Seems like about 60% of the C4s out there have the speed chip in them. I'm looking for opinions.... is the chip a good idea? How much of a boost do you get? Can a car be chipped with no other mods? Is putting a chip in a job for a pro or can it be done by a novice? Roughly what's the cost of one of these things?

Thanks.

 

Dale I think that most people on this forum beleive the chip is worthless and that you should get a custom tune from PCMFORLESS.COM if im not mistaken its around $175 and they will reprogram or burn a new tune for $50 to maximize any future mods you do. Do a search on PCMFORLESS

 

Yeah, I'll be putting a PCM For Less chip in mine.

http://pcmforless.com

Most for the C4 are $175, and you can get a reprogram for $50.

 

Hey Dale,

There are MIMIMAL changes in most of the aftermarket chips.
It takes about 3 minutes on a bad day to add a couple degrees of timing in the upper RPM range.
ANY of the cars that use a replaceable EPROM are very easy to reprogram.
The newer cars use FLASH ram and can be reprogrammed right on the car. Even quicker than 3 minutes,LOL.

The factory ECM Fuel Maps are perfectly capable of running a mostly stock engine.
3~4 degrees of timing across the board (Global Change) can be achieved by bumping the base timing up that amount.

The 100~150 bux can stay in your pocket OR..... buy something ELSE for your Vette.

 

If you are talking about the "great and wonderfull speed chips" sold on ebay, especially the one with the world famous German engineering forget it! They are basically a rip off.

 

I used to have the book "101 Projects For Your C4 Corvette". The author of that book stated that GM did an excellent job on the factory chips, and that aftermarket chips seldom improve performance, and often they actually degrade car performance. I submit that for what it is worth. I have no interest in buying an aftermarket chip for my car. Having actually handled my car's chip when I replaced the ECM, it is no more difficult than adding a RAM chip for your home computer. Good luck!

 

 

I have a Hypertech Thermomaster chip in my '92. Took about 15 minutes to install. It piggybacks onto the stock chip. IT IS COMPLETELY WORTHLESS IMO. You can tell no difference what so ever. Don't waste your $185.00 on this item. If you decide you want something like this - get a custom chip from one of the forum vendors. It said it would add from 15-25 HP - it only added 15-25 more BS to my ride.

 

I have a Hypertech Streetrunner chip in my 87 Coupe installed by the previous owner. I couldn't tell you if the chip works or not. It only really "comes into play" at full throttle. Believe me even a stock 87 at full throttle is serious. You can change it out yourself it just takes getting under the dash in the case of an 87. Besides, in order to have a better chance to get the car to pass emissions checks it is advise to replace the performance chip with the factory chip. Who needs all the hassel for a few more MPH?

 

I bought a chip from Pcmforless.com from Alvin and it works great. It sounds better and there's more kick with the punch. Had it for a year now with now problems what so ever.

 

for those of you nooby's that have had no experience with custom chips, hold your comments until you really know what you're talking about. I'm speaking to Angel of Death.. I just hate it when someone downs a supportive vendor with no knowledge of what he talking about.

 

Ok, I'm almost 50. The last time I wrenched a car, the way to adjust timing was with a timing light and loosening the distributor, (30 years?). So, I'm starting from scratch. How does one adjust the timing on an 87 vette, and what would be an optimum setting? Leaving it factory?

 

Best cheap mod out there. Even bone stock you WILL notice the difference, it takes 20 minutes to install, and he stands behind his work.

 

Same here Bud. The new motors can be less work but require a new education to troubleshoot and repair. This forum has a lot of info to offer, but you must weigh the information and have a set of factory service manuals to make informed decisions.

My experience with tuning our 86 has been a steep learning curve. If I had to do it over again I would choose a 95 or 96. The LT1/4 has more power (than the L98) and custom tuning does not require modding the ECM.

The chip is the best method to extract hidden HP and tune YOUR engine to run its best. The engine does not require mods for a chip. Chip replacement can be performed by anyone with basic mechanical skills.

Good advice.

OK

No real advantage since the timing map will keep advancing the timing for best performance. Advancing the base timing will only keep the knock sensor busy and keep bumping the timing back.

Now here is some great info to remember.

This comment indicates no experience with custom tunes.

Now we're getting to the root of good info. So I'll elaborate on my experiences. I bought a custom tune (including updates) from Alvin two years ago. I am very satisfied with the cars performance.

Here is how custom tuning worked for me. I connected my laptop computer to the cars ALDL port and recorded the running engine data while making some 0-100 mph passes and steady state 55-65 MPH passes. Then emailed these to Alvin. He emailed me the updated ECM program (bin file). I loaded this into my ECM and repeated the runs. All the time I' monitored how the engine sounded and felt. And there was a BIG difference! The 130K mile L98 was noticeably smoother at all RPM ranges. It started easier. And hot started easier. Acceleration now had an aggressive KICK in the seat that was not there before.

With the "update" package Alvin continued to work my tunes with his magic until we both felt that the tune was at its best. I took the car to the track and my best has been a 13.8 at 99 MPH. Since the motor is basically stock, Alvin's tune is almost a second faster than Road & Tracks best 1/4 mile times from 1986 with a new car!

And the next smog check passed with flying colors.

Well said.

PM or email me if your interested in more information.

 

Ecaxtly what part of my post did I not know what I was talking about?
Hypertech is a supporting vendor?

 

I think that alot of people thought you were talking about the added 15-25 more BS to your ride was in refernce to a Supporting vendor tune when you were really talking about the Thermomaster chip that you have in your car being BS. Even though you were stating that they should get a custom tune from a forum member because they work and NOT the Cheap chips on ebay or the one you have in your vette.

 

I bought mine too last fall from Alvin. Most of my old car issues went away the minute I installed it. Better idle, better power through the RPMs, gal milage went up a bit, no more cooling problems, no more starting issues. It is one of the best investments I have ever made.

He made me a 2nd one tuned just for running Nitrous too

 

looks like i may have to go to Alvin once i am ready for a chip

 

Now were getting somewhere.

A cheap mod I can do for my 1988 Corvette that will actually give me noticeable improvements.

Thank you.

And if anyone doesn't think this is worth the money then please go ahead and post your thoughts.

I want an informed pruchase if I am to spend the money.

 

Nobody mentioned that a chip can change your fan settings.