Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
Chipped D3
This morning, I have driven around Silverstone in a chipped D3. Not Turbochip's. I cannot name it, but it did do something for the car. It had an increase of 40 BHP (ish)
Around Silverstone it recorded 14 mpg at 125 mph. I didn't believe the speedo either, so I stuck in my Road Angel. True sat speed was 118.4 mph max. That is not bad actually for 2.7 tonnes. 0-60 around 9 seconds, could have done better I think, but the smoking exhausts worried me a little, not that it was my car. This is something that does bother me with chipping. A few whiffs of smoke when I stopped after the thrash.
Basically it gained 6 mph and lost 2 seconds (ish) getting to 60 mph. Fuel, I don't know as I did not take it on the road at a sedate speed.
On the grass in low ratio it 'appeared' to be OK, but did not have enough time to try it in vengence. Reason, they were running the Formulea 3 Fords and I had to vacate the track.
What I did find that at Copse corner, it could be driven flat out and hardly a squeal from the tyres. At Stowe it was a little different and slowing the beast down from a storming 118 mph was hell on the brakes. Roll was well controlled. Without DSC it was interesting (do you have a sweating man icon Martin).
Sounds like fun, bring it to Tixover so we can see what it's really like off roadThe End
20th Jul 2005 2:12 pm
BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
Funny you should say that, I am trying to do exactly that together with an RRS.
20th Jul 2005 2:34 pm
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
Brian is it smoking because you were driving at 125mph with your foot to the boards? If you were driving normally would you get away without smoking? Presumably the smoking is due to increased fuel being pushed through? (lots of questions eh?)DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
20th Jul 2005 2:40 pm
BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
Pelyma, there are a few questions, but it was thrashed and with no mercy. The exhausts had a little smoke when I stopped and idled for a few seconds. There is a lot of weight to lug around and I dipped the mirror to see the rear. On some of the bends you can see the little whiffs as you leave. I also red lined it a lot, which clearly is not good. The other thing I forgot to do was check the oil before and after, stupid me.
Chipping is still something I need to get my head around and I am doing just that. I am hoping to have a chipped D3 at Rockingham on the 7th with luck, we will see. I can possibly try the other end of the scale then, slow and torque.
20th Jul 2005 2:49 pm
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
Please keep us informed as I'm interested, but don't want to be a guinea pig! I'll let those with more knowledge than me ie YOU do that DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
20th Jul 2005 2:59 pm
Keith Walshe
Member Since: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 53
BN wrote:
.......
Chipping is still something I need to get my head around and I am doing just that. I am hoping to have a chipped D3 at Rockingham on the 7th with luck, we will see. I can possibly try the other end of the scale then, slow and torque.
Chipping is really all about what you want to achieve. I had my Td5 (now retired for Tdv6) chipped using the Dastex unichip which is programmable. It was set up on a rolling road for better low and middle range torque to facilitate towing a camping trailer. Some of the chippers do not give the reprogramming option, some just bung in more fuel (= smoke). The only times I saw smoke in the rear view was a cold start up a steep hill at night when the car behind illuminated the smoke and a few times in soft sand.
So to give chipping a fair test you need a reprogrammable set up and an installer who listens to you.
22nd Jul 2005 1:45 am
BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
I need to get my hands on a chipped D3 for a few days to simply find out. My reservations are why do the manufacturers stop at the optimum, which is what they do. Years ago the engine did 3 things, suck, bang and f**t. It still does that and when it reaches its max revs, it blows up. Engines still have cranks, ends and pistons and no matter what is done to the electronics, the mechanicals still S, B & F.
22nd Jul 2005 7:13 am
lawman
Member Since: 06 May 2005
Location: South East
Posts: 72
Just a thought about chipping, insurance and warranties. There has been a lot on this site about whether the chipping is 'visible' in any sense and I think Turbochips have said it isn't. Well, I don't have my manual to hand at the moment but I am pretty certain that there is an obscure reference in it to some sort of 'black box' in the car which stores data about the car and the way it is driven. If it can be interrogated after a crash, it sure can be before one.
30th Jul 2005 10:18 am
BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
lawman, nearly every car now has a Davis Drive Right Black box or Cummins system installed in the system or its components within the cars own computer.
