Hi there,

I am wondering what others might think about ....

GIAC chip -vs- Powerchip program

I just don't know enough about the technical differences to make an educated
decision. Some here already have the PowerChip offering and are very pleased
with it. Others are proponents of all that will be offered from GIAC.

Any others in this "boat"?
Anyone have some information, comments, advice?
Thanks in advance :smile:

 

Steel -- may I suggest you speak with Randy at http://www.mini-motorsport.com I'm sure he will be a great help.

He is also in the sponsor directory
Woody

 

Right now for the MCS the powerchip ECU is the best upgrade for around $700.
However you should expect better ECU options and maybe cheaper to be available in the future
when is uncertain but much has been learned from those who have had the earlier upgrades.
Personally I am waiting at this time and hoping for things to heat up.

 

I was an early adopter of the EvoTech software, but I now have the Powerchip software and it's another leap in HP. I wold have to say the throttle response is cleaner and sharper also.

Graham

 

PowerChip has just notified me that they are shipping cables my way.
There is a lot of "baggage" with doing the ECU, as in other options, upgrades, dealer tinkering and such. Was in need of some perspective on this subject.
I will let you know how it turns out.
Thanks

 

The two can't be compared yet because the GIAC chip is still in development. Thanks for the many calls regarding the availability of the chip, it is very close. I have been running a prototype of the chip in my MCS, and have produced the most power of any (non nitrous) MINI that we've seen on our dyno. We think that there is more power to be made, so we will continue testing and tuning. Garrett from GIAC thinks that it is vital to have a flawless setup before we release it, which makes for some waiting, but ultimately the best product. If you're not familiar with GIAC, go to sites like Audiworld, VWVortex, and Porsche sites like the Rennlist, and see what the general consensus is regarding the varios chip tuners. The thing that GIAC does that's unique is to completely reprogram the chip, not just a fragment of the chip that contains some of the curves. This has the great advantage of being able to control all aspects of the engine management, not just fueling and timing curves. When flashing the ECU (at the leisurely 9600 baud that the MINI utilizes) it takes almost a half an hour, versus six minutes for all of the other chips, which is a minor inconvenience, so Garrett is working on cranking up the communication speed. Long story short: we're working hard on this and hope to have an announcement very soon. -Eric

 

Eric - will the GIAC chip be available for the regular Cooper as well? And what type of gains might be expected?

-Dan

 

Yup: The Cooper is next in line. I expect the gains to be between 6 and 10 (REAL, dyno proven, with proper dyno methods) horsepower. Since we haven't tested yet, that's just my guess. I'll keep you posted with propaganda as it becomes available. -Eric

 

Great news, Eric! I'm waiting very impatiently by my phone!

(AKA Darren from Jersey)

 

Hey there,

I finnished the Powerchip software upgrade.
I love it.
The car is wonderfull now.
Much "crisper", smoother, more power.
No more black soot around the tail end of the Magnaflow, must be leaner too.
I love it :smile:


um, did I say that I love it?

:smile:

 

>>Hey there,
>>
>>I finnished the Powerchip software upgrade.
>>I love it.
>>The car is wonderfull now.
>>Much "crisper", smoother, more power.
>>No more black soot around the tail end of the Magnaflow, must be leaner too.
>>I love it :smile:
>>
>>
>>um, did I say that I love it?
>>
>>

Glad to hear Steel..
Good 4u :smile:
It was painless and a simply install...doncha think ???

Peace,
D

 

I'm going to wait for Helix to start offering teir ecu upgrade, Eric did my pulley and I can't express how happy that mede me and my car.

 

Yo Dennis ...

The install is very easy providing that they send you the correct software with the package.
The proper software was eventually e-mailed to me after I had tried a few times unsuccessflully to read my stock settings.
Also it might have helped if when I got the modified file back from them at midnight, I did not drag all the cables back out to my car, across my thick lawn, and lose the customer key chip that inserts into the black box. I spent over an hour with a very lame flashlight searching for that. It was not untill the next morning that with the rising sun I could find the customer key and complete the programming.

Um .. other than all that stuff, it was easy! lol

:smile:


Great software though, the car really is so much better.

 

I put in a call to GIAC today to see how the MINI ECU development was coming, and bam! I got Garrett himself. He was working on the chip reader at that time. Apparently, they are doing the tuning at Helix in Philadelphia: he emails them files, they dyno and data log, and email back the results: very high-tech.

I didn't get a definitive answer about the release date, but it sounds like very soon. And if it is anything like my 1.8T VW GTI, it'll be worth the wait.

 

I specifically haven't gotten a new ECU because I have been waiting for something better than what I have seen so far. The GIAC chip looks like what I've been waiting for. Of course we'll just have to wait and see if it lives up to it's hype.
-Chris

 

>>... Long story short: we're working hard on this and hope to have an announcement very soon. -Eric

Eric, how 'bout a guess as to a release date/year/era??? This year?

