Alright, so I thought I was all decided on what to do when it came to the ECU, then I have to start hearing about this Unichip. Now, I already have a good list of mods (intake, pulley, cat-back, air diverter/sprayer), but Im stumped on what to do here.

Now, the Unichip is of course $300 more than the One-Click, thus making it not immediately attainable, so I would be running around without this upgrade for a month or so before I could afford it.

My main question is, does the Unichip (WITH all of the current mods I have) make enough power over the One-Click to make it worth the extra $300?

 

>>Alright, so I thought I was all decided on what to do when it came to the ECU, then I have to start hearing about this Unichip. Now, I already have a good list of mods (intake, pulley, cat-back, air diverter/sprayer), but Im stumped on what to do here.
>>
>>Now, the Unichip is of course $300 more than the One-Click, thus making it not immediately attainable, so I would be running around without this upgrade for a month or so before I could afford it.
>>
>>My main question is, does the Unichip (WITH all of the current mods I have) make enough power over the One-Click to make it worth the extra $300?

That is a good question for Randy Webb of Webbmotorsports. The Unichip is the most expensive option right now with the Evotech and PowerChip ECU upgrades close behind. The AmD one click and Shark injector are easier to install but offer less power gains. For a conventional ECU upgrade the PowerChip seems to be the best but it's price has remained stable for quite a long time.

Some of us are waiting to see what the GIAC ECU upgrade has to offer before committing to and upgrade. There is no rush to upgrade ECU. On the realistic side there are small gains to be made between the different ECU upgrades. For most people the differences would be fairly small. The One click and Shark injectors are on the lower side of gains.

 

Yes, I know that the shark and AmD are on the lower end of the gain spectrum. However, with the mods that I will have, the gains from ANY ECU will be minimal. What I want to know is, does the AmD close up some of the performance gap on the Unichip when you have the pulley/intake/exhaust all installed.

If I had to guess I would say that the AmD would give 6-8 horses and the Unichip 10-12. If this is the case, there is no way I'd fork over an extra $300 for 2-4 hp.

However, I have heard that the Unichip offers something along the lines of automation for your water sprayer if you (like I do) have one. This would give me MORE interest in the Unichip so that I dont have to see my back washers going nuts everytime I want to use this thing.

 

ECU upgrade is not just about HP gains, but to get
consistency in performance. :smile:

 

>>ECU upgrade is not just about HP gains, but to get
>>consistency in performance. :smile:

Ken is right! The ECU will provide a smoother acceleration curve, while optimizing the performance of additional mods. :smile:

 

I'm a proponent of Unichip for 2 simple reasons:

1. totally removable and reversible to stock spec
2. custom tunable to the spec of the car with different mods



_________________

 

>>I'm a proponent of Unichip for 2 simple reasons:
>>
>>1. totally removable and reversible to stock spec
>>2. custom tunable to the spec of the car with different mods

I'm holding off on the Unichip.
It has the highest price on the market for any MINI ECU upgrade domestically.
Is not tuned to the 19% reduction pulley (edit: both can be tuned or custom tuned for 19%)
Not sure of the piggyback ECU upgrade idea in terms of long term reliability and ill effects on other mods.

Jcampos wrote:
>Yes, I know that the shark and AmD are on the lower end of the gain spectrum. However, with the mods that I will
>have, the gains from ANY ECU will be minimal. What I want to know is, does the AmD close up some of the
>performance gap on the Unichip when you have the pulley/intake/exhaust all installed.

I don't think the gains from ANY ECU will be minimal. There is some power to be added. The place to look is in added torque not HP. Also smoothness and how the ECU manages all of the mods not just the basics like intake, pulley, exhaust. I'd like to see an ECU tuned for the Quaife LSD , a larger intercooler, rebored throttlebody,or tuned for the CVT, etc.

>If I had to guess I would say that the AmD would give 6-8 horses and the Unichip 10-12. If this is the case, there is
>no way I'd fork over an extra $300 for 2-4 hp.
I think it may be more than 4 HP difference but that is still a small gain for $300 more.



_________________
MINIlani home of Jasmine Trias

 

>>Is not tuned to the 19% reduction pulley

Unichip can be tuned to 19% pulley by doing a custom tuning. :smile:

 

>>>>I'm a proponent of Unichip for 2 simple reasons:
>>>>
>>>>1. totally removable and reversible to stock spec
>>>>2. custom tunable to the spec of the car with different mods
>>
>>I'm holding off on the Unichip.
>>It has the highest price on the market for any MINI ECU upgrade domestically.
>>Is not tuned to the 19% reduction pulley
>>Not sure of the piggyback ECU upgrade idea.
>>
>>Jcampos wrote:
>>>Yes, I know that the shark and AmD are on the lower end of the gain spectrum. However, with the mods that I will
>>>have, the gains from ANY ECU will be minimal. What I want to know is, does the AmD close up some of the
>>>performance gap on the Unichip when you have the pulley/intake/exhaust all installed.
>>
>>I don't think the gains from ANY ECU will be minimal. There is some power to be added. The place to look is in added torque not HP. Also smoothness and how the ECU manages all of the mods not just the basics like intake, pulley, exhaust. I'd like to see an ECU tuned for the Quaife LSD , a larger intercooler, rebored throttlebody,or tuned for the CVT, etc.
>>
>>>If I had to guess I would say that the AmD would give 6-8 horses and the Unichip 10-12. If this is the case, there is
>>>no way I'd fork over an extra $300 for 2-4 hp.
>>I think it may be more than 4 HP difference but that is still a small gain for $300 more.
>>
>>


