UNICHIP w/out Boost Controller

[warrier04]

hey y'all. first off, let me say i tried to search, but that didn't uncover anything to benefit my curiousity.

my question is this:
can a person benefit from using the UNICHIP (or any upgraded EMS, for that matter) if they aren't boosting over stock? if so, are there any other gains besides no hesitation?

i don't have forged internals, and i don't plan on upping the boost until i upgrade those parts (which is a while away). the unichip is pretty expensive, so i would want to make sure that it helps a significant amount.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

drew.

[hazeXban]

get the haltech or MPI that way you can change the settings on your own or by a local tuner. I plan on going with the haltech after I get a full exhaust. Juan from hiboost has a great kit fot it. Also the MPI is great to from what I hear. I am lucky to have Nick in my state but I never hear back from him when I pm him. However I hear he is great with tech support and stuff. Haltech just seems to be an easier route to me. My 2cents.

Pete

[wicked]

haltech is kinda expensive isn't it?

any way yes you will get gains from tuning only,but the UNI chip isn't tuned for the stock PSI(I think)

I would advise the MPI tuner,thats if you can get ahold of nick.I've PMed him twice with no response.

[warrier04]

haltech is kinda expensive isn't it?

any way yes you will get gains from tuning only,but the UNI chip isn't tuned for the stock PSI(I think)

I would advise the MPI tuner,thats if you can get ahold of nick.I've PMed him twice with no response.
i got the phone number to the shop they're at, so hopefully if/when i need to get in touch with them, i can.

about the MPI tuner - that's probably a good suggestion to be able to tune to my specific setup, but that also brings up the fact that i would need to know how to tune. not that i can't or don't want to learn, but as of now, can't say i could do diddly squat.

from what i read, some people say it's a pretty in depth process.

drew.

[daedalus]

unichip is tuneable. Either you can have seomone local tune your car custom, or you can tell unichip what mods you have done to your car and for 35.00 they will reprogram the maps for your specific application.

It is my next modification. HEHEHE

[mspeed101]

I dont like the unchip. Its not tuned to your specific car. The haltech from what I have heard is very complicating to use. I think the best fuel management to get would be the mpi tuner. I think that it comes with premade maps to get you started and its not to hard to tune. There are alot of people on this board that are using this so im sure they would be happy to help you out. Or you can just take it to a tuner and have them tune it for your car and mods.

[daedalus]

Yea, I like MPI tuner, if only you could find someone that sells it...

[warrier04]

how user friendly is the mpi tuner? i mean...what is the actual tuning process like? real in-depth, or rather simple?

[mspeed101]

how user friendly is the mpi tuner? i mean...what is the actual tuning process like? real in-depth, or rather simple?I'll let you know soon ;)

[SonicRacer]

The Unichip comes with an electronic boost controller built in. They come with set maps to run 10-13psi and the appropriate fuel/timing maps to support it.

[warrier04]

The Unichip comes with a boost controller. They come with set maps to run 10-13psi with the appropriate maps to support it.
ya i know, but what i was wondering is:

would it be possible not to use the boost controller? just use the unichip for its maps to have the car run smoother and whatnot?

i would like to raise the boost, but i'm hearing way too many "blew engine w/ only boost controller" stories.

drew.

[low_psi]

yea, you just run stock boost. you can turn the boost controller on and off, as well as select which map you want IIRC.

[warrier04]

so, would it be worth the 900 asking price to just deal with the fuel maps?

from what i can tell, people enjoy their unichip, but if i'm not gonna use the boost function, seems like i'd just be throwing money away...

drew.

[daedalus]

First off, from what I understand people who are blowing their engines on upped boost levels are not running supporting mods or tuning of any kind. The 10-13PSI boost setting with UNICHIP is tuned for those maps. It IS safe due to the tuning. Running it on a stock map would be something I would never try. But its nice to know that you dont have to up the boost for daily driving, etc if you dont want to. But I have yet to hear of one case where someone blew their engine due to UNICHIP.

And from some recent posts, people that have unichip and take it off hate their MSP b/c it makes such a difference for daily driving and hp/tq. I think it is worth it for just the maps and safety they provide. As far as the boost, if you have the unichip, flip the switch and enjoy the ride... your safe.

