How do performance "chips" work?
 

Ive got to write a paper due thursday (yes i am a procrastanator) and ive got to find something electronic auto wise. and i want to write bout chips but dont know much bout them, i looked for some info on the the net but am not gettin anything good, and help you could give me would be great

Don't know how high performance "chips" work, but high performance "boxes" on Dodges work in many different ways.

Okay, since Bart is too cool for the room, I'll try to help.

Performance "chips" alter the messages coming from and going to the ecm from various sensors or components on a vehicle.

I would recommend going to a few of the manufactures websites to see what they have to say about their products.
Van Aaken and Edge have pretty comprehensive websites.

They'll basically adjust 2 things, amount of fuel injected, and when its injected(timing). To adjust the amount they'll either raise the injection pressure or increase the time of injection, or both.

For a gasser its essentially the same thing. Increase amount of gas injected and the spark timing. You want as much timing advance as possible without knocking. And as much fuel as possible while still maintaining 14.7:1 air fuel ratio.

You didn't specify if you wanted CI engine "chips" or IC engine "chips"

:rolleyes: Ever look inside the "Box" and see whats in there??? [laugh]

I've think it's the smoke trapped inside that makes them work. I've noticed that when I let the smoke out of any electronic device, it stops working. [eyecrazy]

chips work like this:

they come in several flavors and shapes, from salty, vinegar, spicy, bbq, and original to wavy, flat, round, and square. they can be dipped in a variety of sauces, salsas, and even chili. They can be eaten plain. they are high in many fats, have more long scientific words than an MIT convention, and will add many pounds to your butt. personally i avoid them. hope this helps.

You guys are brutal. I took one of mine apart and it is nothing but smoke and two mirrors.

The manufactures of the performace boxes don't give a lot of specifics, but I can tell you about the Powercommander on my bike which will have a lot of parallels to our boxes.

Basically the box is a piggyback- it is hooked up after the ecm and modifies the fueling that the ecm specifies. There is a fuel map with throttle positions on one axis and rpms on the other which I can adjust through my laptop. As I'm riding the box reads these two variables and adjusts the amount of fuel the ecm is requesting before it is sent to the FI system. My current map adds and takes away up to 20% fuel based on the above conditions.

Now for our trucks this becomes a bit more complex as variables such as boost and timing, but the fueling should be much simpler on a diesel. I'd assume that regardless which brand box it is the fueling would be set to 100% once enough boost is built.

Sorry I don't have any facts about 'chips' for our trucks, but hopefully this is more informative than the peanut gallery [coffee]

See, I told you it was the smoke! :cool:

Some of you helped me out as for the rest i guess i missed the humor.

if i'd know how they work, id be making chips myself!

but sure... most ppl do know more about it then a 12valve driver