Chip or Tune?

A chip (for example an SCT Eliminator chip) is a chip that plugs into the EEC IV computer in your car - a tune can be burned onto this chip - to do that you have to remove the chip and plug it into a piece of hardware attached to your laptop, and burn the settings you want for fuel, timing, etc onto the chip and then you put it back on the computer, run the car on the dyno and see what it does. Once you have it all dialed it, it works fine. Change something on the car, now you have to go back to the tuner and have it reburned depending on what you modified.
Other tuning devices include things like the Tweecer or PMS systems - these also plug into the EEC and allow you to alter a much greater variety of settings in the computer - they allow you to tune the car yourself, provided you know what you are doing.
Some folk call changing your base timing, and fuel pressure (using an AFPR) as tuning, but really is a poor way to go - if your car is having issues after modifiying it, then either have a chip burned, or get a piggyback setup and get your fuel, MAF tables, timing at idle, part throttle and WOT etc really dialled in properly.

All of them should be able to be 're-tuned'
If you have to go back to the shop that did the original tune, then it may cost 2-300 for a retune. Depends on where you are though.

I never liked the term 'chip' when referring to the tweecer or Moates stuff. These systems use the J3 adapter, so you aren't really working with a chip. Not sure how else to refer to these systems though...

In my mind, a chip is the 'old skewl' way. A chip is actually removed from the ecu and replaced with a reprogrammable chip.
(At least I think this is the jist of it. This is a little before my time, so it is like studying ancient greek... lol)


Well, those are my (very) random thoughts,
jason

If your interested I have a 4 bank SCT eliminator chip that I am planning on selling - I am going to get a PMS setup from Anderson Ford Motorsports. You can have it for $100 shipped if you like - they usually retail around $250 I think. The 4 bank chip allows you to have 4 different tunes - one for economy one for the street, one for the drag strip or whatever and if you get the switch from sct you can switch them on the fly.

vristang said:

All of them should be able to be 're-tuned'
If you have to go back to the shop that did the original tune, then it may cost 2-300 for a retune. Depends on where you are though.

I never liked the term 'chip' when referring to the tweecer or Moates stuff. These systems use the J3 adapter, so you aren't really working with a chip. Not sure how else to refer to these systems though...

In my mind, a chip is the 'old skewl' way. A chip is actually removed from the ecu and replaced with a reprogrammable chip.
(At least I think this is the jist of it. This is a little before my time, so it is like studying ancient greek... lol)


Well, those are my (very) random thoughts,
jason

Click to expand...

Yeah.......My old Feiro that had the performance chip in it. Id'e take it out (physically) and put in an envelope in the glove box for good gas milage!