Performance???

[Mudrunner]

Okay I was just curious if anyone here has had any experience with Chip mods air intake or whatever small performance upgrades to their off road rigs. I don't really care if they are specific to what is in my sig or not just seeing what peoples experiences with them.

 

[Black Dog]

I've always been under the impression that performance tuners do work, but the amount they cost compared to the amount of gain you get by using them makes it hard to justify. Where they come in handy is adjusting the point at which your automatic transmission shifts up or down and adjusting the rev limiter and stuff.

 

[Wainiha]

I bought a Unichip and a K&N FIPK. I do believe there is a small gain(seat of the pants-no dyno) but the cost was NOT worth it. I wasn't aware of any forums, or that they were selling used supechargers for my Tacoma at the time. I spent almost $1000. For another 1000-1500 I could have have an S/C with URD fuels mods or new gears.

My mistake. Don't buy a chip!

 

[Black Dog]

I had a K&N FIPK on my XJ too and it did make a bit of difference. Right away after I installed it I got in it for a drive, the road that the house I was living in had just been resurfaced a few days before so there was loose gravel. At a stop sign I managed to spin the tires a bit, throttle response seemed a bit quicker, but as far as over all power and economy gains it was minimal. The other bad thing about K&N FIPKs is that they are basically useless in wet environments.

 

[FellowTraveler]

INHO: Any increase in volumetric efficiency is what really matters then tuner or whatever you fancy............

 

[Mudrunner]

lol yes that is the truth FellowTraveler, however that being said I would prefer to not have to swap an engine or do another bore over, both are more than I wish to spend again. A little money for small HP gains is fine with me.

 

[Betarocker]

I run aftermarket intake (AFE PG7 and exhaust (MBRP turbo back), and have a programmer with custom tunes, and other supporting mods. No shortage of power and torque (425/780 dyno'ed) and it is almost too much for trail crawling. It really depends on the type of offroading being done if engine power increases will be better, or looking into final drive reduction would be the better option.

 

[Black Dog]

A lot of the time you can get ported intake manifolds that flow air through more easily, and bigger throttle bodies, bigger fuel injectors, freer flowing exhaust, etc etc.

 

[brussum]

Best money spent on my '02 F350 PSD was a larger exhaust from the turbo back and a K&N cone style filter. The turbo winds up quicker, which means the throttle is much more responsive. Overall, I've noticed the gains, although I couldn't tell you how many HP. It also helps keep the EGTs down, which is important in the diesels. I ran a chip for awhile, but it caused the tranny to shift really hard and I got rid of it. The only custom programming I have now is for speedo to account for larger tires and different F&R diff gearing.

 

[BlueBomber]

My experience with small bolt-ons is they kinda feel like band-aids. They are kind cool at first but then I start to forget they are there and start to wonder if it was worth the money. I think it comes down to how much work was involved. When I rebuilt my carb on my old datsun it didn't increase power much but I was really happy with the way it turned out because I did the research and work myself. If I were to put on a cold air intake or a tuner I would make it a part of series of upgrades so as to see a bigger result. Its more of a mental thing for me.

 

[Mudrunner]

Wow thanks everyone this has been great info!