Anders.. I saw your post on tt.net about Mines chips. This is a good warning for all with Japanese imports.

 

Japanese aftermarket chips are (usually) designed to run on 100+ octane as this is what you can get at the pumps in Japanland (daaayum!)

 

Some good examples are:

Mines

Veilside

Central Brain

 

When run on NZ or UK spec 96 octane these chips can detonate big time. A number of engines have had holes blown in pistons here or burnt ringlands from majar detonation from these nasty chips.

 

We had a customer with a car in a couple of weeks back complaining of detonation after he tried winding up the boost - the original tuner told him that it was okay to run it at high boost - took us 2 mins to look at the ECU and found it was a veilside computer and told him not to run it at high boost .. he took it back to the original tuner.. he said "nah not a problem, run it high boost".. 2 hrs later the car is on a dyno detonating like f**k and the dyno guy told him to turn it down. Or risk an $8000 engine rebuild.

 

The power difference is quite dramatic. On the Central Brain ECU vs JWT ecu one guy saw a 20 (twenty!) kilowatt increase at the rear tyres when running the central brain on racegas compared to the JWT on race gas.

 

You CAN get the ECU's "retuned..". you need a rolling road/dyno with an experienced operator.. they plug in some nifty gear and bring the timing back to within acceptable levels - you shouldn't need the a/f maps touched.

 

Based on my dealings with the Guys at Racelogic I'd start with them - talk to a guy by the name of Alex Dearden, (mention Rowan from Sonic pointed you in his direction). I'm pretty sure they've got a rolling road dyno and can get make the maps a whole lot less aggressive. OR they can sell you a BLITZ ecu.

 

We do have a stage 3 chip downunder which works with NZ 96 octane, and therefore UK 96 octane.. this will cost you about $200pounds and we'd need the ECU if it hasn't already been socketed. It dynos at approximately the same as a JWT ecu (infact we think just a tad bit more) and has no driveability problems.

 

Rowan Hick

Sonic-Motorsport.com

Auckland, New Zealand

 

 

Thanks Rowan,

 

Our fuel over here is unleaded 95 octane or super unleaded 97 octane although super unleaded is becoming harder to find. I have had a guy with a dyno try to remap the mines chip but the ecu was having none of it! I don't know whether this is a trait of 'mines' or not. The guy also said that the chip was covered in all kind of shit making it almost imposible to remove without causing damage!

 

Is that stage 3 chip 200 dollars/pounds? .. and is it pre-mapped? Does detonation cause gradual damage or is it just the case that if your unlucky it goes with a bang?

 

You'll need to remove the ecu chip and have the board socketed before you can plug in another chip - if the mines chip is covered in epoxy resin then you'll need another ECU (I think I've got access to a 2nd hand unit). If it's just wax and glued onto the board then we should be able to remove it.

 

The chip is approx 200pounds - I haven't worked it out yet, maybe a little cheaper. (can't figure out how to get the damned pounds symbol in their, us Kiwi's have got US keyboards..). Plug it in and go hard (upto 16psi). No re-mapping necessary unless your petrol is worse than our petrol - hardly likely as we get the worst petrol in the world probably 2nd only to somewhere in the backwaters of russia .

 

Most chips can be remapped, it's surprising the Mines is unable to be.. unless it's got a scramble board or something on it (I've never been lucky enough to get my hands on one).

 

Rowan

 

Thanks for the info Rowan,

 

What would it cost for the chip, 2nd hand ecu and shipped to the other side of the world?

 

'Does NE1 want to buy a mines ECU?'

 

When I started to upgrade I found that my ttZ is fitted with a Japanese ECU a 'Data Systems Hiper Chip'. I was unable to find out any information about it but have been running with it for about a year. I always use Super Unleaded petrol and I have to confess I sometimes flash boost to 17psi (I must put slightly bigger boost jets in!)but never run at WOT for long at that pressure.

 

Famous last words: It's held up so far.

 

Jim G

 

Anders - drop me an email, rowan@sonic-motorsport.com I can guess that a complete 2nd hand computer won't be cheap but I'll see what I can find, it's winter here and a number of 300's have been written off so there should be a couple around

 

JimG - not all ECU's will detonate, the 3 I listed are the most common/notorious.. just have an ear out for detonation and if in doubt get it checked by a pro.

 

Rowan Hick

Sonic-Motorsport.com

Auckland, New Zealand

 

JimG,

 

I have spoken to a guy in Japan who purchased a Z running a Mines ecu. When he got it he used the Japanese base fuel (still better than ours) and his car ran like crap. He went to his mechanic who told him that the Mines ecu will only run correctly with the Japanese 100 octane fuel..... and when he put this in his own words were WOW!!!

You may have an ecu that is set up to run the jap base fuel which is probably similar to our super unleaded. My car is running about 13.5ish PSI and sounds like there is a bag of marbles in the engine when heavy with the gas. It even detonates with standard boost and timing retarded to 13 degrees. The timing curve is far too steep. weep weep, sob, sob.

 

 

anders i have found a contact in the uk for mines ecu,s and i think a simpler way than replacing your ecu is to get octane booster as you know i burnt plugs in europe and i think i have damaged something, (im gtclk) on twinturebo.net

let me tell you i got hold of an octane booster made by nos and it boosts your octane by a value of 7 / all i can say is WOW

 

I AM IN SOUTH AFRICA NOW AND CAN GET THIS STUFF FOR NEXT TO NOTHING, ILL GET A WHOLESALE PRICE, FOR YOU

now that im connected to the net it is easier to keep contact,

chat to you later

ps the contact in the uk is 01865863608 (option motorsport)

cheers

 

You are all talking about Octane, but to which standard? In the UK it's RON

 

The US/Canada uses a different Octane rating system at the gas pumps than most other countries, what dooes Japan and NewZ use?

 

UK RON Octane is = US CLC Octane + 4 (approx)

 

91 RON = 87 CLC (Regular)

95 RON = 91 CLC (Premium)

 

 

In Japan and NZ we use the same rating as you english guys.

 

In New Zealand

Regular = 91

Premium = 96 (but of the top petrol companies tested all are well below 96 at the pumps, around 93-94 with very poor quality petrol).

 

In Japan you can buy 100+ Octane at the pumps! Thats why when we get cars over from Japan that have been tuned on 100+ octane they detonate something shocking when run on our pathetic 96 octane petrol.

 

Thats why 300z is finding huge improvements when the engine runs octane booster... as the MINES ECU is tuned for 100 octane petrol (if not more), so running it on lower grade petrol will produce less power through preigntion/detonation. Quite possibly why he has burnt plugs as well, as plugs are going to be the first thing that will get it when detonating...

 

Rowan

 

 

in south africa the octane is 98 unleaded but 102 racing octane fuel is available almost all over the country so it is not hard to get hold of

this is the main reason i want ot keep my mines ecu as when i get the car to south africa in feb next year it will run like a dream