Popes Unichips

[ayang89]

I'm having the hardest time trying to understand what the benefit of unichip.

I've read it and see what it does.

But how would you tune it? Plug into a computer?

And Pope has 3 to choose from.

I just want one that's pretty basic for basic bolt ons ( FMIC, MBC, INTAKE, EXHAUST, Headers and down pipe later on )

 

[mica.msp]

Just get a SSAFC then, and put the superstock map on it. That will be more basic.

The Unichip is just a better "piggyback" system. Tune it with a computer I believe. Pope mentioned that he might be offering a lifetime tuning option, where you pay him a couple bucks and just send it to him to tune it for you.

 

[Valk]

unichip is a better options than ssafcs, but classically, it was limited to 9 psi of boost and didnt have user control. if all you wanted was plug and play, the engine runs better and has more boost, unichip was great, but it was pretty expensive.. at least twice as much as a ssafc.
seems that has changed with the q series. baseline being under $300.

basically you can buy the q series with a plug and play harness that installs to your factory ecu plug. plugs into the stock ecu and the unichip. unichip will come preprogrammed for your car with a solid basemap, and if you want to modify the map, you buy the software, and plug it into your unichip via usb or bluetooth. somone can then ride with you while you drive and download all your unichip data points in real time, adjust, test ect all while you are driving.

as for the q vs q+ and q4.. i havent really found any details about it to compare. the biggest difference visible in the table would be drivers in the plus and q4. id GUESS those would allow them to run more injectors directly, ie if you wanted to run meth or nitrous, antilag ect.

im pretty sure for our needs the q would be just fine but im prob gonna get the q+ just in case. pope is prob being trained on this as we speak and will likely have a better answer.

basically it seems like a great compromise ecu. it can work in piggyback mode, not require modiciation of any of the cars wiring, pass smog ect, but has many of the features you would look for in a stand alone.

unlike the ssafc, it will help the car to run better in all conditions, not just in boost. i found my ssafc to have random stumbles and bogs.

at the $6-$700 they used to be, kidna expensive, but for $300, fk yea.

 

[thepope540]

I'm having the hardest time trying to understand what the benefit of unichip.

I've read it and see what it does.

But how would you tune it? Plug into a computer?

And Pope has 3 to choose from.

I just want one that's pretty basic for basic bolt ons ( FMIC, MBC, INTAKE, EXHAUST, Headers and down pipe later on )

If you don't mind I'll jump in and do my best to answer some of the questions that are starting to build up.

The benefit is a richer tune down low where the stock map is lean and a leaner tune up top where the stocker is pig rich. The unichip also allows the timing to dialed in for more power or a larger safety margin.

Every unit I sell will come with a map already on it that best matches the customer's car. If you opt to buy a tuning cable of your own ($45) you will be able to download and change maps at any time. I currently have maps for improved stock boost, and a map for 11-12 psi. I'll be refining them and adding more maps specific to certain mods over time and will make them available to anyone that has bought a unichip from me. Additional end user tuning can be accomplished by purchasing the tuner software which totally opens the door for you to take 100% control of the tuning. Most guys will never need the software, but its available if you want it.

I'm leaning toward dropping down to only one model. The q+ offers a lot of expandability over the base model q at a small difference in cost. Most guys will not need the extra capacity, but its cheap to have just in case. The q+ allows for additional inputs and more importantly offers the ability to directly drive additional injectors or hardware such as intercooler sprayers, NOS, etc should you need it later on.

unichip is a better options than ssafcs, but classically, it was limited to 9 psi of boost and didnt have user control. if all you wanted was plug and play, the engine runs better and has more boost, unichip was great, but it was pretty expensive.. at least twice as much as a ssafc.
seems that has changed with the q series. baseline being under $300.

