Diesel Chip Upgrades in Oz
 

Have any diesel owners had their cars chipped in Australia? I know dpchips and powerchips:rofl: are available but don't know what they're like.

i'm thinkin of getting one, but i'm not sure if it'll void my warranty. better check up with the dealer. bloke from rockhampton got it installed to his x5 and he was very impressed.
i dont think you'll be dissapointed with power figures they're claiming, 180KW 525NM of torque!!!! yeehah!!

Hi guys. The warranty on my x5 has expired in July therefore I can finally start thinking about chipping:rofl: I have also looked at Superchip which claims that it can boost up our x5 from 150kw to 180kw and torque from 480 to 566nm!!!:excited: The cost is quite cheap at $1690 too. Guy Harding at DMS in Brisbane said that they are getting gains of ~33kw & 60 – 100nm of torque (depending on engine code & gearbox). Cost is $2195 installed so it cost a bit more. What I am juggling with is which chip is more reliable.

Powerchip is the agent in OZ for superchip in UK therefore they should be quite good. DMS has always been doing diesel tuning for BMW for a long time and is well recommended by BMW CAR magazine so I really am not sure what the better ship is. But I think I might go with Harding Performance coz they specialise in all sorts of Diesel tuning whereas Powerchip can only do the chipping side of things. Previous experience with Powerchip also seems troublesome.

Hey Eddii, did the bloke in Rocky go for dpchip or some other ones?

Cheers guys

another option will be upsolute. they boost your power from 218hp to 248hp and 500nm to 565nm:) . I'll be chipping my x5 next month with upsolute

DP chip. Me thinks:confused:
That DMS sounds really good, will they do a "before and after" dyno runs when u get it?
good luck on yur mod:thumbup: keep us posted mate;)

Hi Guys,

After comparison with DPChip and DMS/Powerchip over the weekend :confused:, I have decided that maybe the DPchip is the more conservative approach. Thinking back to the original purchase price for my X of over Au$100,000, I think it is better to play it safe just to try what chipping will really do to the transmission. I had some doubts that the current transmission is capable of handling the existing torque that the engine produces now, even without chipping. I can feel the trany slipping a bit during hard acceleration when riding the turbo therefore having the luxury of been able to play around the power setting and also been able to remove DPchip out easily if tranny does dies seems more convenient when I go back to BMW. Another thing is that DMS/Powerchip is based in Uk therefore I don't think that they have the extensive local knowledge of Aussie driving condition and fuel quality like DPChip. See link below.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...ghlight=dpchip

I have order the chip from TJM 4X4 Megastore in Slacks Creek and should get here by Wednesday. I will let you guys know when I get it fitted. Can't wait :rofl: . It cost $1390 to get it up Brissy and fitted.

Say, does any one have any problems with transmission slipping. The sales rep that I brought the X5 off told me to ride the turbo when accelerating to get the fastest times but I think I must have ride it too much. When the torque kicks in at 2,000 rev, I fed more fuel in to the engine at the extent that the transmission would not upshifing to higher gears. By doing so, it builds the pressure up in the engine therefore delivering more grunt and acceleratation. I push the engine through to 3,750rpm and lets it off to allow the tranny to change down a gear and push the engine again once the gear catches on in next gear. I try not to get it over 4,000rpm because torque is weak at high rpm and it only the KWs doing the hard work at that rev which is only 150Kw. I would be just wasting fuel over 4,000 rev plus diesel engine does not like high revs anyway. Maybe that is not such a good idea thou but it is very fast:zoom: . I can almost keep up to the new V8 750 from 0-100km doing that:thumbup: . Let us know if anyone also feels the transmission slipping during hard acceleration or is it just me and my bad driving habits? I am a bit concern coz I am about to add more power to the car.