 

>>>>... Long story short: we're working hard on this and hope to have an announcement very soon. -Eric
>>
>>Eric, how 'bout a guess as to a release date/year/era??? This year?
>>



From my talk with Eric last week, it should be LESS than a month!

 

>>>>>>... Long story short: we're working hard on this and hope to have an announcement very soon. -Eric
>>>>
>>>>Eric, how 'bout a guess as to a release date/year/era??? This year?
>>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>From my talk with Eric last week, it should be LESS than a month!
Tic Tock, Tic Tock, Tic Tock,
Well it is now a month later and we are still waiting and waiting.
Same old, same old. Now it looks like another month off.

Meanwhile we now have the shark injector and the AmD one click.
Maybe the competition will light a fire under one's seat.
Do you smell smoke?

 

I wonder; with all the man-hours spent on the GIAC, will its' price reflect accordingly?



I totally loved my EVOtech software, and if Graham is saying the Powerchips is even smoother/more powerful, I'm excited to get it!

 

I have nothing but positive things to say about GIAC.. I put almost 70K on my 1.8t passat. Power in every gear.. Granted, Vdub at the time only used 7psi max out of a 15psi rated turbo, but never the less, the throttle response was incredible & the car gave BETTER gas mileage (33-34MPH) on the highway setting cruise to 80 :smile:

Now all I have to find is a GIAC distributor in Boston. Philly to Boston is just not going to cut it! :smile:

 

>>
>>I have nothing but positive things to say about GIAC.. I put almost 70K on my 1.8t passat. Power in every gear.. Granted, Vdub at the time only used 7psi max out of a 15psi rated turbo, but never the less, the throttle response was incredible & the car gave BETTER gas mileage (33-34MPH) on the highway setting cruise to 80 :smile:

It does take time to do R&D the "right way". However you have to spend your time wisely or you will never recover the cost of the R&D. Some learnings from the MCS chip will help with the MC chip.

With enough competition for the ECU upgrade market we can expect a bit better prices than 6 months ago. Do I think GIAC will be overpriced given the time it takes to bring it to market? No, not at all. But just be careful not to overhype it or promise a product before it's reasonable time. That's all.

Am I likely to go with the GIAC chip? I hope so. But I need to see the evidence that it is clearly superior to the competiion.

>>Now all I have to find is a GIAC distributor in Boston. Philly to Boston is just not going to cut it! :smile:
Afterall. Philly to Honolulu isn't exactly next door. But it's going to have to cut it anyway.

 

Eric will sell the GIAC direct from his shop (Helix) for sure where they will load the software onto your MINI. But they are definitely plans in the works which may be available by the time the ECU is done that will allow you to upload the software yourself at your own location.

This is Eric's first venture into chip tuning and didn't realize all the work that goes into it. GIAC is very, very thorough. I expect their first release to be better than anything out there and it will probably be so complete that there may not be (or need to be) any updates. That's just my guess.

 

>>Now all I have to find is a GIAC distributor in Boston. Philly to Boston is just not going to cut it! :smile:
>>


Oh come on now.... I live in Vermont and I plan to make the drive if I can't upload it myself. Of course being a former Philadelphia resident I have places I could stay but it is definately worth it. Maybe also sign up for a pulley install at the same time. (If you haven't already done it)

I remember when some canadians came down to get pulleys installed. It's really not THAT far and you can get some of the best cheese steaks in Philly! When was the last time you took a trip to independence hall? Maybe if we get enough people from up here we can do a MINI run and have a caravan of MINIs to show up down there. Once the chip's done we'll have to see if Eric will cut us some kindof deal.

 

Well Kevin et al from Toronto were one-upped by Jared from Ohio for gonzo-bleary eyed road trips. They left the Dayton area at midnight on Sunday to be here at 9:00 am Monday. They stumbled in, whacked on Red Bull and Mountain Dew, got a pulley, intake, exhaust, and hit the wide open highway. I think he's back at work today. That makes him title holder of the coveted 'Helix insane road trip cup'.

When the chip is finally ready, we'll host a chipping party/dyno/mini street run party...stay tuned. -Eric

 

>>Well Kevin et al from Toronto were one-upped by Jared from Ohio for gonzo-bleary eyed road trips. They left the Dayton area at midnight on Sunday to be here at 9:00 am Monday. They stumbled in, whacked on Red Bull and Mountain Dew, got a pulley, intake, exhaust, and hit the wide open highway. I think he's back at work today. That makes him title holder of the coveted 'Helix insane road trip cup'.
>>
>>When the chip is finally ready, we'll host a chipping party/dyno/mini street run party...stay tuned. -Eric
>>
>>


That means on our next trip to Helix, we're going to have to start out from Sudbury or North Bay and show up with our head-to-toe furs!

BTW, the pulley really did make the return leg of the trip 15% shorter!

As for the chip, Eric, up in Toronto we've been tuned for some time. I'm guessing that your NDA probably limits any info, but is there anything you could hint at RE: GIAC programming?

Kev