I installed the UNICHIP in my JCW today. I believe it is the first one ever installed on a Works S.

Installation was simple and straightforward. I did not thread the wiring harness and switches inside the car. My only complaint about the UNICHIP kit is that the little velcro strips they give you are worthless ... go to a hardware store and get some wider strips for the PnP case and the UNICHIP computer.

UNICHIP doesn't actually have dedicated maps for the JCW. When I talked to Jack at UNICHIP, he suggested that I go with a semi-custom map that he and Randy developed, known as the "Spike map." He felt reasonably certain that type of upgrades on the JCW would work well with that map. He also was willing to actually do a formal JCW map ... but I would have to pay for the dyno time and then send the data back to him along with the UNICHIP computer. He thought a formal JCW map would probably yield 2 or 3 more horsepower on the top end and a slight increase in torque.

With in mind, I told him to go program my unit with the standard "A" map and the "Spike map as the "B" map.

After a 20 minute install, I turned on the key to see if the red LED light was on ... the red light indicates the presence of the "B" map. I decided right off the bat to try the "B" (Spike) map. The red light was on ... I cranked the car and it immediately fired up ... actually it seemed to fire up quicker/easier than normal. There was no check engine light.

Now, for the fun: Although, what I have to report are my subjective ... seat-of-the-pants ... butt-dyno impressions, it became immediately evident to me that this modification has put my car on an entirely different level.

First of all, I noticed real increases in torque beginning about 3,200 rpm and continuing pretty much through the power-band. Guys and gals ... I'm talking about the type of torque that firmly plants your butt and back in the seats!

The revs came much quicker/easier in first and second gears ... and going into third at about 5,500 rpms the car just seemed to just explode in terms of speed and power.

Jumping on the throttle brought immediate response from the engine, with no lag or hesitation. Interestingly enough, the actual throttle response seems better .... ever so slight variations in throttle pressure are immediately felt.

It could have been my imagination, but the exhaust also seemed to have a bit more presence or "burble."

I took the car to a race tuning shop (the people that installed my big brakes) and the owner, my mechanic and a local club racer who was hanging out all admired the workmanship of the UNICHIP kit ... and when I let my mechanic and the club racer take the car for a ride ... they both came back with huge grins on their faces. (The club guy has raced several MINIS at Willow Springs.)

The verdict: Relatively easy to install ...No check engine lights ... Immediate improvements in performance ... Takes my JCW to a new level! Highly recommended.

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

thanks for the info.

don't think too many jcw owners have installed a new chip/ecu.

did you at all consider any of the others? and how'd you decide on the unichip?

 

>>thanks for the info.
>>
>>don't think too many jcw owners have installed a new chip/ecu.
>>
>>did you at all consider any of the others? and how'd you decide on the unichip?

Quite frankly, I'm probably one of the first ... if not the first to install an upgraded ECU for the JCW.

Why UNICHIP? Simple: It is "plug-n-play" ... no sending an ECU to be flashed ... can be "uninstalled" in a matter of minutes for dealer/warranty/smog purposes ... is capable of "custom maps", (if you pay for the dyno time ... not necessary IMHO for the JCW), and performance increases are REAL. Who knows, GIAC may EVENTUALLY come out with a better solution ... but this is here and now ... and I'm simply tired of waiting.

If you haven't heard of UNICHIP see Randy's site or http://www.unichip.us and

http://www.dastek.co.za



ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

how does it affect the vaulted JCW warranty.....?

 

>>how does it affect the vaulted JCW warranty.....?

I don't think the warranty is much of an issue since the UNIChip is easily removable.

 

Thanks for the write-up!

I'm also very interested in getting the UNIChip for my JCW. After adding the Alta intake w/hose, 63mm throttle body, Milltek header, Nology ignition wires, and Pilo ignition coil, I'm looking for safe ways to obtain more juice. It's never enough juice! :smile:

I really like the fact that the UNIChip is removable. All my mods so far, I can revert back to original spec fairly easy. Since I did all the installation myself, I can uninstall and reinstall without much hassle.

 

>>how does it affect the vaulted JCW warranty.....?

