Powerchip anyone?

cruvon · 11-15-2010, 05:41 PM

Just came across this link, seems is an Aussie company quite popular in the US...looks like is if you need more power esp on a 320i overtaking uphill this could makeup for that slight underpower drag. On other E9x models the increase in performance is quite substantial, anyone powerchipped theirs?

http://www.powerchipgroup.com/products/products.asp

BMW - 320i E90 2.0 Valvetronic
Make BMW
Model 320i E90 2.0 Valvetronic
Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98
Power Standard 110 kW
Power PowerchipGold 98 119 kW
Torque Standard 200 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 98 218 Nm
Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

BMW - 320d E90 2.0
Make BMW
Model 320d E90 2.0
Fuel Required (More info) Standard Diesel
Power Standard 115 kW
Power PowerchipGold 133 kW
Torque Standard 330 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 382 Nm
GoldPowerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

BMW - 325i E90 N52 2.5
Make BMW
Model 325i E90 N52 2.5
Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98
Power Standard 160 kW
Power PowerchipGold 98 174 kW
Torque Standard 250 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 98 272 Nm
Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

BMW - 330i E90 N52 3.0
Make BMW
Model 330i E90 N52 3.0
Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98
Power Standard 195 kW
Power PowerchipGold 98 210 kW
Torque Standard 315 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 98 333 Nm
Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

sbce90 · 11-15-2010, 05:56 PM

It is a lot of money for not much improvement. At the end of the day it will still be a slow car.. Just not AS slow as stock form. Tuning N/A cars for power is much more difficult compared to turbos. A chip on a turbo does so much more than you can ever hope for on something N/A. You can't adjust things like boost etc..

Also, stock power for 320i is 115kw isnt it??

Jeef Beef · 11-15-2010, 05:59 PM

Powerchip is NOT a good avenue for extra power if you have a NA BMW engine. BMW engines are already very well tuned from factory, and any gains on top of stock should be viewed with close scrutiny.

Powerchip's figures seem a bit dodgy, considering they are advertising big gains with just a generic reflash. Even the guys over at OE and AA tuning (who are reputable DYNO tuners that flash your ECU specifically for your car) can only manage about a 10hp increase atw for the N52.

Even assuming their gains are honest (which they are not), $1500 for +9kw? I wouldn't bother. Stay well away.

cruvon · 11-15-2010, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SBC

It is a lot of money for not much improvement. At the end of the day it will still be a slow car.. Just not AS slow as stock form. Tuning N/A cars for power is much more difficult compared to turbos. A chip on a turbo does so much more than you can ever hope for on something N/A. You can't adjust things like boost etc..

Also, stock power for 320i is 115kw isnt it??

yupz, not much to do I guess on a 320i and not worth chasing small performance gains for nothing, the 320d seems to have a huge gain in tuning capacity though, wonder why BMW didn't do it in the first place

. Thought is 110kw on a 320i unless it changed to 5kw more on the LCI model update??

cruvon · 11-15-2010, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeef Beef

Powerchip is NOT a good avenue for extra power if you have a NA BMW engine. BMW engines are already very well tuned from factory, and any gains on top of stock should be viewed with close scrutiny.

Powerchip's figures seem a bit dodgy, considering they are advertising big gains with just a generic reflash. Even the guys over at OE and AA tuning (who are reputable DYNO tuners that flash your ECU specifically for your car) can only manage about a 10hp increase atw for the N52.

Even assuming their gains are honest (which they are not), $1500 for +9kw? I wouldn't bother. Stay well away.

true, not much gain to be had

samchuang33 · 11-15-2010, 07:01 PM

Diesel has more gain coz turbo. If u want to do diesel, pre 2009 diesel can be chipped via bluefin or evolve switch which yield better results at a better price.

David328M-Sport · 11-16-2010, 01:26 PM

Best value for money is the BMS Powerbox (PBX). I have had one in my 325i since November 2009 and it has worked flawlessly ever since. It is a fraction of the cost of the Powerchip. Gives the performance a real kick in the pants, especially in DS mode due to increase in power & torque as well as improved throttle response.

