Hi fellow NAM's

This should be fun seeing all your thoughts on this one. Fathers day is coming fast and the wife is asking what I want for my car. I know, how lucky am I to have her. Very!

I have been thinking of getting a Unichip. But now I really want to order the M7 DFIC. Performance wise I currently have plugs, wires, OBX header, Milltek, Alta intake, Alta pulley, VGS, Ryephix Bypass Valve.

Am I at the point were I need the Unichip before doing any more power upgrades?? Or should I get The DFIC? The car runs fantastic. But who doesn't want more!

I am getting up at 6AM to go surfing and will be looking forward to getting back and hearing you opinions.

Thanks,

LongBoard

 

Dfic

 

DFIC, no question

 

Unichip, for sure!

 

DFIC is freaking awesome man.... it would def get the M7 Products... ITs NASTY looking.... Good luck...Spike

 

I'm going to swim against the tide here and say Unichip.

The DFIC is turning to be the next must-have mod (it's definitely on my list of toys for my MINI), but considering your upgrade path, it's time for ECU management software. You're not going to see the full performance benefits of what you've done without ECU tuning (particularly the OBX header, Milltek cat-back, Alta intake, and pulley reduction). The DFIC, amazing as it is, is still an intercooler, and as such, is not going to be as effective as if you're already pushing the threshold of performance.

I'm in a bit of a rush to get off work, so I'll have to continue with any further thoughts later. HTH!

 

I would get a DFIC on order as they will be in short supply for a long time..... I have both and I would look for a used Unichip....it seems there is one on NAM every month for $400-500..... if your car is running good with your mods go DFIC first......IMO

 

i agree with Spider here. An ECU remap is definately needed though. However, i'd say get the IC first, and then do the Unichip, cos its a pain to keep doing a new tune every time you get a new mod.

 

Unichip. It's proven.

DFIC is nice (cool like all things from M7), but it's effectiveness will depend on how fast you are moving--- probably wonderful for track use. In stop-and-go traffic or autocross, a big sucker with a lot of exposed area (to radiate off heat) like the GRS or Alta may be more effective.

Besides, you need the Unichip to take full advantage of your existing mods. You won't need a Unichip re-tune just because of an intercooler upgrade.

By the way, you've got some gonads, dude. It's not even *Mother's Day* and here you are planning Father's Day!! LOL

 

All due respect...I just took the Alta off after about 1 1/2 years and I can't think of a single condition where the Alta outperforms the DFIC..... this is observed actual experience......bottom line is both of these choices are good.....either way you will be improving your car and since you are not stopping at either one there is no downside to chosing one over the other....

 

I would go for the DFIC. I am biased as I have one and love what it does. I'm in doubt about what mininutz says about the GRS or Alta being more effective as the other 2 folks who have one that have been posting about it (MSFITOY and SpiderX) have both gone from an Alta to the DFIC and found improvements. There is something to be said for an IC that is getting 100% of its surface area balsted with air straight on and through it vs. an IC with air passing over the top of it.

ECU management is important from what everyone says but some people have not noticed the difference that one should from a chip. Wait for the new version of the Unichip to come out that has bluetooth connectivity to show realtime data to a mobile device and other such stuff (don't know the details, Chad from Detroit Tuned was talking about it at the Dragon) but it is $$$$

 

[QUOTE=CustomAV]There is something to be said for an IC that is getting 100% of its surface area balsted with air straight on and through it vs. an IC with air passing over the top of it.
QUOTE]

Actually, that's my point. If you're not moving very fast, you're not going to be blasting much air through it... how does it dissipate heat compared to GRS or Alta at lower speeds?

Both Alta and GRS have more exposed fins, so, certainly while in stationary or near-stationary conditions (as one might be in tight cornering, autocrossing, or off the line) they might have an edge. Also, I would add, that with the right hood scoop, you can certainly push lots of air through a big IC like the Alta or GRS...

 

While I did the IC first and my ecu remap is pending.

IC testing so far has shown that the stock IC unit is pretty good (compared to other aftermarkets (not the m7 unit)) so I would do an ECU remap first. This will allow for further M7 IC testing to take place as well as availability.

