Is a chip and re-map worth it?

[valver_pete]

Just wondering if this is a modification worth spending the money on for a valver? What are the options and what benefits might i see?

[MAXIBOY]

no without other mods really as far as mapping goes. a chip you might see 10% increase.

[Andy]

a good mapping session is always worth it

no point getting off the shelf chips

if you want extra bhp get a williams engine then start from there

[matty]

My Valver came with a Magnex cat back and K&N.

Onw of the best mods I ever did was get BB to fit one of their chips (off the shelf to mods I guess) when I took it their for a decat and cambelt change.

I had replaced the K&N with a BMC CDA as didn't have an airbox and hated sucking in hot air.

Anyway the chip made the car more drivable, smoother in traffic and also took away the limiter which I had previously bounced off a few times.

I think it was one of the most6 worthwhile mods I did on the Valver.

Obviously if getting cams or headwork or 2 litre engine, a further chip or remap would be required in future but some may not wnat to do all that and I would receommend a chip/remap to get the best out of what you have now.

[valver_pete]

Cheers guys, ive thought about a 2l engine but seems a bit too much faff and was wondering what else i could do, currently have a full de-cat system & viper i/kit. Any tips on where to go/what to get, its hard to find anywhere around Newcastle that knows their stuff.

[u33db]

Just wondering if this is a modification worth spending the money on for a valver? What are the options and what benefits might i see?

Not worth it.

You'll get bugger all out of it, not enough to notice anyway especially for the money.

Save your money for a 2ltr, a better car or a drastic mod...i.e. turbo or TBs.

Doing anything else to a 1.8 is pointless.

[matty]

I got 148 bhp and better running with my BBPT chip on my 1.8. Power kicked in lower down the rev range and it behaved better in traffic, smoother to drive and higher limiter which I never bounced off like I did before the chip was fitted. IMHO it is worth it if you aren't going for cams, headwork, 2 litre etc.

You might as well make the most of what you have and a chip or remap should do that.

My BBPT chip was before they all started getting silly in price. Most are off the shelf and not tuned as such to the car like a remap is, some better than others and some copied and sold cheaply that you have to fit yourself.

[richy]

i always thought the 1.8 16v engines were crap tbh, everyone i drove/owned were noticeablly slower then my williams,

but since fitting this fresh 1.8 i have changed my mind, when i fitted it i only had decat/system and a green filter, now it also has a supersprint manifold and is chipped, revs to 7700rpm and pulls hard all the way!

its def a quick motor, certainlty suprises many lol

although i dont think i would cam it etc, going any further i think is more worthwhile on a williams lump, not unless you spend silly money and have a bodied/wild cammed screaming 16v lol

valver pete, if your engine isnt a high miler and you dont want to go down the 2.0 route then get all breathing mods sorted and a chip, as said i wouldnt really look at cams etc

[u33db]

I got 148 bhp and better running with my BBPT chip on my 1.8. Power kicked in lower down the rev range and it behaved better in traffic, smoother to drive and higher limiter which I never bounced off like I did before the chip was fitted. IMHO it is worth it if you aren't going for cams, headwork, 2 litre etc.

You might as well make the most of what you have and a chip or remap should do that.

My BBPT chip was before they all started getting silly in price. Most are off the shelf and not tuned as such to the car like a remap is, some better than others and some copied and sold cheaply that you have to fit yourself.

10bhp?

Are you really going to notice it when you have to rev the arse of it.

No is the simple answer.

[matty]

How do you work out 10 bhp? Was car running same quoted bhp as when it left the factory especiallly several years later? Didn't have it RR'd before so I do not know the gains.

It's not all about bhp but power delivery, chips/remaps can smooth this out and on mine shifted where it came in, making it more user friendly to drive. Before I found it a bitch in traffic, after I didn't. It drove betterso yes I really did notice it.

2 people have found that chips work on a 1.8 in this thread. What were your findings, or haven't you tried, therefore only have an opinion and not fact?

Everyone doesn't have to go 2 litre, or TB, or Turbo, so no use saying that's the way to go for those that don't. Cost of a ship or slightr mods to your existing car over a whole engine swap is vast. Cost for that 10 bhp increase is significantly less per bhp than that of a 2 litre.

I went 2 litre in the end, don't find the kick lower down as much as everyoine says but maybe that is due to the cams and running less torque than some 2 litre people have achieved. Higher end is another story. I still feel the chip and coilovers were best mods I did to my 1.8 for noticable effects once fitted.

[u33db]

Fella, if your happy then fair enough.

My 1.8 had chip, cams, verniers, manual conversion, decat and straight through exhaust. That should easily have pushed 150bhp, worst case, but TBH i hardly noticed any difference over standard.

So thats well over 1k for that lot and not a lot of satisfaction.

This year an RSi lump went into 200 quid 5 campus and it would hand the 16v its arse on a plate...all for a couple hundred quid. Ok, its a good bit lighter but you see what i'm saying...modifying a 1.8 is an expensive way of going quick.

I'm not the only one to say this either.

IIRC Craig/Adams_16v has a highly modified 1.8 16v and after swapping using a standard 2ltr admitted his modified 1.8 would still have hard job against a boggo 2ltr.

The cost of a chip may be slightly less than a 2ltr swap but if you get nothing from the chip then its false economy.

[matty]

Yeah for any head, cams, engine work then you may as well go the extra and get a 2L BE for 300 quid.

But if you are not interested in that extent, like the post originator, then a chip does do somthing for a few quid. Gunnerchips or their equivalent for a F7P can't be bad for 40 notes.

I didn't think the performance was that much better, only the drivability. 1/4 mile or Track isonly way to prove performance whereas drivability can be found instantly.

A bit like adding coilovers or better brakes doesn't increase bhp but adds to drivability, handling etc so doe smake the car better to drive.

[u33db]

I think 'drivabilty' is a bit of a grey area.

And its not a few quid - outside gunner chips its a couple hundred!

I'd reckon on average £33/1 bhp up to a max of 6bhp if you're lucky (output or cost).