I've used a giac chip in my VW before and know they make a great product, but this is just taking way to long. A few weeks ago we were told it would be out soon, and "soon" has come and gone. Where is it?

PS: I believe that my car is running soo rich right now, because of the 19% pulley, that it caused my O2 sensors to go bad. The dealer replaced them though. I need a good chip!

I woudn't expect a 19% flash from them. The webb powerchip is probably your best shot at a 19% flash suited to your needs.

Powerchip does not recomend using there software for a 17% or 19% pulley. They lean out the mixture to 12.5 to 1 and feel with a sammler pulley it could be trouble.

I have heard the GIAC chip will work with a 17% and 19% pulley but have no concrete data on that.

i heard the same thing vdubdoug did.... that GIAC would be making programs for 17% and 19% pulleys...

however, if you've been following them for awhile now, you'd realize it is about as easy to find a dyno graph of a car with AmD's One Click as it would be to find a GIAC chip in the horizon...... :razz: :grin:

I'm starting to think that the GIAC chip is like the "holy grail"...sought, but never attained.
:grin:

This is the worst information I've ever come across on this site. Like vdubdoug said, the powerchip specifically does not recommend using their ECU with the 17% or 19% pulley while Helix has on numerous occasions stated in very precise and clear terms that the GIAC chip WILL have a 17% and 19% version in addition to the 15%. :grin:

I'm scheduled to go down this Friday for a 17% pulley amongst some other goodies.
If all goes to plan, I hope to have my ECU flashed with the GIAC software. Keeping my fingers crossed.
The word from Eric's mouth is that the 15% software will come out first. Followed by the 17% and 19% specific code. I'm going to try and talk Eric into letting me have the 15% code on my car until the 17% is ready.
I will report back after my trip to Helix.

Use the Webb-Powerchip software w/ the 15% pulley.....ONLY!!!!

DO NOT USE IT w/ the 17% &/or 19% reduction pullies.

This info is striaght from Powerchip.!!!!

Peace,
D :cool:



_________________
PM d-mini-ero
http://members.roadfly.com/dminiero/Dennis.jpg

>>I'm scheduled to go down this Friday for a 17% pulley amongst some other goodies.
>>If all goes to plan, I hope to have my ECU flashed with the GIAC software. Keeping my fingers crossed.
>>The word from Eric's mouth is that the 15% software will come out first. Followed by the 17% and 19% specific code. I'm going to try and talk Eric into letting me have the 15% code on my car until the 17% is ready.
>>I will report back after my trip to Helix.

Good luck dude...
Keep me posted k :smile: ?
All good things

Peace,
D :cool:

>>>>This is the worst information I've ever come across on this site. Like vdubdoug said, the powerchip specifically does not recommend using their ECU with the 17% or 19% pulley while Helix has on numerous occasions stated in very precise and clear terms that the GIAC chip WILL have a 17% and 19% version in addition to the 15%. :grin:


The GIAC will be made for the 17% and 19% pulley, but only after the 15% version has been released. If the time frame for the 15% is any indication, then expect the 17% by end of 2005 and the 19% sometime by the end of 2007, but it may be extended some because by that time the new Peugot engine will be out, so the 19% will probably be pushed back to 2008 or 2009. In fact we should start placing bets on who will be done first. NASA placing a man (or woman) on MARS or the GIAC chip being released. I have $50 on NASA.

I already discussed this with Eric before I switched to the 19%. He said it would be no problem and then I could just switch to the 19% program when it became available.

Morales - Congrats on finally taking the pulley plunge! You have a lot of MINI goodies but this will be your favorite one! :grin:

Ok I just got off the phone with Eric from Helix! Here's the latest scoop:
The West Coast 15% chip is done. Yes really, done. The difference being that it is tuned for 91 octane.
The "East Coast" 15% pulley (93 octane) is darn near completion. The problem for you West Coasters is that they will be released at the same time. So ha!

