fairly cheap (50% off, $62 w/ free shipping). If I'm going to drop bigger cash it'll be for the 67 Cougar sitting in the garage right now. I just have to get the transmission looked at. It keeps pissing trany fluid everywhere... You can get cheaper CAI's, they are available and work equally as well. I just prefer the K&N's because I know if I ever have an issue they will fix or replace whatever without any bullshit. Worth the extra cash up front IMO. |
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You have no idea what you're talking about. Quoted:
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Not JDM but I have a flash tuner from Troyer Performance for my F-150. It's not a plug & play though, he writes tunes for your specific vehicle. And yes, there's a very noticeable difference. Yeah man just change a few numbers and boom 10% increase in MPG! Im sure they have a secret that the physicists and engineers at the big car makers havent figured You have no idea what you're talking about. Really? Then how does changing numbers in the computer result in a increase in mpg or hp? Seriously how? You honestly think that the engineers who spend years designing these vehicles(especially in this day and age of high gas prices) dont do every single thing they can within the bounds of the law to get the highest possible mpg from their design? There is no secret trick or setting to change inside the computer to get better mpg. Stop getting scammed by these people. |
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Really? Then how does changing numbers in the computer result in a increase in mpg or hp? Seriously how? You honestly think that the engineers who spend years designing these vehicles(especially in this day and age of high gas prices) dont do every single thing they can within the bounds of the law to get the highest possible mpg from their design? There is no secret trick or setting to change inside the computer to get better mpg. Stop getting scammed by these people. Quoted:
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Not JDM but I have a flash tuner from Troyer Performance for my F-150. It's not a plug & play though, he writes tunes for your specific vehicle. And yes, there's a very noticeable difference. Yeah man just change a few numbers and boom 10% increase in MPG! Im sure they have a secret that the physicists and engineers at the big car makers havent figured You have no idea what you're talking about. Really? Then how does changing numbers in the computer result in a increase in mpg or hp? Seriously how? You honestly think that the engineers who spend years designing these vehicles(especially in this day and age of high gas prices) dont do every single thing they can within the bounds of the law to get the highest possible mpg from their design? There is no secret trick or setting to change inside the computer to get better mpg. Stop getting scammed by these people. Oh, FFS... Please learn about these things. We're not talking about those stupid magnets or Tornado things. In the case of F-150's, like mine, the regular trucks are tuned from the factory to suit everyone. This includes 80 year olds. The powertrains are capable of much better performance. They are in fact "de-tuned" from the factory. Just gain bit of knowledge before calling BS on something you seem to know nothing about. |
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Really? Then how does changing numbers in the computer result in a increase in mpg or hp? Seriously how? You honestly think that the engineers who spend years designing these vehicles(especially in this day and age of high gas prices) dont do every single thing they can within the bounds of the law to get the highest possible mpg from their design? There is no secret trick or setting to change inside the computer to get better mpg. Stop getting scammed by these people. You just answered your own question - usually the chips / programmers alter engine parameters outside of what is approved for emissions purposes. Either that or the manufacturer 'derates' the engine to match up with other transmission / drivetrain components. |
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Quoted: You just answered your own question - usually the chips / programmers alter engine parameters outside of what is approved for emissions purposes. Either that or the manufacturer 'derates' the engine to match up with other transmission / drivetrain components. Quoted: Quoted: Really? Then how does changing numbers in the computer result in a increase in mpg or hp? Seriously how? You honestly think that the engineers who spend years designing these vehicles(especially in this day and age of high gas prices) dont do every single thing they can within the bounds of the law to get the highest possible mpg from their design? There is no secret trick or setting to change inside the computer to get better mpg. Stop getting scammed by these people. You just answered your own question - usually the chips / programmers alter engine parameters outside of what is approved for emissions purposes. Either that or the manufacturer 'derates' the engine to match up with other transmission / drivetrain components. All while maintaining good drivability and staying in emissions compliance. This is counterproductive to tuning for optimal power, economy and durability. |
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have a flash tuner from Troyer Performance for my F-150. It's not a plug & play though, he writes tunes for your specific vehicle. And yes, there's a very noticeable difference. I have the same custom tune...little bit more hp, no noticeable mpg gain, but the money was well spent for the transmission shifting improvements, small bonus was correcting speedo for larger tires. All gas tunes are minor, diesels are a completely different animal 