First off, the AmD is also totally removable (even more so than the Unichip, since the Unichip will still have the switch on the dashboard if that is how you have configured it and the anchoring device (i.e. velcro, sticky tape...) for the chip. Also, the AmD is tunable to the spec of the car with different mods as well.

Second, minhune, as far as the power ratings of the various chips, no one has objectively measured all the chips side by side and given a rating. Some of Randy's first numbers were extremely agressive for the Powerchip (i.e. 15hp) which he himself has since scaled back. You also have to take Randy's powerclaims with a grain of salt since he is a manufacturer of two of the chips himself. People have developed in their mind what the power outputs of the chips are, mostly from various comments that Randy has made, without some really good testing from a third party or at least a set of consumers. Randy claims big output from the Powerchip when it first came out while some people have reported no performance difference. We really need some objective evaluation of the various solutions out there, performance numbers from one developer doesn't cut it as objective evaluation.

Thirdly, power claims are not the only evaluation of a chip. I think the chips need to be evaluated on at least six categories. 1) Power, 2) Price, 3)Smoothness, 4)mileage (mpg), 5)Ease of Installation, 6)Options. JCampos, I would rate them as follows: Again, I haven't had both chips in my car to evaluate side by side. I am not sure anyone has had both of these items side by side, nor has anyone dyno'd them both on the same car under similiar conditions, so these are only statements that people have said. Take it with a grain of salt, until someone has objectively tested them:

1) Power
-The Unichip has been claimed to make around 10hp throughout a good chunk of the rev range. The AmD has been claimed to make in the 6hp, without much indication of where the power is being made. I would give this category to the Unichip, unless someone has other data. Again, no one has tested them side by side.

2) Price
-The Unichip is $750, while the AmD is around $450. I think the AmD wins on this one.

3) Smoothness
-No one has stated a whole lot on this subject in regards to the Unichip. I also haven't seen anyone say anything negative about it. The AmD has had a few comments on the exceptional smoothness of the chip. EVO magazine also stated that the chip feels as smooth as the JCW, which has always been JCW's golden crown and a feat everyone else is trying to match. As far as general comments go, I would have to give this to AmD.

4) Mileage
-No one has given any numbers on this for the Unichip. jlm did report a 5mpg improvement with the AmD. I think both of them would give some improvement, since they are leaning the mixture some. But again no conclusive numbers on these. This is a by product of the better tuning that after market chips provide over the stock unit, but this category has largely been ignored by the Mini community. Most concentration has been on only power, not other factors. This is an important one since you can justify some of the costs if the chip saves you money at the gas tank.

5) Ease of Installation
-While the Unichip is quite easy to install with the included kit, most people are claiming a half hour up to an hour. The AmD is plug and play, and requires no installation or shipment of chip or cables. I would say the AmD wins on a slight margin.

6) Options
-The Unichip has a wide array of options. Some of these have not been completely developed yet, such as operation of a sprayer, but Randy is working very quickly on these other options. Also, the Unichip offers the capability of having multiple programs on the chip. Since the chip sits on the outside of the main ECU, it retains the cars stock appearance, when the hardware is removed. The AmD on the otherhand includes the option to house two versions of code, but most people retain the stock code and the modified code, effectively allowing only one version. The AmD does allow the car to retain its stock settings, by allowing the consumer to reload the stock code. The AmD does have a lot of coding options including the 19% pulley as well as the option of having it custom programmed by AmD on their rolling road. This requires you to travel to AmD, while with the Unichip you can go to anyone of their many performance centers. The AmD does not offer the ability to hook up items such as sprayers. I would think ultimately the Unichip will have more capabilities than anything else out there, once Randy finalizes these options.

So I think if you look at both of them, overall it is a close call. If you are only going for one or two categories, then either the Unichip or AmD may win out. With your initial question being does the Unichip offer that much extra power to make it worth the extra money. This is a tough one since no one has measured both. I would again, say to take Randy's numbers with a grain of salt. His Powerchip has shown up as high as 17hp on one car and as low as 8hp on another car. So the numbers do slide, and the numbers he has shown was on the tuning of one car. I am not sure what the numbers will end up showing. But since the only one who has given numbers on both of them is Randy, then we can take 10hp (average, but depends on your mods, certain mods showed higher results) and 6hp for the AmD, we can see that the Unichp costs $75 per hp and the AmD costs $75 per hp. This doesn't take into account torque numbers, since none has been published or even mentioned by anyone else for the AmD, and it doesn't take into account impact of other mods. You also have to evaluate the other criteria as well. You mentioned you had a sprayer, therefore that may be a big bonus for you. At this time without objective critique of both chips, it will be hard for all of us to evaluate them and each item above is just based on lots of other people's statements. I hope this helps some in a very tough product to evaluate.