17% and 19% GIACs will be available very shortly after (unless when he meant they would be released at the same time, he really meant ALL of the ECUs would be released at the same time!). They just have to be fine-tuned with all the 19% dyno runs, etc...It really shouldn't be too much longer since all of the code, software and hardware to rewrite the entire chip has already been done. Garrett is also very familiar now with the MCS so just changing pullies shouldn't be a big deal.

I made Eric aware of this thread. He told me to tell you guys he's busy working on a MINI as I speak but he'd be sharpening his wit so he could come on this board later and bust some heads...rap some knuckles.... :grin:

For all those MCS owners with 17% and 19% pulleys installed in my area, I'm recommending waiting for the GIAC upgrade for those versions. It's really not that far off once the 15% version is officially released.

The price is likely to be in the $500 range so that is another plus.
Eric is really impressed with the GIAC and the dyno numbers will show that to be the case.

For those with 15% pulleys including JCW kit owners you have a choice of getting something now or waiting but prices might fall with the competition getting fierce once GIAC is out. :grin:

Randy just unbagged the cat regarding upcoming piggy-back module he's working on which is removable prior to factory service. Due out in April. $735 or so. It promises to permit individual programming, very dense mapping (every 25 rpm) and customization. I gather you own the module, so no need to send ECU in or download/upload files. I think Randy's time estimates have proven credible. I would wait to see his product before counting on GIAC.

There has been fierce competition among chip tuners for years in the VW scene, price is still $499. A few are less, but for the most part, $499 is the norm.

Maybe the Mini market will prove to be different, who knows...

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an Ubercelebrity online right now!

Billy, are you still blowing people's doors off in the VW scene? Any chance of you getting into the MINI's?

I had an APR chip in my former car and it ran me right around 700, so anything below that is a steal to me. Bring on the chip wars!


Craig

Sorry for my mis-information on the powerchip flash Randy is obviously not going to support 19% software just yet, I thought he was :grin: :grin:

>>Randy just unbagged the cat regarding upcoming piggy-back module he's working on which is removable prior to factory service. Due out in April. $735 or so. It promises to permit individual programming, very dense mapping (every 25 rpm) and customization. I gather you own the module, so no need to send ECU in or download/upload files. I think Randy's time estimates have proven credible. I would wait to see his product before counting on GIAC.

I posted this in another thread. Assuming you're talking baout the Unichip:

When the WRX came out, a bunch of tuners (Cobb, TurboXS, Vishnu, ...) came out with Unichip based ECU solutions with mixed results. Within about a year, they all dropped the Unichip in favor of either reflashed ECU or stand alone ECU solutions. :cool:

>>Ok I just got off the phone with Eric from Helix! Here's the latest scoop:
>>The West Coast 15% chip is done. Yes really, done. The difference being that it is tuned for 91 octane.
>>The "East Coast" 15% pulley (93 octane) is darn near completion. The problem for you West Coasters is that they will be released at the same time. So ha!
>>
>>17% and 19% GIACs will be available very shortly after (unless when he meant they would be released at the same time, he really meant ALL of the ECUs would be released at the same time!). They just have to be fine-tuned with all the 19% dyno runs, etc...It really shouldn't be too much longer since all of the code, software and hardware to rewrite the entire chip has already been done. Garrett is also very familiar now with the MCS so just changing pullies shouldn't be a big deal.
>>
>>I made Eric aware of this thread. He told me to tell you guys he's busy working on a MINI as I speak but he'd be sharpening his wit so he could come on this board later and bust some heads...rap some knuckles.... :grin:

greatgo,

Since you have the inside information on this chip. Is this the first time GIAC has made an ECU modification for a factory supercharged car? I didn't see any on his site. Not to be negative, because I am genuinely interested in this chip, but if it is his first, does that make anyone worried? A lot of the publicity he is receiving on this site is his work on the VW 1.8T which is an easy engine to tune. Does anyone have any experience with his work on other cars besides VW's that he has worked on.

