Whats a unichip?

[manchestermatt1986]

So go on, its in the title. whats a uni chip and how does it work. i know the basic idea of chipping and re-mapping. is it anything to do with that?

[Anonymous]

Before the move to 'turbo' the unichip was considered the way to go if you were after an increase in power and mid range torque (not massive, but noticable). It's a 'piggy back' application that plugs and plays into the existing ECU. If you have a UK spec car then there is a security plate that has to be removed before you fit it. There are two versions available, the US ones are premapped with two alternative maps according to the spec of your car. The UK sourced ones will probably have been mapped to the particual spec of the car they came from. Probably worth the effort if you don't want to go turbo yet. Don't pay more than £300.

[markiii]

emanage does more for a lower price

[manchestermatt1986]

cheers for the answer

You say a uk model, well mine is a mr-s import from 2000 so will that mean i should get the us version?

And also when you say there are two on the us version does that mean i can choose which one i remap it with?

[manchestermatt1986]

Is emanage a company/brand name as in unichip is also a brand name, or is emanage a distrubtor of the unichip?

emanage does more for a lower price

[Anonymous]

A unichip is a bag of chips of which there is only one.

[Anonymous]

I don't know for sure but I doubt that the origin of the car makes much difference. I'd follow Mark iii here as he has more experience but you seem to get more unichips for sale than emanage. I've got the US chip and that works well for me. Edit - with the US chip you have the choice of an A or B map. If you buy one , you choose from the spec given and can switch between the two as and when you want to.
  s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:  Hey, edit, 1000 posts, I'd never have believed that   s:D s:D   sooooo sad!

[Gif]

I'm sure I read somewhere recently a warning comment regarding amateurs mucking around with the mapping without the appropriate knowledge.

Reading about the e-manage suggested to me that you would have to know what you were doing to use this thing.  Or does it come with suitable maps included?

What about the Unichip, is that a pre-configured map?

[enid_b]

A unichip is a bag of chips of which there is only one.

nelix you turnip, you are thinking of a monochip

E

[Anonymous]

A unichip is a bag of chips of which there is only one.

nelix you turnip, you are thinking of a monochip

E

Lol, do i get a gold star?

[dubs]

and if you are interested in buying one I have a us spec one for sale in the private sales section, as does Germy.

[markiii]

I'm sure I read somewhere recently a warning comment regarding amateurs mucking around with the mapping without the appropriate knowledge.

Reading about the e-manage suggested to me that you would have to know what you were doing to use this thing.  Or does it come with suitable maps included?

What about the Unichip, is that a pre-configured map?

indeed, however a 2nd hand emange plus a tune from teh lieks of thor will cost you much teh same as a secondhand unichip but will be mapped to your exact car

[GSB]

The unichip is a "piggy back" ECU. Unlike a normal chip, (which is just that, a chip) the unichip is entire processor unit. Its task in life is to intercept the igntion and fuel injection signals from your cars ECU, and modify them to better suit the particular dynamics of your engine.

For example. Your engine is fitted with an ECU containing a generic "map" of settings that are applied when you wish to make some progress. This is known as the open loop map and dictates the fuelling and igntion settings outside of the closed loop settings used in normal low load driving. This map is designed to cater for all kinds of engine build variations, all operating conditions, all kinds of fuel quality, and all different markets. Essentially its a safe state of tune for all occasions that prevents the manufacturer from having to honour to many warranty claims. It is not however, the optimum state of tune for your engine.

The unichip can modify this map to better suit your chosen fuel, exhaust, intake, and any build irregualarites in your particular engine. Doing this increases the engines efficiency, which you can generally read as either the same power for less fuel (more economy), or just more power.

Theres not many downsides to the unichip, but for reference here they are;

You do have to have it tuned on a rolling road. It costs but In most cases this is a good thing, as you can leave the tuner safe in the knowledge that there are no flat spots or lean zones in the map that could compromise your engine.

Once tuned, you shoud really continue to use the fuel it was tuned on. If you want to get the extra benefits of using super unleaded and tune the car on it, then you should continue to use it.

