"Performance" chips and ECU tuning

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
03/30/2014 at 17:15 • Filed to: None

Recently my dad ran across a product that claims to boost the fuel efficiency of an engine "up to" 20% or so, which was marketed as a 'performance chip' for $69. Meanwhile looking around on 3800performance, the closest thing I could find is a tuned ECU/ECM/whatever you want to call it for $120.

My question is how much of these products are snake oil, and for those that work how exactly do they work and if I stuck one on my naturally-aspirated Buick would I see any increase in efficiency, performance, or both?

DISCUSSION (19)

Arben72 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:18

They usually work. It's called the placebo effect.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:23

they are as vital as blinker fluid and light oil

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Arben72
03/30/2014 at 17:25

The bits about lookup tables and changing things like shift points (because slushbox) and timing for more power at the expense of efficiency or vice-versa honestly seems pretty convincing though.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
03/30/2014 at 17:25

Damn I should get one yesterday.

jkm7680 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:27

I've ordered some goodies from Unitronic for my A4. Chips included, I'll post a review when it's installed.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:27

ya you might also want a fuelshark it runs on biofuel

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > jkm7680
03/30/2014 at 17:28

Awesome. I'll watch out for it.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
03/30/2014 at 17:28

Biofuel? So, like, the blood of a virgin? That's biological and I've got plenty of blood.

Tom McParland > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:30

From my understanding for N/A engines they don't do much and are generally not worth the money. For boosted motors you can see significant gains, VW's 2.oT has a lot of options...for a about 500-700 bucks you can get a gain of 50hp or more.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Tom McParland
03/30/2014 at 17:31

Yeah my dad has a VW TDI engine and he's considering something like this for more fuel efficiency or whatever. Not sure.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:31

sure OR A HUGE LOAD OF CRAP but blood works better especially from a virgin so start bleeding

Arben72 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:32

So a company that spent billions on r&d for gas mileage and performance should've just hired these guys and they'd only need to spend 1,000 with plus side of it being universal on all there models. Sadly it's snake oil.

Tom McParland > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:33

Since I am considering a TDI as my next ride I've investiaged some of the APR tunes, though more for HP/TQ than MPGs

awe46m3zcp > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 17:36

Let me guess...he found this on eBay?

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > awe46m3zcp
03/30/2014 at 17:37

Nope. I have no idea where but the website looked pretty suspect.

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/30/2014 at 19:09

100% snake oil. They do nothing. Don't waste your money.

JasonStern911 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
03/31/2014 at 00:22

no automobile manufacturer is going to spend hundreds of millions to several billions of dollars designing a car from scratch, only to design the fuel maps so horribly ineffective that 20% fuel gains can be obtained by a small time tuner shop, especially while still maintaining all of the safety and emissions equipment.

performance, especially on a turbocharged car, can obtain 20%+ improvement levels. but manufacturers detuned it for a reason - they warranty the powertrain. if buyers were willing to purchase a new car with no powertrain warranty, then manufacturers would release products that humble the average tuner build. but we all know how people would react if they blew a $10k motor due to a gas station watering down their fuel to keep prices competitive. and then there is the whole fuel economy and emissions thing...

if you do any modifications, make sure to also spend to have proper warning devices (wideband O2 sensor, boost gauge, if possible - a timing retardation meter, oil pressure gauge, etc.).

bob and john > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
04/01/2014 at 01:39

well, there is ONE thing. car manufactures have to conform to Emissions standards. if u do other things as well as a tune, then u will see more of a effect

gc8foreva > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
04/13/2014 at 00:10

This thread made me die a little bit inside. Just get a real tune, and don't expect it to be cheap. Or just tell your dad to not buy anything, that would be FAR better for his purposes.