Plug and Play Unichip?

[chaos_being]

Well, I'm always messing around with new ideas- I'm still considering installing the TRD supercharger, but even at the lowered price for an 06, that's still a nice chunk of change for one mod. So, for a comparison, I've also been considering finishing out my easy N/A mods, and spending the rest of the cash that I would spend on a S/C, on suspension and interior mods. I'd still get a little more zip, and my car would still look/drive nicer too.

I currently have a Fujita CAI and a Skunk2 cat-back. If I decide to continue down the route of N/A bolt-ons, I'd finish it out with a jet-hot coated MMW header, and I'd have a hi-flow cat welded onto my exhaust (I don't want to be completely cat-less.) Maybe a underdrive pulley, but concerning the risks of that part, that is another conversation honestly...

I've seen some talk of tuning N/A with various piggybacks, and while people do get gains (I remember seeing a thread where someone got 12whp with a camcon,) the consensus from a lot of people is that the cost of the piggyback plus the tuning, makes it a little too pricy.

However, I saw that Unichip has cut the prices on their piggyback for the tC- it comes pre-tuned for either stock or I/H/E, and it has a removable wiring harness, for $460. For that price, and becauase it is "pre-tuned" and 100% removable, it basically can be considered a bolt-on as well. I think the site advertises ~9hp for the I/H/E tuned one- not much of course, but similar to the gains from all the other bolt-on parts... Supposedly there is a 2nd map included that advances timing for use with premium gas too.

I'm just curious if anyone has tried using one of these devices on their N/A tC before. For the price and ease of installation, it seems like a pretty decent deal, and it would enhance other bolt-on mods. It's re-tunable too, and I have a unichip tuner right near me in case I still go F/I and want to use it in the future. I guess the only thing I'm unsure of, is the validity of using a pre-tuned piggyback. I've seen some good reviews of using these on other vehicles without additional tuning, but pretty much nothing in terms of actual results for tC's...

[Stu_Gotti]

ALWAYS have it tuned to YOUR vehicle... engines are not always going to be identical in the way they perform...

If your looking to squeeze out a few more ponies, it's a slightly expensive way to do so, but if you do plan going FI, it'll be one less thing to do.

Just my understanding and advice. :up:

[chaos_being]

Yeah, the pre-tuned thing sounds nice at first, but I was thinking the same thing as you concerning the tuning. Eh, another thing to consider :ponder:

[chaos_being]

Ok, one more thing...I'm facinated by this thing for some reason :icon_sorry:

While I agree that a custom tune would be the best for max power gains, is this the only reason to do so? Could a pre-programmed tune actually be harmful, or just not optimal?

This is what they have to say in their FAQ section:



Are your maps “cookie cutter” because they weren’t created for my specific vehicle?
· Everyone driving a vehicle today – from Suzuki’s to Ferrari’s – is driving a mass production vehicle in that a single ECU map is loaded into an off-the-shelf ECU which is controlling an engine built from off- the-shelf parts. That is only possible because of adaptation which allows the ECU to normalize the stacking tolerances so that each engine runs correctly.
· Consider, for example, and engine providing the ECU data from ten electrical components each with a +4% production tolerance. If the electrical components can be installed in four different ways (two knock sensors and two oxygen sensors which can both be installed in either location), that means there are 1.66 million different results that could be reported to the ECU for a single condition actually existing in the engine. To provide the engine the one correct control input for that single existing condition, the ECU needs to normalize the 1.66 million results to a single result regardless of which of the 1.66 million answers it’s presented.
· Because the Unichip works in harmony with the OEM ECU, we take advantage of the factory normalization process and in that regard, every vehicle of a particular make, model, and options is actually very close to every other “identical” vehicle. There’s certainly a distribution curve under which a handful of vehicles deviate from the normalized standard more than others, but in almost all cases, vehicles will produce within ~ 1% of the maximum power they can make with a standard Unichip map.
· While a specific vehicle might make slightly more power with a custom tune, it’s well below what you as a driver can feel in the vehicle and would require timing to the hundredth’s of a second to see. Ultimately, the decision to get a custom tune or go with a standard calibration is up to the individual, but either way the Unichip is your best choice since it allows you to go either direction.


Do I need a custom tune?
· The Unichip is different from most ECU enhancement products because it is custom tunable at a qualified shop. Through custom tuning, applications like nitrous injection and water injection or internal engine work like wild cam profiles can be correctly calibrated for optimum performance.
· Because of adaptation and the fact the Unichip works in conjunction with the factory ECU, most people will get 99% of the potential gain with a standard Unichip calibration. A custom calibration may find you that last 1-ish percent, or you may have one of the few vehicles that is at the edge of the distribution curve which varies slightly more than normal and will gain 2-3% additional power with a custom tune.
· If you have bolt-ons or internal modifications in excess of our published calibrations, then your best bet for maximum power is contacting a Unichip Custom Tuner for a specific calibration for your vehicle.



Considering that a lot of other vehicles have "performance reflashes" that can be applied to different cars, what they say seems to make sense. Then again, I could be completely wrong!

[Stu_Gotti]

Hmm.. interesting..

[chaos_being]

Haha, yeah. I just wish I could find someone who has one and could give me some results, to see if their claims are actually correct.

[Krdshrk]

Putting aftermarket fuel management on a N/A tC really won't get you much. It most likely won't be worth the money unless you're using Nitrous (Which is F/I) or going S/C or Turbo.

That being said, there's no such thing as a universal pre-tune. Every car is different and the Unichip won't know wtf to do with your car. It must be street or dyno tuned.

$460 really isn't that cheap if you consider the costs of a GReddy Emanage and other fuel management options.

[Go4shoped]

The pre-tunes are made to be able to be used on all of the tc's. No, you wont get as much as you would if you were to get custom tuned but the gain is there. The tunes are designed to be mild enough so that no damage can be done to the motor.

Just think of all the truck guys. Superchips, bullydog, diabo sport, etc, they all make tuners with preset tunes which can be used on all of that specific make and model. On those trucks there are some pretty big gains too. My friend jumped from a 15.9 in the 1/4 down to a 15.2 in a 5100lbs hemi truck. I'm not saying you'll get those kinds of gains but it can be done.

[Krdshrk]

If you're gonna do this though, please dyno before & after.

[NurSpec]

...
However, I saw that Unichip has cut the prices on their piggyback for the tC- it comes pre-tuned for either stock or I/H/E, and it has a removable wiring harness, for $460. For that price, and becauase it is "pre-tuned" and 100% removable, it basically can be considered a bolt-on as well. I think the site advertises ~9hp for the I/H/E tuned one- not much of course, but similar to the gains from all the other bolt-on parts... Supposedly there is a 2nd map included that advances timing for use with premium gas too.

...

$460 for ~9hp? I dont like that very much. Granted its your cash, but I believe that the money can be better spent elsewhere.

easy of intall? plug and play...30 min tops :)

[tcchris38]

I got a unichip for sale but it doesnt have the map for the NA its tuned for a SC

[Krdshrk]

My Emanage ultimate w/ PnP harness. Install time? 1 minute :D