It probably does (but it can be removed and returned to stock in a matter of minutes ... that is the beauty of it). In all likelihood, so does my ALTA CAI (but it too can be easily easily removed and returned to stock in a matter of minutes). Come to think of it ... my big brakes and my suspension may affect my warranty as well ... but I have all my original parts, bits and pieces.

What I have done is attempt to improve on areas that MINI/JCW have ignored AND areas that can easily be returned to stock. If you start adding flywheels, cams, LSD's and that sort of stuff ... sure you can return it to stock ... but at what price/cost?

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

ftbt, thanks for the great writeup. I too have been looking to add this to my JCW. I'm convinced based on wideband 02 testing last week on the dyno that the JCW ECU is actually a detune. There is no way I can possibly believe that a 9:1 A/F can be considered "tuned." This is what lead me to look at the Unichip. You just beat me to it. LOL. I'm getting mine at the Toronto/Buffalo Pulley party in May, I hope I can wait that long. I'm also going to be adding a larger Intercooler, Nology wires and the pilo ignition.

I'm going to get my car dynoed right after getting the Unichip. I'll then decide after that and looking at the A/F ratio if I'm going to get it further tweaked by the local Unichip dealer.

Do you plan on getting the car dynoed? If you do can you make sure to get at least one run with wideband 02?

Cheers,

Paul

 

>>Do you plan on getting the car dynoed? If you do can you make sure to get at least one run with wideband 02?
>>

Paul: Even though the club racer guy suggested that I get the car dynoed to squeeze the last amount of horsepower and torque out of it (he even gave me the name and number of his dyno guru), I think I'll let you blaze that trail! Quite frankly, I am amazed and really satisfied so far at this stage. How much better can it get? My next project will be my custom Cobra Daytona seats ... after that I'm done. (Unless, of course, I get an Elise ... but that's another story.)

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

Show me the numbers said the man from crosstech and I subscribe to that......

 

>>Show me the numbers said the man from crosstech and I subscribe to that......


See: http://www.webbmotorsports.com/forum...opic.php?t=350 for dyno numbers. These are Randy's numbers. I believe that the bottom dyno shows the same "Spike" map installed in my JCW.

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

Thanks for the info! The dyno number is quite convincing. How much does it cost to do a specific mapping with dyno? :smile:

 

I checked the charts out. The problem with the unichip is all of the maps but one looked impressive. The one that didn't is the one for the mods that most people have - 15% pulley, intake and exhaust. From 3500RPMs to almost 5000RPMS, there is virtually no torque gain!

Another potential problem is the dyno used shows EXTREMELY high numbers for even the base run. Now I know this is an apple to apple comparison, however, if EVERYTHING is inflated, then the percentage gained from unmodded to modded will also be inflated. In other words, if the Alta intake is showing 20HP when it makes 3-5HP on another dyno, what's to say the Unichip won't only make 5HP on a different dyno if this chart shows 20???

Hopefully someone who buys it will have it dynoed so we'll have better evidence. :smile:

 

>>Thanks for the info! The dyno number is quite convincing. How much does it cost to do a specific mapping with dyno? :smile:

Jack wasn't going to charge me anything more for a custom JCW map ... I would just have to pay for my own dyno runs. I honestly don't know what dyno runs cost ... but UNICHIP even had a recommended dyno shop here in Southern California if I wanted to go that route. (I think UNICHIP would obviously like to be able to say that they have a dedicated JCW map ... However there aren't a lot of Works S's sitting around that they can use for development.) The bottom line: I decided to go with Jack's recommendation and try their semi-custom "Spike map" and it seems to work real well. I'm satisfied.

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

Can you describe the details of installation and what it includes? Pictures would be great!

 

I couldn't find a price on the UNICHIP. How much did it cost you?

 

I believe Randy of WMS is charging $735 for UNIChip at his pulley parties. Someone mentioned that UNIChip charges $800.

