Tuning Chips - DPChip, Dtronic, Tunit, Rapid, Steinbauer & More.

[DeepThought]

G'day all,
Well I've heard both sides of this now and a lot of it is conflicting information as well.

Does anyone know for a fact what the DPChip does. The manufacturers claim that it reads a number of inputs and alters the fuel timing as well as the fuel volume. But there is only one wire connected to the accelerator pedal input and another to the fuel pump (Prado GXL TD). So how is it reading anything. I've been told that the wire from the accelerator is a safety,and that there is an underlying signal on the fuel pump wire from the ECU, that is read by the DPChip. But if that wire is reading the input and then sending a varied signal how does it manage to do it. Unlike other chips on the market that have a lot of wires going into them and then one can understand that these units are reading signals from various sensors.

I guess what I'm asking is does this unit remap based on a set of sensor readings. Or does it remap based on a predetermined internal map which would therefore make it a glorified fuel screw, not to mention an expensive one.

The thing is that I do feel that the unit is doing somthing positive with regard the performance. However I'm not at all certain that the unit is doing it as well as it could be done by another brand of unit.

So I'm not a tuning guru nor an electronics expert so what the bloody hell is going on here. Any qualified help would be greatly appreciated. I'm not interested in any "I reckon" type of theories just some cold hard facts, in layman's terms, that explains what this thing is doing.


Regards
D.T.

[LandyAndy]

Hi DT
Ok Im into landys not tojos,but have done a heap of reading into this oever the last 3 months.(websites/forums).
As far as the LandyTD5 Diesel goes,and would think all the others probably be similar.There are 2 ways of "chiping",either "piggy pack" or re-programming the ECU.
The piggy back ones,as you mention alter the fuel delivery parameters.Easy diy plug and play.The biggest problem with these is they are basically transparent to the ECU,the computer doesnt realise the fuel is up.They can lead to more smoke than normal.
If the ECU is reprogrammed the computer is in control of all electronic comands,better use of the fuel.Biggest downfall is you cant just unplug it if your not happy with it.
I would go with the re-program in a TD5,look into it for yours.
Andrew

[DeepThought]

Andy,
As far as I have been told this is not possible for the Toyotas. Still looking for more input.

Regards
D.T.

[HDJ105]

I haven't heard of anyone able to reprogram a Toyota ECU.

This article may also be of assistance:- http://www.lcool.org/technical/elec_...ng/tuning.html

Obviously if the "chip" only has 1 or 2 wires it's probably one that likes to confuse the ECU into thinking something else is happening under the hood and making it increase the output, or increasing the output without the ECU knowing.

More wires would indicate that the "chip" may be smarter and monitoring other engine functions (such as coolant temp), and may be able to reduce output if the coolant temp was to rise beyond safe.

One things for sure, there are many players in this market now, and it's getting very confusing! There's only one unit I would be fitting to the Prado ;-)

[DeepThought]

HDJ105,
I Guess that you are talking about a Dtronic aren't you?
I'm not one to mince words, I'm also sick and tired of all the threat of litigation bullshit because someone has an opinion that differs from that of the manufacturer. But lets not make statements that cannot be backed by facts. Because that is what I'm after, some cold hard irrefutible facts. So come on all you boffins, "Show me the info"

Regards
D.T.

[HDJ105]

Dtronic would be what I would recommend. I have fitted 2 to KZJ120's and both are happy campers.

If only someone would take the initiative and do a comparo between them, however the advertising $ is worth more :-(

[DeepThought]

Yes, that's probably an item that is considered by many in the press. But what about those not in the press but in the know? Surely there are more than just 2 of us who are interested in the information that I'm seeking.

Regards
D.T.

[crankycruiser]

im very iinterested as well.. would also like to know how they work and how it picks up its sensors etc..

i wanna put one on my new triton. but a bit am a bit dubious as i dont know enuf about them

[DeepThought]

Cranky,
Glad to hear I'm not alone. So I guess we need to find out what the signal being sent to the spill valve is and what information it contains. Any offers of information will be greatly appreciated.

Regards
D.T.

[DeepThought]

G'day,
I spoke to a guy last night who is a 3rd year apprentice diesel mechanic. So he knows a lot more about diesels than I do even if he is an apprentice. He also cannot see how a signal can be read from the spill valve wire. So the only input must be from the throttle. He thinks that it may be faking the voltage from the loud pedal TPS and tricking the ECU into thinking more fuel is required and then using the spill valve to deliver it earlier i.e. adjust the timing.
Sounds like a resonable assumption. Anybody got any thoughts on that bit of info.

Regards
D.T.

[NissanNutter]

WHy don't you ask them? I did.

Got the following dyno and also told that it doesnt look at any sensors. It doesnt have to as that is the job of the ECU. It comes after the ECU. The ECU controls everything as per normal and the dpchip works wth the original signal and only effects the signal from the ecu to fuel pump basically improving upon the ECU signal. Doesnt interfer with any safety or warning systems.
I thought the dtronic comes before the ECU so that would make it "one that likes to confuse the ECU into thinking something else is happening under the hood and making it increase the output"

[koolkat]

This response won't answer the technical questions but may go some way to helping those sitting on the fence wondering if it is worth the expense & will it do the job you want it to.

My sig indicates my truck & I also tow a 22' Coromal Seca Pioneer, tandem, full van with off road capability, weighing in at around 3T all up & ready to go.

I wanted a little more power on the hills & the odd occasion when passing a looong Road Train of a B Double semi.

Checked around (a little) before settling on the DP chip - why, because with my limited technical knowledge I think I preferred the installation to come after the vehicle computer rather than before it. Now that may not be the best scenario but it seemed appropriate to me.