Since about 1989 Merc have been able to record the last 30 seconds of a car or lorries drive and the drivers actions before a crash or harsh decelleration incident etc. LR D3 is no exception as are many cars now.
I have worked with Davis, ICS and Cummins of the USA on these devices. Volvo tended to use the Cummins sytem. It is highly unlikely that the dealer would even know about it as it is there for the police (through the manufacturers head office) to take data in extremely rare cases. I have a system that I can plug into virtually any truck and take data from it about the drivers actions over a period of time, not just accidents.
That is not a problem as far as chipping is concerned, only if you have a serious crash and it records unusual speeds leading to the crash.
30th Jul 2005 2:55 pm
lawman
Member Since: 06 May 2005
Location: South East
Posts: 72
BN, thanks. My point was simply this. It is possible for someone to find out what the car was up to in the event of a serious crash. Trust me - as they say- I am a lawyer. If there is a way to avoid an insurance policy through non-disclosure we will find it.
30th Jul 2005 7:36 pm
BN
Member Since: 18 Mar 2005
Location: Here
Posts: 6463
In law, after any incident insurance companies usually try to find a way out, even if you are the innocent party. Look at theft of a motor vehicles, even with a Thatcham 1 alarm, Tracker, securely locked in a compound in a locked garage and full compliance with insurance requirements the owner will loose even with protected No Claims Bonus by the fact it goes on to his/her insurance record for 6 years as a claim.
30th Jul 2005 8:15 pm
Keith Walshe
Member Since: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 53
BN wrote:
I need to get my hands on a chipped D3 for a few days to simply find out. My reservations are why do the manufacturers stop at the optimum, which is what they do.
To follow up my prior post on this there is no difference to the older situation of tuning up the carbie, polishing the valve stems, fitting fatter ignition coils etc etc. it is just that we now do it with computer data tables.
My I was learnign to drive my farther had a company Austin Princess (3 litre 6 cyclinder no emmision controls) which did the ton on the M1. One day he had a loan vehicle whist the regular one was in for a longer service. The loan car was like a hot rod in comparison but both were standard vehicles.
All we are really doing with the chipping is to get rid of the variability that the car maker cannot afford to tune out on each individual vehicle.
1st Aug 2005 7:30 am
Coffeecup
Member Since: 15 Jul 2005
Location: Middleton, Manchester
Posts: 1084
The thing is, do companies like Turbochips actually do anything for the individual car, or is it a standard remap they apply to each and every vehicle they 'chip'.
If there is some individual tuning and adjustment made that takes account of the particular vehicle then that would be much more desirable. If its just a standard 'map' applied then its a lot of money for a non personal service. Coffeecup March 2005 TDV6 S - Tonga Green - Manual May 2008 TDV6 SE - Stornoway Grey - Auto Dec 2010 SDV6 XS - Galway Green - Auto
1st Aug 2005 9:28 am
marc
Member Since: 21 Feb 2005
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 169
Coffeecup wrote:
The thing is, do companies like Turbochips actually do anything for the individual car, or is it a standard remap they apply to each and every vehicle they 'chip'.
If there is some individual tuning and adjustment made that takes account of the particular vehicle then that would be much more desirable. If its just a standard 'map' applied then its a lot of money for a non personal service.
Coffeecup,
My previous car was chipped (remapped) with a standard map.
It is annoying that you don't get a personal map, but it did allow you to change the settings to suit your car using a black box which also allowed you to turn the car back to stock mode (how if it left the factory).
I knew a lot of people that there cars chipped (all the same car on a forum simular to this one) and after they where rolling roaded each cars output was different in stock mode (some got only 205bhp some got 235bhp) or in chipped mode (some only got 260bhp but others got 295bhp, I got 279.9 bhp).
They all put it down to the fact that turbos work differently depending on many factors including the outside temperature and size of intercooler etc.
Cheers
MarcDisco 3 now gone!!
Discovery 3 S spec 2.7 V6 Diesel.
Previous Car to D3: Seat Leon Cupra R with a nice 280 bhp...... Sad to see it go
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(do you have a sweating man icon Martin).
March 2005 TDV6 S - Tonga Green - Manual 
May 2008 TDV6 SE - Stornoway Grey - Auto 