basically you can buy the q series with a plug and play harness that installs to your factory ecu plug. plugs into the stock ecu and the unichip. unichip will come preprogrammed for your car with a solid basemap, and if you want to modify the map, you buy the software, and plug it into your unichip via usb or bluetooth. somone can then ride with you while you drive and download all your unichip data points in real time, adjust, test ect all while you are driving.

as for the q vs q+ and q4.. i havent really found any details about it to compare. the biggest difference visible in the table would be drivers in the plus and q4. id GUESS those would allow them to run more injectors directly, ie if you wanted to run meth or nitrous, antilag ect.

im pretty sure for our needs the q would be just fine but im prob gonna get the q+ just in case. pope is prob being trained on this as we speak and will likely have a better answer.

basically it seems like a great compromise ecu. it can work in piggyback mode, not require modiciation of any of the cars wiring, pass smog ect, but has many of the features you would look for in a stand alone.

unlike the ssafc, it will help the car to run better in all conditions, not just in boost. i found my ssafc to have random stumbles and bogs.

at the $6-$700 they used to be, kidna expensive, but for $300, fk yea.

The new q series of the unichips are a pretty massive improvement over the unichips of the past. The 9 psi limit is a thing of the past. As of now there are is no plug and play option, but I'm looking into it. Expect it to add about $140 to the price if I can get the harnesses made.

 

[callphy]

this is sad, i just brought a junkyard msp with steedspeed, ssafc in it...

and my wallet is empty already

 

[thepope540]

this is sad, i just brought a junkyard msp with steedspeed, ssafc in it...

and my wallet is empty already

It sounds like you have stuff to sell that will fill your wallet back up

 

[littlemimus]

if my power goals are around 250whp is a haltech overkill? will the new unichips suffice for my goals? i just want to have a motor tuned well and get rid of hesitation.

 

[thepope540]

The haltech is a great piece of equipment, but its over double the cost and really doesn't add much that the unichip can't do. The unichip will work great for you. I'm looking forward to getting my car running so i can get some proper driving impressions, videos, and dyno runs.

 

[ayang89]

So would the basic q unichip be alright? I just got basic bolt ons on. SRI,FMIC and full exhaust.
What's maps are on that one?
Also, what is the boost solenoid for?
and when I purchase a unichip, will I still need my MBC?

 

[thepope540]

So would the basic q unichip be alright? I just got basic bolt ons on. SRI,FMIC and full exhaust.
What's maps are on that one?
Also, what is the boost solenoid for?
and when I purchase a unichip, will I still need my MBC?

If you go with the basic q it will cost more in the long run to have boost control. The q+ is really the better unit for turbocharged applications. I will be loading whatever map(s) make the most sense for each customer. Right now I have maps for improved performance at stock boost and light bolt-on and 11-12 psi. Once my car is running I'll be adding a couple maps right away. As I work with customers and dial in tunes on other cars, I'll add to the map library and anyone that has purchased a unit from me will have complete access to everything I have.

The boost solenoid is used to vary the boost signal to the actuator. By modulating this signal the unichip is able to control how much boost is made by the car and when and how it comes on. Basically all electronic boost controllers use the same hardware and very similar logic.

If you buy a unichip and boost solenoid your manual controller will be obsolete.

 

[Valk]

is there a data log function where we can sand you the graphs? you say work with customers ect, does that mean we will be able to get custom tuning from you after the fact, if we buy the software or not?

 

[ZealoustheEnder]

The haltech is a great piece of equipment, but its over double the cost and really doesn't add much that the unichip can't do. The unichip will work great for you. I'm looking forward to getting my car running so i can get some proper driving impressions, videos, and dyno runs.

I'm really looking forward to seeing vids of the P.E.P. up and running the chip and your stuff. Will it be running a DynoMax VT on a custom P.E.P exhaust too?

Would the pnp option be with AEM extension harnesses or do you have something else in mind.

 

[thepope540]

is there a data log function where we can sand you the graphs? you say work with customers ect, does that mean we will be able to get custom tuning from you after the fact, if we buy the software or not?