The performance of my car with the PBX is the way the car should have been tuned post factory. I'm very happy with it.

Ninjaoz · 11-16-2010, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samchuang33

Diesel has more gain coz turbo. If u want to do diesel, pre 2009 diesel can be chipped via bluefin or evolve switch which yield better results at a better price.

have you heard of DPchip? http://www.dpchip.com

thinking to get one for our X5, it claims to increase power from 160kW to 186kW for our 3.0d and it is fully adjustable, pretty impressive!

sbce90 · 11-16-2010, 07:12 PM

PBX not available for 320i I dont think...

cruvon · 11-16-2010, 07:22 PM

G-Power, a German tuner, seems to be very popular too across all models
http://www.g-power.de/924.html?L=1&c...#Produkt_Start

Seems G-Power.de and hamann-motorsport.de have tuning kits for the 320i but again a small perf gain compared to turbo models but indications are that a tune+exhaust +intake could give decent gains.

http://www.hamann-motorsport.com/en/...engine-tuning/

When they do a ECU reflash to tune, does it only involve some sort of rewriting of internal memory with new software to get it to run new engine management software or does it involve adding in some sort of tuning module hardware? Is it plug and play?..How do you then reflash it back to normal?

Also can a dealer tell if a car was previously tuned and then brought back to a normal state for example while doing a tradein? Are there any telltale signs they could look for?

Also some info for the 320i

Quote:

"G-POWER performance kit G1 Plus - electronic optimization by motronic adjustment including sport rear silencer and sport air filter
320i, performance gain approx. 15hp 11(kW) incl. V-MAX release"

SharifE · 11-16-2010, 09:05 PM

Don't waste your money mate.
9kw for ~$1500, u probably won't even notice difference.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruvon

Just came across this link, seems is an Aussie company quite popular in the US...looks like is if you need more power esp on a 320i overtaking uphill this could makeup for that slight underpower drag. On other E9x models the increase in performance is quite substantial, anyone powerchipped theirs?

http://www.powerchipgroup.com/products/products.asp

BMW - 320i E90 2.0 Valvetronic
Make BMW
Model 320i E90 2.0 Valvetronic
Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98
Power Standard 110 kW
Power PowerchipGold 98 119 kW
Torque Standard 200 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 98 218 Nm
Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

BMW - 320d E90 2.0
Make BMW
Model 320d E90 2.0
Fuel Required (More info) Standard Diesel
Power Standard 115 kW
Power PowerchipGold 133 kW
Torque Standard 330 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 382 Nm
GoldPowerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

BMW - 325i E90 N52 2.5
Make BMW
Model 325i E90 N52 2.5
Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98
Power Standard 160 kW
Power PowerchipGold 98 174 kW
Torque Standard 250 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 98 272 Nm
Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

BMW - 330i E90 N52 3.0
Make BMW
Model 330i E90 N52 3.0
Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98
Power Standard 195 kW
Power PowerchipGold 98 210 kW
Torque Standard 315 Nm
Torque PowerchipGold 98 333 Nm
Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00

