Australia & New Zealand S2000 Owners Members from the land downunder.

POWER CHIP

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Old Jun 7, 2005 | 10:24 PM
  #1  
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Default POWER CHIP

Hey Guys ...
i've been looking at getting an aftermarket chip for my car .
Anyone out there has one or know of anyone who has had one fitted to their
S2000 ?
Any feedback or info would be a great help . Ive checked out the Powerchip website and they guarantee power gains of 10% . Putting power to an impressive 194 kw's !
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Old Jun 7, 2005 | 11:02 PM
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Probably time to do some searching.

The S2000 ECU doesn't have a replacable ROM and even if it did there is no way you'll get 10% of anything. Most cars are severely compromised for reasons of emissions or just plain drivability. Not the S. It is tuned from the factory for performance. The intake is well designed, the header and exhaust pretty damn good. Infact if you were to spend $5k on a Mugen intake, header and exhaust you wouldn't even make double digit kilowatts. That's just because there isn't that much room for bolt on improvement.

There are a couple of exceptions. The 99-01 ECUs are a bit leaner than the 02-onwards so getting a later ECU is a slight improvement.

Other ECU options are the usual suspects from Japan such as Mugen, Amuse, Spoon, J's etc but they are tuned for their bolt ons and usualljust remove all the over cautious settings of the stock ECU.

There are some piggy backs like the V-AFC and E-manage that can squeeze a few Kws here and there. There is also the AEM EMS which is a plug and tune replacement ECU. You still can;t get a lot of improvement out of it stock but it does allow for some big improvements liked Forced Induction.

This is an S2000. It was hand built for performance. ALl the rules and promises that you can make for other mass produced econo vehicles do not apply. Not sure if you should be sad or overjoyed.
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Old Jun 7, 2005 | 11:09 PM
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I think you'll find that Powerchip is a waste of time & money.

I suggest you investigate Apexi & MoTech.

Do a lot of "searching" here in these forums. Especially in the Australian one!
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Old Jun 7, 2005 | 11:13 PM
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A decent Motec set up has a starting point of $3K. They are very good but come with Rolls Royce pricing. That said, the AEM is $2500 here but at least it plugs straight in and comes with all features enabled.
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Old Jun 7, 2005 | 11:23 PM
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The only person I know who bought a Powerchip found that it added over a second to his 0-100 time and he got worse fuel consumption. I suspect that they are a con.
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Old Jun 8, 2005 | 02:21 AM
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powerchip proudly state that they have NO proven dyno results of before and after for their chips. im surprised at why a company makes this claim, but they do.
from all reports, they r a crock and if u want to spend money on them, then please rethink about diverting the funds my way as i havent had a visit to the boardroom in melbourne for a while
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Old Jun 8, 2005 | 04:03 PM
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Thanks for the input guys .....
Ive spoken to a sales rep' from "Powerchip" and they offering a 14 day money back gaurantee" if i am un-happy with the product for some reason .

But i will definitely keep in mind your input .
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Old Jun 8, 2005 | 04:09 PM
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But what are they actually going to sell you?

Many cars have a replacable EPROM that you just pop out and drop in the new one. Not the S2000. I assume they send you a modified ECU and you send back yours. But then what do you do about you keys and immobiliser?

If yo do take them up on the offer be sure to let us know what you get and how much it costs.
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Old Jun 8, 2005 | 04:27 PM
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Ive got your email , i'll sent you the fact sheet .

Yes , true about the S2k's ECU , as it is not programable , powerchip offer a "piggyback" modification to the standard ECU . With re-tunning , it will increase peak torque and power . Peak torque will come in now at 5200rpm instead of 7600 rpm torque at the moment is about 210nm it will increase to 240nm . And peak power ( on 98 ROH fuel ) will be 194kw's . All this for $1492 fitted with 3 yr warranty . sounds too good to be true ?

they got rep's that come to syd once a month ( as they are melb based ) and do fittings in Brookvale , they are due in in early July , i might go along and see how some of the guy's getting it fitted to their cars go , and see the results .
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Old Jun 8, 2005 | 04:45 PM
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http://www.powerchipgroup.com/interact/dat...asp?pid=Hon0053

I bet it's a rebadge UniChip.

I'm sorry, but there is no way in hell fuel and timing changes will get you 194Kw.
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