diesel chip

agro · Veteran Member

diesel chip

WobblyNut · Senior Member

I looked at one for mine . Thought , nah . won't recover the purchase price ,

in the "so called savings" . And th "added power" , although my vehicle is ideal

for it . I don't really need it . Helping a mate out , years ago , tho . In a semi .

Original - 450 hp . Put a new computer in , beefed it up to 500 hp . But de-rated

the fuel 10% . Still went ok for 500hp (be it Japanese ponies) . Put a DP Chip in .

That rated the motor at 565 hp . I felt it rated about 520hp & even far less torque

wise - about 480hp . But he got Good fuel consumption . Usually 1.8 to 2 k per litre .

Where most Yankee Iron - Cat , Cummins & GM motors get 1,5 to 1.6 kilometres

per litre . My van is only 1150k . As I said I don't think I warrant it . Just for a

few extra ponies & if I go over 95 to a $ , empty or with the van on . I am

wasting dollars.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

There are many who "Chip" their turbo diesels and are quite confident there is a appreciable improvement in torque and towing ability.

It is also felt there is more "power" and some even have noticed an improvement in fuel economy.

Conversely, others have been disappointed - some improvement in torque/towing, some improvement in power and absolutely no change in fuel economy. They have felt there was no 'value for money'.

Personally, I have steered away from modifications to the vehicle - I feel the manufacturer has spend considerable dollars and time developing a motor that will provide service with longevity and hopefully reliably.

This article is a long read, but worth it just for the background and thought it may provoke -

http://outbackjoe.com/macho-divertissement/macho-articles/why-no-diesel-chip/

Cheers - John

JackoFJR · Senior Member

I have never chipped a vehicle , thought about it , there are some that offer a 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee .

Desert Dweller · Guru

Hi we've recently bought a run-out model Navara D22 ($9,000 off) as the new model has just arrived. We could have afforded to buy any of the current crop of dual cab 4x4 utes but opted for a tried & proven performer. Having the ''latest gadget'' doesn't interest us. Our Son has had one for 6 years with no problems. We traded in our 2011 3ltr diesel PK Ford Ranger 4x4 dual cab ute after it was struck by lightning & repaired paid for by insurance. We tow a van weighing 1600kg fully loaded as well as having a lot of gear in the tub of the ute.
The Navara is less powerful than the Ranger & a bit slower off the mark but overall there's very little difference in the performance of both cars. Fuel consumption is similar, in mountainous terrain the D22 requires a few more gear changes.
Navara 98kw & 308nm compared with Ranger 125kw & 380nm.
Our Son has installed a performance chip in his D22 & reckons it pushes him back in the seat more on take off but we don't intend following his lead as our ute tows admirably ''stock standard''.
If you're going to chip your D22 get a snorkel & a larger diameter exhaust system fitted to allow the engine to ''breath heavier''.

Peter1059 · Senior Member

Hi Guys

it may pay to have a look at your exhaust system, changing this can make a huge difference to your towing as it will change the torque rating and also your torque settings. Your torque comes in earlier and last longer.

the one system I have had a bit of work with is Beaudesert Exhaust, these are a top rating after market product and worth looking at.

Then have a look at your air in, air filters, snorkel etc. it is arguable wether or not you will save money because you tend to use your right foot to much but it will make for much better towing and give you little grin!

Regardless, it's worth the investigation, have a fun

Peter

deverall11 · Guru

I have a chip and exhaust. The chip is tuned to improve bottom range torque. This is where most of the work is done when towing. Would chip our next vehicle at the blink of an eye unless it is a BMW, VW or Merc. European vehicles are tuned a bit better then the equivalent Japanese offer.
Most people will argue that you use more fuel. I use the same or maybe less. It is all about how you drive. If you drive the same way, you will save fuel as the engine is not having to work as hard. You use more fuel when you revel in the new found power.
You will also find that most nay sayers have not owned a vehicle with a chip and therefore feel to need to make negative comments.
Getting money back on your investment will not happen in the short term. If you are planning on owning the vehicle for a number of years and you do a reasonable number of kms, you will get value from your investment. I get value out of mine because the tug tows so much easier and the distance the accelerator pedal travels is less compared to standard. I can also turn the chip off at anytime.
There are many chips on the market, you need to have a good understanding on how they work (they are all different) and make your decision on which suits you best.
Larry

banjo · Senior Member

Current thread on CF with regard to this.

I'm having my ECU remapped instead of a chip, cheaper option and can be tuned to give exact requirements, such as more torque etc.

Did heaps of research and remapping appears to be the way to go, and cheaper option too. Also there's no extra bits to cause mr plod to take a closer look.