11-15-2010, 05:41 PM	#1
cruvon Lieutenant Colonel 83 Rep 1,543 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Sydney, Australia iTrader: (1)	Powerchip anyone? Just came across this link, seems is an Aussie company quite popular in the US...looks like is if you need more power esp on a 320i overtaking uphill this could makeup for that slight underpower drag. On other E9x models the increase in performance is quite substantial, anyone powerchipped theirs? http://www.powerchipgroup.com/products/products.asp BMW - 320i E90 2.0 Valvetronic Make BMW Model 320i E90 2.0 Valvetronic Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98 Power Standard 110 kW Power PowerchipGold 98 119 kW Torque Standard 200 Nm Torque PowerchipGold 98 218 Nm Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00 BMW - 320d E90 2.0 Make BMW Model 320d E90 2.0 Fuel Required (More info) Standard Diesel Power Standard 115 kW Power PowerchipGold 133 kW Torque Standard 330 Nm Torque PowerchipGold 382 Nm GoldPowerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00 BMW - 325i E90 N52 2.5 Make BMW Model 325i E90 N52 2.5 Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98 Power Standard 160 kW Power PowerchipGold 98 174 kW Torque Standard 250 Nm Torque PowerchipGold 98 272 Nm Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00 BMW - 330i E90 N52 3.0 Make BMW Model 330i E90 N52 3.0 Fuel Required (More info) ULP, will use 98 Power Standard 195 kW Power PowerchipGold 98 210 kW Torque Standard 315 Nm Torque PowerchipGold 98 333 Nm Gold 98Powerchip(Inc GST)* AUD $1,490.00 Last edited by cruvon; 11-15-2010 at 05:53 PM..
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

11-15-2010, 05:56 PM	#2
sbce90 Me Boosta 252 Rep 5,721 Posts Drives: 320i / MB C63 / VW up! Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sydney, Australia iTrader: (3)	It is a lot of money for not much improvement. At the end of the day it will still be a slow car.. Just not AS slow as stock form. Tuning N/A cars for power is much more difficult compared to turbos. A chip on a turbo does so much more than you can ever hope for on something N/A. You can't adjust things like boost etc.. Also, stock power for 320i is 115kw isnt it??
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-15-2010, 05:59 PM	#3
Jeef Beef Lord Captain Commander 110 Rep 3,093 Posts Drives: a sleeper Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia iTrader: (0)	Powerchip is NOT a good avenue for extra power if you have a NA BMW engine. BMW engines are already very well tuned from factory, and any gains on top of stock should be viewed with close scrutiny. Powerchip's figures seem a bit dodgy, considering they are advertising big gains with just a generic reflash. Even the guys over at OE and AA tuning (who are reputable DYNO tuners that flash your ECU specifically for your car) can only manage about a 10hp increase atw for the N52. Even assuming their gains are honest (which they are not), $1500 for +9kw? I wouldn't bother. Stay well away. __________________ E82 135i M-sport: SGM/6MT/Black
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-15-2010, 07:01 PM	#6
samchuang33 Captain 38 Rep 780 Posts Drives: MY 16 440i & MY20 X7 30d Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane AUS iTrader: (0)	Diesel has more gain coz turbo. If u want to do diesel, pre 2009 diesel can be chipped via bluefin or evolve switch which yield better results at a better price. __________________ 2020 BMW G07 X7 3.0d M Sport 2018 Audi FY Audi SQ5 2016 BMW F36 440i GC M Sport
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-16-2010, 01:26 PM	#7
David328M-Sport Brigadier General 101 Rep 3,566 Posts Drives: F30 M-Sport 328i Estoril Blue Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Melbourne Australia iTrader: (0)	Best value for money is the BMS Powerbox (PBX). I have had one in my 325i since November 2009 and it has worked flawlessly ever since. It is a fraction of the cost of the Powerchip. Gives the performance a real kick in the pants, especially in DS mode due to increase in power & torque as well as improved throttle response. The performance of my car with the PBX is the way the car should have been tuned post factory. I'm very happy with it. __________________ 328i M-Sport, Estoril Blue, Carbon XP 35 Tint, front heated seats, black Dakota, Sports Suspension, Anthracite Headliner, HUD, Pro Nav, Sunroof, hk 600w, Bi-Xenon, 19" 403M wheels, Reversing Camera, DAB+, Xenon, BT Ext Connect, MST turbo intake pipe, MST Cold Air Intake, JB4 on Map 2 with Catless DP produces awesome performance in Sport.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-16-2010, 07:12 PM	#9
sbce90 Me Boosta 252 Rep 5,721 Posts Drives: 320i / MB C63 / VW up! Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Sydney, Australia iTrader: (3)	PBX not available for 320i I dont think...
	Appreciate 0 Quote