Ordered Unichip + Review for SFX Performance

[CasopoliS]

I believe Josh is the younger guy there. But yes, he did a lot of work on these boxes also and would be able to answer most anything that Jack could.

When these were originally designed, I told them I wanted to be as safe as possible. They wanted to get a bigger turbo and injectors to see what the motor could actually handle. I wasn't down with that though.

I would have loved that, then they would have a larger injectors MAP on file. If I were to slap 440s in it would run like s*** right? At least the idle would....

 

[UnNaturalinc]

Yeah, you couldn't just throw bigger injectors on w/ out some sort of control.

Find me bolt in 440's and I'll have a map made for them.

 

[CasopoliS]

Yeah, you couldn't just throw bigger injectors on w/ out some sort of control.

Find me bolt in 440's and I'll have a map made for them.

seriously? WRXs bolt in. So if I managed to get you WRX 440s you would get a map made? I am in.

 

[tekkie]

yeah the WRX ones would be the easiest ones for sure

 

[UnNaturalinc]

seriously? WRXs bolt in. So if I managed to get you WRX 440s you would get a map made? I am in.

Yeah, bolt-in with a spacer. Which isn't really bolt-in then.

I had WRX injectors and sold them because I couldn't find definite info on what was exactly needed to get them to fit properly. I tried to get a hold of HiBoost in regard to their spacers, but they wouldn't return a call or email.

 

[CasopoliS]

Yeah, bolt-in with a spacer. Which isn't really bolt-in then.

I had WRX injectors and sold them because I couldn't find definite info on what was exactly needed to get them to fit properly. I tried to get a hold of HiBoost in regard to their spacers, but they wouldn't return a call or email.

oh that is bad. well we need to find Unichip users interested in upgrading the fuel system.
If you tune for larger injectors then put a pump in the tank for more flow, do you need to re-tune?

 

[mazdaowner123]

I have news. I don't if they are good news or bad news. I just got off the phone with Jack from Unichip. He said what we are seeing is due to the weather. He also said the 13-14 psi spike we are seeing is not something built into the Unichip but something the stock ECU causes just like the small 1 psi that we have at stock levels but it is more noticeable at higher boost levels. I always thought that was something they did on purpose during the tuning, not something caused by the stock ECU. The Unichip EBC is supposed to keep boost steady at 10 psi it's what Jack told me.
I guess I can buy this since I know we it was cold out running stock boost it would peak sometimes at 8 psi. Now that is is so hot and humid out it only peaks at 6.5 psi when running stock boost.

Sorry I didn't realize Jack @ Unichip was wrong.

~brian.

It's been programmed to go up to 12/13psi from the very beginning. It is not a malfunction or a spike or accidental. This information is nothing new. That is the information provided since these systems originally came out. And just for humor sake I just got off the phone with Jack to be 100% verified.

The spike that was not intentional is when some cars were jumping up to like 19. But this was believed to be a result of the actuator with increased boost, NOT the Unichip malfunctioning.

 

[UnNaturalinc]

They told me they programmed it to do that from the VERY beginning (before these units were released to the public). It was a matter of fuel and where it was available. They had the ability to go up to 12/13psi in the mid-range so they did.

That's what they told me in the beginning and that's what Jack told me just today. So I don't know what to tell you about that bit of info there. That info doesn't fully make sense even. :shrug:

By the way... Unichip didn't have a Mazdaspeed for an extended period of time to test on. They built the unit and tuned it on their dyno. Then I got my car back and reported back to them running conditions. It wasn't a shop car they had there, it was my personal vehicle. They didn't have the ability to even test it out in different weather conditions.

 

[mazdaowner123]

I called today and asked about it too. He gave me the same info. I'll be going to PA this weekend, and it is suppose to be in the lower 50's at night up there. So that will be a much better test than these mid 70's at night.

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72347&highlight=jack+unichip+spike

Both quotes from this thread. I know I read in another thread that Jack said that they could have programmed out the spike but boost wouldn't build as quickly. I think it's just a boost spike like a lot of boost controllers have, not something built in. It's not that big of a deal, though.

~brian

 

[CasopoliS]

Josh also said the same thing, that the raised boost was in Unichip.
Our ECU does not have electronic boost control like the WRXs and others, so it would not be able to add 1 psi like you are referring to.

 

[mazdaowner123]

yeah i know our ecu doesn't control boost. i was just quoting what jack @ unichip said.

 

[mazdaowner123]

I think he was just saying how on stock it spikes ~1 psi, but at higher boost it spikes more. Who cares anyway, it is what it is.

 

[CasopoliS]

I think he was just saying how on stock it spikes ~1 psi, but at higher boost it spikes more. Who cares anyway, it is what it is.

oh ok I got it.
Well someone is confused. Maybe its something they wanted to do but ignored it when they found out how high it spikes anyway. Then its been so long they forgot how it actually played out. Ben talked to them a long time ago, I just recently have been talking to the techs there.

 

[mazdaowner123]

Yeah who knows. Either way I <3 my unichip. Best mod I did to the car for sure.

~brian

 

[UnNaturalinc]

After Brianmcd's second post about another person saying it was a spike I decided to call Josh and ask him. I left a message for him, he called me back 10 mins later.

I explained to him what was going on and what people were saying. I told him what I was told originally and what I was reading today. This is the info I got from him. He said Jack was the general manager, not a tech so I'd better off talking to him about specific questions regarding these things units. He said that was exactly correct about the low end increase in boost. There was not the fuel available to run 12/13psi to the top so they brought it back down. (Just like most EMS type systems, these can actually control boost through a set map).

He said he wasn't exactly sure what Jack said, but he didn't think that was a direct quote from him. Josh told me that what Jack was trying to say was there was not enough fuel in the top end to retain that 12/13psi. But Josh assured me that higher mid-range boost increase was 100% intentional.

*The information could have also been confused with the second car they tested these on (as I was talking about before) that experienced like 19psi spikes. I know Unichip tried to figure out the issue with it, but I'm' not sure of they did ever. But as I said, I think that was a wastegate issue as others with and with out Unichip have experienced when increasing boost levels. The owner of that vehicle's name is SoniCraze (or something to that extent).


-Just trying to clear up information.... And yes, the Unichip was the best thing I've done to my car also. :thumbs-up:

 

[mazdaowner123]

Awesome info, Ben. I stand corrected. Thanks for clearing that up.

~brian

 

[CasopoliS]

Yea Josh knows his s*** it seems. I just talked with him yesterday.