My truck, an NPR 250 gives 155hp in current factory tune, but the engine is the exactly the same as the 400 series which is tuned for 185hp, same engine different ecu tune.

I will probably not go that high with mine as other factors like strength of drivetrain can come into it, but again my g/box is the same again as the 400 series, so would be fine in reality.

My truck is actually detuned to give it's current output from new. My warranty has just expired so no problems there either, also if you ever wish to go back to factory standard it's as easy as putting the standard map back on the ecu.

agro · Veteran Member

Thank you all, my next chip will be from the fish shop. Agro

blaze · Guru

For any one considering a chip, maybe first consider LPG commonly know as diesel/gas. Had both on my last d2. Dont consider either if chasing ecomony gains that is only achieved by lifting the right foot.
cheers
blaze

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

A few years ago I noticed a B Double filling up with both diesel and LPG..
A asked him how much he saved ? Said about $2k a month..
It runs LPG mix when cruising .. Less on the hills..

greyhoundtom · Senior Member

While a computer chip to change the way the engine performs to improve power in a towing scenario sounds good, and LPG injection to then improve fuel economy puts the icing on the cake, the one major concern would be increased wear.

Improving power can only be done by increasing the amount of fuel to the engine under specific conditions, such as improving torque at low revs. However this increase in power has to increase strain on drive components with a price to pay sooner or later. The same thing has to occur with LPG injection because LPG explodes with more volatility it has to increase strain on the engine as this more aggressive power production is transferred through the drive components to the road.

The other major concern for me would be manufacturers warranty on the engine and drive train, as this would highly likely be wiped out by the modifications made.

In around a months time I'm due to take delivery of a new tug, and I think I had better leave everything stock standard at least until the warranty runs out.

blaze · Guru

For me the real benefit of diesel/gas was the complete combustion of the diesel. Normally diesel engines dont have a complete burn of the fuel, hence the black smoke. When I had the lpg turned on there was a complete burn and the engine oil after 5000km was still clean, the service interval was 10000km and the oil wasn't black, certainly discolored though. This means tthere is less supspended carbon particles in the iol and less wear. The extra power was a bonus. I got more km to a tank of fuel but you need to factor in that if you had a 15l gas tank and used that with a 100l of fuel then in fact you have used 115l of fuel for km driven and not 100l. I never claimed better fuel economy, the other benefits were far greater
cheers
blaze

Santa · Guru

The only reason I can see for people replacing/remapping a chip is to increase power/torque, the resulting increase means more stress on the motor and drive train and higher fuel consumption. at the end of the day these stresses will result in breakages and shorter mechanical life.

Perhaps the ultimate answer is to learn to drive the vehicle smoothly in the configuration in which you bought it. smile

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

It's not always a bad thing .. Usually with turbo diesels the waste gate is re programmed to operate at higher boost ..
The chip will possibly part of auto program ? It should shift down gears ...
Higher boost gives way more torque , requiring less rpm ...
I would be careful fitting one to 4 cyl Nissans though as it seems they melt Pistons around 100k ?
Maybe dud to bad servicing ? Fuel filters limiting supply etc?
Which makes me think something else fails to cause this .. Pistons just don't fail on there own!
Bad fuel or bad tune ! A chip on the other hand could fix this ? Again it's all in the tune ..

deverall11 · Guru

Santa wrote:
The only reason I can see for people replacing/remapping a chip is to increase power/torque, the resulting increase means more stress on the motor and drive train and higher fuel consumption. at the end of the day these stresses will result in breakages and shorter mechanical life.
Perhaps the ultimate answer is to learn to drive the vehicle smoothly in the configuration in which you bought it.

Yep, bet you never had a performance chip. However, the one thing seems to ignore the fact that these days manufacturers are responsible for emissions. Therefore the state of tune of the engine is to reflect passable emissions and NOT adequate performance without sacrificing reliability or longevity. A chip or a re-map addresses that.

Larry

mr glassies · Guru

we have a 2013 colorado .its has a lot of lag i used to stall it heaps and it was a drag to take of up hill with the van on the back .first thing i got was a tunit chip . made heaps of difference but still a bit laggy and returned me 7.5/100. when we went to the nambour cvan show i bought a 3 inch exhaust with cat a snorkel and a throttle module and i would never go back its got bugger all lag and 4 people doing 100 110 ks returned me 7/100 .
i like the chip its adjustable and it takes about 3 mins to take of same as the throttle module it made most of the difference and can be removed in 2 mins . i don't like remaping if your still under warranty you can't delete it and if the dealer connected up to it for any reason it will show up and void your warranty .

so in my books i love fish and chips, throttle modules ,3 inch exhaust and snorkel
they do it for me and it makes towing more comfortable and that means a less stressfull drive

dibs