Has anybody tried the Powerchip?
 

Has anyone tried the Powerchip that Performance Products offers? Does it lower the lifespan of the car? Do they have any draw backs?

Did you search old threads for a bunch of discussions on this? It's been discussed quite a bit... consensus: not worth the money.

powerchip upgrade
 

I actually work for powerchip -although joined the board as an enthusiast having always loved Boxsters (and Porsche in general).

I can assure you that the performance gains we are able to achieve are very noticeable and make a great difference to the way the car performs.

It comes with a 14-day money back guarantee to make sure you are 100% satisfied. My car would have had 50 hours on the dyno already! let alone all the others...

More information is at www.powerchipgroup.com

Thanks

Trav :cheers:

1800 495 0777

Hi,

No one said it had no effect, what they said was the effect wasn't worth the cost - Cost /Benefit. Chop the price in half for your chip and you may get some users...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

What is it that you do for Powerchip? I think most folks know the basics of what's changed within the mapping but maybe you can give us an idea of what size of company it is, what type of equipment they use, and what types of use/abuse testing they do.

silvered,

Took a look at your website. $690 for 215 - 219 HP ( I have a 99 ) ?

I would definitely be interested...

What are the disadvantages ?

Nick

One of the things I would be worried about is their warranty. It sounds good at first, where it mentioned something like "unlimited mileage / 3 years" and then you could add some cash an get another 3 yrs. ....but then it states that if anything happens to the car they'll fix it ???...not sure what that means??? :confused:

Anyway, I would really like to hear from the folks out there who have this mod to give us some input...especially the one's who have had it for a couple years...

I'm still on the fence about this one.....but I would certainly be swaying more towards getting it, if the price were CUT IN HALF (Good idea Jim!!)

..but, I do have say that the video / advertisement is very professional...as many have already said...impressive! :cheers:

Could flashing the ECU be reversed is the battery is dead or drained? Could Powerchiping the car mess with the regular functions of the DME?

I've seen companies that make up some very professional looking presentations and videos that don't even have a working product. Never buy a product based on advertising literature alone.

I can answer that one. No. Think like a USB memory stick.

"I can answer that one. No. Think like a USB memory stick."

Hi,

Although, I haven't researched this topic to the extent that you seem to have done,..... don't you think that's a loaded "NO"??

Hmmmm....sorry, but I don't know if I would agree with you on that one until I have fully considered the available evidence.

I thought the USB idea could be applied to older ECU's,where they actually sod or connect a chip the ECU. With the OBD II systems people I thought the ECUs are "flashed" via the OBD II ports?

An ECU, like a computer, digital camera, video game console or any other number of digital devices, stores it's information in flash memory. It uses no moving parts and maintains it's memory with no input power.

Older ECUs where you had to replace a chip used a ROM or PROM chip to store maps. The chip could be written to once and then it was permanent. The maps now are stored in rewriteable EEPROM flash memory which is the same technology used on memory sticks.

Slick looking site, but they don't know how to use apostrophes. Man, that bugs the ******************** outta me. I dunno, if they don't know the dif between its and it's, can I trust them to tweak my engine?

powerchip
 

I dont have the "powerchip" brand, but I did have my chip replaced by Topline http://www.toplineminis.com/toplineautomobile/ I have know the owner, Zimm for a long time and he has worked on my cars. I'm very happy with it. I spent about $900 and really felt the difference after 3000 rpm. It really winds up much faster and much more responsive. Under 3000 rpm, it totally feels like stock and no driveability issues. I dont have before and after dyno numbers, but I can tell you I felt the chip mod more than the sport exhaust replacement (Dansk sport). As far as is it worth it? I feel it is, but that is just my opinion...Maybe you should try that REVO where they give you 5 hours to try it out and if you like it then you keep it. I saw an add for it on Excellence magazine.

I decided I am gonna buy this and then immediately go to a dyno test and report the results.


If it's minimal gain, I'll return it :)

Be sure to get a BEFORE/base line dyno!