 

Ok. Here are some pictures of the UNICHIP installed in my car:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachmen...chmentid=34742
http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachmen...chmentid=34743
http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachmen...chmentid=34744
http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachmen...chmentid=34745
http://www.mini2.com/forum/attachmen...chmentid=34746


IMPORTANT NOTE: Randy at Webb Motorsports had a significant role in the development and tuning associated with the introduction of this product for the MINI. I am not a shill for Randy, (I didn't even buy my kit from Randy), but he should be recognized for his efforts. If you purchase a UNICHIP kit directly from UNICHIP (like I did), please mention Randy's name (like I did) so that he can get credit for the order. The price was $738.00 + $20.00 shipping, second-day air.

Eventually I will try the "A" map (I have full tank of 100 octane right now) and I'll post my impressions when I try it -w- 91 octane.

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

Looks like Unichip gives a 3 month money-back guarantee:

http://www.dastek.co.za/unichip_code.htm

Hmmm ....

Unichip US does not abide by the "Unichip Code":

http://www.unichip.us/guarantee.html

I'd still like to find out exactly which inputs/outputs are being modified by the Unichip and what their ranges are.

_________________
SHOW ME THE NUMBERS!

...How Fast is Your MINI?...My Mods...

 

Good question. I certainly can't tell you. Give Jack at UNICHIP or Randy a call.

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

Thanks, ftbt, for the photos!

I noticed that there is a switch under the bonnet. Is that for A/B map switching? Did you have to run any wires through the firewall or do all the connections take place under the bonnet? How is ECU mounted on top of the fuse box?

 

>>Another potential problem is the dyno used shows EXTREMELY high numbers for even the base run. Now I know this is an apple to apple comparison, however, if EVERYTHING is inflated, then the percentage gained from unmodded to modded will also be inflated.

The percentage gain should be identical. The absolute gain will be inflated.

 

Right!

 

"I noticed that there is a switch under the bonnet. Is that for A/B map switching? Did you have to run any wires through the firewall or do all the connections take place under the bonnet? How is ECU mounted on top of the fuse box?"

There are actually 2 switches under the bonnet: the A/B map switch and an identical switch for ECU power cut. The ECU power cut switch removes power from the OE ECU and can be used to clear check engine lights. You can't see the power cut switch in the picture. That is not the ECU on the fuse box. It is the PnP adapter for the ECU conectors. It is attached -w- velcro to the fuse box. The UNICHIP ECU is a small metal box, slightly smaller than a box of "Altoids." As the other pictures show, it is attached under the rain gutter, by removing a small plastic grommet to reveal a small hole in the rain gutter. A self-tapping screw and washer are provided and the UNICHIP ECU has a tab at that the side with a hole in it. You simply attach some velcro to the top of the ECU, line-up the tab with the hole in the rain gutter and screw it in. Simple as that.

As I mentioned above, you also receive a "tool" in the form a small length of pvc pipe that is sharpened on one end. It can be used to thread the wiring harness thru a rubber grommet in the firewall, in the event you want to mount the switches inside the car.

I did a bit more research on the UNICHIP, apparently the Subaru WRX folks use it as well.

ftbt

2002 Works Cooper S, Sn. 1165, DS/W; Sport + Premium + Alta CAI + Unichip + H Sport Springs, Competition Front & Rear Sway Bars, Rear Camber Control Arms + 17" Team Dynamics Pro Race 1's; 215-45-17 Kumho MX's + AP Racing Formula Big Brakes, X Drilled + Slotted Rotors, Goodridge SS Lines + Clear Bra + Schroth Harness and a full tank of 100 octane ... life is good!

2002 CVT Cooper LY/W + Sport + 17" S Lites & Pirelii Euforias + Clear Bra

 

Actually the second switch is not the ECU power switch. It is a switch for a water sprayer unit for the intercooler that will be under development soon. There is no ECU power cutoff switch for the MINI ECU. The Service Engine Soon light will reset after 5 start/drive/off intervals if it does not see any continuing problems.

Cheers,

JD

_________________
Mean Green, '04 BRG/W MCS, 3 pkgs w/three spoke wheel, Auto wipers, H/K, Cordoba Leather, Ociari Body Kit, White S-lites, Rear Fogs, Pin Strips, Painted Racing Stripes. Lots of other go fast goodies!!!!