"APS Subaru WRX STI - We always knew the STI was quick, but didn't realise it could be this driveable"
Wheels Magazine
| If you take 20 vehicles straight off the production line, only one or two would produce anything close to factory-supplied output figures. If, say, the quoted output was 100kW, most factory vehicles would produce somewhere between 90-95kW. To calculate output, factories hand-build (or blueprint) engines to bring them up to the exact specifications and tolerances envisaged by the designers.
Aftermarket enhancements, such as bolting on a set of headers, opting for performance camshafts or increasing the boost on a turbocharger way in excess of manufacture’s recommendations, are expensive processors by anyone’s reckoning. According to Graeme Cooper, of Graeme Cooper Automotive (an agent for Unichip), there is a cheaper alternative. Fitting a Unichip requires programming to meet user requirements. It is not just a performance chip, but also a microcomputer that brings engines up to factory specification, improves fuel economy and reduces emissions. Originally designed in South Africa, Unichip is a piggyback computer about the size of a cigarette packet. It changes senor signals before they go into the original ECU, tricking the OE computer into maximising all aspects of the engine performance. It doesn’t replace anything the manufactures put in, but makes it all work more efficiently. Fully programmable, this engine-management system has 17 rpm sites between 500rpm and 800rpm, 12 load sites between zero throttle and wide-open throttle position. This means that there are 204 adjustments for fuel and a further 204 adjustments for ignition timing. Unichip is suitable for a wide range of vehicles, but they must be EFI (either petrol or diesel).
On average, a Unichip costs around $1190; however, it depends on the vehicle. Earlier-model V8 Discos, for example, can see around $1380 coming out of the old hip pocket. There is also a duel-map Unichip for duel-fuel vehicles, with separate programming and automatic switchover, for about $200 extra. On average, fitting for all units takes a day. To determine the extent to which your vehicle will benefit from a Unichip, have your vehicle checked to see if it’s running true to form. You will need to have it tested on a 4WD dynamometer, preferably one that monitors exhaust gasses, enabling a full analysis of engine running characteristics, not just power output. Five separate components of the exhaust can be measured: oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons and the air/fuel ratio. The computers will know if the engine is running too lean, or more commonly, too rich. (Many modern fuel-injected engines run very rich air/fuel ratios at partial throttle openings.) Thus, the Unichip can be programmed to give optimum fuel economy and maximum performance, without interfering with OE cold start, knock, water, temperature, air temperature or oxygen sensors. It’s well worth considering for the ultimate enjoyment of your vehicle, optimum fuel costs and preservation of the environment. |
Graeme Cooper can produce computer graph printouts for vehicles as varied as the Land rover Discovery 4.0-litre petrol, 80 Series ‘Cruiser, 100 Series ‘Cruiser, Range Rover 4.6HSE and Suzuki Vitara. Power improvements varied from just under 10 per cent to over 25 per cent, but some reports indicate that up to 50 extra kilowatts can be obtained with the right programming (and a car that was pretty sick to start with!)
Significantly, almost all the readouts showed better fuel economy as well.