--- Paul Hunt <paul.hunt1@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> But AFAIK rechipping for added performance is still
> a significant business, in some cases with the
> manufacturers blessing but mostly without.
Yes, it's still a significant business, mostly because
it's an affordable modification that claims a
horsepower increase. But the key word is "claims",
because the fact that it doesn't actually make any
additional power is irrelevant.
It's sort of like the companies that sell
"performance" rear mufflers for the new BMW M3 and
claim it provides nine horsepower or something. It's
hilarious, but people still believe it! That company
still sells rear mufflers all day long! And the guy
who buys it and the chip thinks he has 28 horsepower
more than stock, when in reality, he has nothing. No
improvement whatsoever. I guarantee it.
On a modern naturally-aspirated car, the chip can
something make the throttle response more aggressive,
so the car "feels" a little quicker at part throttle,
but it really isn't any quicker. And most times, that
hyper-sensitive throttle response makes the car more
difficult to drive smoothly at very low speeds (like
when you're trundling through a parking lot) which is
why the manufacturer didn't program it like that in
the first place!
On a naturally-aspirated car, about the only thing an
aftermarket chip is good for these days is eliminating
the top speed limiter. Trust me. Turbo cars? Sure,
a chip can raise boost and tahe always makes more
power. But on a naturally-aspirated car the
manufacturers know exactly what they are doing.
But it's not the chip companies that are to blame.
It's the industry as a whole. After twelve years in
the automotive performance aftermarket, I decided to
get out of the business when it became clear to me
that 99% of the claims in the industry are totally
bogus. If you want to sell product, you have to lie
to your customers, because the guy down the street is
lying even worse. It's awful.
In a way, that's what I respect about the musclecar
industry. There's a lot less BS there, because the
guys are often measuring performance at the drag
strip, and so they have a fundamental set of checks
and balances. If the car is quicker in the quarter,
the modification worked. If not, it's crap. I
respect that.
And I also hasten to add that on old cars - like a
BMW 533i or something - a chip can actually make quite
a bit of power. Those cars were some of the first
digital engine management systems on the market, and
Bosch and BMW were still figuring out what they were
doing. But nowadays? It's a whole different ballgame.
Paul Misencik - 1971 MGB - www.sopwithracing.com
THE CAROLINA TROPHY - 2005
A vintage driving event in the spirit
of the Mille Miglia, Rallye des Alpes,
and Colorado Grand.
See www.carolinatrophy.com for details.
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