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Yeah man just change a few numbers and boom 10% increase in MPG! Im sure they have a secret that the physicists and engineers at the big car makers havent figured Quoted:
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Not JDM but I have a flash tuner from Troyer Performance for my F-150. It's not a plug & play though, he writes tunes for your specific vehicle. And yes, there's a very noticeable difference. Yeah man just change a few numbers and boom 10% increase in MPG! Im sure they have a secret that the physicists and engineers at the big car makers havent figured It's not a secret, the programmers and chips are just doing things that the car makers chose to not do because it can have some negative side effects. Like a need for higher octane gas, shifts that are hard and uncomfortable, etc. The manufacturers are trying to make cars that last for a few hundred thousand miles... the tuners just want the damn thing to perform as good as possible. Two different mindsets at work. Both require different tunes to make happen. |
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On a NA car: for better drivability and slightly better MPG, maybe. On a FI car: dooo ittttt, Do it yesterday! FI FTW. I have a 1999 BMW 328. Is it an FI car? What is the difference? I would really like to boost the performance without adding turbo chargers and what not. I am doubtful of the claims from the Chip websites as they never spell out how much HP or mpg you gain. |
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I have a 1999 BMW 328. Is it an FI car? What is the difference? I would really like to boost the performance without adding turbo chargers and what not. I am doubtful of the claims from the Chip websites as they never spell out how much HP or mpg you gain. Quoted:
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On a NA car: for better drivability and slightly better MPG, maybe. On a FI car: dooo ittttt, Do it yesterday! FI FTW. I have a 1999 BMW 328. Is it an FI car? What is the difference? I would really like to boost the performance without adding turbo chargers and what not. I am doubtful of the claims from the Chip websites as they never spell out how much HP or mpg you gain. FI means forced induction. You BMW isn't an FI car. Cars with forced induction (turbos and the like) can see huge gains from changing the tune. It's because the tunes can raise the amount of boost the turbo makes. For a typical non-FI car.. the amount of gains you'll see from a chip or programmer isn't really worth the price tag at all. |
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Guy I work with is borrowing a JDM performance chip from one of his buddies. Apparently these ($200) chips boost your hp and gas milage by tweaking your ECM's programing a bit. All you have to do is plug it into the OBD2 port and let it do it's thing for a couple weeks. I've read a few reviews saying they work well and others that say the chips are shit. Guy I work with swears he can feel the difference and is getting 3 or 4 more MPG. My thoughts are that these things are a rip off, at least at that price. Anyone with experience with these things? Edit: I have a honda civic ex. 5 speed, 1.7 vtec. Paid shills. You can adjust your fuel/air curves, advance VTEC timing and do other things, but you want to do that for a SPECIFIC application and profile depending on what you're doing with the car, and you need to do it manually. Apexi has made profile interfaces for a long time that let you select different settings for, say, daily driving versus autocross. You want to know what you're doing, though, or you will, to be blunt, just fuck up the car and be hitting the rev limiter like a ricer while possibly damaging the engine.
There are no magic chips that improve on what Honda designed, though. That is a scam. 
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Hondata is what I run. A few guys I know run Crome on their daily drivers and get 42-50 mpg only bad is you change the spark plugs every 5k. Every 5k? Seriously? I guess if that is true it would still be worth it for those mpg's. Changing the plugs on a honda 4 banger is easier than changing the oil...or at least it was for my 91 DX, 95 DX and 00 SI civics. |
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Exactly. Serious gains with tune alone. N/A, tune alone isn't worth the trouble. Quoted:
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On a NA car: for better drivability and slightly better MPG, maybe. On a FI car: dooo ittttt, Do it yesterday! FI FTW. Exactly. Serious gains with tune alone. N/A, tune alone isn't worth the trouble. Yup. If your car has turbocharging or supercharging, you'll get a lot of gains from an ECU tune alone. On a N/A car, not so much. |
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Yup. If your car has turbocharging or supercharging, you'll get a lot of gains from an ECU tune alone. On a N/A car, not so much. Quoted:
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On a NA car: for better drivability and slightly better MPG, maybe. On a FI car: dooo ittttt, Do it yesterday! FI FTW. Exactly. Serious gains with tune alone. N/A, tune alone isn't worth the trouble. Yup. If your car has turbocharging or supercharging, you'll get a lot of gains from an ECU tune alone. On a N/A car, not so much. Truth. Generally the only way to get any decent gains out of an NA motor is either to cam it or go FI and/or Nitrous. Turbo cars like the Evo, Sti, BMW *35's..etc make 40+ HP extra by just reflashing the ecu! 
