TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat May 16, 2020 6:35 pm

all sorts of red flags here... the photo isn't of an ECU chip but just a 2 wire lead off a mystery box, no instructions, no data sheet, wild claims. anyone have more info on it?

https://performancechiprevamp.com/volkswagen-vanagon-performance-chip

Sat May 16, 2020 6:46 pm

Send me the $60 and I'll tell you your van runs better, faster, stronger :lol:

Sat May 16, 2020 6:56 pm

"Essentially, adding up to 60 Horsepower and up to 8 MPG for you to enjoy on the road!"

🐂💩

There is/was a genuine performance chip available for the Digi Cabriolets and even it doesn't provide nearly that much of a gain.

Sat May 16, 2020 8:29 pm

Ain’t no free lunch. If it is too good to be true...

Sat May 16, 2020 8:39 pm

It will probably void your warranty (the one you bought from the guy who called last week).

Sat May 16, 2020 9:43 pm

Snake oil...not the same brand, and a long ass video - but

Sun May 17, 2020 3:01 am

You old cynical farts have no idea of what a kid can do with a computer nowadays, I got this mod and it’s at least a75 hoarse improvement.

Off to clamp the magnets on my fuel lines.

Quote: It will probably void your warranty (the one you bought from the guy who called last week)

Excellent !!

Sun May 17, 2020 5:18 am

could. not. resist. no, i didn't buy it but i did send them a message asking for installation instructions. i want to figure out what they are tapping into with 2 wires that fits a variety of vehicles and affects fuel and timing. i'm guessing they are putting a resistance bias in the temp circuit making the engine think it is colder than it is, increasing fuel enrichment. this is from their FAQ:

********************************
Will the Performance Module damage my vehicles engine?

No, it is simply not possible when using our module. Since our Performance Module merely sends a continuous signal to the ECM, it triggers the Factory Engine Control Module to adjust itself for a more optimum fuel mixture and timing curve, which means that you're fully protected by the built-in safeguards in your Factory Engine Control Module. Put simply, our modules only work within the factory parameters and cannot cause any minor or permanent damage at all.

Sun May 17, 2020 6:20 am

Without disabling the stock OXS, any fuel changes are going to be negated by the OXS sensor.

You can’t add more fuel and get better mpg. You could possibly measure more
power. If you are in the area, bring your van and device. We’ll strap it on the dyno and do back to back pulls.

Sun May 17, 2020 8:31 am

I've got a performance vanagon chip.
It's a 1.8t
Although if you were driving behind me you wouldn't think it, because after the initial fun I found myself settling into the same old driving speed.

Isn't that strange.... :-k

Sun May 17, 2020 10:30 am

DanHoug wrote: ..... i want to figure out what they are tapping into with 2 wires that fits a variety of vehicles and affects fuel and timing. i'm guessing they are putting a resistance bias in the temp circuit making the engine think it is colder than it is, increasing fuel enrichment.

Below is from an Acura forum but....

I'd guess that for the Vanagon, this beauty gets shunted onto IAT wires at the AFM connector? i saw two images showing what was purported to be an opened up chip. One had a resistor across two wires the other had a chip on a PCB that didn't appear to have much or anything else on it. So, who knows whats inside this thing.

edit:

Sun May 17, 2020 12:00 pm

FWIW, that chip is just a simple package of 8 isolated 10kΩ resistors. Would need to see the other side of the proto board to know if there's anything else going on.

The Air Flow Meter, Coolant Temperature sensor, Air Temperature sensor, and O2 sensor inputs to the ECU can all be manipulated to make the air/fuel ratio more rich or lean. Just don't count on both more power and more MPG.

Sun May 17, 2020 12:32 pm

RawUmber wrote: FWIW, that chip is just a simple package of 8 isolated 10kΩ resistors. Would need to see the other side of the proto board to know if there's anything else going on.

Interesting. Thanks.

Image below is from this TDI forum post

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=499206

but of course I have no idea who actually built this: