Got me a NEW Vehicle-Chip Change?

[RoadKill]

Well, yesterday I bought a new (used) vehicle. 2004 AWD Olds Bravada. Wow this baby is loaded. Never had a vehicle with so many bells and Whistles. Heated Leather Seats, Driver info Center with all kinds of things. Its gonna take me a couple months just to figure out how to use everything.

 

Coming from a Ford Focus, so its nice to be back in a bigger vehicle again. I should be able to tow a trailer also, which is something I have wanted to be able to do. Wife and I have talked about how it would be nice to take a Winter getaway with the bike.

 

QUESTION

Has anyone ever installed any of the chips/modules that claim to increase horsepower & mileage? If so, what is your opinion or experience? Do they really work?

 

Thanks for any responses.

 

Jay

[Guest KitCarson]

I have a 2004 Jeep Cherokee.........fuel injected, first vehicle I ever had that did not have spark plugs!! Any way it gets about 15 mpg around town, so I had the mechanic who works on my trucks to put one of those super chips in the computer....around town , I saw no advantage , still 15 mpg. Out on the interstate....yes it did increase gas mileage by 2 mpg. Does it by retarding or advancing the spark somehow I think. Horsepower....no did not seem to help that one. Thing is all these cars and vehicles have so much pollution control stuff on them......you would most likely have to take all that stuff off to actually see something work. That was a couple years ago....think the Bill was right at $400 dollars.........even with the high price of gas today.....does take some time to ever realize any savings. The jeep on the interstate used to get 18 mpg....now it gets 21 to 22.....depends on how hard you run it, I usually run to Charleston in it to pick up my daughter from college......and most of the time have both eyes peeled for cops and run about 85.

[93 venture]

I have a 2004 Jeep Cherokee.........fuel injected, first vehicle I ever had that did not have spark plugs!! Any way it gets about 15 mpg around town, so I had the mechanic who works on my trucks to put one of those super chips in the computer....around town , I saw no advantage , still 15 mpg. Out on the interstate....yes it did increase gas mileage by 2 mpg. Does it by retarding or advancing the spark somehow I think. Horsepower....no did not seem to help that one. Thing is all these cars and vehicles have so much pollution control stuff on them......you would most likely have to take all that stuff off to actually see something work. That was a couple years ago....think the Bill was right at $400 dollars.........even with the high price of gas today.....does take some time to ever realize any savings. The jeep on the interstate used to get 18 mpg....now it gets 21 to 22.....depends on how hard you run it, I usually run to Charleston in it to pick up my daughter from college......and most of the time have both eyes peeled for cops and run about 85.

 

NO SPARK PLUGS? UNLESS ITS A DIESEL ITS GOT SPARK PLUGS,IM PREATY SURE ITS THE SAME ENGINE I HAD IN MY DURANGO AND THEY HAVE A COIL PACK ON TOP OF EACH SPARK PLUG. 4.7 V-8 GOOD ENGINE JUST LOVES GAS.

I NEVER SEEN ANY BIG CHANGES ON A GAS ENGINE FROM POWER CHIPS, BUT THEY MAKE BIG POWER FOR DIESEL ENGINES.

[pegscraper]

They can't change part throttle emissions, which means they can't change anything about the way it runs at part throttle. The only thing they can change is the WOT setup. You'll only notice a change in the way it runs if you drive with your foot on the floor all the time.

[Dragracer]

Just for your info. If you have any kind of extended warranty, and the chip is found in the onboard computer, your claim will be denied. The Inspectors sent out by the warranty companies look for chips and reprogrammed computers. Trust me, I know! I am one of the Inspectors!

 

BTW, the Jeep DOES have spark plugs! All gas engines require something to introduce a spark into the combustion chamber. Diesel ignites using high compression. Some of the newer engines have individual coils on each spark plug. This eliminate plug wires, and may make one think there are no plugs. Gas engine=spark plugs.

[Guest KitCarson]

Nope!!! NO Sparky's.......no spark plugs either. Suppose I will have to ask the mechanic what the technical term and operation is . I do know he had a good laugh at me last time......I dropped it off to him....had him change the transmission fluid.......check the brakes......do a tune up.....asked him to change the spark plugs.........he gave me a great big grin........no, this one does not have spark plugs.......exactly what is has....I will have to ask.

[Redneck]

Nope!!! NO Sparky's.......no spark plugs either. Suppose I will have to ask the mechanic what the technical term and operation is . I do know he had a good laugh at me last time......I dropped it off to him....had him change the transmission fluid.......check the brakes......do a tune up.....asked him to change the spark plugs.........he gave me a great big grin........no, this one does not have spark plugs.......exactly what is has....I will have to ask.

