Technical Chip Tuning Box at £79.

[Eternal Optimist]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience of these little magic boxes?

Pardon our interruption...

They claim UP TO 30% more torque/HP and 15% decrease in mpg. They also offer a 30 day money back return warranty if you're not satisfied.

I'm tempted but would like to hear the experience of anyone who's actually fitted one of these before I buy.

 

[bugsymike]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience of these little magic boxes?

Pardon our interruption...

They claim UP TO 30% more torque/HP and 15% decrease in mpg. They also offer a 30 day money back return warranty if you're not satisfied.

I'm tempted but would like to hear the experience of anyone who's actually fitted one of these before I buy.

I will stick my nose in since no reply yet.
My thoughts are, it is easy to claim % benefits and less easy to prove them conclusively.
Some similar boxes in the past just had a resister in them which made the ECU think the vehicle was still cold and increased the fueling giving a little performance % much in the way you may notice a vehicle seems to perform better on a cold damp morning when air is more dense with oxygen.
I know of people that have spent money on a full ECU reprogramming which they reported back as increasing performance and economy over a wide range. I think the economy side was due to the torque increase meaning less need to rev the engine by changing down to get up hills, overtake etc.
These mods were done using a rolling road so power increases could be accurately measured and the overall cost was much more than your chip tuning box.
I suppose for the cost you could try it and see.
Where the ones I knew about were done they also notified their insurance companies of the modifications to prevent loss of insurance if involved in an accident. Job was done professionally and vehicle still going well many years later.
I fitted a pre ECU 2.8 iDT Fiat Ducato 122hp engine in a boat to replace a 150hp V6 petrol engine, as it was pre ECU I was able to adjust the turbo and Bosch injector pump gradually to almost achieve the petrol engines performance. The original was 30 knots at 10 gallons of 5 Star petrol per hour, I got 26 knots at 4 gallons to the hour on diesel and ran it reliably for 4 years.

 

[Eternal Optimist]

I hadn't realised that some of these boxes use the resistor trick. Very simple tactic.

My son had his ecu reprogrammed on his VeeDub van and experienced noticeable improvements in performance and mpg, so I know that to be true.

As a former boat owner I must say, 26 knots at 4 gallons per hour is remarkable. As you'll no doubt be aware, driving a boat at planing speed is like thrashing the gonads off your van in second gear going uphill whilst towing a couple of tons. It's tough on any engine, although travelling at hull/displacement speed gets better results - assuming you're happy to plod along at, say, six knots or so.

Anyway, the tightwad within me means I'm still considering one of these £79 magic boxes in the hope that a mere 10% (ish) improvement would be a worthwhile gain. I'll keep the forum updated with progress.

 

[bugsymike]

I have had many boats in the past, mostly displacement and was happy with the engines I fitted in them Petter, Perkins, etc diesels at around 6 knots to replace Stuart Turner twins that took ages to crank into life and old BMC diesels etc.
So finally I got the need for speed with an ex bosses 1971 21ft. Coronet, it had been standing since around 1980 and the original Volvo Penta petrol 150hp V6 (Buick engine) was so rusted due to using raw sea water cooling it was scrap. I had always intended to fit a diesel in it and when a customer of mine was replacing his van fleet I acquired the 1997 Fiat Ducato Maxi van rated at 122hp and so the story began.
To start with all my turbo and injection pump adjustments would only get it to 12 knots and unable to plane, then a friend offered me his spare prop with more pitch, this got it on the plane and 19 knots, so gradual further tweaks with a local prop engineer and so my best on a good calm day was 26 knots on the GPS, as I ran it for many years like that I could accurately measure the gallons per hour which at a genuine 4 was much better that my ex boss told me the original engine was burning 10 gallons at his max. of 30 knots on 5 star petrol.
Regarding the engine revs, I only took it to this 3690rpm and the throttled back but still on the plane in the 20s of knots. The other figure on the Bosch instrument is injection advance.
I could have achieved even higher top speed but the limiting factor was the speed at idle, as soon as you engage gear and trying to maneuver in crowded harbour moorings.
Incidentally the old galvanised fuel tank I took out was full and after draining all the sediment and water I put that 20 year old 5 star fuel in an old Fiat Uno which it ran on better than today's rubbish petrol.
Going back to your "Chip Tuner" at that price it will be interesting to see if any measurable results.

 

[Eternal Optimist]

That's a great story - you clearly invested some time in setting up that diesel lump, but it sounds like it was worth the effort.

Re. the need for speed, my last boat had twin Mercruiser V6 200HP, raw water cooled, and returned 2.5 mpg (22 knots cruise) and 1 mpg at WOT (36 knots)... Painfully expensive, but great fun in short bursts.

I'd better shut up or they'll have to create a new sub-forum - Fiat Ducato boating tales!

 

[bugsymike]

That's a great story - you clearly invested some time in setting up that diesel lump, but it sounds like it was worth the effort.

Re. the need for speed, my last boat had twin Mercruiser V6 200HP, raw water cooled, and returned 2.5 mpg (22 knots cruise) and 1 mpg at WOT (36 knots)... Painfully expensive, but great fun in short bursts.

I'd better shut up or they'll have to create a new sub-forum - Fiat Ducato boating tales!

At least mine had a Fiat Ducato engine.
In the 70s the multi franchise I worked for also did marine with a Mercury outboard side, the money people spent on those convinced me outboards were not the answer. In those days Freddie Starr and Jim Davidson did the Summer season in the theaters and bought boats from us.
No way I could have afforded your fuel bill as a self employed motor engineer, that is why diesel was for me.