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Truth. Generally the only way to get any decent gains out of an NA motor is either to cam it or go FI and/or Nitrous. Turbo cars like the Evo, Sti, BMW *35's..etc make 40+ HP extra by just reflashing the ecu! Quoted:
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On a NA car: for better drivability and slightly better MPG, maybe. On a FI car: dooo ittttt, Do it yesterday! FI FTW. Exactly. Serious gains with tune alone. N/A, tune alone isn't worth the trouble. Yup. If your car has turbocharging or supercharging, you'll get a lot of gains from an ECU tune alone. On a N/A car, not so much. Truth. Generally the only way to get any decent gains out of an NA motor is either to cam it or go FI and/or Nitrous. Turbo cars like the Evo, Sti, BMW *35's..etc make 40+ HP extra by just reflashing the ecu! 40 is a lot of extra power! |
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Good points. To expound a little, the OEM software is equipped for the worst possible conditions, and poor fuel quality. Think 85 octane, climbing the sierra Nevada in 110* F heat. As well as 93 octane in the same car in -40*F upper peninsula winter. All while maintaining good drivability and staying in emissions compliance. This is counterproductive to tuning for optimal power, economy and durability. Quoted:
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Really? Then how does changing numbers in the computer result in a increase in mpg or hp? Seriously how? You honestly think that the engineers who spend years designing these vehicles(especially in this day and age of high gas prices) dont do every single thing they can within the bounds of the law to get the highest possible mpg from their design? There is no secret trick or setting to change inside the computer to get better mpg. Stop getting scammed by these people. You just answered your own question - usually the chips / programmers alter engine parameters outside of what is approved for emissions purposes. Either that or the manufacturer 'derates' the engine to match up with other transmission / drivetrain components. All while maintaining good drivability and staying in emissions compliance. This is counterproductive to tuning for optimal power, economy and durability. Because modern cars dont have computers in them that can deal with those kind of things
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| I know/work with three people that have used tuner/programmers/ chips?? I openly admit I know nothing about them. I also admit the reason I know nothing about them is all 3 people traded their vehicles off less than 100k. Here is the kicker. All three need new transmissions. Coincidence??? Trans shot under 100k, 3 different vehicles?? Probably more at play but was enough to turn me off. |
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Guy I work with is borrowing a JDM performance chip from one of his buddies. Apparently these ($200) chips boost your hp and gas milage by tweaking your ECM's programing a bit. All you have to do is plug it into the OBD2 port and let it do it's thing for a couple weeks. I've read a few reviews saying they work well and others that say the chips are shit. Guy I work with swears he can feel the difference and is getting 3 or 4 more MPG. My thoughts are that these things are a rip off, at least at that price. Anyone with experience with these things? Edit: I have a honda civic ex. 5 speed, 1.7 vtec. If you want to make that car fast the only way is turbo or supercharging. Chip might give you 2 or 3 more HP stickers will give you 15 
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I know/work with three people that have used tuner/programmers/ chips?? I openly admit I know nothing about them. I also admit the reason I know nothing about them is all 3 people traded their vehicles off less than 100k. Here is the kicker. All three need new transmissions. Coincidence??? Trans shot under 100k, 3 different vehicles?? Probably more at play but was enough to turn me off. It's because the vast majority of people who do this are looking for the power gains so they can race the shit out of it, not a MPG boost on a grocery getter. |
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40 is a lot of extra power! Quoted:
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On a NA car: for better drivability and slightly better MPG, maybe. On a FI car: dooo ittttt, Do it yesterday! FI FTW. Exactly. Serious gains with tune alone. N/A, tune alone isn't worth the trouble. Yup. If your car has turbocharging or supercharging, you'll get a lot of gains from an ECU tune alone. On a N/A car, not so much. Truth. Generally the only way to get any decent gains out of an NA motor is either to cam it or go FI and/or Nitrous. Turbo cars like the Evo, Sti, BMW *35's..etc make 40+ HP extra by just reflashing the ecu! 40 is a lot of extra power! The 335's go from 280whp/300wtq to 440whp/480wtq with tune, E85, downpipe and FMIC. Less then $2k in mods. |