You better do a little mechanic shopping if it has the 4.7 it takes (8) champion cpn-439 plugs if it has a 4.0 it takes (6) cpn-438

[Dragracer]

Ditto. If he can't find the plugs, I wouldn't want him raising my hood!

 

 

You better do a little mechanic shopping

[Eddie]

I hope you kidding about the spark plug thing. If not thats funny you would believe him.

[Guest KitCarson]

I hope you kidding about the spark plug thing. If not thats funny you would believe him.

Nope I was not kidding, you can tell when I am messing around..generally:rotfl::rotfl:. The mechanic did say that........and hey I just drive the thing, if it dies I just call the tow truck.....do not know much about modern cars, computers and oxegen sensors and all manner of small sensors that will cause one to not run.

So I have done a little investigation......even the dealer info has some false information on its site......yep they also state there are no spark plugs...so having been led around like a sheep...........

I just went out and looked for myself.....took me awhile....I am not a car mechanic......but it appears to be an distributorless ignition and on the passenger side of the 4.0 straight six is a long bar. On this bar are three coils.......appears that each coil fires two plugs......yep there are plugs, I can see them hiding under that bar with a flashlight and a mirror........so .

Well I should not be surprised......sounds quite normal to me to be mis-informed by a dealer or mechanic about something......I am interested in bikes......just never mess with cars at all......

So now all of you can write a book.......Car repairs for Dummies...especially for Kit:rotfl::rotfl:When I get time I will change the plugs myself.......I had never worried about it.....runs fine....think it is time to change them though........will do that one day when I run out of something to work on on a bike.

[Eddie]

Hey Kit , most cars nowadays can run the original plugs for 100,000 miles. No joke.

[Guest KitCarson]

Hey Kit , most cars nowadays can run the original plugs for 100,000 miles. No joke.

Well just you wait till I see John Sease again!! He is an older guy.....heck of a good mechanic and very fair. But just like the rest of us.......technology tends to sneak up on us and what we are used to is no more.....he will honestly tell you on some vehicles.....take it elsewhere.....I do not have a clue......he loves a good laugh too.....so now I got him!!! Hey we have a refrigerator.......has some kind of computer in it....when you try to get water......it dumps ice cubes in the floor!! I took the face plate off that......looked at all that stuff.......Monday I am calling the repair man!!! Whatever happened to a simple on off plunger switch and a solenoid??

 

Anyway back to the original question.......the computer chip placed in my jeep really did not show me much improvement, with the exception of 2 miles per gallon more on the interstate......around town.....not a bit of help, horsepower(I pull a 21 foot Scout with it(boat) I really cannot tell it helped that any either. One time I bought this little gadget.....was a magnet.....you were supposed to put it on the main fuel line.....it was supposed to line up the ions in the gas.......increase your gas milage:rotfl::rotfl:is there a fish hook icon on this site?

[SilvrT]

I heard that if you put 2 speed whitewalls on those things they tend to improve performance signifcantly....never tried them myself...I ordered a set once...they're still on back-order....

 

[Guest KitCarson]

I heard that if you put 2 speed whitewalls on those things they tend to improve performance signifcantly....never tried them myself...I ordered a set once...they're still on back-order....

 

Hey that is a gimmick too.....I tried those......has two whitewall stripes.......one about two inches wide and a little inner whitewall ring about half an inch wide.....at speed they simply merge together and work like a passing gear.......I did not see any improvement with those either!! I think that is just another gimmick.

[SilvrT]

Hey that is a gimmick too.....I tried those......has two whitewall stripes.......one about two inches wide and a little inner whitewall ring about half an inch wide.....at speed they simply merge together and work like a passing gear.......I did not see any improvement with those either!! I think that is just another gimmick.

 

you got took... those are the FAKE ones!

 

:rotf:

[Snarley Bill]

Well, yesterday I bought a new (used) vehicle. 2004 AWD Olds Bravada. Wow this baby is loaded. Never had a vehicle with so many bells and Whistles. Heated Leather Seats, Driver info Center with all kinds of things. Its gonna take me a couple months just to figure out how to use everything.

 

Coming from a Ford Focus, so its nice to be back in a bigger vehicle again. I should be able to tow a trailer also, which is something I have wanted to be able to do. Wife and I have talked about how it would be nice to take a Winter getaway with the bike.

 

QUESTION

Has anyone ever installed any of the chips/modules that claim to increase horsepower & mileage? If so, what is your opinion or experience? Do they really work?

 

Thanks for any responses.

 

Jay

hey jay, ya gotta get her on a summer getaway first. don't tell her i said that. :2133:bill