I ask this not to discredit any of Helix's work or GIAC's work but to get a true assessment from the customer base out there. I am interested in this chip and want to make sure I do my homework. GIAC's website it full of disclaimers that state that this product should not be used on the road and that it is for track only, whereas all the other "main" chip sites do not state that anywhere on their legal information (I haven't checked every single chipmaker) and some like "Powerchip" will actually supplement your standard warranty if anything has been shown to damage you car and you car's warranty does not cover it. I know some of this is legal mumbo jumbo, but I haven't seen this on AmD's, Powerchips, Evotech's and the Shark Injector site. Why do they all say it is okay for street but GIAC doesn't. I also heard that this isn't Garrett's full time job. Is GIAC a regular bricks and motars type shop, or is it a virtual internet type shop. Are there other people employed by this company? Again, nothing to discredit this company, because I haven't heard anything negative about GIAC. Just saw this stuff while perusing NAM and the GIAC site. Since I have had no experience with GIAC, nor do I personally know anyone that has, I am asking these questions. Any input would be great.

GIAC does some other stuff besides VW's...these are a sample from AWE Tuning's site, running GIAC chips.


http://www.awe-tuning.com/pages/gall...er_pic_rs6.jpg
http://www.awe-tuning.com/pages/gall...T/DSC00957.jpg

_________________
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Dennis/Greatgro,
Thanks for the good words. You boys led the way for me. Now my MINI's got enough miles that I'm comfortable taking the plunge.
I plan on doing some before and after dyno pulls so there will be some hard data to compare. I'm sure the butt dyno will be pleased as well. :grin:

I too am waiting for GIAC as Eric installed my 19% pulley last month. In Hawaii, our premium gas is 92 octane, wonder if i want the east or west coast version.

>>I too am waiting for GIAC as Eric installed my 19% pulley last month. In Hawaii, our premium gas is 92 octane, wonder if i want the east or west coast version.

As with the shark injector ECU upgrade you choose the higher of the two versions rated for 93 octane.
So think of it as West coast version for up to 91 octane vs
East coast version for up to 93 octane.

Have fun but do you really need more power??? You'll be spinning your wheels in first gear soon.
Time for a Quaife LSD!

>>I personally wouldn't use a piggy back ECU on a car like the WRX or MINI when the factory ECU can be effectively reflashed. :cool:

I agree to a certain extent. TwinchargedMINI has tuned his car using an S-AFC II by Apex'i electronics, other friends with twinturbo Z cars have also had good luck fuel tuning their cars with an already upgraded ECU. I"m looking forward to doing GIAC + fuel tuning with an AFC to squeeze every ounce of "safe" horsepower out of it.

Remember, Randy said the Unichip beats the EVO not the powerchip or WebbPowerchip. The EVO was the first somewhat effective ECU. It gave a little power and increased the redline - that's it! The Powerchip gave a little power and improved throttle response - that's it. Then Randy worked with Powerchip and gave it more power and much improved throttle response and smoothness. Hopefully the GIAC will be even better than this (it's supposed to so we'll see). As far as I'm aware, reflashing or in the case of GIAC, rewritiing the ECU is a much more effective way of pogramming the ECU. So I would expect modest gains at best. I'm also not too keen on having something attached to the ECU under the hood. And I know in the near future (I know what does near mean right?) GIAC will have a way where you can even tune it yourself to some degree. And you certainly will be able to upload it yourself shortly as well.

And as far as Garrett never working with a supercharger, I don't know if that is true or not. Maybe that's why he spent almost TWO YEARS working on this chip. He not only tweaked the performance aspects of the chip, but he literally uncoded the entire software on the chip and even created both hardware and software that enables them to completely rewrite the entire ECU. It doesn't just change some performance variables. The GIAC should transform the MCS into a totally different and even more fun to drive car. It won't just give a performance boost. I know they did hundreds if not thousands of dyno runs just so Garrett could learn about every nook and cranny of our engines. Last year this time, Helix was running dyno run after dyno run and sending the data to Garrett so he could learn how any little adjustment affected every single aspect of the ECU and engine. I'm confident the GIAC will be all that it's cracked up to be. :grin: