Rob here! I am no able to provide a small service to the Prelude community with a good source for remapped chips. If your interested, read on...
A Little Background
As I discussed in a couple of threads recently, I've been beavering away in the background trying to sort out being the next supplier of the infamous Spoon chip - aka 'darfsport chip' from the Honda Revolution days and most recently the 'sleepy chip' from this very forum. Since Sleepy's chip programmer packed up over a year or so, the only source has been second hand on the forums and taking a gamble on the ebay ones. I say gamble as, you simply don't know what your buying at the end of the day and the fact they mess with the VTEC point and redlines and call them all kind of manufacturers brand names generally gives you the feeling not to trust them.
Here is a link to the old Sleepy for sale thread on PUK, which shows testament to the Spoon map:
Sleepy Spoon Chip Thread
There is some information in the above thread of what the Spoon chip does and lots of happy customers to boot.
So What Chips Will I Provide?
Well I won't just be providing a direct copy of the official Spoon remapped chip, I also have a handful of other maps. I can also provide you with basemaps for various engine configurations and not just Preludes. These will be mainly for P28/P72 remapped ECU's for Crome / Neptune / ECTune / and many more software.
The main Prelude maps I have are as follows:
1) Original Spoon remapped chip - this is for the 4th gen JDM P13 ECU ONLY - NOW TESTED AND WORKS IN BOTH MANUAL & AUTO ECU's!
2) Copy of a remapped chip by a US company for the 4th gen UKDM P13 ECU ONLY!
3) Copy of a remapped chip for use in a properly socketed/converted P28/72/30 etc ECU installed in either UKDM or JDM Preludes - 4th or 5th gen (5th will require an OBD2 to OBD1 conversion harness). It has originally been mapped using Crome software.
These are the main ones I will be providing. But as mentioned if you find yourself going down the P28/72 remapping route then I can provide you with a basemap chip to run to the tuners.
If you need more info on this I wrote a fairly comprehensive post in my Supercharger build thread about tuning options, here:
ECU Guide
Any queries please PM me.
So what will the chips do?
1) 4th gen JDM ECU Spoon Chip
These are chips for the P13 MANUAL or AUTO ECU as fitted to 4th gen Japanese import 2.2 VTEC’s. They will not work on 5th gens as they run a completely different ECU. It will also not work on any other engine such as the 2.0, 2.3 and non-VTEC 2.2. It will also not work on a UK domestic market 2.2 VTEC due to having different engines and ECU’s.
This has now been tested by Little feller on here - works 100%!Previously wrote:The jury is still out whether this will work 100% on the Automatic transmission Import 2.2 VTEC’s – I’m sure someone will be willing to give it a test???
The Spoon chip is the ONLY chip ever documented to have been made by a tuning company specifically for the P13 ECU. I have seen a couple of JUN ones but no-one has ever verified this (may just be a Spoon copy???). All others you see on ebay proclaimed to be made by Mugen, Skunk2, etc are complete nonsense. Spoon no longer produce these chips and what I offer is a 100% accurate copy of their program.
The advantages:
- Removes JDM 112mph speed limiter
- Gives increased power through improved fuelling and ignition maps
- VTEC changeover reduced to 5,000rpm optimized with the above remap
EDIT - This V2 chip does not raise the JDM rev limit, however I have a V1 chip with 8,500rpm limit being tested, will report back soon!- Rev limiter raised to 8,500rpm
It has taken me a while to get an original off someone and vtecmec has come through for me, and of course for you all.
Here is his original ECU:
And here is his original Spoon chip:
I have made a straight copy of his original and he has tested one of my copies and it's spot on. All who have fitted these chips, sing it’s praises - especially some of the long standing lude owners - Even Dino's (Marc) old 1/4 mile beast eventually ran one of these chips.
Unfortunately, trawling through old posts, I can’t seem to find anyone dyno’ing their ludes before and after. But anyone who has had one will swear by just how good they are – especially for the money.
If someone is willing to actually dyno a before and after comparison of this Chip sharpish I can do a discount.
2) 4th gen UKDM ECU Chip
This chip was originally bought over 2 years ago from a guy in the US for my own UKDM 4th gen Prelude before I moved to the Crome P28 (and now Hondata S300/P28). I was always sceptical how a guy in the states had managed, one, to crack the code and, two, remap it for a UKDM. I never got to install it and test it as the TV repair guy messed up my ECU cutting other lines on the board. However I bought two, the other went to someone on this forum, some may know him - AlanDITD. He got his fitted promptly and dyno'd before and after. Here are the results:
Standard:
With Chip:
His lude already seemed to have made good power with his basic breathing mods of induction kit, ebay manifold, decat & cat back exhaust. While he did not gain any peak horse power, there was clear increased hp in the lower revs. It also hit peak hp sooner in the rev range and managed to hold it longer than the original map of the UKDM ECU. Torque was also improved across the board and a small increased in peak torque. His comments were that the car appeared to accelerate quicker in the lower revs and hold the power longer to shifting. The tuner who ran the Dyno for Alan’s lude also quoted that for the money it was a great improvement to the fuel and ignition maps and would advise all UKDM ludes to fit them.
The advantages:
- Gives increased power through improved fuelling and ignition maps
- Limiter raised to 8,000rpm
- VTEC engagement point remains at factory limit – 5,200rpm
While mine was never fitted, and I moved onto other tuning, but you can clearly see the benefits of installing this chip for the little outlay.
The important bit!
Please read this – while this chip fits a UKDM ECU, it is very specific. It will only fit UK ECU’s with the ECU sticker part number ending in ‘G00’. See here:
It will not fit UK ECU’s with the sticker part number ending in ‘G01’. I am yet to find out what the differences are between these ECU’s – anyone with more information please PM me.
Pic of G01 ECU:
As a further step to confirm your ECU can be used for this chip, please remove the ECU from the car, undo the 5 screws on the lower side and check the chip you will replace which is manufactured by OKI. You need to check it also has the large code of ‘C3’ on it for this chip to work in your ECU. See the picture below for clarity:
Please, everyone check this before ordering as I won’t be responsible if it is wrong.
3) 4th & 5th gen P28/72/30 etc Prelude Remapped Chip
This is a copy of the map that is fitted to my P28. It is only for socketed P28's installed into 4th gens (However it should fit a 5th gen too with an OBD2 to OBD1 harness adaptor). It was originally Dino's before he switched back to a P13 with the Spoon map above. It has improved fuelling and ignition maps, VTEC set at 4800/5000 (hard to tell - havn't had a chance to check it on my Crome program), and an 8,000rpm rev limit. It's fitted to my UKDM, but runs a little rich in places. I think it will be more beneficial for JDM's with the higher compression. Still runs fine in both though - UKDM or JDM's. Gave me some good gains on the dynos and shaved around 0.03-0.04 of a second of my ¼ mile times.. See dyno graphs here:
As you can see I saw peak gains of around 6hp and the power in the high revs picked up better and sooner. This chip does not have the IAB’s (Intake Air Bypass Valves) enabled which shows in my comparison graphs I ran against the OEM P13 chip with IAB’s enabled. The remapped chip was originally run on an engine with a single runner designed Skunk2 intake manifold and would see better gains on the same application on the lower rev range. The chip is currently with Craig at Got Boost Tuning (http://www.gotboost.co.uk). I have had the IAB components installed and enabled on the map. I need to speak to Craig, but assume I can get two versions, with and without the IAB’s enabled.
I have Crome running, so can make the changes and save two versions if he hasn’t already.
So to summarise…
The advantages:
- Gives increased power through improved fuelling and ignition maps
- Limiter raised to 8,000rpm
- VTEC engagement point set at around 4,800-5,000rpm
- IAB’s enabled or disabled
…
…
…
And that’s the main chips offered.
I can provide basemaps for chipped P28/72/30’ etc for other Honda’s if required to. So if you need something specific please PM me.
What will I provide?
The CHIP
I will supply the 28 pin EPROM chip with the map of your choice from above.
If anyone is interested how the chips are being produced, read on…
The type of chip I am using for the remap is an SST 27SF512 chip. These are very reliable chips and appear to be the most trusted format for tuning companies. Pic here:
I am also using a very reliable piece of equipment called a Moates Burn 2, pictured here and it’s associated software:
The SOCKET
I shall also provide a 28 pin socket. The socket allows you to swap chips in the future without the need to de-solder and re-solder. They are a basic socket as pictured here:
Picture of the socket installed into the ECU location:
Picture of the copy Spoon chip installed in one of my sockets (not in the ECU obviously):
You can get improved sockets that allow easier removal and installation of chips. These use a lever that clamps the pins down and releases them if required. I would say these would save some fiddling around time if your changing between the remap and OEM a lot for example daily use and then ‘funtime’.
I won’t be supplying these but they can be purchased on ebay – worldwide search ‘28 pin ZIF socket’. Be warned though you will need the smaller blue item pictured here:
Do not buy the black one above or the pastel green coloured one below:
These are slightly large and may require bending or removing components to physically fit in the ECU space provided.
The INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
The kit will come with full installation instructions, including:
- Removing your ECU from the car and reinstalling.
- Locating the correct chip in the ECU to be removed.
- Correct installation of the socket.
It does not cover the additional work and component changes involved in ‘chipping’ a P28/72/30 for universal Honda use I’m afraid, see the next section below for more help on this.
How do I fit it?
As mentioned above, instructions are included for fitting of the chips to items 1) (JDM Spoon chip) 2) (UKDM chip). But the fitting for item 3) (P28/72/30 etc chip) requires further modifications of the ECU to work universally across the Honda range. Again if you have more questions or queries have a read of my tuning guide in my project section here: Click Me. Or speak to Craig at Got Boost Tuning (http://www.gotboost.co.uk).
Unfortunately I do not offer a fitting service, my soldering skills are not up to the job. If you do not have the desoldering and soldering skills necessary to do the job I suggest finding a local TV/Hi-fi repair shop/man to do the job for you. For someone with the right skills it’s not a big or long job, which shouldn’t cost very much. I personally would recommend speaking with Craig at Got Boost Tuning (http://www.gotboost.co.uk). For the additional cost of the postage you’ll know it’s in safe hands.
If someone on this forum has the skills to bring this element of the service to the table then please shout now!
How much am I charging?
The price of any of the maps above on a chip and including the socket and instructions will be:
£20 delivered
I think it’s very fare considering the gains to be had in relation to £/hp.
The items will be posted in a suitable envelope with padded protection as appropriate for chip/socket pins.
I accept either Paypal or cleared cheque. Paypal preferred.
Paypal address: [email protected]
Please either post in this thread or send me a PM to confirm your order!
Cheers all,
Rob
P.S.
I welcome all comments and feedback in this thread please.