[warrier04]

First off, from what I understand people who are blowing their engines on upped boost levels are not running supporting mods or tuning of any kind. The 10-13PSI boost setting with UNICHIP is tuned for those maps. It IS safe due to the tuning. Running it on a stock map would be something I would never try. But its nice to know that you dont have to up the boost for daily driving, etc if you dont want to. But I have yet to hear of one case where someone blew their engine due to UNICHIP.

And from some recent posts, people that have unichip and take it off hate their MSP b/c it makes such a difference for daily driving and hp/tq. I think it is worth it for just the maps and safety they provide. As far as the boost, if you have the unichip, flip the switch and enjoy the ride... your safe.you think the maps would solve the 'blown rod syndrome' people are having? as much as i'd like to believe that, it still seems iffy ... the rods are physically weak no matter what maps you run.

lots of people who have blown rods didn't have the unichip, but i think that's because it just expensive - in time, there will be people w/ the unichip who have blown engines ... it'll just take longer considering there's a small population of people running those maps.

drew.

[SonicRacer]

Either drop the cash and get an actual EMS like Haltec and have it professionally dyno tuned or buy the Unichip. Either way you'll be safe. Different options for different people.

It's when people start messing with stuff when they don't know what they're doing is when engines start popping. Things like running 12psi on a bone stock MSP.

[warrier04]

i should start some kind of pole or something...

would updated maps really decrease the likleyhood (sp?) of blowing a rod?

right now, i'm holding off on raising boost because i fear the worst w/out forged internals... if i could invest in something like the unichip (and have it correctly tuned to my car) and boost at reasonable levels w/out worry, i wouldn't need the other 1400 dollars for forged internals.

by the way, DOES ANYONE HAVE A UNICHIP AVAILABLE FOR SALE?

drew.

[BinaryRotary]

There are like 3 people running the MPI. Its not a bad unit but good luck tuning it if you are a beginner. You're better off with the Unichip. Easy, safe and OH so easy to hide for warranty work.

[BinaryRotary]

i should start some kind of pole or something...

would updated maps really decrease the likleyhood (sp?) of blowing a rod?

right now, i'm holding off on raising boost because i fear the worst w/out forged internals... if i could invest in something like the unichip (and have it correctly tuned to my car) and boost at reasonable levels w/out worry, i wouldn't need the other 1400 dollars for forged internals.

by the way, DOES ANYONE HAVE A UNICHIP AVAILABLE FOR SALE?

drew.
www.corksport.com

That is your Unichip provider.

[Bass Addict]

Ok, Binary just made me think of a question. If you have the unichip and say your running 12 psi...and then you throw a rod, if you remove the unichip is there anyway they can tell you ran higher boost than stock? If not, then what would keep you from having your engine replaced under warranty?

[warrier04]

Ok, Binary just made me think of a question. If you have the unichip and say your running 12 psi...and then you throw a rod, if you remove the unichip is there anyway they can tell you ran higher boost than stock? If not, then what would keep you from having your engine replaced under warranty?
i second that question.

also, if i were to purchase a unichip, do i just tell them my current mods on the car and they will modify the maps to fit?

drew.

[low_psi]

dude, you're not gonna blow your motor with the unichip if you have it tuned for your mods, or lack of mods. its made to make running higher boost safe and increase power at even stock boost.

i understand your concern about blowing your motor, but you're not gonna pop the motor unless you're running the high boost option and Map B on low octane fuel.

[warrier04]

define low octane.

[low_psi]

no, Mazda won't be able to tell that your motor blew from having the Unichip except the UC has a boost controller, so they may be able to tell you've altered the vaccum lines(liek with any boost controller). its not Mazda's fault if you blow a motor at 12psi though. they didn't tune it do to that and the second you modify the car you need to assume the responsibility.

warrior- yea you just tell them your mods when you order it.

Map B was tuned for 95+ octane. so running Map B on low or high boost is a no on TX's super(93oct in Austin, Houston, Dallas)

[SonicRacer]

If you don't know how to tune or can't afford to pay someone to do it then get the Unichip. You don't have to do anything with it.

I have all my settings on the aggressive maps. The switches are all tucked away and I never touch anything or even see anything for that matter.

