Performance Chips
For Better Car Performance
Your diesel or petrol vehicle do not deliver optimal power and economy when leaving the factory. This is due to mass production. Car manufacturers write standard programming for engine maps to compensate for variances present in identical engines. This allows room to improve performance and efficiency. You can achieve this in various ways. You can add performance exhausts, new air intake or a manifold. These may improve horsepower, torque and fuel efficiency. However, to safely improve your car’s performance, you should consider a performance chip.
What is a Performance Chip?
A “performance chip” is software that bypasses your car’s restricted operating parameters. Your car’s engine control unit (ECU), also known as the engine control module (ECM), control these parameters. These are, however, not optimised for optimal engine performance. This is where a performance chip comes to the party. It overcomes those restrictions by remapping or modifying the existing ECU. In doing so, it achieves increased performance.
The different types of performance chips.
There is a variety of programmers, tuners, chips and modules out there to enhance your driving experience. Unfortunately, it is not always that easy to choose the correct one. In the strict sense of the word, there are basically two types to consider. There are MODULES (chips) and then there are TUNERS (computer programmers). Even though both of these aim at the same thing – improving performance – they go about differently to achieve this.
Chips (Modules) – A chip plug into a car’s existing ECU, which is usually under the hood. It performs the role of a mini computer. As such, it receives data from the ECU, which it first analyse. It then makes certain adjustments to improve certain parameters. The installation of one of these chips must be done by a tuning specialist (tuner). That tuner must programme (tune) it to suit the specs of your engine. Resorting under chips is what is referred to as FLASHES. A chip-tune and a flash-tune are very similar in design. Both tune the parameters of your car. The difference is that a flash tune re-programmes your car’s ECU, while a chip tune does not. A piggyback chip is unique in this regard. It installs a harness that plugs into the car’s existing ECU and directs the signals to the “new” ECU. A piggyback works the same as a chip-tune, but it is mostly more thorough.
Computer Programmers (Tuners) – This differs from chips and modules. There is no connection into the ECU underneath the hood. It is installed onto the On-Board Diagnostics II (OBD-II) Port. The OBD-II is an on-board computer that access your car’s computer in order to monitor emissions, mileage, speed, etc. It can usually be found underneath the steering rack. As its meaning implies, it serves a diagnostic function. Programmers also enable the capacity to tune and adjust parameters on your car.
Whether it is for your diesel or petrol car, both chips and programmers deliver similar results. Let us see what you can expect from these.
What to expect from a performance chip.
The primary benefit of a chip or programmer in your car is to bring about performance enhancement. If you want to embrace a race perk, then you can expect better torque and increased power output. Also expect improvement regarding ignition timing, fuel curves, air-fuel ratio, as well as fuel economy. There are many other perks you can get when chipping your car. The best gains, according to our experience at Steves Auto Clinic, is to make use of the Unichip. We consider ourselves knowledgeable and well-experienced when it comes to selecting a proper component to enhance your driving experience. We say this because the Unichip is different from other chips and programmers on the market.
Choose a chip that matters.
Why do we promote the use of a Unichip? Well, the chip is not only a piggyback computer, it is also a plug-and-play device. In this capacity, the Unichip will safely optimise your diesel car’s performance settings. Not only that, the Unichip offers you seven map settings, of which five are fixed. With the click of a button, you can switch between these map settings. From performance to fuel efficiency, over to 4×4 and towing, back to its standard mode or into an anti-theft mode. All possible with a simple click of a button. The Unichip do not rewrite the standard ECU. You can, therefore, unplug it at any time, in which case your car will be back to normal. The Unichip does not leave any trace on the ECU of ever being there.
The Unichip can also be reprogrammed to be used on a different car. You can also remap it to your personal settings. As a product, the Unichip towers above the rest on the market. At Steves Auto Clinic, we have a lot of experience when it comes to the installation and programming of the Unichip. Do you want to improve the performance of your diesel vehicle? For better boost or better fuel economy, you can depend on Steves to steer you in the right direction.