RS liberty piggy-back performance chips

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 4:55 pm

Anyone got any experience with any of the piggy-back performance chips? I want to get the red brumby dyno'd and figure if I'm gonna do that I should look into seeing if it's worth chipping beforehand.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:23 pm

which ECU is it?

VOS chips are awesome. you can pick them up for about $250 on the RSLC forums. you need a 16bit ECU though, so series2 GT legacy or later.

you might need a socket soldered into the ECU mainboard. i can do this for you if you want. I have done a few of them.

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:36 pm

A "chip change" and a piggy back are not really the same thing .
Chip changes were common in the days when engine control computers had a read only memory module or chip (ROM) , the manufacturers made it easy for themselves to make quick changes with alternate settings in programmable ROM chips . They didn't count on the aftermarket learning how to reprogramm easily available chips and thats why later ECU's had a permanently mounted memory module or even flash memory devices .

A "piggy back" is another ECU litterally (at times) mounted on the main ECU's box and it controlls some of the engines devices such as injectors and maybe timing while everything else is controlled by the main ECU's "brain" .
In this day and age much of the electronic dashes/auto boxes etc etc are controlled by PCM or powertrain control modules so if you removed and fitted say an aftermarket engine management system (EMS) nothing else would work .
So piggy backs or interceptors are used to alter just some of the engines control equipment .

Welcome of the late model garbage of today .

A .

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:41 pm

LOL. your essays crack me up.

Who cares what the definition of the word is. He wants a cheap upgrade to his EJ ECU. got any suggestions?

Late model garbage? You are going to have a hard time convincing me that your EA engine management system is better than an EJ one

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 9:39 am

New version of unichip. If I had of kept that wrx it was getting one.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:16 am

they suit the old RS turbo ECU's ?

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:26 am

thanks for the offer of help, I'm gonna try track one down, try and get one already installed on an ECU, but failing that will take you up on helping install it.

also most of the ones for sale seem to be the 9psi ones for the bigger turbos, is it hard to put in a seperate boost controller?

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:38 am

vincentvega wrote:they suit the old RS turbo ECU's ?

Can't see why not. They will run anything with an ECU. The owner of aps runs one on everything he ownes (jet ski, 4x4, twin turbo 350z....)

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:35 pm

A Unichip is an interceptor .

LOL EA computer , I guess is does a better job of running an EA than an EJ computer would .

My point was that ALL late (meaning current) cars are a nightmare electronically when things act up .
I'll be the first to agree with you that EA EFI is pre historic but being basic makes it generally easier to fault find - and cheaper to replace dead bits .

You calls but interceptors often "fight" with later computers (esp turbo ones) because the original brain can sometimes "see" parameters it knows it shouldn't get . If it panics you get the dreaded rich and retard damage control kicking in .
Provided the interceptor doesn't alter things enough to spook the main brain they can be lived with .

The best results usually come from aftermarket plug in computers because you get to control everything using the engines native loom and sensors , I'm not sure what you mean by cheap .

A .

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:06 am

I take it your not familar with the new unichip then? They can do everything a stand alone can, but still allow you to access factory fault finding etc. If bluetooth, 5 maps, overdriving injectors, launch control, boost control, timing and fuel control, water spray control to mension a few things doesn't get you excited (for a road car) you may as well stick a carby on it lol. Depending on the options you select I'd guess somewhere around $1200 should see one supplied, fitted and dyno tuned.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:33 am

vos chip is the same deal. full factory control / fault finding of everything. Just a much smoother, more powerful tune.

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:47 am

And cheaper

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:24 am

Your call on the Unichip but from what I read .

1) Can only be fitted by a registered Air Power systems (APS) dealer , they won't give out wiring diagrams etc .

2) Can only be tuned by a registered APS dealer , cannot access tuning parameters with outtheir interface gear .

Your call , if I'm buying anything I want access to ALL it can do and won't accept being locked out of it . My engine/my car/my choice .

This is not something you can buy second hand , fit yourself and tune yourself .
There doesn't seem to be any info on how it alters the factory computers signals and that is a concern because there are good ways and bad ways to go about it .

Overall it may look cheap but it's limiting in other ways .

Your call , you won't find anything real "cheap" to do the job because there is a certain amount of sophistication in the electronics to properly control a reasonably modern engine .
The straight plug ins (to where the std control unit does) means very simple to fit - 10 min ?
Tuning is like tuning any engine management system and it certainly helps if it has maps to make it start and run .

A .

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:19 am

In my experiances only experianced people should be tuning cars anyway. It is a much smarter way of the manufacturer not leaving themselves open to customers buggering things up and attempting to blame them. It happens all the time. I'm still surprised the amount of people who perform menial work on their cars, but have nfi what they are doing, let alone attempting a tune. Not everyone has a dyno in their yard, and if you're going to tune any other way I'd be worried !!!!

If you are really all that concerned, maybe ring APS.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:10 am

discopotato03 wrote: Your call , you won't find anything real "cheap" to do the job because there is a certain amount of sophistication in the electronics to properly control a reasonably modern engine

VOSchip

$250ish second hand. CHEAP

dead simple install.

works BRILLIANTLY

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:48 am

And comes pre tuned

discopotato03 · Post by **discopotato03** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:51 pm

White_Lightning_Rex wrote:In my experiances only experianced people should be tuning cars anyway. It is a much smarter way of the manufacturer not leaving themselves open to customers buggering things up and attempting to blame them. It happens all the time. I'm still surprised the amount of people who perform menial work on their cars, but have nfi what they are doing, let alone attempting a tune. Not everyone has a dyno in their yard, and if you're going to tune any other way I'd be worried !!!!

If you are really all that concerned, maybe ring APS.

Well in this day and age when you can buy fast wide band 02 sensing gear (Tech Edge WB3A2 is what I have) and knock sensing gear such as the Gizmo one from the US and use an engine management system that can log all the parameters and knock and AFR it's not as hard as it used to be .
If you can get the engine to start and have a bit of an idea what most will run on timing and AFR wise you drive it with it happily recording all that's going on , then view the data on the lap top or PC and make alterations till it does what you want .

I agree that if you have no idea then get someone who does to tune it , if it interests you enough and you have access to or can afford to buy the test equipment you can learn a lot by doing it .

None of this promises to be cheap , it's the nature of the beast .

A .

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:35 pm

vincentvega wrote:VOSchip

$250ish second hand. CHEAP

dead simple install.

works BRILLIANTLY

Exactly where my thinking is at.

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:50 am

just bought a VOS chip already on an ECU, waiting for it to arrive from sydney.

Will need to set up a manual boost control though as it's the one for the bigger turbo.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:52 am

cool. let us know how it goes. You will be blown away by the extra power