[ramsee1]

Hey Everyone. I just ordered a Unichip and had a question before it comes in. What map are you using and why? The instruction sheet on their website seems a bit ambiguous as to which map to use. If I get better results from using higher octane, I would definitely do so. However they say that doesn't always produce the best results to run a more aggresive map.
I have a TRD CAI, JBA headers and exhaust, and I'm in the middle of modding the air box to a custom ram air, so I went with the Volant ram air version that Unichip offers thinking that would be the closest one. I hope a supercharger is in my future, so I will get it all tuned then.
Also, I've been reading a lot about people reflashing their ecu when they get the supercharger installed. Is that the only time to benefit from doing that, or will it work with smaller mods as mentioned above as well? I'm curious the cost of just bringing it in having it done.
Thanks for looking.

 

[BRAWL]

I just ordered mine straight from Unichip. I had the TRD supercharger already installed. They have a new map out for it to so here's what I got... 4.0L (SC) + (CAI) + (CAT/B) (Part# 11180502)

It has 2 settings Pre-programmed. #1 is for 91 octane & #2 is for 93 octane.

Since they don't have any 93 octane in Socal I've been just using the 1st setting. It really made a difference though. I've got 35' BFG's and it burns rubber when I floor it. Close to 400hp. Unichip was worth every penny. IMHO

 

[ramsee1]

Damn. Thanks for the info. What mods do you have that you'll be around 400? I figure when I'm done, I'll be around 340. Thanks! Ramsey

 

[10257]

Ramsee....you've got mail......

 

[BRAWL]

TRD Supercharger, AFE CAI, Flowmaster Super 44 exhaust, URD SuperGrip Supercharger Pulley, Doug Thorley Long Tube Headers, Unichip and a few more...

 

[ramsee1]

Brawl- Is that the reducer pulley? We have another post going on that if you want to weigh in. Adds another 1-2psi?

Thanks Dad! I'll get back to ya tomorrow with results.

 

[BRAWL]

Yeah, it's the reducer pulley. Not sure if it make much difference though since I got the SC installed at the same time. I'm kinda impatient like that. Just wanted the most bang for my $$$. I'm not to tech savvy so I let the the pros do what they do. All I do is hit the gas.

 

[Toledo FJ]

Ramsee, don't worry about getting a supercharger mapped unit until you get the supercharger. The standard Unichip can be custom tuned for any future mods. I had mine custom tuned for a performance map and an economy map. You will be SOL if you are way out somewhere and cant get premium fuel and your tune is for 91. I run on may A tuned for 93 or highter. Map B is for economy fuel just in case I can't find the good stuff.

 

[Toledo FJ]

also, you'll get much better performance from a custom tune than from the factory maps..... even if they are sort of tuned for CAI, Catback, etc...

 

[NestahEdition]

I've been running my Unichip on map B (1) - 91 octane for about 6-months now. No issues so far but I'm switching to map A (0) starting this week for fuel economy.

For easy access if I decided to custom tuned it, I mounted the chip here;

 

[ramsee1]

Thanks for the info guys. I get the idea now, it's just for what kind of gas you run and that's pretty much it. The company selling me the chip said they were going to map it 91 and 87. I told them I use either 93 or 87 and asked what they recommend. Waiting to hear back.

 

[ramsee1]

Well here's the latest. I installed the chip and I think my truck has less power, if that's possible. I ran map A which is 87 octane and it had issues shifting. I ran map B which was a little better but seems like the shifts take a lot longer to get to than without the chip. Maybe that's the idea? More power before the next gear? It definitely felt sluggish though. Like it was getting bogged down when I gave it good acceleration.
Anyway, the instructions didn't exactly match the truck which made it a pain, and they weren't exactly as thorough as I would have liked. I believe someone had mentioned before, they're not really specific about what to do with the plug that goes into slot 2. So I put it back on the original unit, since the Unichip only has 4 slots. You'd think they'd say don't remove that one. And I'm also getting a CEL on map B so that kinda sucks.
Anyone else with these issues? Does it take time for the ecu to learn the Unichip settings? And yes, I had the battery disconnected.
Thanks!

 

[Toledo FJ]

I'd really recommend a custom tune if you can afford it. It makes a really big impact if you have a good tuner who knows what they are doing. Installing something that alters your trucks brain is not something I wanted to do myself.

The map thing is not just about what gas you are going to run. For my tune, map A is a performance tune using 93 or higher octane. The map is tuned to maximize (within a safe range) the performance mods I have. Map B is an economy tune. If I ran 87 on my A map, I could run into problems. I've also been told that performance mods are more noticeable on Manual Transmissions. If you can't afford or don't want to pay for a custom tune, I'd at least get it checked to make sure it is properly installed.

 

[ramsee1]

Hey Toledo. I was hoping to hear from you as you seem to have a good grasp on all this! Well I flipped it back to map A (87 octane), had dinner and let the truck sit for a while. I took it out for a spin and much improved! Nice crisp shifts and hauls pretty darn good over the whole RPM range which was very surpising to me. Before the chip, it would jump from nothing to WOT with little power on the low end.

I still have a CEL though. I wonder if I should disconnect the negative again an see if it goes out.

And my mistake about plug 2 in the harness, later in the guide they do say to keep it in, so I am sure it's good to go now. There's a green connector next to the OEM computer, so there's no way to fit the piggyback right next to it. That's when I felt like I was going wrong, but they don't mention anything about it, so I mounted it to the outer wall instead.

I'm happy with the performance I'm getting as is, and hopefully the supercharger is still in my future. With that in mind, I'm waiting to get a tune done.
Maybe I'll run another couple of tanks of 93 and try map B again.

As for my other mods, I feel like my truck is night and day from the stock FJ. I would think like any other mod, the computer has some time to learn everything. Time will tell! Thanks again for your help.

 

[ramsee1]

Got the CEL to go off by unplugging the ECU! hooray.

 

[DominicG]

I know it's a buttload of money.. but would the unichip benefit me at all if i don't have the supercharger?

I have the CAI and 2 out of the 4 cats.

 

[ramsee1]

I personally have to do some more testing to answer that. I want to test both maps and see that it works the way it's supposed to.
Everyone else loves theirs from all I've read. Especially after they have it custom tuned. I've read gains of anywhere between 15-30hp. Like anything else, it's supposed to really wake up with the supercharger.

 

[Toledo FJ]

Yes... in a big way. The impact of the unichip is considerably more pronounced on forced induction engines.

 

[ajstoy]

i do not have the sc, but the cai,catback, and unichip...it is DEFF noticible difference...both on map a, and map b...all i need to do is now is find a reputable co to "fine" tune it for me down here in ft worth texas

 

[[email protected]]

TRD Supercharger, AFE CAI, Flowmaster Super 44 exhaust, URD SuperGrip Supercharger Pulley, Doug Thorley Long Tube Headers, Unichip and a few more...

Have you tested the Air/Fuel Ratio with the UNICHIP and that combination of mods?

Gadget