Had it fitted by an AutoElec in about 45 mins & off we went.

Just driving locally & on trips without the van I regularly achieve 11-11.5L/100k & with the van generally around 18L/100k so I was a little surprised when at the end of the first day towing with the DP chip in place my economy was exactly the same but I had not noticed any appreciative increase in power. My first thought was "well that was a waste of $1300", but then I sat down that night & 'read the instructions'!!

The chip arrives preset for your particular vehicle - in my case, on a facial dial of 0 - 9 it was set on #5. I dialed it up to #6, & the next day the difference was very, very evident... a lot more power within the same rev range. So getting the rig rolling from a standing start was SO much easier & quicker, I no longer felt I was a slow moving chicane to other road users. On the odd occasion when a passing maneuver was required (still travelling at 85-90kph) it was achieved much more easily.

At the end of our 9500 kays, 10 week sojourn the average economy rating was still 18L/100k. The worst was 22L/100k from Mildura to Broken Hill with an extremely strong head wind. The best was 15L/100k from Wilpena Pound to Port Augusta... this is a slightly down hill run.

Am I satisfied with the results?
Yes.

After reading the LCOOL article would I still do the same thing again?
Hmmm... possibly but I would certainly have done a lot more research & tried to understand the technical aspects.

Will I leave it on?
For the time being. I'm not yet convinced that increasing the fuel & possibly the timing only, for short durations, is definitely hazardous to the engine. If that turns out to be the case then I will probably remove it & mark that down as a $1300 learning curve.

Would I recommend it?
For a similar function - yes, but would definitely suggest reading the LCOOL item as well as any other relevant information.

[CatMan]

Try this link. it might answer your question. Rob.

http://www.dpchip.com/press.html

[DeepThought]

Well that's the most encouraging bit of information I've had to date. It looks like I did make the right choice after all. From what has been stated in the last few posts, the Dtroinc unit only uses inputs for the sake of modifiying them to give a better end result. I can see that this could cause problems if the modified values exceed certain safety limits. The DPChip modifies outputs to achieve the same thing. I can see the sense in that. And I can still tune my unit to get the best out of my exhaust, filter, snorkel mods. Thanks guys, now the next part is who in the Sunshine Coast / Brisbane vicinity can do a tune on the DPChip?

Regards
D.T.

[HDJ105]

Originally Posted by koolkat

at the end of the first day towing with the DP chip in place my economy was exactly the same but I had not noticed any appreciative increase in power. My first thought was "well that was a waste of $1300", but then I sat down that night & 'read the instructions'!!

The chip arrives preset for your particular vehicle - in my case, on a facial dial of 0 - 9 it was set on #5. I dialed it up to #6, & the next day the difference was very, very evident... a lot more power within the same rev range.

So what benefit is having a scale from 0 - 9, if 0 - 5 do nothing?

Have you tried setting 9 to see how much extra difference it makes from 6?

[koolkat]

Originally Posted by HDJ105

So what benefit is having a scale from 0 - 9, if 0 - 5 do nothing?

Have you tried setting 9 to see how much extra difference it makes from 6?

Dunno that there is any benefit - to me. But am assuming that my particular model may be utilised for other vehicles which may well have a different # setting.


Nope & don't intend to - with my vehicle, #6 is fine for my requirements. But happy to try it on yours... if & when you fit one.

[NissanNutter]

Gee it's amazing what an email to info@dpchip.com can do

"The adjustment really only moves the whole programming in the DPChip up or down by 1 or 2% each notch. There is no need to adjust it on a factory standard vehicle. The adjustments also cater for the variation in factory vehicles. It may be easier to think of the settings as Off -4-3-2-1 0 +1+2+3+4 instead of 0123456789. When the selector is set to 1 it is only a few percent below our standard setting not 1 notch above off. You will notice more than enough increase on the standard setting and if you modify the vehicle with say larger intercooler or exhaust you can adjust it up to take advantage of the increased potential."

I also got this dyno that shows the differences with the settings.


DT check out http://www.dpchip.com/distributors.html to find one on the sunshine coast/brisbane

The wonders of modern email

[DeepThought]

NissanNutter,
Thanks for the info but rather than ring all of these people to find out who has a dyno in my area for tuning the chip on. I was hoping someone might know.

Regards
D.T.

[quick60]

I'd have concerns about adjusting the settings yourself. Who's to know if you're overfuelling the engine ? and surely there is an optimum setting for efficiency, which gives sensible power gains. I'd rather know that the pre-programmed setting is the best for engine longevity. It also puzzles me that in koolkat's case, if the standard setting (5) made no difference at all, that adjusting it to 6 (+1-2%) gave such a huge improvement, and worries me what damage would occur if it were to be set at 7 or 8 by the end user.

[koolkat]

Originally Posted by quick60

I'd have concerns about adjusting the settings yourself. Who's to know if you're overfuelling the engine ? and surely there is an optimum setting for efficiency, which gives sensible power gains. I'd rather know that the pre-programmed setting is the best for engine longevity. It also puzzles me that in koolkat's case, if the standard setting (5) made no difference at all, that adjusting it to 6 (+1-2%) gave such a huge improvement, and worries me what damage would occur if it were to be set at 7 or 8 by the end user.

Exactly why I'm not interested in raising it higher than #6... & then only with the van on the back. Don't need any extra ooomph on the truck when just tooling around town & the suspension set-up that's on there at the moment is mainly for when the van is on - no good for off-roading, far too harsh (ARB 864's with Nitro shocks. Looking around to change that at the moment & Macquarie 4x4 setup looks possible...863's, Bilstiens & lower the front diff thereby raising the front end a bit... should be nice & level then. Include some airbags to allow for 280kg of drawbar weight fom the van & we may be in the ball park.