I'm looking to buy a chip but not sure which to buy..someone mentioned the hypertech,but I thought that one only worked at full throttle..and then there was the thermo-something,can't remember exactly but was more for lowering temps..any ideas on an all around performance chip that's worth the money?again this if for an 86 with aluminum heads..thanks

 

The only chip worth buying is a custom chip by a tuner, all the other ones that say performance chip are a waste of money...WW

 

My friend bought a thermomaster for his 90 vette. Definitely made the car run different (6 speed car) the fans also started working differently as well. Power wise I could feel the difference, throttle response was a lot crispier, exhaust sound changed as well. A good upgrade in my opinion.

 

All the Hypertech chip does is advance the timing , you can do that yourself without a chip..You can get one that will also change your fan on and off temps, but there are much cheaper ways to do that also.Im having a guy do a tune on my new 383 right now , this is a custom tune and it isn't costing me as much as a Hypertech chip,he's also changing my fan temps to a lower setting......WW

 

WW,can any mechanic shop do this or did you have to send yours off to someone?and if it matters my car is stock except for exhaust,can I still put a chip like that in a stock engine and get at least a noticeable improvement?

 

No, not every shop can do it. If your car is running well a tune won't do much. You can order a mail order tune for your '86 if you want. Google is your friend, several tuners are out there like pcmforless.

 

only way to change fan on-off temps is through the prom on a 90. I don't believe all it does is change timing. I do know the original prom from his car rides piggyback on the thermomaster chip.

 

If all you added is headers then your stock chip is close. If you want more performance from your engine you can play with your timing, advancing it a few degrees at a time until you get it where you want it.. Most shops can't do custom tunes, Im having mine done by (mseven) Mick Stevens, one of, if not the best tuner on this forum . He has done many cars for the guys on this forum and I have never heard anything but good stuff about his work...If you have a stock engine you can only get so much out of it with a tune,then you need to start putting go fast parts on.......WW

 

No need to mess with the chip..Corvette Central carrys three different kits to change your fan settings, this is the one in the middle.You also have to change your thermostat for this one and the lower temp one.. Take a look..WW

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....Z5Z5Z50000050F

 

my 90 has nothing like that on it. The ecm gets temp info I think from the CTS at the front of the intake manifold. the heads only have a thermal sensor for the gauge.

 

I may have been unclear in my first statement,I'm not necessarily trying to lower temps,just get a few more horse..the only chips I've seen only work at full throttle which I don't like or are meant primarily to lower temps(if I'm wrong please correct me here so I know)I didn't put new headers, just true dual magnaflows with no cats and I've just made my own air scoop which really doesn't do much for performance that I've seen..looks cool though..anyways,I didn't know if I was overlooking any other chips,but according to badduck I may not even need one if there is not much difference between stock and aftermarket which was something I was wondering as well..if a chip isn't much upgrade,what would be somewhat low cost upgrades to make?

 

He is helping the OP and Hypertech for C4 is snake oil

 

The B4P option was not available on the 1990, that wouldn't apply to your car.

To the OP if you want to turn on the pusher fan earlier (assuming you have one) you don't need a "kit". A low temp. switch/sender that screws
into the block is about $15 IIRC.

 

I wasn't really looking to turn the fans on sooner although it seems like everyone thinks it's a good mod,my puller fan comes on at 226 and assuming my pusher fan works I think it should come on at 23-something,but I've never seen it run..I know that a cooler engine should perform better so is this a good place to start with changing the sensors to kick on earlier?and if so should I combine that with a lower thermostat?I don't mean to get off the initial point of the thread but sounds like a chip wouldn't do my car any good so I thought I would ask that..I've never been much of a mechanic so just trying to learn here so I can say I did the work myself,I LOVE MY CAR..lol

 

My advice, if your car is running well and not getting real hot don't f**k with it. Look for some low cost real mods to start with.

 

This is probably the best advice your going to get!!!..WW

 

If you fully depress the throttle (WOT) the ECM will do the same things that a chip will do at part throttle. You really won't see any big difference for the money you spend.

If you want a power increase, you have already taken the first step with a good cat-back exhaust. After that, you should consider headers. Headers and your exhaust will be worth a good 20HP.

As long as you don't see temps too high, there is no need to go with a chip and lower temp thermostat. C4's are designed to run hot for emissions purposes. Typical operating temps for your car can be around 180 to 200 or even 225.

As long as the fan provides adequate cooling and the entire cooling system is in good shape, there is no real gain by swapping a 'stat with a lower opening temp. Even though you have removed the cats, you will not gain anything by lowering coolant temps. Go too low on temps and the ECM may not go into closed loop at all.

To find more power, you will need to start adding or replacing pieces. Consider port-matching the intake runners, upgrading the fuel injectors (you may need a chip here; not for temp but for the increased amount of fuel entering the motor). Check with Jon at Fuel Injection Connection. He's a supporting vendor and has some excellent deal on injectors. Read the sticky at the top of this section for information.

Low cost and adding horsepower don't always go together. Most old school speed shops had a sign behind the counter that read:
"Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?"

 

The early and late 86's carry the same ECM. It was changed again in 87. I installed a piggyback programmable chip from www.moates.net then loaded a stock "bin" file to get the car running. I also purchased their USB to ALDL interface cable. Using a PC laptop and the trial version ECM data recording software from www.tunerpro.net I emailed data stream recordings to www.pcmforless.com who modified the bin file and emailed it back. Then I reloaded the changed file into the piggyback chip and repeated the process.

The total investment is about 300 dollars but it is worth every cent! My 86e was virtually stock and tune was a remarkable performance gain. Years later I modified the engine and for a nominal fee PCMforless again tweaked the tune for optimum performance.

JD, there are limited alternatives to what I have outlined here. Only significant option is to buy a custom "burnable" EPROM from a custom tuner of which there are only a few guys out there mostly in the F-body forums.

Other than that the "performance chips" others are leading you away from are really junk. What else can I say? Good Luck



FWIW: The first tune netted a 13.9 on the 1/4 with a virtually stock original engine. C&D managed a 14.2-3 with a new car back in 1986

The latest changes have not been track certified but I can pull a standard C5 until the TPI runs out of air.
...

 

I never thought to change my headers,any particular brands I should look to buy?JrRifleCoach,I think what you have suggested is what I was looking for as far as programming goes,I'm going to check into that and see if it's something I think I could do myself..great tips,thanks everyone!

 

Take a look at the Hedman Elite coated headers at Summit. They have a good rep. and the price is very good. You can get them with or without AIR hookup. Since you already have true duals with Magnaflows your exhaust is pretty good already.

Their are 2 low cost mods you can do yourself that will help you cars performance. I have done both and know they work.

1) 1.6 full RR's and valve springs. I installed Scorpions

2) March UD pulleys Power and Amp 3 piece aluminum/steel set #4445