Cheers Guys:beerchug:

Hi guys

The chip arrrived early and I got it install already:rofl: . Didn't really had a chance to try it out but first impression is that the 2 tonn suv feels like it had just had a diet and losed few hundred kg. During acceleration it feel more like my wifes 325ci and it seems to rev more like a petrol engine up to 4000rpm easy.

TJM tech told me to keep it at the current setting which is 5. He said you dont really need to turn it up cos at setting 5, it is already pumpling 180kw compare to 150kw before and 525nm compared to 480nm. He said you can make it more powerful by turning it up my 1 or 2 setting but do not recommand putting it up to 9 coz you are only wasting fuel and also you really kinda chokking your own engine like starting ur mower. He said only to put the setting up if you change the exhurst and air intake then it will really fly.

Anyway, thumbs up for 1st impression:thumbup: . I will give it more test runs later on and keep you guys up to date.

The DPChip is great!! I had the guys from TJM at Geebung fit mine a couple of months ago.

Currently I have the pre-face lifted 3.0d X5 sport and the performance is much better than a stock 2006 3.0d X5.

My engine felt like a bit of a freak motor even before I had the chip installed....now with the chip it just wants to break traction everytime I plant my foot.

By the way I run the DPchip on postion 6, no black smoke and redlines very quickly = fun to drive!!!

Cheers,
Simon

What's ur consumption like before and after chipping? I think I am getting higher consumption but I am waiting for my first tank to run out before I comment. Have anyone tried settings 7 or higher?

Fuel ecomony is not really any different, maybe 0.1 -+ 0.2 litres per/100km depending on driving style. I have a fairly heavy right foot though and rarely drive hwy klms.
I average about 9.8litres/100klm on a tank....at least that's what the on board computer is indicating.
I've tried settings 7 through to 10 but found my X5 tends to flat spot when accelerating hard with no advantage in power or torque.

Just try it and see how you go?

I installed a DPChip box 6 months ago and have had a ball with the added power. Here is a road test I did a few months back.

Position No. 5 is a good improvement on acceleration and pulls strong through the gears.

Position No. 8 has the most obvious power increase but will smoke a little more than standard.

Position No.s 7-8 seems to suit my driving without sooting up the rear too much. This also gives me an extra small amount of power if I need it or get used to it.

Fuel economy is practically the same if only .1/Ltr. better, which is great considering the hard driving I’ve done all week.

I could only notice any extra smoke at night from the other car lights in the mirror, under flat acceleration on pos. No. 8.

The engine felt slightly rougher under hard acceleration but it could be in my head because I’m paying more attention to it. I intend to disconnect it and note any change.

Gear changing in auto improved with 1st to 2nd changes quicker. I haven’t timed 0-100km/h yet.

The hill climbing torque is simply amazing and my favourite feature.

Overall my X5 feels more nimble and confident. With the power coming on early it makes the engine feel bigger than just 3.0ltrs.


Cheers,

Hey there Dave,
I took your advise and went the DPchip in the end.....great call mate!!

The X5 is a different car now.

Cheers,
Simon

Hey guys

After driving around with the chip with setting 5 for the last few weeks, here is what I have found compared to stock X5.

• consumption stay pretty much the same at ~10L/100ks
• gear change from 1st to 2nd is much smoother and quicker
• acceleration stays more consistent through out the rev range and it is definetly much faster
• engine revs much easier and quicker
• engine sound a bit more louder (maybe it is my head too... thinking too much)

I have tried turning the setting up to 6 and found the following differences compared to setting 5[LIST][*]engine revs slower but with more power (kinda like comparing a v6 to a v8 where smaller engines revs faster and v8 revs slower but with more power and grunt)[*]fuel consumption of trip computer reads higher at 10.5l/100ks[*]acceleration feel not as smooth compared to setting 5 for some reason

Just a question to all other ppl that have similar devises, what setting is the best setting for you and why do you chose that setting.

