Plug and play for extra grunt

As you’ll know if you've ever thought of ‘chipping’ your car or 4WD to get better performance, whether for overtaking or towing, there are two main ways to go.

One is to have a power software upgrade program loaded into your vehicle ECU. While this can work well, it makes it difficult for the owner to return the setting to standard, as the original mapping is over-written and hence not recoverable.

And if the new settings exceed the manufacturer’s original parameters, it could void your warranty.

The other is to install a ‘piggy-back’ chip that, if required, can simply be unplugged, returning the vehicle to its default factory settings.

The other big difference is ease of installation. An ECU upgrade requires installation by a specialised programmer, whereas the ‘control module' of the piggy-back system mounts externally to the vehicle’s ECU, usually inside the engine compartment, and is ‘plug and play’.

Most installations of the latter should take a competent owner, motor mechanic or auto electrician around an hour to plug in, tune-up and complete.

Bowral (NSW)-based Red Dirt Diesel is one of the leading Australian suppliers of the ‘plug and play’ chip system and makes big claims for its cost-effectiveness. How does up to 40 per cent more power and torque, combined with up to 15 per cent better fuel economy, all without exceeding your vehicle manufacturer’s specifications or voiding your warranty, sound?

Red Dirt makes these claims and more for the performance chips that they and their distributors around Australia supply for a wide range of cars and 4WDs, from Alfa Romeos to VWs and Great Walls to Jeeps and Toyotas.

Moreover, they say their tuning chips, while manufactured in Germany, are specifically designed for Australian conditions and the lower grade diesel fuel that we use here.

All that's required is to unhook specific cables in the engine compartment and to plug in the Red Dirt Diesel control module. Fine-tuning adjustments can then be made after the vehicle is driven.

But what about your warranty? Red Dirt say the extra power and torque is generated by a microprocessor inside their module that continually monitors the engine’s performance, adjusting and optimising its air/fuel ratio or fuel injector timing settings to maximise combustion efficiency.

However unlike ECU reprogramming, their chip operates within the vehicle manufacturer's preset tolerances, as its module is connected to the fuel rail via the vehicle's original sensor, which in turn strictly controls and monitors the engine’s functions.

If the vehicle has already been modified, say with a different exhaust system, Red Dirt say their chip will allow the engine to take full advantage of previous or future performance modifications.

To achieve the better fuel economy claimed for their chip, Red Dirt say drivers need to change their driving style to take full advantage of the greater torque, by revving the engine less.

The cost for a Red Dirt Diesel chip module varies with the make and model of vehicle, but is generally within the $795-$2399 range. All are offered with a lifetime parts and labour warranty underwritten by a third party insurance company, not just the manufacturer.

For example, they say that the $2399 Stage 2 chip for a current Toyota Landcruiser 200 TDV8 will increase power from 195kW to 226kW and torque from 650Nm to 774Nm, while the $1299 Stage 2 chip for a Prado 120-50 CRD will take it from 127-147kW and from 410-488Nm.

At the lower end, the Red Dirt Diesel Stage One chip for a Toyota Hilux 3.0 CRD costing $899 will transform the vehicle from 126kW and 343Nm, to 142kW and 403Nm.

As a special promotion, Red Dirt is offering caravancampingsales readers a $100 discount on any Red Dirt Diesel chip by quoting the discount code Oomph on either a website or telephone order. The promotion runs for one month until August 16.

For more info visit the Red Dirt Diesel website.