It is too good to be true. Complete snake oil BS. They do absolutely nothing besides maybe leaning out your MAF sensor a bit, which while increasing gas mileage, makes your car run lean, increasing the risk of knock and engine damage.

If you want better performance, spend $200 or so on an ECU tune that will actually net you more power and/or better gas mileage.

 

if only these were legit

 

You need at least 2, one for each bank. I prefer the original flavor, but BBQ ones are good, too.

Seriously, for NA Forester squeezing more power is virtually pointless. Consider some light-weight wheels with nice tires, it will work better.

Stan

 

The OG's of this forum will agree that Utz crab chips are the preferred brand of Forester drivers. :biggrin:

In all seriousness, check these threads:
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f95/phoney-performance-chips-66508/
Do Performance Chips really work? - Subaru Forester Owners Forum

There are more where those came from, you can find them easily with a search.

 

Get a tune for the FB...

easy and fully reversable.

PM for more details

 

It is an incredible difference isnt it!

 

Indeed, chips are for having with dip, if you live in the US, or with fish if you are in the UK. Other than Pleiads very brave and somewhat risky demonstration, chips should not be placed under the bonnet/hood or under the carpet in the passenger foot well.

 

SCREW THEM!!

Get a Tactrix, talk with ThrottleHappy or with me and get tuned!!

The difference is very remarkably, specially if you use premium fuel.

Although is not needed.

MPG is higher, when cruising or plain driving
Passing power is quite higher, specially going from 30 to 70

I am planning to do some dyno runs shortly.

One thing...In my case, I had to let the ECM re learn the parameters again for like 2 days (actual driving 30 mins or so)

Matt can work out any particular details that you need.
In my case, he re-adjusted the fans to start a little earlier.

 

It would be very interesting to see results from dyno.

Also, do you know results of 0-60 or 0-100 acceleration after the chip?

 

These chips have to meet all of the Federal EPA guidelines for emissions.

Which means that in 99% of your driving they do absolutely nothing as far as the engine goes. Subaru has spent a ton of research money developing their engine management computers and if a $70 aftermarket chip would make such a dramatic improvement, don't you think they'd've figured it out?

What these chips will do, providing you fill up with premium fuel, is tweak the timing and fuel delivery and whatever under wide open throttle (WOT). Under WOT conditions, emissions takes a back seat to maximizing engine performance. Why? Because the EPA views this as an "emergency" condition and the chances the engine is going to be operated under this condition are far and few. And this is were these "performance" chips do all their tweaking and how they can legitimately claim the boosted HP and Torque figures.

The one thing these chips can tweak unrestrained is the transmission. Most cars have automatics these days and the chip can tweak the tranny every which way come Sunday. Why? Because it has *zero* effect on emissions. It also gives the rube who emptied his wallet a sense they are in fact getting that boost in HP. Shifts are firmer, faster. The tranny holds each gear a bit longer and the lockup feature is delayed. It will make the needle on the oh- so accurate measure of HP, the "Butt Dyno", swing farther into the "happy zone" with the *perception* you're crankin' out a lot more go.

Mileage improvements? I seriously doubt it. Again, if the factory could get 10% better mileage using the technology of this chip, don't you think they would've?

 

There is more than adding some timing and premium fuel..
There is a lot of parameters to tweak and improve.

Stock tune is waay to conservative.

 

planning to do a dyno run in the near future.
Sadly no before/after runs

 

I had my old FB25 tuned by Throttlehappy and as above its a good improvement and well worth doing IMO.

 

Thank you for one of the more informative replys to my performance chip? thread.
Although you don't come right out and say it, it sound like I should check it out.
Firmer shifts....will not happen until I let out the clutch. Wide Open Throttle (WOT), I tend to like the feel of the lower rpm torque of full throttle, and not having an auto-trans, means I can get that without a screaming downshift.
As for why I didn't get a turbo in the first place...it dose not come with a 5 speed manual trans, and I love to drive.

 

I just got a performance chip for my 07 forester form a company called powertune. I was not expecting much when I bought it and it's just ok, no crazy increase in HP but it does give it more pep. If you want a little more kick then I'd recommend it but don't expect to gain a ton of hp. The company also put together reviews on their site from customers. Some just talking about it and some doing 0-60 tests with and without it.

 

As noted in one of the referenced old threads, these aren't 'chips', a term that connotes some sort of intelligence; they are simply resistors, intended to fool a sensor by showing it a lower voltage than is actually there.

See this post, the one it quotes, and the ever increasing hilarity that follows:

Phoney "performance" chips

 

Take it out and return it. Ugh.