[warrier04]

that's what i was thinking...

a mbc and an ebc are installed the same way, right? so mazda could tell either way?

[low_psi]

yep.

I hope to someday join the Unichip ranks...

[warrier04]

so there's no feasible way to hide the fact that you had some kind of boost controller?

[low_psi]

well you can remove the stock lines completely and run all new lines with the BC. we've also bought an extra set of stock lines and kept them around for when non-boost related issues have arisen. :) good thing too, cause my buddy needed them later on for a minor warranty claim.

[SonicRacer]

I'll be selling my Unichip system shortly..... It's the original system that Unichip built, so that means it's worth more, right?

I'm putting my car back to stock and selling it actually.

[ssupra96]

on most vehicles 98 and up carmakers have started using a black box system that records your actions with the vehicle. when the service department takes the car for service, not only do they get a code for the check engine light, but they can verify the last, maybe 3 weeks to a month of how hard the car was driven, not sure about the alotted time fram of recording. but the box records speed, rev limits, even wether u wear your seatbelt or not. if the box is taken out, the car wont run. the box is programmed to match the vin number of the vehicle. lawyers have started using the boxes for certain court cases where speeding was the cause of the accident. or in the case of a death or severe injury. they might have started using them in 2k. not sure.

[warrier04]

pm sent.

on a side note - how much would it cost to be retuned by a unichip retailer?

drew.

[warrier04]

on most vehicles 98 and up carmakers have started using a black box system that records your actions with the vehicle. when the service department takes the car for service, not only do they get a code for the check engine light, but they can verify the last, maybe 3 weeks to a month of how hard the car was driven, not sure about the alotted time fram of recording. but the box records speed, rev limits, even wether u wear your seatbelt or not. if the box is taken out, the car wont run. the box is programmed to match the vin number of the vehicle. lawyers have started using the boxes for certain court cases where speeding was the cause of the accident. or in the case of a death or severe injury. they might have started using them in 2k. not sure.
so even going around the stock ecu (using the piggy back), the black box would record the data? seems like the ecu and the black box would have some kind of connection...

drew.

[ssupra96]

one suggestion i've heard is to drive the vehicle for awhile under regular driving conditions, like obeying the speed limit, or just casual driving for awhile and the box will record nothing but easy driving conditions and when maintenance checks the problem it would be harder for them to say it was your fault. but im not sure if that works or not, just a suggestion. anyway, thats my 2c on it.

[ssupra96]

i dont have any hard evidence on the box theory, but i did see someone use it in court in florida. a camaro was the car and it hit someone on a public road. he claimed he was innocent, and the lawyer asked to have the box purged for information. the data showed the camaro was speeding and that it was going like 130-140 when it hit the other vehicle, another incident occured in a minivan. the court said the driver wasnt wearing a seatbelt, and that the seatbelt light just wasnt working. they later reviewed the box and it showed that the driver was wearing a seatbelt, but he only had the bottom half of the seatbelt on. and thats why he died.

[warrier04]

well much of the reason for purchasing the upgraded maps would be to just smooth out the car - i can boost w/out the unichip. my driving would probably be a little more aggresive, but i don't think it would completely change my style. it seems like if a person went from regular, grandma driving to mario andretti driving, then there could be a red flag there ...

drew.

[low_psi]

mazda doesn't use the "black box"

[warrier04]

can you go a little more in-depth on replacing the boost controller lines? maybe PM me some info about it? i'm just real cautious to do any kind of boosting for fear warranty is completely out the window...

drew.

[warrier04]

question for those who know how to setup the unichip w/ a different boost controller (i.e. profec b, turboxs dsbc, etc) :

when switching from map A to map B and back (on unichip), do you need to also switch the boost controller at the same time ... like flip 2 switches to get to the other map and other boost?

i'm just unsure of the in-cabin setup of the unichip.

thanks.

drew.

[warrier04]

bump ... anyone know?

[low_psi]

I think you can run Map A: Low/High and Map B: Low/High so it depends what you want to do IIRC. PM SonicCraze about it. he's got a nice lil write up with pics too.

I'll try to help you out with some illustrations concerning the vaccum lines. Expect them this weekend.

[warrier04]

thanks alot for that. i'll check and see what soniccraze worked up.


drew.