 

I have both...but if I had to choose one...DFIC...easy decision

 

As I believe Spider said above, both seem to be fine choices. Also not mentnioned, both are relatively easy installs taking less than an hour, maybe at little more for the UNIChip in order to nicely route and mount the switches inside the cabin...

I guess I'd go with the DFIC first because:

- The hot days of Summer are rapidly approaching.

- It, especially if polished, is one heck of a blingy gift to open!

- The full benefit of the UNIChip entails a custom dyno tune to maximize all of your mods. Figure on 200-300 more bucks for this, and hopefully you are near a UNIChip tuner to make this happen; checking first would be prudent.

I have a UNIChip, and I plan to finally get a dyno tune (also includes actual driving) after I finish all of my power-enchancing mods: DFIC, head and header remain.

Hope the waves treated you well!

 

From what I've read above, would the consensus be that the alta or other larger top mount IC would be better for city driving/ autocrossing and the DFIC better for the open road and track events?

I would save and do both...both ECU managment and IC.

 

My testing show that the DFIC performanced extremely well under both driving conditions...it has incredibly fast heat soak recovery in the city and gets lots of airflow at speed

 

As a company we have a vested interest in this discussion and I do not want to do anything other than clear up one misconception. Due to the design of the scoop and built in diverter ( thanks Sid and Joel ) the amount of air coming THROUGH, not just passing over the top, the intercooler causes it to be effective from a very low speed. When we did our testing we saw immediate results from about 20 mph and up. For those that are looking to better their performance under 20 MPH then perhaps the DFIC is not your best choice, for the rest of the market we are sure that we have the best unit available. With regards to this thread both products and good and which you get first is totally up to you and I can't see how you can go wrong either way.

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Good Morning everyone

When we conceived the DFIC many moons ago, one of the most important
atributes we where looking for was the capabillity of recovery from heat soak.
If you where to attach thermo couples to the pre and post bungs, you would be absolutly shocked how fast the charge air will cool. As Randy said above
you will not go wrong with either, but rest assure that if you chose the DFIC
you will have the best intercooler that money can buy for your MINI...

peter
Team M7
562-608-8123

 

She already received a nice diamond ring and a single serve coffee maker.

I'm golden!!!!!

 

This is why I love the M7 dudes!! Success to you!!

While we're at it, Peter, can I ask you this? Let's say I want a good solution for autocrossing (where considerable time can be spent in the vicinity of 20MPH)... let's say we've got two options:

1) GRS/Alta with M7 Extreme Hood Scoop
2) DFIC with M7 Ram Air Intake

Would you say that these are comparable choices, or is one a clear winner (given my low speed needs)? Note also that heatsoak isn't a big deal in this application, because I do spray down the intercooler between runs...

Longboard: you are one sly Daddy!!!

 

Damn! for that you better get the DFIC, the UNICHIP, a new strut brace, the m7 understrut system.. ummmm ummm what else can i think of at the moment?

She is so ahead of the game and needs to play some serious catch up! (OK i am delusional and keep telling myself that to justify things with the wife)

 

Wow!

Thanks guys! Lots of great feedback. I know that I need the Uni to take advantage of the mods I have. That said, my car runs great and pulls hard. I think I might have gotten lucky. All motors are not the same. I have had a few mini guys drive my car and they all come back with the same impression. That it feels stronger then there car. And theirs are modded similarly.

I drive allot of freeway miles here in so-cal. I think the DFIC will serve me best at this time. It's going to get hot!!

The wife told me I can get the DFIC and my window fixed. God I love this lady.

And yes! She received a diamond ring and a single serve coffee maker for mothers day. She's well taken care of

PS: The waves sucked today

LongBoard

 

I will guarantee you that the DFIC will out perform any other IC with a bigger hood scoop, in any driving situation, high or low speed driving.

The recovery rate is such that the core will recover within seconds of your
autocross run. We are also offering a ceramic coating option on the bottom surface cutting down radiating heat from the engine by a substantial 30%.

Other heat management coatings will be offered as soon as we have determined the performance to cost benefits.

Peter
Team M7
562-608-8123

 

hey peter or randy at M7. How much does the ram air scoop contribute to the DFIC's functionality?