Standard - chip it or Emerald
Discussion
I have a standard L reg Griff 500 - it runs ok, some low rpm shunting and the occasional hicough but its ok. I do feel it could be better and have been seriously considering a winter project upgrade to Emerald.
However, i was out in it the other day, it ran sweetly (though to be fair its the only Griff I have driven so can't compare) and I began to question if the Emerald was money well spent. I have no plans to upgrade it I just have an issue knowing that ancient Land Rover parts form the heart of the car.
So what would others do ? Leave it as is and enjoy it, consider a new chip in the current ecu or go down the Emerald route. Time and money are not limitless and i can see little change out of £1200 for the Emerald plus a fews days install and RR tuning. Maybe a new chip is a good compromise and make it run sweeter for less outlay and much less time ?
Any thoughts appreciated.
However, i was out in it the other day, it ran sweetly (though to be fair its the only Griff I have driven so can't compare) and I began to question if the Emerald was money well spent. I have no plans to upgrade it I just have an issue knowing that ancient Land Rover parts form the heart of the car.
So what would others do ? Leave it as is and enjoy it, consider a new chip in the current ecu or go down the Emerald route. Time and money are not limitless and i can see little change out of £1200 for the Emerald plus a fews days install and RR tuning. Maybe a new chip is a good compromise and make it run sweeter for less outlay and much less time ?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Its a fair bit of work to install one, and then it takes a fair bit of tweeking to get it running correctly, but it is ultimately a more capable system than the original. I would say though that the main benefit of an Emerald or similar is the ability to re-tune and optimise each time you upgrade something, and you can run higher power more safely.
With this in mind, I would have said that most of this capability would go unused if you were not looking to upgrade anything in the future, in which case it would make a lot more sense to just re-chip the car as you say. Its up to you really, an Emerald is great if you like tinkering with the car, and it makes it very easy to diagnose faults/tweek the running of the car etc. I love mine, and I loved the challenge of installing it and setting it up. But if you want a fit and forget system then the Lucas is probably the way to go
With this in mind, I would have said that most of this capability would go unused if you were not looking to upgrade anything in the future, in which case it would make a lot more sense to just re-chip the car as you say. Its up to you really, an Emerald is great if you like tinkering with the car, and it makes it very easy to diagnose faults/tweek the running of the car etc. I love mine, and I loved the challenge of installing it and setting it up. But if you want a fit and forget system then the Lucas is probably the way to go
If you're looking to keep the car more or less standard but want to iron out some shunting issues then you should have a look at www.torquev8.com. Over 60 installations so far and many satisfied customers with a smoother car and in some cases an increase in both torque and power. It's been the subject of some heated threads elsewhere but the bottom line is that it works.
I had the emerald fitted but what you get is it set up on the RR, its the time taken to get it right on hot starts, and idling that is the pain ( and fair bit of time ). I must admit it pulls so much better and it has a much crisper response. you could always just ditch the dizzy and keep the lucas for fueling, now there is another option.
Edited by hiltonig on Tuesday 27th October 20:11
Edited by hiltonig on Tuesday 27th October 20:12
I'd say don't do it unless you were planning on doing further mods. Sure you might gain 20 ft lbs of torque but you would have plenty of hastle fitting it and getting it tuned .. compared to an easy non modified life of just enjoying the great car that you have.
Mind you - if you just love to tinker and enjoy doing it your self then just go for it !
Mind you - if you just love to tinker and enjoy doing it your self then just go for it !
Good idea to check other things before you start. My N reg 500 feels absolutely fien to drive but on the rollers showed it to be at least 20% down on expected power (~200 at the wheels). Chaps from TVR power who measured it reckon I have a worn cam but you would never know from driving it in isolation
I'm in the positon of either:
a: leave as is
b: replace as standard
c: start playing
You may find that there is power to come if you just replace worn parts...
I'm in the positon of either:
a: leave as is
b: replace as standard
c: start playing
You may find that there is power to come if you just replace worn parts...
well hopefully there are no major worn parts as it had a new short engine about 3000 miles ago just before i bought it. if anything it'll still be tight from the newness.
not sure what to do, just been out in it, and it is ok but i can feel the fuelling isn't that good and could be improved upon.
not sure what to do, just been out in it, and it is ok but i can feel the fuelling isn't that good and could be improved upon.
There are a great number of better options than Emerald.
DTA, GEMS, MoTeC, Nira, Omex (version of GEMS) Pectel, Life etc etc
Depending which ECU it has now, it may be possible to remap your original to save some money. You won't be able to do it yourself of course but it's not something you'd want done on an amateur basis anyway, mapping that is.
DTA, GEMS, MoTeC, Nira, Omex (version of GEMS) Pectel, Life etc etc
Depending which ECU it has now, it may be possible to remap your original to save some money. You won't be able to do it yourself of course but it's not something you'd want done on an amateur basis anyway, mapping that is.
yes have been looking at a remap - spoke with paul at Austec who will custom map a chip for the current ecu for £500+vat. He recommended replacing the injectors to ones with a better spray pattern as well but that adds another £380, and then maybe one should consider the ACT plenum/trumpet upgrade ?
As you say addictive stuff. Maybe the chip upgrade would be a good start, Paul says he can remap to take in any mods for half the original price if i do anything afterwards.
decisions, decisions
As you say addictive stuff. Maybe the chip upgrade would be a good start, Paul says he can remap to take in any mods for half the original price if i do anything afterwards.
decisions, decisions
Its well worth you while digging up the various posts by MA, as he cuts through the hype with good solid advice. Heres one about the injectors to start with.
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...
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