Other systems, like emanage, do pretty much the same thing. Unlike Unichip however, they give you the owner access to all the settings. If you know how to tune an engine, this can be good. If you dont have this knowledge, but have a desire to fiddle, you're going to melt your engine.

[Gif]

indeed, however a 2nd hand emange plus a tune from the lieks of thor will cost you much the same as a secondhand unichip but will be mapped to your exact car

I don't like the sound of the emange Markiii     s:) s:)

[Gif]

Just been searching and can't find any figures for what mapping can get out of a n/a stock car.

Not ready to do anything drastic like turbo yet but interested to know how much is there to be had with an emanage.  Read on another forum that 150bhp is about all that's in there.  Anyone any idea whether there is any torque gain?

[manchestermatt1986]

and if you are interested in buying one I have a us spec one for sale in the private sales section, as does Germy.

can you send me a link to have a look at it for sale

[GSB]

The original Unichip Thread.

 l viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6262&st=0&sk=t&sd=a l

I will point out that this thread is 4 years old now, and as such it would be a good idea to re-evaluate in light of any advances in technology. At the the time I said the unichip was the best mod you coud make to the car, and I stand by it even now. My car was an entirely different drive with it fitted. 4 years on, and it could be that there are cheaper, easier, and more effective ways of achieving the same gains. emanage could well be one way of doing it, and as such should be investigated.

Just to whet your appetite though, check out these torque gains...

[manchestermatt1986]

I don't know for sure but I doubt that the origin of the car makes much difference. I'd follow Mark iii here as he has more experience but you seem to get more unichips for sale than emanage. I've got the US chip and that works well for me. Edit - with the US chip you have the choice of an A or B map. If you buy one , you choose from the spec given and can switch between the two as and when you want to.
  s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:  Hey, edit, 1000 posts, I'd never have believed that   s:D s:D   sooooo sad!

so is there a better one as in one for economy and one for power or do they not matter. i like the idea of the chip works intelligently to work with what additions i have such as exhaust and induction.

[Gif]

Just to whet your appetite though, check out these torque gains...

That certainly looks like a very much more usable output.  Didn't by any chance do any road timings did you (0-60 etc)?  Having driven mine for a few months now, it's pretty obvious that the main problem is a complete lack of activity until you get the engine screaming.  I guess this will always be a perceived problem when I drive a diesel everyday   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

I would just like to say that I haven't stopped smiling yet despite all this moaning!

Anyone know of anywhere further south that can tune these things?

[markiii]

Just to whet your appetite though, check out these torque gains...

That certainly looks like a very much more usable output.  Didn't by any chance do any road timings did you (0-60 etc)?  Having driven mine for a few months now, it's pretty obvious that the main problem is a complete lack of activity until you get the engine screaming.  I guess this will always be a perceived problem when I drive a diesel everyday   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

I would just like to say that I haven't stopped smiling yet despite all this moaning!

Anyone know of anywhere further south that can tune these things?

another benefit to teh emanage, loads more places can map them

[markiii]

I don't know for sure but I doubt that the origin of the car makes much difference. I'd follow Mark iii here as he has more experience but you seem to get more unichips for sale than emanage. I've got the US chip and that works well for me. Edit - with the US chip you have the choice of an A or B map. If you buy one , you choose from the spec given and can switch between the two as and when you want to.
  s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:  Hey, edit, 1000 posts, I'd never have believed that   s:D s:D   sooooo sad!

so is there a better one as in one for economy and one for power or do they not matter. i like the idea of the chip works intelligently to work with what additions i have such as exhaust and induction.

any ecu is only as good as teh person who maps it
be that for economy or power

[Gif]

Have you used Thor Markiii?

Do they come highly recommended   s:D s:D  ?

[Anonymous]

Would this work with a j spec or would I be best off getting emanage?

[markiii]

Have you used Thor Markiii?

Do they come highly recommended   s:D s:D  ?

I have and yes they do  :-) :-) :-)

[ChrisGB]

Just a note to add that the latest Unichip (called Unichip Q) adds full vvti control so you can vary the inlet cam timing. Useful if you have intake or exhaust mods as it will allow better control of valve overlap.

I will report on how well it works once I have mine fitted and mapped.

Chris