Anyone running a Unichip?

Just wondering if any people here run a unichip??

I used to have one on my Mr2 Turbo and it worked well. Obviously it has the limitations of a piggy back.

Jim

I never understood what the chip does... the stock ecu can handle 1.2 bar which is what the tubbies put out max anyway, so I don't see why you would want to use one....

Yeah, very good results have been had with the MR2 but as said before they are just not necessary with the Supra.

A unichip ruined my MR2.

A unichip ruined my MR2.

How?

Back in the day the Unichip was like a miracle for MR2 owners, better MPG, more power, improved performance, OK 300bhp was a respectable figure on a rev3 then but all the same they seemed to deliver the goods time and time again for a decent enough price. Obviously this is before the cost effective piggy back ECUs came along though.

One of the first questions I asked on here was regarding a Unichip for the Supra, I was told it couldn't be done rather than it shouldn't be done, it wasn't suitable for the Supra back then.

How?

It caused the car to run extremely badly on boost and then eventually off boost too. The fuelling was all way out and the car would mis-fire and stutter a lot. We'd eliminated pretty much everything else before taking off the unichip and boost module and replacing with the stock rev3 ECU and an EBC. After that the car ran like a dream. It was completely independant of other fixes or mods we tried and after talking to some experts it became clear I wasn't the only one having problems - far from it.

Since then I've always avoided them like the plague. I'm sure they work well in some situations but they did ruin my MR2 IMO. It wasn't like I had a particularly advanced level of tune (circa 260bhp) but removing the "chip" and replacing with a simple EBC improved the car no end.

So it was the chap who fitted and "mapped" it that ruined the car rather than the Unichip itself then?

So it was the chap who fitted and "mapped" it that ruined the car rather than the Unichip itself then?

I'd like to think he would have done the job correctly, they've been fitting and mapping them for years and years, to several MR2s as well. They are a Dastek approved reseller and fitter and have been for as long as I remember. Still, it's possible that they made a mistake I guess but the car ran fine up to a point, then just seemed to decide to stop working right. Nothing that I was aware of happened to make the problems start.

I had a unichip on my old rev1 mr2 turbo. I got a very healthy 280bhp from it. Good going for a rev1.

Just looked through the Unichip dealer folders and there's no listing for the 2JZ engine. So, yes you could probably get one up and running but it will take some time to do as you would need to work out the pins etc. Then you need a Dastek dealer to map it.

Not sure it would be cost effective really.

Wouldn't an emanage be a better option?

Can the uni chips adjust ignition/fuel timings etc? Would that not release additional ponies? Or are one of those fuel controllers more viable?

Wouldn't an emanage be a better option?

It would these days, back then though there wasn't much else to go for though as I'm sure you know... it was all tress.

Wouldn't an emanage be a better option?

I would say so

Can the uni chips adjust ignition/fuel timings etc? Would that not release additional ponies? Or are one of those fuel controllers more viable?

Yes they adjust fuel and ignition, so on that basis they are better than the fuel controllers. But even so, for the amount of time and money it would take to get a unichip up and running on a 2JZGTE, I think there are better options.

It would these days, back then though there wasn't much else to go for though as I'm sure you know... it was all tress.

Indeed - us old MR2 boys Sadly I now have two unichips in my desk drawer

I have one in the shed somewhere...

save a little harder and get an AEM

I think there are better options.

Like?

Its something that interests me actually, as my vehicle is currently at full BPU,Greddy SMIC, plus HKS cams, but i would like to get the most out of this set-up.

save a little harder and get an AEM

What are the benefits of AEM over the others?

Like?

 

Its something that interests me actually, as my vehicle is currently at full BPU,Greddy SMIC, plus HKS cams, but i would like to get the most out of this set-up.

 

What are the benefits of AEM over the others?

AEM is a standalone ECU mate, not a piggyback like the Unichip or Emanage.

You'd be OK fitting an Emanage at your state of tune although a standalone is a better option for future-proofing (single?) and allows more flexibility. Costs are usually much higher though for the initial purchase and also for mapping.

I just asked the question initially as myself and a few other mr2 boys ran them a few years back and I don't hear much mention of them these days.