Re: Boost problems solved

["Dan Bocek" <dan@di.com>]

> The ad is in the back of Euro Car mag. I don't have it on hand now. It's a
> place in Florida selling perf stuff for Audi's. The ad lists a 10Hp gain
> for the 2.2 inline 5 in different bodies. The chip is $195. Don't know if
> they have a week-long test-drive like SuperChips. Don't even know if they
> are competent.

Well, since poeple are talking about SuperChips again, I though I'd
mention an interesting tidbit I learned about the other day:

Me and my friend Todd are working on reverse engineering the engine
computer in his Turbo Eagle Talon AWD.  In the course of our work, we
managed to aquire a SuperChips "modified" Talon computer.  It cost
the original purchaser $350.00, and for that amount of money, what you
did was send in your engine computer and got it back a few days later
supposedly modifed by SuperChips, along with an air bleeder valve which
was to be put in line with the wastegate actuator pressure hose in order to
raise the boost pressure.

So, we opened up the computer.

Sure enough, there was now a SuperChips sticker over the EPROM, and some
of the conformal coating around it was removed, but it did not look like
the EPROM had been de-soldered.  Cool, we thought, SuperChips has been in
this business so long, they've figured out how to program EPROMs in-situ.
But, since we hadn't, I desoldered it and put it in the EPROM reader.

Well, I think you can guess the rest.  The chip had never been removed
because it had never been re-programmed.  It was a completely stock
computer.

So, here's a breakdown of what you get for your money on a SuperChips
modified Talon computer:

	Item		   Value
     ----------         -----------
     bleeder valve     about 10  bucks
     EPROM sticker     about 340 bucks

Oh, and here's something else to drive the point home: we also managed
to aquire a SuperChips modified Stealth computer.  That computer doesn't
even have an external EPROM, rather, the code is embedded within the
microcontroller.  So what did SuperChips do in that case?  They stuck their
sticker on an analog signal conditioning chip!  Oh, and they also
included the 10 dollar bleeder valve.

Of course, everyone feels a difference in power with increased boost,
but a bleeder valve is something anybody can buy at an aquarium store
and install in their car in a few minutes.  What gets me is the
missrepresentation of their product.  They get you to think that they
have some all powerful mystical understanding of your engine computer,
when in fact, they don't know jack (at least for Talons and Stealths).
Can you say fraud?

Now I can't speak for all of their modifed computers, but based on my
two experiences with SuperChips computers, I'd be a bit cautious before
purchacing ANY of their products.

On a final note, I also managed to aquire a Hypertech EPROM for my
Audi TQC.  I dumped it, and found out that IT was stock as well!!  (Yup,
it had a Hypertech sticker on it!)  What you got for you money with the
Hypertech setup was a divided down boost signal, a bleeder valve, and a
sticker.  So at least Hypertech "modified" the computer a little bit, in
that they reduced the signal going from the boost sensor to the input 
Analog to Digital converter electronically, but the total cost in parts for
doing that is literally less than a dollar.  Not only that, it is the
wrong approach to safe boost increases "lying" to the computer about what
the boost really is.  Changing the EPROM lookup tables to match your
increased boost is the rightous way to do this safely.

I guess the moral of this whole story is buyer beware.  If you wanna
shell out tons of dough for an engine computer upgrade, make sure before you
buy it that at least they know more about engine computers and bleeder
valves than you do.
-- 
                                                   
                                                    Dan Bocek
                                                    dan@di.com