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MG MGF Technical - To chip or not

Has anyone any experience of fitting a "Superchip 2001".

It seems, from manufacturers claims, that by chipping and adding a K&N 57i it is possible to increase BHP and torque by about 18% on the 1.8i engine.

139 BHP for about 300. What is the catch?
John

Does the 300 quid also include a RR session to fine tune the chip data set? If not, then the 300 quid is just the tip of the ice-berg.

Manufacturers usually set their ECU's to within 5% of optimal performance- that 5% margin is there to protect your engine from nasty fuel etc. Therefore chips that elk away at this safety margin do so at a risk that becomes pogressively greater as the performance is cranked up. With the system set up correctly, I am sure that you can get reliable gains. Don't do it properly, then you'll end up with a melted engine- a situation that befell Dirk not so very long ago- check out the archives...

Plenty of other ways of getting this power reliably- although admittedly not many are this cheap.

Rob
Rob Bell

You might want to have a word with Motorbuild in Houndslow [sp], they do a lot of tuning stuff and would be able to advise you. 0208 8934553

Let us know what they say, I'm mildly interested about this, just got other things to do first.

Regards


Steve.
Steve Childs

Chips and replacement or additional ECUs are usually safe providing they have been mapped to your engine properly before use. As far as I know, these will usualy have to be remapped whenever future performance changes are made to the engine.
Tony Smith

No personal experience, but I know someone who had a superchip on two MGF's (both VVC) over about 3 years and never had a problem.

I do know that he took his car to a superchips agent for it to be set up OK - guess there's a lesson to be learnt there.

Come to think of it, the chip may be for sale as he had his MGF supercharged two weeks ago.

Paul
P9 VLS
Paul


Hi all,

for some unknown reason Rover didnīt fit a knock-sensor on the K-engine despite the provision for one in the MEMS. Without one I would never put ANY gadget on my engine that advances ignition. As stated by Rob it is really too risky and easy to get a hole in one piston... If properly set up for a specific engine on a rolling road this risk may be minimised - but why gamble for such a modest gain improvement ?

Regards , Carl.
Carl

I second Carl. Anyone who wants so can have my Superchip for FREE, you only pay postage.

Buy a K&N only, more fun, cheaper!
Dirk

I also think that 98 RON petrol should be used if you are using a chip to advance the timing, just to be on the safe side.

I understand the K series has no knock sensor because there is no room for the sensor in the engine.

A K&N will give you +8 BHP on an MPi ans +15 BHP on a VVC according to tests done for MG World by regulars on this BBS. This is assuming an ample supply of cold air is provided.

This is one question about the tests I have, surely on a rolling road you cannot get the benefit of cold air pipes if the car is not moving, does this mean that the BHP figures may actually be higher for normal use?

The 15 BHP increase on a VVC (145+15=160) is the reason many of us are not too impressed by the 160 BHP MGF VVC Trophy.
Tony Smith


Hi Tony,
all serious tuners with a rolling road also have at least one big fan blowing at full force towards the front of the car when performing the measurement.
Otherwise the full catalog of nasty things would happend after a while... Specially the "F" that canīt be left idling for 10-12 min. without showing signs of overheating :(

Regards , Carl.
Carl

Alteration of the K series engine management maps has only one place, and that is to support other changes that increase the volumetric efficiency of the engine.

IOW you need mechanical changes to the engine to increase the airflow capability to a point where the standard mapping is no longer in tune with the engine spec.

Changes to mapping on a standard engine may make the throttle response feel sharper and give the engine a more urgent feel, but there will be no worthwile gain. For a worthwile gain you have to be talking well in excess of 10% power and torque increase and evcen then the differences will be more seat of the pants rather than gains against the clock.

Of interest I am travelling down the standard engine managment route with some serious changes to the to the head and inlet. Now here I feel that some extra fuel is needed, yet if combustion is improved then I would actually want LESS advance to gain power. Those who want and need lots of advance have a poor engine to start with.

There is so much more to engine managment that most could imagine. Playing around because you like the adverts which "claim" big increases just suck your wallet and push your engine closer to a very big drop!

Rog

Roger Parker

Spot-on Rog. When my 1.6K was stroked out to 1.7, along with the big rise in mid-range torque we had to take *heaps* of ignition advance out (like 10 degrees in places). Better cylinder filling meant less advance needed. Poor cylinder filling needs lots of advance because it takes longer for the bits of mixture dotted around the combustion chamber to ignite & burn.

Mike
Mike Bees

I've had a Superchips ICON sittign on my desk here for nearly 4 years now. Following Dirk's "adventure" has left me very doubtfull of their usage in the F, hence its current status as a "dust magnet"!

SF
Scarlet Fever

Andy,

I still put others' experiences down to bad installation / programming........ 2.5 years and no probs with the icon at all.

In case you wondered, yes it is working. i took it off for a bit and the car was not so responsive, so i put it back on again!

Nick
Nick

This thread was discussed between 17/04/2001 and 28/04/2001

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.