As 'regular readers' will know, I (usually) have a Tuning Box connected to my Focus tdi, with which I have been very satisfied.
Can anyone share any experience of 'plumbed-in' chips, such as Superchips, Starchips etc, on Fords or other TD's ?
I'd have thought that, if properly R&D'd, they SHOULD be capable of even more effective 'tuning', especially on motors in a relatively low state of standard tune.
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OOPS! Sorry, I must have missed the previous thread on this!
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But it didn't answer my question anyway! So CAN anyone provide some 'experiential input' ?
Andy asked, in the previous thread, why one would want more power than the standard motor provides, and it was also suggested that a fast-driven (not, I note, HARD-driven) motor would wear out faster than a 'moderately' driven one.
The answer to the first is that the 'moderate' extra power, of the TB, makes the Focus MUCH more pleasant to drive, and I suspect that, provided it is not 'thrashed', the longevity will not be adversely affected. Possibly the contrary, I'd guess.
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Thanks once again HJ, for what we really wanted to know!
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I don't actually have any first hand experience of *any* of the tuning products you mention, my only (misinformed?) knowledge is from reading the car magazines and the like, but as I understand it, the plugin ones are equally as good as the replacement / reprogrammed chips, except that they can be removed easily.
Of course, any of these modules can only add a certain amount of extra oomph to your engine (even if the gearbox and crankshaft were made of.. erm, something really strong :)) because you can only burn a finite amount of fuel for a given amount of oxygen. If you try to burn more, you'll get unburnt fuel, i.e. poor economy and smoke, which can't be good.
Not the first hand info your were after, but it might help(?)
-David L
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I tried superchips and fish once, wow really improved things for me!
Sam
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If you fit one don't forget to tell your insurers! If they can decline a claim because one fitted alloy wheels without telling them think what an extra 30 bhp could do!
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One magazine I read a while back compared the power curve with one of these aftermarket chips with the standard one. It turned out that at 30, 56 and 75mph, the standard chip had slight dips in the curve. The aftermarket chip was perfectly smooth. Their conclusion? That the manufacturer had deliberately done this to increase the mpg figures at these speeds....
Andy
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I suggest anyone interested in this read the following: www.pumaracing.co.uk/chip.htm
I personaly think Superchips on normally aspirated cars are a waste of money. I have seen evidence that shows on some cars, Superchips have just plagarised the standard ignition maps and just moved all the settings 5 degs more advanced.
Additionaly, if you chip a turbo engine, and achieve more power by increasing the boost pressure, wear on the turbo will inevitably increase.
Ben
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Mate had a Passat TDI 90 Superchipped to about 120 by the VW dealer because he couldn't then supply a TDI 110. It went very well. We thought it was overfuelling, but turned out to be the common problem of a blown turbo oil seal.
HJ
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Thanks, HJ, I guessed I'd get a (nearly!) first-hand report, eventually!
As a matter of interest only ;-) , how obvious is it, to the 'casual observer'/ (potential purchaser), that a vehicle has been chipped?
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With an external tuning box type of application you'll see it. But very hard to spot a re-chipped ECU.
HJ
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