My 2nd question to all diesel owers is do most ppl have sport pack? It seems that most ppl are averaging less than 10l/100ks on highways. I do alot of highways ks but my consumption is still relatively high so I am thinking that could it be possible that the wider tyres that comes with the sports pack is causing higher consumption.

cheers Guys:)

Hi VSX05,

I've a '04 3.0d with sport pack, and my consumption is closed to 8.7L/100km. My better score is 8.3L/100km :thumbup:(but for this, you have to never touch the right pedal ;) )

I've have the sports pack fitted and get about 10 litres/100kms on average but I have a heavy right foot. My DPchip box is set to No.7 at the moment which tends to chew fuel a little and jerky with the power, but, plenty of power! :D

Cheers,

Hi all
I asked the same question to DPChip yesterday and here is their replay when playing around with the setting.

Hi Sam,

thanks for the positive feedback. The DPChip is changing both fuel and timing, in essence it is optimising the fuel system and the power and torque increases are a byproduct of an efficiently running fuel system. Fuels savings can also be achived by this depemnding on driving style. Many other chips only change fuel and in a diesel, yes you can just add more fuel and you will get more power however you are not being efficient this ay. We aim to have the vehicle running to optimum and power and torque will follow this.

Changing the settings moves the whole programming up or down 1 or 2% each notch. 0 is off. perhaps instead of 1 - 9 it might be better to think of it as -4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 with 0 being our setting of 5 in the middle +4 = 9. You can see we have some room to move and this is usefull as each vehicle is different. Feel free to adjust it up, depending on your vehicle you will get various results. Some (same vehicle type same build date) may easily cope with setting of 9 while others may only get to 6 or 7 before they get black smoke. Each vehicle is different. If you go to far you will either get smoke or a warning light or at worst the vehicle goes into limp home mode. This is a sign to turn it back. Your vehicles operational safety systems remain intact that is what makes our system so safe. There is only a few percent difference between 5 and 9 so feel free to experiment with those settings. I find on my Nissan the best for my vehicle for power and economy is actually 3. Try a few tanks of fuel on each setting and take notes to see whats best for your vehicle.

530d is the same chip..DP-31. Our figures show both have 480kw before to 525kw after so Im assuming the same engine but would have to ask our technician. Yes, the chip could be swapped between the two vehicles.

I hope these answers have helped.

If you have any further enquiries please don't hesitate to contact us.

regards,

DPChip - The Diesel Power Chip
More Power - More Torque - Better Economy
http://www.dpchip.com
Phone: 02 48771022Fax: 02 48771239

Hope this info is useful to some

Hey AUSSIE-X5
It could be that we have the same driving patterns thus explaining why our consumption is higher than most drivers. Does ur service indicator tells u to bring ur X5 in for service earlier than it is suppose to:confused: ? My service indicator always tells me to take it in around about 15000k/s where it suppose to be around 20000ks according to sales rep. Service tech told me that indicator changes according to driving style therefore he said that I must push the engine quite hard hence the indicator recognizes that an earlier oil change is required:rolleyes: . Verg smart service indicator i might add.

I have tried setting 7 today. I feel that the engine is more powerful at higher rev compared to 5 but not much is happening at lower revs. Is that the same for u AUSSIE-X5? I will try setting 3 in the next few days to see if it saves more fuel.

cheers guys:thumbup:

Sorry about the late reply brother X'er,

Thanks for posting the DPchip email. It does help understand how they work. We may have slightly different engines as is the norm. with the BMW diesels. On No.7 I get a lot of low rev torque and pulls hard all the way up with a little harshness though. Also the tranny seams to get a bit confused and is not as smooth as it should be. I will drop it down to No.5 for a week and see how it feels. The fuel saving is not a high priority with me because I just enjoy the performance of these amazing engines. :thumbup:

Cheers,

Anyone tried a 0-100 kph/0-60 mph test on their chipped diesels?
I tried a test on mine last night, and are quiet happy with the results:thumbup:


This is what I got with some wheelspin in the start:
http://img450.imageshack.us/img450/5866/dsc00911kh1.jpg

Wow... I knew it was quick but 7.21s....:wow: With that result, your should be over the moon:rofl: I mean it only averages ~10L/100k for most ppl but it performs better than a V8. Man, I should time my too.

