Jump to content

Racechip Ultimate


RaceLover
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi,

 

Anybody tried the Racechip Ultimate? Any feedback?

 

http://racechip.com.sg

 

 

Hi Guys, saw this Racechip being exhibited at the motorshow.

 

Has anyone have experience with it?

 

Said to boost 30Hp and 60Nm of torque by processing the Air flow sensor and MAF sensor ( aren't they the same thing?) in the ECU feedback loop.

  • Praise 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Guys, saw this Racechip being exhibited at the motorshow.

 

Has anyone have experience with it?

 

Said to boost 30Hp and 60Nm of torque by processing the Air flow sensor and MAF sensor ( aren't they the same thing?) in the ECU feedback loop.

What is your car model?
Link to post
Share on other sites

Its a 218i coupe

Used for a year plus but not on a 218i. So far no issues locally or on nshw.

 

Butt feel got performance improvement but no savings on fc

 

Saw some dyno charts other people posted of their cars with and without chip...about 25% gain in power and torque

 

Need to remove before going back to AD

Link to post
Share on other sites

Used for a year plus but not on a 218i. So far no issues locally or on nshw.

 

Butt feel got performance improvement but no savings on fc

 

Saw some dyno charts other people posted of their cars with and without chip...about 25% gain in power and torque

 

Need to remove before going back to AD

 

 

25% improvement in torque and HP is not to be sneezed at.

 

It would be able to improve the 0-100 times by at least 1 second flat easily. 

 

Would not need dyno to know it works.

 

There was some ECU flashing service at the BMW forums sometime back, and the service provider didn't do anything, and charged $800-$1200. Just ask the users to drive hard for 10-20km after the flash. It's a con job that's was worse than sprint booster

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've had it on two cars (each model has its own chip) - the M135i and my current M5. Very happy with it, no issues, very noticeable bump in torque.

 

My Racechip Ultimate from my M135i is for sale, PM me to deal. Needless to say, good condition, etc. etc.

Link to post
Share on other sites

go for proper tune and not this kind of trick device that just lean out the afr

a lot cases piston crack already

 

You have any good evidence to back this up? I know many users apart from myself who are very happy with piggybacks.

 

The usual component failure happens with the cheap plastic intake charge pipe that some M-performance (i.e. not true M) cars come with, such as the M135i. Purely an issue of the increased intake charge metered by the piggyback being too much for the pipe to handle. An easy fix is to upgrade to a stainless steel charge pipe (incidentally, I also have this up for sale).

 

I've never heard of any reports of premature engine failure from this device, at least for the models that I've been looking at (M-performance and real M cars).

 

And a "proper tune" will also lean out AFR more than stock. It's just that manufacturers use a very conservative (rich mixture) base map for the stock car.

  • Praise 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

You have any good evidence to back this up? I know many users apart from myself who are very happy with piggybacks.

 

The usual component failure happens with the cheap plastic intake charge pipe that some M-performance (i.e. not true M) cars come with, such as the M135i. Purely an issue of the increased intake charge metered by the piggyback being too much for the pipe to handle. An easy fix is to upgrade to a stainless steel charge pipe (incidentally, I also have this up for sale).

 

I've never heard of any reports of premature engine failure from this device, at least for the models that I've been looking at (M-performance and real M cars).

 

And a "proper tune" will also lean out AFR more than stock. It's just that manufacturers use a very conservative (rich mixture) base map for the stock car.

 

its almost impossible to pin it 100% on piggy, but from my ws experience, yes

Link to post
Share on other sites

its almost impossible to pin it 100% on piggy, but from my ws experience, yes

 

OK, which car model(s) are we talking about here?

 

Were they all running Racechip Ultimate or some other piggyback?

 

And what was the exact fault - cracked block or cracked piston?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Turbocharged

Was thinking for a while about getting a Racechip pro to enhance fuel economy with the added benefit of more on-demand power... (have plenty already)

 

But given the price of these chips, I wonder if the fuel economy benefit is real enough to pay for itself over the life of the car.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Was thinking for a while about getting a Racechip pro to enhance fuel economy with the added benefit of more on-demand power... (have plenty already)

 

But given the price of these chips, I wonder if the fuel economy benefit is real enough to pay for itself over the life of the car.

 

 

Given the spotlight on increasingly stringent fuel economy and emission standards, manufacturers will 'kill' to get better figures. 

 

They can generate lots of HP from the same engine block given compromises to FC and pollutants, but the reverse is difficult to achieve.