Dyno numbers can be influenced by everything from calibration variation to the weather to barametric pressure to how tightly the car is held down to tire pressure. If you can't do tests back to back within a few hours on a calm day, you'd need to do some pretty extensive ongoing testing to get answers for sure. Or you'd test two identical unmodified cars at the same time, then modify one and retest them both to get an idea of the variation due to environment/calibration.

Bleh.

What a pain.

Hahaha. :D

Here is their pdf for the 2.7 Boxster if anyone is interested... http://www.powerchipgroup.com/Datasheets/2/Por0038.pdf

I would really like to hear someone's experience with this to see if it is worth it. I wonder if we could get a group buy together to save some money as well.

And expensive, that's why nobody does it.

What happened to silvered? We have more questions.

Yes we do.


If we do a group buy I'm IN for sure.


Where the hell is silvered???

If we can get a good deal, count me in for a group buy as well...

Nick

answers...
 

Sorry for the delay guys!! I am BAAAAACK!!!! did you miss me??

I will try and answer all the questions to the best of my ability, and if I miss anyone/anything - sorry, just ask me again :)

1. MN Boxster said:
Hi,

No one said it had no effect, what they said was the effect wasn't worth the cost - Cost /Benefit. Chop the price in half for your chip and you may get some users...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

If I could give it away for free I would!! Seriously though for the small cost of $600 you will feel the difference immediately. If you would consider changing say an air filter for $100 in return for >1hp gain (many do), then the upgrade is 'worth' the investment. If you ask a guy driving a rusted out 928 if this is within his budget, the answer would maybe be no; although MOST guys driving a Boxster can justify this cost for the gain. Many Porsche clients of ours go the other way: 'I paid $x00,000 for my car, I am not leaving the last 12hp on the table when it only costs $690 to tune'. To each their own.

2. Blue 2000s said:
What is it that you do for Powerchip? I think most folks know the basics of what's changed within the mapping but maybe you can give us an idea of what size of company it is, what type of equipment they use, and what types of use/abuse testing they do.

We have been tuning cars (chip upgrades exclusively) since 1991, in Australia. We opened up our North American operation in 2001 based out of Los Angeles, CA.

We employ 8 full-time staff in North America. I am operations manager and have worked with Powerchip for 9 years. We use state-of-art equipment and have the ability to modify certain vehicles that no other company in the World can.

For example, we are one of the very few companies to offer an upgrade for the 1996 993 Porsche 911. This is an example of how we focus on our Porsche range, to make sure we keep up-to-date.

We have developed a number of files for the Boxster engines that vary by octane rating and any other modifications made to the intake or exhaust. Over the years we see everything including supercharged, turbo and even NOS applications. Fun Fun Fun.

More information on our development, testing and other background is in our corporate brochure: http://www.powerchipgroup.com/interact/brochure.asp or a video that was made for our Australian office is here: http://www.powerchipgroup.com/interact/video.asp

3. dcporsche99 said:
One of the things I would be worried about is their warranty. It sounds good at first, where it mentioned something like "unlimited mileage / 3 years" and then you could add some cash an get another 3 yrs. ....but then it states that if anything happens to the car they'll fix it ???...not sure what that means???

Anyway, I would really like to hear from the folks out there who have this mod to give us some input...especially the one's who have had it for a couple years...

I'm still on the fence about this one.....but I would certainly be swaying more towards getting it, if the price were CUT IN HALF (Good idea Jim!!)

..but, I do have say that the video / advertisement is very professional...as many have already said...impressive!

Don't be: we are not in the business of manipulating people out of warranty claims. In fact, the warranty that each customer gets is for 3 years and covers the ECU software and any other element of the vehicle relating to the ECU software.

