2.8 GIAC TIP and ECU Chip- Review.
04-07-2003, 05:03 PM
#1
New Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
2.8 GIAC TIP and ECU Chip- Review.
Well I finally got the GIAC tip and ECU chip installed in my 2000 2.8Q. I bought the chip through PES. Unfortunately when I went for the install PES did not have an ECU chip available, so they socketed my ECU chip and mailed me the socketed GIAC chip a few days later. Since they did not have the chip in-stock as I expected, they socketed my ECU chip and installed my tip chip with no fees. I thought this was pretty fair of them; basically I cannot say enough good things about Ron and PES. I highly recommend doing business with them!
So, I got to run the car with Stock ECU and GIAC tip chip for a few days. The tip chip was really the one I wanted since I thought the bang for the buck would be best. I am very happy with the result. The change to me was noticeable mostly in full auto mode under normal acceleration. The throttle response seemed much more linear and the lag between 1 & 2 gear is MUCH less noticeable. Under most conditions the car is smoother than stock, although sometime when I kick it down a little it feels a little bit more jarring. It definitely makes the car feel more responsive and I swear it feels quicker off the line- although I think, and my crude stopwatch 0-60 runs would indicate, this is just my imagination. My wife, who thinks I am fool for spending money on these chips, even mentioned that the car felt smoother.
Under tip mode the shifts are quicker, but not as much as the 1 sec to 0.2 sec spec sheet would indicate. I would say that it feels about twice as fast as stock. This is no bad thing! Certainly this makes using the tip more fun.
Adding the GIAC ECU chip into the equation has added a little more fun. The car feels a bit more powerful off the line and the throttle response is again more linear. It has only been a few days and I have not had a high speed run with her, so perhaps the enhancement will be more noticeable in time. However, the effect of this chip is not nearly as noticeable as the tip. Again, my stopwatch 0-60 runs indicate no measurable performance gains over stock- I get 8.8 secs fairly consistently. The car does feel quicker though.
At this time my verdict is:
Tip Chip- Definitely worth it. Cannot understand why stock car didn't come so equipped. For $300 bucks ($250 plus $50 to socket original) this was a very worthwhile upgrade. It changes the dynamics of the car. In my heart I am a stick shift driver- this change really helps bridge the gap between auto and stick.
ECU- My verdict still out. Car does feel better than stock, but not a huge difference. GIAC states 6-10HP- pretty hard to notice the small gains. I guess it depends on how much money $300 is to you as to whether this chip is worth it. I think I may have been better off putting money into my suspension- next on the upgrade list.
I searched and searched the forums prior to buying these chips. Not many people have posted on the Tip and ECU chips in the 2.8. I hope this is helpful to others looking in the future. Nick
So, I got to run the car with Stock ECU and GIAC tip chip for a few days. The tip chip was really the one I wanted since I thought the bang for the buck would be best. I am very happy with the result. The change to me was noticeable mostly in full auto mode under normal acceleration. The throttle response seemed much more linear and the lag between 1 & 2 gear is MUCH less noticeable. Under most conditions the car is smoother than stock, although sometime when I kick it down a little it feels a little bit more jarring. It definitely makes the car feel more responsive and I swear it feels quicker off the line- although I think, and my crude stopwatch 0-60 runs would indicate, this is just my imagination. My wife, who thinks I am fool for spending money on these chips, even mentioned that the car felt smoother.
Under tip mode the shifts are quicker, but not as much as the 1 sec to 0.2 sec spec sheet would indicate. I would say that it feels about twice as fast as stock. This is no bad thing! Certainly this makes using the tip more fun.
Adding the GIAC ECU chip into the equation has added a little more fun. The car feels a bit more powerful off the line and the throttle response is again more linear. It has only been a few days and I have not had a high speed run with her, so perhaps the enhancement will be more noticeable in time. However, the effect of this chip is not nearly as noticeable as the tip. Again, my stopwatch 0-60 runs indicate no measurable performance gains over stock- I get 8.8 secs fairly consistently. The car does feel quicker though.
At this time my verdict is:
Tip Chip- Definitely worth it. Cannot understand why stock car didn't come so equipped. For $300 bucks ($250 plus $50 to socket original) this was a very worthwhile upgrade. It changes the dynamics of the car. In my heart I am a stick shift driver- this change really helps bridge the gap between auto and stick.
ECU- My verdict still out. Car does feel better than stock, but not a huge difference. GIAC states 6-10HP- pretty hard to notice the small gains. I guess it depends on how much money $300 is to you as to whether this chip is worth it. I think I may have been better off putting money into my suspension- next on the upgrade list.
I searched and searched the forums prior to buying these chips. Not many people have posted on the Tip and ECU chips in the 2.8. I hope this is helpful to others looking in the future. Nick
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
KingA4
A4 (B5 Platform) Discussion
6
01-27-2004 02:41 PM
A6-Newbie
A6 / S6 (C5 Platform) Discussion
8
07-22-2002 04:18 PM
mark mahadeo
A4 (B5 Platform) Discussion
0
04-18-2000 05:49 PM
