Hi guys, been doing alot of research on these forums about Unichip and opinions seem to vary greatly.

I have a 2003 TJII 3.5 L magna advance. I have added a high flow straight through muffler and a K&N Panel filter.

What sort of gain should I expect from a unichip?

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Matt.

Gains will vary from car to car and also how aggressive the tuner gets.

With the same mods you have done, in an auto 3.0L I had, I picked up 12kW at the wheels with the Unichip.

My current manual 3.5L picked up 15kW at the wheels with the same mods. This suprised me as usally the 3.0's respond better to piggy backs (the stock 3.5's are tuned more efficienttly), but it could have has somthing to do with my 3.5 running a 3.0 ECU (engine conversion), so the gain might have just been me regaining lost power do to the differnt base tuning of the 3.0 ECU.

Both times the cars where tuned for 98 octane fuels and where relatively safe tunes.

I picked up up 12kw atw on my old 3.0 Manual TE, that had a few more mods though. Do all the mods you are planning to do in the near future before fitting the unichip.

12, 15kW sounds pretty good. But does it have to be tuned to run 98ron? will it affect the performance if it isnt? What is the risk with higher aggression when tuning?

You will get the biggest gain if tuned to 98 ron, if lower grade fuels are to be used you will get less performance as the tuner will not be able to advance timing etc to the same degree. The more aggressive the tune the more likely it will be to detonate under high temps/load as 3rd gens dont have knock sensors.

You will get the biggest gain if tuned to 98 ron, if lower grade fuels are to be used you will get less performance as the tuner will not be able to advance timing etc to the same degree. The more aggressive the tune the more likely it will be to detonate under high temps/load as 3rd gens dont have knock sensors.is that the same with other piggyback brands such as an eManage unit (blue one).
ie.
98ron = better gains (seems to be logical to me)
being careful of not being too aggressive (to minimise risk of detonation).

It will be the same with all tuning, using a higher grade fuel will give the tuner more room to play with.

so if i get it tuned to use 98 ron... will it be bad to use normal fuel on the odd occaision? will this do any damage or will I simply not get the same gains while my tank is not filled with 98 ron

so if i get it tuned to use 98 ron... will it be bad to use normal fuel on the odd occaision? will this do any damage or will I simply not get the same gains while my tank is not filled with 98 ron
not exactly... the tune will be for 98 ron *minimum* so putting 95 or 91 in it will increase the risk of pre-detonation and cylinder/block/head damage. not really worth the risk to save a few cents a litre. if you can't get 98 ron where you live, don't get tuned for it.

cheers,
.wook

Once you have tuned for 98 octane, under normal driving you will find you have better fuel economy then standard, so while you're paying more for fuel you're using less of it.

ok yeah it's not teh availability of 98 ron its the cost. Keep posting up any before/after results if you have them. The more the merrier :) just want to get a really good idea of what im in for.

you'll get around the 12-15kw mark atw's and the car will run a lot better. If you want to see more gains get a set of extractors as well before the tune and you may see better torque figures. its a pretty good mod as i used to have a unichip in my car before the supercharger went on

...sorry to thread mine, but what type of $$$ are we talking about to get one of these Unichips installed? Just curious because it sounds like something good to do AFTER all other mods have been finished off and tuned properly on a dyno.

Cheers,
Adz

it does sound expensive getting it tuned to 98ron but in all honesty in my opinion its benifits you in ever way, and yes it costs more at the pump, but you also will get more k's on a tank so in reality it really doesnt have a negative

...sorry to thread mine, but what type of $$$ are we talking about to get one of these Unichips installed? Just curious because it sounds like something good to do AFTER all other mods have been finished off and tuned properly on a dyno.

Cheers,
Adz

i bought a 2nd hand unichip on these forums for $350. I got quoted $550 for installation and tune. So i guess $900 all up? I think you'd be looking at around $1300 to get a brand new unichip - including install and tune.

you're looking at around the $1,200 mark for a brand new unit installed. You'll find install price is cheaper when u buy a brand new unit as they make some of their money on selling the unit in the first place

Yeah $1,200 - $1,300 is the average price for a brand new install. If you already have a Unichip (2nd or other), the average price is about $450-$550 depending where you go.

Obviously the more mods you have, the more beneficial a piggy back will be as the car would have been further away from the factory tune.


it does sound expensive getting it tuned to 98ron but in all honesty in my opinion its benifits you in ever way, and yes it costs more at the pump, but you also will get more k's on a tank so in reality it really doesnt have a negative

Well said. Also if your thinking of getting one, don't just think of the peak power increase (witch is nice:D ), but as stonesour said, the car will be better in every way, including everyday drivability. As the tune smooths out and boosts the power/torque curve throughout the rev range, with part throttle response being greatly enhanced (in relative terms, don't expect a powerhouse lol).

oh what so ur saying I WONT be able to blow off a clubsport at the lights!!!! lol ;) I want a powerhouse :(

oh what so ur saying I WONT be able to blow off a clubsport at the lights!!!! lol ;) I want a powerhouse :(

maybe a VS club sport lol

Another question:

Say ive gotten 4kW from putting in the high-flow muffler and say 3kW from the panel filter and then put the unichip in which you guys have estimated to give me about 12 kW, does that 12 kW include the 4kW and the 3 kW from the other mods? or will the dyno show 19kW increase?

lol this is getting a bit of an algerbra equation

they will do a dyno run b4 they set the unichip up n tune it.... so that will be ur untuned figure with ur mods u already have,

then they will dyno it after its been tuned, this figure will be the "tune" and it will also get a little bit more out of those mods you have done .