We introduced this for 2 reasons:
1. software cannot break, change or crash. Powerchip is a digital set of instructions that are static. Once it is installed properly, and the vehicle starts - then the various checksums and other codes have been verified by the internal system, and the software is as good as the stock version.
2. most clients are under warranty still. A majority of the vehicles we work on are 2005+ newer and are still under new car warranties. The Powerchip warranty is designed to fill any gaps left by the factory warranty relating to the modified part (ECU software). If your car suddenly explodes the ECU (virtually impossible), the Powerchip will be there to make sure you have a new one.

We have some testimonials on our website from customers that bother to write in and let us know what they think. I know you may think I am biased, but I started out as a Powerchip customer at the start. I was so impressed by the product that I now work here. I have also had it in my Boxster for over 2 years without any hiccups. The only downside is that you MUST run 91 octane (or 93 if it is available and you buy the Gold93 program), because we have tuned for it that gas specifically. Thanks for the nice comment on our advertisments, but they are not just made up figures, we prove these time and time again.

4. Blinkwatt said:
Could flashing the ECU be reversed is the battery is dead or drained? Could Powerchiping the car mess with the regular functions of the DME?

No it cannot. The Powerchip software is an adjustment of the factory mapping. Nothing is added or removed, and there is no way of telling that the adjustments have been made by looking at the diagnostic information. Removing the battery terminals will NOT erase the settings as they are all housed within the EEPROM chip soldered to the circuitboard itself... But remember to get your radio code before you do, or else you will be forced to listen to yourself humming! :cheers:

5. blue 2000s said:
I've seen companies that make up some very professional looking presentations and videos that don't even have a working product. Never buy a product based on advertising literature alone.

By that same rationale: you probably have bought items in the past that do not have ANY sales literature to accompany them. Our sales literature is designed to provide as much information as possible to anyone interested.

I guess we would rather accept comments such as this - than the alternative: 'why isnt there ANY sales literature whatsoever? Never trust a company without a website or sales information'.

You will find that MANY competitors do not provide anywhere near the level of detail that we do. You will also find other websites that copy our information to give to their clients as well.

The fact of the matter is that in the performance software industry the information on a companies website says it all. If you can't find a price, horsepower gain, testimonial, brochure, list of dealers etc on a website, then chances are they are not worth dealing with.

6. DMCutter said:
Slick looking site, but they don't know how to use apostrophes. Man, that bugs the ******************** outta me. I dunno, if they don't know the dif between its and it's, can I trust them to tweak my engine?

This annoys me as well. If you can let me know any that you see, and I will remove them. I had a look, but couldn't find any.

7. Blue 2000s said:
Dyno numbers can be influenced by everything from calibration variation to the weather to barametric pressure to how tightly the car is held down to tire pressure. If you can't do tests back to back within a few hours on a calm day, you'd need to do some pretty extensive ongoing testing to get answers for sure. Or you'd test two identical unmodified cars at the same time, then modify one and retest them both to get an idea of the variation due to environment/calibration.

As you said, all this time and effort for a squiggly line doesnt make sense.... the upgrade will be immediately noticeable without any need to spend money on proving it. Please feel free to do this (many do), but I am confident you won't need to after the upgrade.

Let me reiterate: this is NOT a Cold Air induction system or muffler upgrade that many are hardpressed to feel (you can hear the sound difference sure).

With Powerchip it is a case of simple testing: go for a drive in an area that you know well, do some timed runs before and after, take someone as a passenger to note the difference or if you can, try a G-Tech or other system for measurement. They will simply and cheaply show you that its working.

Bottom line: if you dont truely believe that the hp and tq has gone upto the amount we claim - your money is cheerfully refunded. You will be the first! Now how many exhaust, intake or even wheel manufacturers put their money where their mouth is like that?

---- fingers tired out now ----

Trav (pic attached of Mr. Leeman's lovely silver Cayman) - enjoy!

Say I Powerchip the car soon but after that I have an aftermarket muffler installed in the future. Could I bring the car back to you guys to re-remap the ECU or is that gonna cost me another $690?

re-flash
 

No. You simply let us know what you have done, and we will upgrade your software to the proper version. If you put on headers, muffler, hiflow cats, intake etc etc we can make the adjustments and send it back. There is a nominal 're-flash fee' of $75 for each time you do this (you can do it as many times as you make a change). Once you have invested in the initial upgrade, the costs are heavily reduced from then on.