[1moreMPH]

First off, from what I understand people who are blowing their engines on upped boost levels are not running supporting mods or tuning of any kind. The 10-13PSI boost setting with UNICHIP is tuned for those maps. It IS safe due to the tuning. Running it on a stock map would be something I would never try. But its nice to know that you dont have to up the boost for daily driving, etc if you dont want to. But I have yet to hear of one case where someone blew their engine due to UNICHIP.

And from some recent posts, people that have unichip and take it off hate their MSP b/c it makes such a difference for daily driving and hp/tq. I think it is worth it for just the maps and safety they provide. As far as the boost, if you have the unichip, flip the switch and enjoy the ride... your safe.


Are you saying here that an all stock car would not be advised to run the 10-12psi even with the unichip?

[SpeedBeaver]

Damm, Unichip sounds like a good way to increase safely you boost without having the "annoying" detonations that causes rods to errupt from hoods! ;)

Unfortunately where I live (Quebec, Canada) we only have crappy 91 octane everywhere and if you're lucky, you'll find a place with 93-94 but that's the highest you can get around here... looks like hi boost is a no go for me :(

[daedalus]

Are you saying here that an all stock car would not be advised to run the 10-12psi even with the unichip?

No, I am saying that it would be b/c the unichip's tuning of the fuel map and timing curve will allow this to be done safely. Boosting 10-12psi on a stock car with stock fuel and timing maps is something I wouldnt feel safe doing.

But Unichip is tried and proven without one case of a car going kaboom. That makes me think I am buying something worth the money. I know that if I had the tunability of emanage, mpi, or haltec I would seriously f*ck up my car.

Peace guys.

[warrier04]

good point.

final conclusion:

* boosting on a completely stock car is bad
* boosting on a car that has unichip is NOT bad
* supporting mods are good
* Unichip is good

at least in my eyes...

hopefully my next mod will be unichip in conjunction w/ an aftermarket dual stage boost controller.

hopefully santa will be good to me this year... (shrug)

drew.

[daedalus]

I nice way to wrap things up...

(cheers2)

[1moreMPH]

mazda doesn't use the "black box"
are you 100% SURE mazda doesn't use this mythical black box deal? ...that would be nice to know before playing wit the speed, i DO like having a warantee

[low_psi]

yes. GM created the black boxes for accident information, in order for insurance and GM to see how the car was being driven before the collision. it wasn't really created to spy on owners' driving habits.

if you cam a LS1, I don't think the techs need to read the "black box" to figure out your motor isn't stock :)

[1moreMPH]

yes. GM created the black boxes for accident information, in order for insurance and GM to see how the car was being driven before the collision. it wasn't really created to spy on owners' driving habits.

if you cam a LS1, I don't think the techs need to read the "black box" to figure out your motor isn't stock :)


....touche.....however, you can still tweak a LITTLE bit....im sure for something minor or whatever, they're not gonna want to run a bunch of tests to se how you've been driving

[yashooa]

From what I have seen the black box is only in certain vehicles and even when it does exist it only records for a few mintues prior to engine shutoff not a 24/7 thing.
So supposedly it can tell an investigator what had occurred before an accident etc but it will not give an exhaustive record of modification or driving style.

[WillisW555]

The black box is designed for researching accidents. Lawyers are starting to use it to find out if you were speeding prior to an accident. I've read something where a guy was charged with manslaughter because he was speeding when he hit someone.

[FBI14]

Can the Unichip be installed and work ok without installing the boost controller or do you have to install the BC for the Unichip to work properly?

[low_psi]

You can run the Unichip without the boost controller no problems. You'll obviously just be limited to stock boost map A and map B. Where's the fun in that ;)

The GB needs some response!!

[BrettWVU]

Just thought I would through this out there w/ the high boost setting I get a killer spike. Some where around 5-6 psi. Meaning that on the high boost setting I hit 16 psi. Thats really the only problem I have with it. If anyone know how to fix it let me know. But otherwise I love it. It made a huge difference.

[low_psi]

Is that punching it in say 4th gear, or when you're accelerating through the gears that its spiking?

[BrettWVU]

It spikes in every gear but 1st

[low_psi]

:(

[BrettWVU]

The spike depends on throttle position if its WOT it spike full but if its say half i get about a 3 psi spike