my advice is dont get hung up on small little number like 2 kw's or whatever it means nothing,

but can expect a much smoother ride, better response, better fuel consumption (tune permitting) more power, more torque, and your car will just be healthier running to it potential :)

haltech interceptor ftw

there are cheaper options than the unichip which do just as much if not more than the unichip for much less cost

well a haltek definetely isnt a cheaper one ...

emanage and unichip are generally the cheaper ones, and they are ample for 95% of cars on here

lol this is getting a bit of an algerbra equation

they will do a dyno run b4 they set the unichip up n tune it.... so that will be ur untuned figure with ur mods u already have,

then they will dyno it after its been tuned, this figure will be the "tune" and it will also get a little bit more out of those mods you have done .

my advice is dont get hung up on small little number like 2 kw's or whatever it means nothing,

but can expect a much smoother ride, better response, better fuel consumption (tune permitting) more power, more torque, and your car will just be healthier running to it potential :)


ah ok thanks for that. wasnt sure at what points they do the dyno's. Makes sense now.

Just one more question lol. If the manufacturer states my car is 155kW at the fly, which equates to about 115.58 kW at the wheel, what are the chances that the dyno finds this figure to be different? Is it possible that my car actually has less than 155kW or is this unlikely?

Just one more question lol. If the manufacturer states my car is 155kW at the fly, which equates to about 115.58 kW at the wheel, what are the chances that the dyno finds this figure to be different? Is it possible that my car actually has less than 155kW or is this unlikely?
It's very likely your car has 155kw at the flywheel, but very unlikely to get any sort of accurate or comparable reading from a dyno to transfer that figure into at the wheels power.

The bottom line with tuning a Magna that has minimal mods is what has already been stated: You will not get a lot of peak power gains, but you will get a nice improvement in torque through the whole rev range, and fuel economy will be vastly improved. (this is assuming I/H/E mods)

dont take much note on the dyno read out either.

See how it goes when you drive it

Bottom line is without swapping cams you won't get great gains in peak power, since magna cams are designed mainly for good midrange bang.

Yeah as others have already stated. Don't be too concerned with the figure you get at the wheels, as long as you get the average gain at the wheels when comparing the before and after figure. The actual numbers will vary greatly from car to car and dyno to dyno.:D

Just one more question lol. If the manufacturer states my car is 155kW at the fly, which equates to about 115.58 kW at the wheel, what are the chances that the dyno finds this figure to be different? Is it possible that my car actually has less than 155kW or is this unlikely?

chances are it will be different....especially being auto. Take my car for eg. sports 163kw at the fly standard. add a k&n panel and extractors and only managed 115.4kwatw.

the 155kw is derived from engine dynos that generally dont have alternators, compressors and pulleys to increase drag on for an optimum figure.

engine dynos that generally dont have alternators, compressors and pulleys to increase drag on for an optimum figure.

Plus, engine dynos are operated in a controlled environment thats set to specific standards (eg: DIN, ECE etc..). These standards dictate many factors, some of witch are, ambient air temperature, atmospheric pressure and witch ancillaries have to be connected and so on. So they car produce accurately repeated results

A wheel dyno (the most common) can be effected by tyre pressure and wheel size, traction on the rollers, air temperature and altitude (relating to atmospheric pressure) and a few other factors. So wheel type dynos are really only meant as tuning tools, to gauge differences between mods and also to allow better tunning across an engines rev range in relation to air/fuel ratios etc...

Plus, engine dynos are operated in a controlled environment thats set to specific standards (eg: DIN, ECE etc..). These standards dictate many factors, some of witch are, ambient air temperature, atmospheric pressure and witch ancillaries have to be connected and so on. So they car produce accurately repeated results

A wheel dyno (the most common) can be effected by tyre pressure and wheel size, traction on the rollers, air temperature and altitude (relating to atmospheric pressure) and a few other factors. So wheel type dynos are really only meant as tuning tools, to gauge differences between mods and also to allow better tunning across an engines rev range in relation to air/fuel ratios etc...

wow I always thought they were really accurate :( if they are so inaccurate why do tehy use them in comps and stuff to see who has highest HP and what not? Should get a better method.

wow I always thought they were really accurate :( if they are so inaccurate why do tehy use them in comps and stuff to see who has highest HP and what not? Should get a better method.
on the same day, and given the same conditions, they are accurate enough to tell who has more power. you can't compare dyno results taken on different dynos at different times with different conditions.

they are a cheap(ish), quick and accurate enough way to tell if the mod you just installed made any difference, and it involves little to no modification to your car to test (i.e. you don't need to take your engine out to test it).

cheers,
.wook

on the same day, and given the same conditions, they are accurate enough to tell who has more power. you can't compare dyno results taken on different dynos at different times with different conditions.

they are a cheap(ish), quick and accurate enough way to tell if the mod you just installed made any difference, and it involves little to no modification to your car to test (i.e. you don't need to take your engine out to test it).

cheers,
.wook

oh ok I see :)

ok so I finally have the unichip in my hand... all things considered, should I go ahead with this?

ok so I finally have the unichip in my hand... all things considered, should I go ahead with this?
Yes......I mean no.....wait....yes. lol

Mate, if you feel like spending more money on the car go for it. As for is it worth it? It all comes down to you. So far I have been happy with the results (not just power) in comparison to how much I have spent, others might no have been so happy. Depends what you see as reasonable.