690... it's like 990 for me LOL

If it wasn't for the warranty I'd say screw it.

I'm sure all you know what a turbonator is. It's a hunk of aluminum foil that somehow forces air into your engine (not) after you shove it into your air feed pipe.


I kind of thought it was BS, but it was cheap and refundable. I timed my 0-60 before and after. It went from 8.9 (3 people in a slow car) to 9.4 IMMEDIATELY.


OH YEAH. And the one thing I really like about the advertisements and the PDF I read is that it doesn't say, "UP TO 20 HP GAIN!!!" It clearly states the hp gains you will approximately see. The words "up to" render any statement meaningless, and that's what turns me off from most products.

okay okay okay
 

Go back to your boss, tell him that what you did over here at 986forum.com, good boy. Now leave. All your posts are from 2 days, you just registered when you see PowerChip, oooo. Stop already. Enough advertising. Sorry, I just couldn't take it any longer...
:matchup:

At ease
 

Stand at ease Bob Marley, we are getting information in a timely manner so what is wrong with that? If these posts annoy you just delete or move on. I am interested in this modification and have been following the good Q&A with interest. If it all works out a number of us 2.5 and 2.7 guys will have bigger smiles or frowns depending on the results. You can look at it this way, either Silvered is digging himself a really big hole or giving a bunch of us what we want at a somewhat reasonable price. In either case let's just see what pans out as one of us will give this a try and report back the results..........and that's a good thing!

986geezer ;)

I removed Silvered's sig line because IMO it was becoming a free ad panel. I also made him aware of what I had done to which he is not happy. I remember when Deluboz first came on touting his wares: the group was very critical - and then Deluboz ante'ed up...he offered a freebie/dyno to a member and became a sponsor.

I'm not saying that Trav needs to do that but I certainly won't abide free advertising in his signature line for Powerchip especially when others, GAAH, Epic, Vertex, Imagine, Race by Design are our paying sponsors.

Rkwei

I really don't see any problem with a manufacturer coming onto the board ans answering questions about his/her product. It's one of the most useful parts of the board. There's a difference between addressing questions and advertising and from what it looks like to me, he's just answering questions.

signing out...
 

I just cannot find any mention of any paying sponsors... normally there is a link saying 'click here for sponsors' or similar.

I guess there is sponsors somewhere, but I cant find them. I was not trying to get any 'free' advertising from your board - I was just trying to give some information.

All the best with your board everyone.

Trav

That's my point about advertisements. Any product can look great in advertising literature. That's their purpose. You need to be careful if just going by advertisor's claims.

I wasn't saying that the Powerchip doesn't work because of it's advertisements, I'm just saying that any claims made by a manufacturer should be taken with a grain of salt. And it sounds like you agree.

Silvered,
So after I removed the parts of your signature line that I considered over the line ..you chose to go back in and add a contact phone and a website link. Methinks you have a stubborn streak....but remember Brucelee and I get to make the rules. Strike 2 for you.

Please feel free to stay and contribute free advice as AKL suggests. Feel free to organize a group buy or a freebie for our members to evaluate and definately consider becoming a sponsor.

but don't test my patience.

RKwei

If you're still willing to post, I'd like to know what differentiates your product from your compeditors.

contact me for more information...
 

One of your sponsors is accusing me of trying to get free advertising from these posts. I am very sorry, but I am unable to post any further information at this time.

I am sure that you will be able to see some other posts I have made over the last couple of days, and you can contact me on the phone or email I have provided (the contact information was removed as well from my sig).

All the best with your board, and I wish all happy and safe motoring - from Powerchip.

Trav

I guess the choice is between playing by the rules and not playing at all. It sounds like you've made it. But there's really no need to take your ball and go home.