Installed a performance chip in my truck a few weeks back (2007 FG) and thought I would post up about it, I will also post in the Mitsubishi Heavy Truck thread.
After installing the chip I went on two trips with it operational, the first was a fully loaded trip towing the boat with all its stuff(motor, tanks, oars etc) along with bikes and all the usual stuff which makes me around 11,000 pounds. The other trip was different in that I was pretty light, not much stuff at all and even solo.
The route was heading up the Coquihalla Highway, a road that leaves the Vancouver lower mainland and progressively climbs to around 4,500 feet with a particularly steep 8% grade, then down into Merritt BC and back up to an alpine lake around 5,000 feet elevation.
The chip is a Steinbauer unit, it does not raise the the fuel common rail pressure, it simply optimizes the duration that the injector stays open to increase power.
I would start by saying that it works, and it works well! It has reduced the amount of down shifting and has made that trip much more enjoyable to drive, the low end torque seems to be the most noticeable improvement but an all around improvement in power is there too.
It was very easy to install except for the length of the plug on the loom they supply, it is a long plug and there is not much extra room to play with, the wires as a result need to make some tight bends which is not ideal. I did a quickie install and still need to tidy things up, I will be putting some extra protection onto the loom to protect from chaffing and some split loom onto the power and sensor wires from the cab.
Trip One I took it easy on the way up but tested the system on the big snow shed grade, it's one of those climbs where there is evidence of vehicles spewing their coolant out to all out burnt out shells of rigs with many burnt patches of asphalt along the way....... I would normally be in third gear at the steepest spot and that trip I stayed in fourth. I had heard that you may have to watch for engine temps using a chip and it did get up there but not near the red.
On the way back on the first trip I kept my speed up and made it home in really good time and really started to notice the improvement.
Trip two I wanted to just give 'er ( if one can do that in a FG?) keep the pedal to the metal, and also have a short term MPG figure while given'er.
I made it up to the lake in record time and sure noticed the difference in performance, with only one fill up after the continuous climb I calculated 16.6MPG imperial, so once I fill up next I will have the downhill portion of drive to get a more accurate MPG figure.
Thanks to Owen(Canter 4x4) for figuring out a chip that would work from Oz( It is not available in NA) and Alan(supplied it and sent it)
I will take some images after I tidy the install up.
