X5 4.4 Power CHip Experience?

Hi All - I'm a new member but I think I've read just about every X5 post already - great stuff! Quick question - I'm considering a power chip upgrade for my '04 X5 4.4. I'm looking at the one from http://www.powerchipgroup.com/ Anyone have any experience with this? I'd love to hear about it... Thanks!

Hey Jay, welcome and congrats on the X5. You should really consider Dinan for performance tuning. The problem with an economy power chip is that you are buying a chip that is made to bump hp and not really deal with much else. Going with Dinan is better in many ways -- you get the reprogrammed software, new performance throttle body, new performance exhaust, new performance cold air intake, and a new performance strut brace. Not to mention your vehicle will be certified by dinan, (and you get a bunch of serial numbered dinan badges for your car) which is nice when you decide to sell it. That's the s1 kit, which will put you at 310hp and 351ft-lb's of torque and I think it's just below $5k... there's the downside. If you do want to go with just a chip, consider getting just the Dinan chip... I think it's $500. That way if you decide to do more performance enhancements you already have a good solid start.

Thanks for the advice nxm5 - much appreciated. At this point, I'm not looking to go to the "Dinan" level for
performance upgrades - I'm really looking for just a bit
better driveablilty and a bit more power which is what
PowerChip boasts. So far I've been impressed with the couple of folks I've talked with there and they did a great job with their web site. Both of these experiences gives me some level of confidence that they know what they're doing and they're not BS'ers. But, I certainly would feel more comfortable hearing from others that have actually had experience with this product rather than solely relying on the customer testimonies they have posted on their web site. So..., based on your response - any experience with either PowerChip or Dinan chip upgrades? Thanks again!

I don't have any experience with the powerchip specifically, but I have seen similar products. I personally have have gone to the S1 and plan to go further, and have a friend in the area that has gone to the S2 level. I had the chip put in and gained 10hp and then decided about a week later to go for the S1 because it wasn't much more than the signature series. If you do just the chip, you'll notice the most difference when you put the gas down at 60+ mph. Even though the Powerchip says it gives another 1hp over the dinan, I'd have to recommend going with the dinan. Best to leave yourself room to grow... once you get a taste it's amazing how easy it is to justify the bigger spending. Another consideration is how installing the non-dinan chip will affect the warranty. It's nice having your car covered... I'm sure I've left something out, watching croc hunter hunt a super croc, so just feel free to ask if you have any more questions.