This is the single biggest issue I'm trying to work through with the unichip!

My goal is to sell the unichip, solenoid, map selector switch, and cable for around $450 and then offer a tuning service for an additional $100. Whether someone pays the $100 or not every purchaser of a unichip will get full access to my map database as it is built. The trouble is that the only way to currently datalog is with the software. I just bought a plx dm-100 and theirwideband and will be playing with it because it datalogs. The trouble is that its $300 which is the same cost as the software. The advantage is that the plx gives you a full OBDII scan tool, programmable and configurable gauge, and wideband for that $300. Unichip is working on an IOS app that will allow for on map switching and datalogging, but it won't be out for a while. Another cheap and effective logging option is an ELM device and Torque or Scan XL. Both log data, but the downside is that the logs will be lacking wideband data.

In the short term, here's the plan: When a customer buys a unit from me it will come with pre-loaded maps that make the most sense for their application and I will make adjustments and send them maps to play with if / when needed. As I expand my map collection, I'll make everything available to anyone that has a unit and bought from me. I WILL offer tuning to a degree, but without logs it will be hard to really dial things in. If someone has the capacity to log, I'll happily tune for them if they send me logs for $100 -> any maps made under this program are the customer's and will not be distributed without their consent.

If someone buys the software, I'll still share my map collection with them, but if they want my tuning help it will still be $100.

I want to be the tuner of every unit I sell as the margins on the hardware are terrible and the only way I'll make any money is if I can sell a service to go with the unit. The bottom line is that the water is muddy because there isn't a simple and obvious option for datalogging.

I'm looking into getting setup with plx, but the tuning package (dm-100, wideband, q+, solenoid, selector switch, cable, and tuning) would be $850 by the time its all said and done and I think that's too much money for this market. The plus side of that cost is that the vast majority of it is hardware that can be used on any car you might ever own.

 

[thepope540]

I'm really looking forward to seeing vids of the P.E.P. up and running the chip and your stuff. Will it be running a DynoMax VT on a custom P.E.P exhaust too?

Would the pnp option be with AEM extension harnesses or do you have something else in mind.

I can't wait to get the car together! It has been on hold while I'm waiting for the oil pan baffle parts from the laser cutter. There's no reason to put it all together and then take it back apart a week or two later...

The exhaust will be 100% PEP - my manifold, downpipe, and custom 3" to a dynomax VT. The AEM harnesses are very pricey and I would still have to do all the splicing which would add more cost. I'm actually seeing if Unichip will build it for me as a special order item.

 

[ZealoustheEnder]

I can't wait to get the car together! It has been on hold while I'm waiting for the oil pan baffle parts from the laser cutter. There's no reason to put it all together and then take it back apart a week or two later...

The exhaust will be 100% PEP - my manifold, downpipe, and custom 3" to a dynomax VT. The AEM harnesses are very pricey and I would still have to do all the splicing which would add more cost. I'm actually seeing if Unichip will build it for me as a special order item.

We all can't wait to see it! Lots of video please.

 

[ZealoustheEnder]

We all can't wait to see it! Lots of video please.

And if you could race your friend Chris with his mazdaspeed that would be awesome dueling speeds

 

[thepope540]

Mine should be a fair bit quicker as I'll be running more boost on a bigger turbo with a better intercooler. His car is awesomely quick, but mine should have the edge - hopefully by a lot.

 

[Valk]

Will the $100 be every time we send you a log? I wouldnt mind having the software myself but not at first. $100 still better than undetermined amount of dyno tuning at $130/hr though.
The only problem I can see is differences in elevation ect. Will the logs be enough and what if a change you made works the opposite?

Just to play the devils advocate, would hate to pay $100 and get a map that didn't work.

I'm kinda new to the tuning thing though.

 

[thepope540]

The $100 would buy you as many logs as needed to get the map dialed in to where the AFRs are spot on AND you're happy with the way the car is running.

 

[Valk]

thats a pretty good deal!