 

About this time last year, a few of us were talking about the two types of pullies, and how it might be a benefit to have one that comes off easily just in case there were other options beyond the then only 15%...

Indeed, now we have other choices, and for me one the main benefits of the UNIChip is that one can not only tailor to that pulley of choice and corresponding mods, but what about the toys for next year and beyond? If there is a new SC, or a replacement turbo, or if the twincharger comes to fruition, the UNIChip can be dialed-in to maximize results for those as well. While a few are working with larger injectors now, maybe this time next year will see many us doing the same. UNIChip can handle those as well, as explained to me by Randy.

For those who emphasize performance, and want a chip that can evolve with future goodies, the UNIChip is the one to get. And when one considers that the UNIChip allows for 3 maps (one being stock), the cost, at least for me, is certainly justifiable...

_________________
2003 IB MCS

 

2 questions (sorry for the slight threadjack, but you guys always get me thinking!)....

1) pardon my ignorance, but what is a water sprayer for and what is the cost / benefit?

2) Didn't Randy post something about distancing him self from the makers of UNIChip or PowerChip?

 

water sprayer is for the intercooler where water is sprayed on the fins to cool it
off through evaporation. Its to maintain intercooler efficiency and consistency.
Its like those water sprayers you see at a supermarkets where they spray
their veggies with water every 30min or so. Its like that w/o the music.

 

>>2 questions (sorry for the slight threadjack, but you guys always get me thinking!)....
>>
>>1) pardon my ignorance, but what is a water sprayer for and what is the cost / benefit?
>>
>>2) Didn't Randy post something about distancing him self from the makers of UNIChip or PowerChip?


Randy was having issues with Powerchip. I think at this moment they have reached a tentative agreement, but I think it is still shakey. I am not sure what the issues were surrounding this problem with Powerchip. Not sure if the same thing could happen with Unichip. But it might be interesting to talk to Randy about this.

 

Alright, I think I am going to bite the bullet and go for the Unichip. If it even gives a 5lb torque gain over the AmD, its worth every penny of that 300. Plus, there is a unichip tuner nearby. I would have to say that this chip does offer MORE diversity than the one-click.

On top of everything, a friend of mine has it on his supercharged carerra 4S and says it works wonders. Well, thanks for th input. This will be interesting to see. I will post with my opinion once I get the car and the chip installed. Lets say late June.

Thanks again

 

Thanx dgszweda1 for the info. IMHO i think gasoline octane might be another factor. In fact any other mods, cooler, air intake, pulley size, and particular car will probably determine the actual performance.

I wonder how many permutations of car mods do Shark, AMD, GIAC, et cetera tune for. Seems like this would be costly and time consuming. I would humbly suggest that perhaps in our request for information, we should enquire if our particular modes were used to develop the new ECU code. Pulleys seem a standard mod for this chip tuners. But do any also try different exhausts? Or intakes.

I would assume that they have had to make compromises. Unichip seems the best in that it is tuned for your car. However, without clear before and after dyno runs (with AirFuel, Torque, and HP readings), it is really hard to determine.

And for us California MCS owners, we have to consider if the ECU manufacturers have a 91 octane version. I have a 15% pulley on my MCS and i do not plan on using any octane boosters nor airplane fuel. I would love to squeeze more power using pump gasoline.

I would love to get some feedback about my comments here. If i am off base, please feel free to let me have it!

I am no expert but i definitely love to drive in a "spirited" way from time to time.

 

Where in CA are you from?

 

kar2n is located near the San Francisco Airport.....

Why do you ask?

 

I've had my UNIChip in the Bay Area (San Jose) for a few weeks, and she runnin' like a champ on 91, even on the B or spike map...

 

>>kar2n is located near the San Francisco Airport.....
>>
>>Why do you ask?
>>
>>

 

>>kar2n wassabi man, I'm in your neck of the woods......going up to Barryessa next weekend with Norcal minis?

Want to be there. Still trying to work out that weekend with the rest of the family. No one else is interested in coming with me....boo hoo.... its 50/50 that i will be there.

 

That makes 4 of us on this thread from the bay area.... well, im little out of there, but I work in the bay area. Anyway, we should all meet late June or early July... maybe do a 4th of July run or something.

I still cant wait to see Brutus and I would love to see that Unichip as well. I may have mine by then, not exactly sure when Im going to make that purchase. I will have the intake, exhaust, air diverter, short shift, and pulley on for sure by then for any who want to check those out.

 

For wat it's worth, Im in IL where we have 93octane gas and run the "B" map
on the Unichip MINI04 program (no pully version). Im going to switch it over
to the "A" map during the cold months when we get the oxygenated winter gas.

This was one of the reasons why I got the unichip...the flexibility to go
aggressive during the summer months, and concervative during the winter via
flip of a switch.