99CEEFOURTHREE

Was checking out Bekkers website and came across a Powerchips performance chip claiming an increase hp/tq increase total of 329 hp/326 ftlb torque.This chip is $690.00.I figured slap on a evo pully kit for another 10-12hp and thats a 35-45 hp over stock! Anyone have experience/using this chip? I am aware there is not much out there to increase power other than spending insane money on a supercharger and I thought this would be a nice increase.What do you think?

LawRens

powerchip is legit, so you don't have to worry about whether they're a shoddy business or not.

I'm heading in that direction in a few months, after i do all my required maintenance and fixits on the car.

AMS Performance

I hope you do not seriously believe those "claims", Those gains are seriously unrealistic for just chip & accessory pulleys. For software & accessory pulleys you should see 15-20HP def not 35-40HP. Just trying to give you some realistic expectations.

caveat emptor

jumph4x

Expecting anything from a pulley is debatable.

Expecting performance from advanced spark is REAL.

What on earth are you basing your claims off? Expectations from a chip are on a relative basis and NOT in terms of horsepower. That is to say similar engine designs with similar factory fuelmap will experience gains proportional to factory rated crank power (i.e. in %, not horsepower).

So just to be crystal clear: on a high output engine such as the 4.3L V8 in question, an additional 35hp is entirely possible on an engine rated almost 300hp as it constitutes gains of just over 10%. e36 BMW engines get chipped all the time and dyno tested all the time. It is pretty much fact that it works.

I personally own a 1993 BMW 325i sedan, a 2.5L engine that went from 189HP to 210HP, again, slightly over 10% increase. I personally have not dyno-ed my car. But I timed it at 0-60. Others have dyno-ed with 2.5, 2.8, 3.2 and even the rarer 3.0 liter engines.

It does work.

AMS Performance

If you honestly believe you can make 35-40HP from just accessory pulley kit & simple ECU upgrade.... I have a great ocean side property in Arizona I'd like to sell you lol.

It is NOT possible, plain & simple. You cannot achieve those kinds of NA gains on the C43 without doing headers b/c that is the biggest bottleneck on that car. Most ECU upgrades when independently dynoed on a true loading dyno make maybe 10HP @ wheels (if you are lucky). Most accessory pulley kits make 5-8 wheel HP above 5000rpm. So realistically 20 HP would be an optimistic goal for those two modifications listed. If you want to believe the ridiculous 25+ HP claims on an NA engine for just ECU upgrade ... by all means do so but you will be disappointed every time. Just trying to manage your expectations to be in line with reality.

hope that helps,

99CEEFOURTHREE

AMS, Do you offer a kit for the C43 ECU/PULLEY/HEADERS? I visited your website and it wasnt specific to the C43,just the E55. How much is the kit and what real world gains are expected?

AMS Performance

Hello,

Yes, we do offer the C43 Stage 2 Performance package (headers & pulleys). The stage 2 performance package is $1699 w/ free worldwide shipping.

Conservative gains estimate would be roughly 30-35HP for the 4.3L (55s make more obviously due to displacement advantage).

However, its the "meat under the curve" that is the largest benefit of the stage 2. You hit peak torque roughly 1000rpm earlier than stock and peak torque is sustained for a longer period so it creates a much more broad torque curve (especially beneficial on the less torquey 4.3L).

High flow 2nd cats are highly recommended with the stage 2 package (essentially making it a stage 3). The M113 V8s really like the high flow 2nd cats (especially in conjunction with the higher flowing headers). The improvements in sound are also an added benefit as well over the stock 2nd cats which typically fail anyways every 50-60k on avg.

ECU upgrades should always be done last on Nat Asp AMGs, they produce the least amount of power and the stock ECU is so highly adaptive that it can usually automatically compensate for any new modification up to a certain point.

Hope that helps,
~AMS~

ARFNSX

Pardon my ignorance, but what does the pulley do for a NA car?

I thought pulleys only improved performance on supercharged vehicles.

(I know I am about to be schooled)

Thanks

timdf

In order of benefit:

1. On both FI and NA engines, standard size but light weight pulley's result in practically no measurable power gain ie <1HP at best.

2. On both FI and NA engines changing pulley sizes so that the accessories rotate slower for a given rpm causes less parasitic drag on the crank and thus more power to the wheels., but less than 10HP at high rpm.

3. Changing pulley sized such that the SC creates more boost thus more power - power gains can be major in % and absolute terms.

In other forums here and on Benzworld the relative merits of accessory, boost and lightweight pulleys have been discussed ad-nauseum.

You have good taste in vehicles - always fancied an NSX myself....

ARFNSX

Thanks for this information....

As for the powerchip...would that remove the ~155mph limiter?

99CEEFOURTHREE

Yes it removes the limiter.