Is it the same type of chip?

:wow: wheelspin!!!! oh maaaan that's amazing!! makes me want to get one sooner :excited: .
will this mod void my warranty?

Have you ever tested the face-lift model? Do you think that with the chip unit the 2003 x5 is faster than the facelift? I'm curious

HI cimbro,
The face lifted model will perform better with a chip compared to my model as there is a +30 Bhp difference standard.

My chiped 2003 will out perform a standard face lifted model with no troubles though.

Cheers

It shouldn't void ur warrenty becoz BMW can not trace it. It intercepts the signal from ecu to engine and remaps it to a different setting. It then re-feed the new setting back into the engine therefore there is no changing the chips or original setting in the computer therefore BMW service tech would not know that anything is done. Ofcause u need to unplug the chip when u take it in for service:rolleyes: . I just leave it in my X5 all the time even during service and repaires. But I would unplug it if ur X3 still has warrenty just to be safe.

If u really dont think it is right for u, just return it to dpchip. They have a 30day satisfactory warrenty anyway. BUt belive me, u will keep it in there once u have installed it. And I don't think I have heard anyone blowing up their engine due to chipping their Bimmers therefore I think it is very safe:thumbup: .

might come down to brissy and shop around ;) it would be nice to do a comparison test between your car against mine (stock)... ahemmmm drag race :nanana: . i wanna know how much you'll beat me by :rofl: . which shop in brissy installed your chip?

TJM Geebung installed the chip....is there a TJM store in Gladstone??

nope but theres one at rockhampton. might pay them a visit, thanks mate:thumbup:

I am also planning on getting the DPChips. Does anyone know if they ship internationally ?

I also think something must be SERIOUSLY wrong with my X5.

Its a 2006 3.0d with 4000km on it. I am getting around 12l/100 hw and 15l/100 city. And the hw one is with cruise control set almost 98% of the time which saves a considerable ammount of gas.

Is everyone else getting 10/100 ?

You lot have just cost me: I ordered my DP chip yesterday, and now have to wait until the workshop can fit in an installation, probably after Chrissie!

I'll let you all know.......

Hey Heli,

Just fit it yourself it's easy, or I'll show you how to fit it as I have Friday off this week. BTW have you been doing much fire work this month?

Thanks, and yes: none stop for 3-4 weeks in NSW. But the bungee jumping off the Gold Coast hinterland was quite interesting, too :thumbup:

Heli

How's home town Mt Buller holding up ? ..... look after yourself out there fighting the fires .....my brother's up in Albury doing the same

Good to see a good Aussie presence on this sensational site ..... thanks xoutpost.com

That's some good times you boys are getting with the chip upgrade

I'm still awaiting the 4.6is to present itself in the new year around the same time the new model arrives ..... then the mods will start

Schanck :)

We're providing a helicopter to Ski Lifts for evacuation, today & tomorrow look dodgy, fires on three fronts around the resort. Strike team has been prepping for a fortnight, but the fire just won't make up its mind where it's going! Road closure likely this morning, time will tell.

Are you aware of the ski-cams on ski.com.au?

Good luck to all fighting the fire ... seen it on the news, looks very bad.

looks after ur self guys and be safe:thumbup:

Thanks very much, Aussie-X5 showed me how to install the chip this afternoon, and the difference is already quite noticeable :thumbup:

Much better acceleration, but I'll keep it on '5' for the time being, and maybe wind it up to 6 or 7 in a week when I can tell the difference better. Instant fuel consumption seemed up a tad (I'm on the same drive home with cruise control set), but the overall average is still showing 8.8lt/100km at the moment.

Another week and I'll have a fuller report :)