ecu chip?

[cjcivic]

i have a jdm b18c gsr motor swap in my 94 civic. i was wondering which ecu chip would be best for my motor. i have a p72 in it and i am hearing that spoon chips are not good at all. i have seen chips on ebay for about $20. does that sound like a likely price for an ecu chip? if not where can i get one? are they hard to install if u have never done it before? how much would it cost to install by a professional?

[CivicSpoon]

Any chip you find on e-bay or any other chip that is preprogrammed like that are junk. You'll see some performance gains, but nothing worth the time or $ to buy it and get it installed. All they do is modify the timing (slightly), add more fuel (aka waste gas), change the rev limiter (you're not going to make anymore power past the rev limiter anyways, and usually not even at the rev limiter), and "get rid" of the speed limiter (pointless even if your ecu has one to begin with). Save your $ for parts that will give you real performance gains (cams, pistons, turbo, etc). You may even want to consider something like an apex i VAFC (though a lot of people would disagree with me on that). But that would allow you to play with your fuel for vtec engagement and vtec engagement points. A MSD would also help with ignition timing. Though the down side of course is that the VAFC is quite expensive; but performance isn't cheap.
But if you're still set on it, have a pro install it. It will need to be soldered into your ECU, and if you cross connectors your ECU will be worthless.

[superbluecivicsi]

why do you need a chip for?

[cjcivic]

i want the chip to get rip of the speed governor because it stops at about 125mph and there is plenty more to go. i also want to have the vtec kick in sooner. i am not looking to gain tons of hp out of a chip, i just want a little bit more performance. nothing that is too expensive,

[superbluecivicsi]

exceeding the rev limiter is a waste of money. having your vtec engaging at different points is pointless without a tune.

ecu chips = waste of money.

its just a way for people to make money off people who dont know anything

[97integrals]

Originally Posted by superbluecivicsi

exceeding the rev limiter is a waste of money. having your vtec engaging at different points is pointless without a tune.

ecu chips = waste of money.

its just a way for people to make money off people who dont know anything

[cjcivic]

thanks for letting me know. what is a cheap way i could get a little more hp. i gotta cold air intake, full exhaust, header, and short throw. i want something that i would be able to install myself

[CivicSpoon]

Not really all that much, you've covered all the basic bolt ons. Maybe suspension (but don't go cheap) or cams if you feel alright doing that. After that you're looking at more expensive parts.