# Engine Chipping



## Tansy (May 11, 2005)

Am thinking to "chip" a 2.8JTD ducato. Are the benefits ,i.e. increased power etc, worth it in relation to the costs? Most "chipping" seems to be around £350 to £450, but on Ebay, somebody is selling a Torqteq unit for £219. Anybody with mechanical know-how care to comment? Thanks


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Never done it meself, but just about everyone raves about it. Very much a worthwhile mod. It might take you years to pay for the thing in better fuel consumption, but how do you measure improved performance and driving satisfaction?

Gerald


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Tansy,

Have you used the search facility on MHF? This is an issue that comes up regularly.

I have a van aaken smartbox, but there are others.

Dave


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

Look also at remapping the engine. I do not know a lot about all this but I have been advised that when you remap you are basically tuning your engine etc to perfection. When they come out of the factory they are all set to standard settings. Chipping is getting more out of an engine than maybe it wants to give and so potentially can cause damage over a long period of time. 

I have a friend who mapped his mercedes car and chipped his hymer. He is over the moon with both.

Logically I guess chipping might invalidate the warrenty and increase insurance costs.

stew


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

gerannpasa said:


> Never done it meself, but just about everyone raves about it. Very much a worthwhile mod. It might take you years to pay for the thing in better fuel consumption, but how do you measure improved performance and driving satisfaction?
> 
> Gerald


Gerald

After having the Van AAken smart Box fitted to my Timberland in April 2005 I decided to do a fuel consumption check on our a 4200 mile trip around the Iberian Peninsula. We normally cruise at about 90/100 KPH (usually the van is fully loaded 3300kgs) and with the cruise control set we found that we did not have to change down for the hills which we would have expected to have change down on before the box was fitted.

I tried to keep an accurate check when refueling, It's difficult at times
when you are trying to fill the tank right to the brim. The 4200 miles on
the continent returned the following:-

Overall 33.08 MPG

Best 36.25 MPG

Worse 27.73 MPG

On a previous trip to France (1400 mile) before the Smart box was fitted our overall MPG was 30.34. I must point out the smartbox was fitted for
convenience rather than fuel economy.

We have got to the stage in life now where we don't charge about anymore, well not often anyway, we also practice defensive driving. We have both found that our reactions are not what they used to be. I have been driving world wide since 1952 and Maureen since 1967.

We consider the smart box money well spent. We use the van a lot (42,000 miles in three years) mainly on the continent.

I spoke to my insurers before the work went ahead and they were quite happy about the modification.

Don


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Thanks for that, Don. Good, definitive information. 2.74 mpg better with the box. I make that over 11 gallons saved - around £50 (continental prices).

My rough estimate says it'll pay for itself in around 30,000 miles, or thereabouts. Usual caveats about using one example, blah blah blah.

Gerald


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Well Don's engine was also in the process of still loosening up, so it might be definitive but it has large error bars if you attribute it solely to the smartbox. People's style of driving, and in particular how they use cruise control, is a big factor, so much so some would see consumption increase, some decrease, even if everything else were the same.

I'd reinforce Don's point about the reasons for buying one. IMHO it should not be for consumption/ economic issues, rather performance and the softer benefits that buys you.

Dave


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

I was just thinking about this in the shower. You're right, of course - we all buy stuff for our MHs which make the experience more pleasurable, without counting the cost or calculating the payback.

Gerald


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

Hi Gerald

_more pleasurable, without counting the cost or calculating the payback_

This idea starts with the origonal purchase, I think :lol: :lol:

stew


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Indeed. I vividly recall passionately trying to get a work colleague into caravanning. He came back to me with a detailed budget for a very reasonable (and probably above average) annual use, and forced me to concede it would be cheaper if he, his wife and 2 children went to hotels instead.

At which point I realised that we may con ourselves that our preferred lifestyle is relatively inexpensive, as things go, but we probably conveniently forget the capital cost (unless it is being paid on finance) and just think of running costs.

So all I could claim at the time, rather defensively then but more positively since, is that if you are considering caravanning or motorhoming on cost grounds, you are rather missing the point......

It is a lifestyle choice, but one worth paying for.

Dave


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

artona said:


> This idea starts with the origonal purchase, I think :lol: :lol:


Hi, Stew

How right you are!

And Dave, it is definitely a lifestyle choice, and it's changing ours - for the better, I must add :wink:

Gerald


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## Tansy (May 11, 2005)

*engine chipping*

Thanks to all for your input. I did do a search for "engine chipping" and "engine tuning" etc, but unfortunately the results came up included everything from Jokes and Trivia to Leisure batteries, 22 pages to look through. It was only after reading Dave's reply and entering "Van Aarken" that what I was looking for came up.

I assume that the search facility on this site has to be pretty word specific.


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

*Re: engine chipping*



Tansy said:


> I assume that the search facility on this site has to be pretty word specific.


By default, it makes a search for any of the words. If you search for:

engine AND chipping

6 threads come up, all pertenent

Gerald


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## Tansy (May 11, 2005)

I just phone my insurance company(MCIA) re fitting one of these chipping units. Their reply was no problem provided that it was fitted professionally and not DIY. OK, says I, would you (insurance co) require written evidence that the work had been done professionally? 
Answer no! 
Draw your own conclusions


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