 

Unlikely FC figures improve enough after to tune to compensate for the cost of the chip over a short span of time. Drive around with ASS and A/C off would save you more in real world driving.

You have any good evidence to back this up? I know many users apart from myself who are very happy with piggybacks.

 

The usual component failure happens with the cheap plastic intake charge pipe that some M-performance (i.e. not true M) cars come with, such as the M135i. Purely an issue of the increased intake charge metered by the piggyback being too much for the pipe to handle. An easy fix is to upgrade to a stainless steel charge pipe (incidentally, I also have this up for sale).

 

I've never heard of any reports of premature engine failure from this device, at least for the models that I've been looking at (M-performance and real M cars).

 

And a "proper tune" will also lean out AFR more than stock. It's just that manufacturers use a very conservative (rich mixture) base map for the stock car.

 

 

I have decided not to take the plunge.. While more power is always welcome, the current output is sufficient for me.

 

I should work hard to get a higher rated car should I want more power, like your M5, instead of a 535i in frock.

 

Honestly, its an ego trap that I almost fell into hearing the sales talk.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Given the spotlight on increasingly stringent fuel economy and emission standards, manufacturers will 'kill' to get better figures. 

 

They can generate lots of HP from the same engine block given compromises to FC and pollutants, but the reverse is difficult to achieve.

 

Unlikely FC figures improve enough after to tune to compensate for the cost of the chip over a short span of time. Drive around with ASS and A/C off would save you more in real world driving.

 

 

I have decided not to take the plunge.. While more power is always welcome, the current output is sufficient for me.

 

I should work hard to get a higher rated car should I want more power, like your M5, instead of a 535i in frock.

 

Honestly, its an ego trap that I almost fell into hearing the sales talk.

 

No problem, your car, your money, your decision entirely.

 

But the Racechip works, of there there can be no doubt. While the butt feel will be convincing enough, there are user dyno charts out there. 

 

Don't bother to get it to improve your fuel economy. This is a power mod. While in theory, it can give you a little more economy (we're taking 0.5km/l tops) if you modulate your throttle pressure to achieve the *same* output during daily driving as your car had before, this is an almost impossible task. Mainly because the newfound torque is very, very addictive, and you *want* to give it the gas. :D

 

About safety: there will be faster wear of components - I've already mentioned the charge pipe. You should also service your car at more frequent intervals (about 5-6,000km rather than 10,000km is good). But other than that, I've never heard of catastrophic engine failures arising from this particular module. Someone kept claiming this, but till now, I have yet to see anything concrete in response to my query.

 

Some minor niggles might arise - e.g. CELs (check engine lights). But it seems a lot of the people having this issue are running other piggybacks (mainly the JBs). For the RCU, I only had CELs during initial install, and it turned out the cause was that the workshop had used the wrong cable with the device. Once it was sorted, no issues.

  • Praise 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

As they were offering a good deal (this and the in car camera) over the Car Expo, had the RC Ultimate installed over the week, and must say that the power increase can be felt at the lower end.

 

Can feel my ride (VW Mk7 Golf Sport) more responsive at the low end; the FC still too early to tell. Best part is the fact that the installers were a bunch of nice people, who gives you the confidence in their product and installation.

Link to post
Share on other sites

As they were offering a good deal (this and the in car camera) over the Car Expo, had the RC Ultimate installed over the week, and must say that the power increase can be felt at the lower end.

 

Can feel my ride (VW Mk7 Golf Sport) more responsive at the low end; the FC still too early to tell. Best part is the fact that the installers were a bunch of nice people, who gives you the confidence in their product and installation.

 

Hi, who were the installers? Chris Joo and company (Speedhaus) or Fong Kim and his merry men? :D

 

Those are the only two official vendors as far as I know.

Link to post
Share on other sites

As they were offering a good deal (this and the in car camera) over the Car Expo, had the RC Ultimate installed over the week, and must say that the power increase can be felt at the lower end.

 

Can feel my ride (VW Mk7 Golf Sport) more responsive at the low end; the FC still too early to tell. Best part is the fact that the installers were a bunch of nice people, who gives you the confidence in their product and installation.

How about the high end?

 

60 to 100 more Nm of torque is like adding 600 to 1000cc to a NA engine capacity.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi, who were the installers? Chris Joo and company (Speedhaus) or Fong Kim and his merry men? :D

 

Those are the only two official vendors as far as I know.

 

Based on the website TS provide the installer are United Automobile Services @ tradehub 21. However am not too sure if they are related to any of the 2 you know.

↡ Advertisement
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...