Chipping diesel Vans

[SILICONEKID343HP]

Been on a few web sites looking at chip upgrades for diesel vans ,they claim an increase in fuel economy and power ..

Anyone had experience with chipping

http://www.chipexpress.com/products/638/

[wessexrfc]

Remapped my 115 Vito at a Garage, made a difference on how it pulled, much better and fuel was a tiny bit better. I also brought one of those plug-in chips, waste of time, it gave more power, but smoked like hell and manipulated the mpg readout so I wouldn't bother, I removed mine before getting it remapped.

[blaineuk]

Get it remapped, I use shire performance tuning, they will come to you, and will be less than a plug in box.

[SILICONEKID343HP]

wessexrfc said:

Remapped my 115 Vito at a Garage, made a difference on how it pulled, much better and fuel was a tiny bit better. I also brought one of those plug-in chips, waste of time, it gave more power, but smoked like hell and manipulated the mpg readout so I wouldn't bother, I removed mine before getting it remapped.

I can`t understand why one of those plug in boxes would not work .it`s going to be a map done to the same engine and vehicle ..

They can`t be any different.

[Mr GrimNasty]

Some of the digital plug in boxes are quite good, other analog boxes are no more than a 'resistor mod'. But no box is as good as a remap as they only intercept and alter a couple of parameters at best, a remap is more sophisticated and can alter more things like boost!

[iloveboost]

SILICONEKID343HP said:

I can`t understand why one of those plug in boxes would not work .it`s going to be a map done to the same engine and vehicle ..

They can`t be any different.

As I understand it they are similar. One 'tunes' the signals coming to the ECU one 'tunes' the signals in the ECU. The good ones adjust everything an ECU map does and use the standard ECU map when you aren't requesting more power and torque than standard maps allow so it's the same as running the standard ECU. They are essentially similar to a generic remap. They are only limited by the fuelling and boost limits set by the ECU before a check engine light is issued.
The bad ones 'trick' the ECU to inject more fuel and boost to match because they adjust the air temperature reading from the MAF. Therefore you get way less of a gain or intermittent check engine lights depending on what temperature it is and whether the car is happy. In a nutshell the 'good' ones are *slightly* worse than a custom remap but similar to a generic remap the bad ones are much worse. That said if you're after a modest gain they are very cheap for the performance increase and you only need to buy a cheap code reader/clearer and you're set.
All of the above does not constitute advice. It does not imply a warranty. It's my opinion based on opinions and is therefore probably less accurate than a politicians manifesto, Wikipedia, or a twenty quid Rolex.

[lbc]

SILICONEKID343HP said:

Been on a few web sites looking at chip upgrades for diesel vans ,they claim an increase in fuel economy and power

Get a proper remap rather than an add on box.

A proper remap will give you extra power at the expense of economy.

On a long motorway run the economy may be slightly improved, but there is no substitute for driving slower and using less brakes.

You will be disappointed if you just want better economy from a remap.

As someone else has mentioned the plugin boxes often give false readings on your fuel computer, so you think your economy is better, but it won't be.

[morgrp]

No two engines are the same - they will differ with age, mileage, parts used, oil used etc. Get it re-mapped as then it is mapped specifically for your engine.

[DrDeAtH]

Vantuner appears to be well respected over on the transit forums....

[crossy67]

I had my 110HDi Expert mapped. I was doing 30k a year had no trip computer so my mileage calculations were all done through fuel/distance over a few years. At first the van was about 5-7mpg better on fuel and went much better, top speed had increased by about 10-15mph. After a while the fuel improvement dropped off a bit down to 3-5mpg but the performance stayed as good. I would say this was down to me using the better performance more often.

I had a 1.3CDTi Corsa done too, similar results but fuel consumption didn't drop off and the difference in performance was vast. It went like st off a stick.

Has our Scenic 1.5DCi done, I don't believe it was done. No improvements anywhere.

[SILICONEKID343HP]

How do you know the good and bad boxes .