Hi, I'm only a new bod here, joined up to find a little info for my '93 diesel Clio, but this topic attracted me simply because I have had some experience with Unichips...
It would seem that there is some confusion over what is available from Dastek, and how it can be fitted. So to clarify...
The old argument with Unichip Vs. Superchip or any other plug in device was one of compatibility. A pre-mapped chip is easy to fit, and can be removed very quickly, but is not mapped to
your engine, so it cannot access 100% of the available driveability/power/torque. A unichip is a seperate piggyback ECU that has to be soldered into the cars harness and mapped on a rolling road. Understandably, this raises concerns over warranty, and over the additional price / time / aggro factor of having it mapped. The end result though, is that your engine will be performing at its absolute best, and be making the most of all the mods you have fitted.
All very simple, except for one thing... The maker of the Unichip, Dastek, finally got its act together. It now offers pre-mapped Unichips, (although it seems to have quietly forgotten its previous USP, and whole point, of being mapped to your individual engine). This isn't such a bad thing though, as many of these pre-mapped units can now come with plug n' play harnesses. Evectively then, Unichip is covering all its options. If you want to get power quick and easy, you can buy a premapped Unichip with a harness and simply plug it in. if you want to go the "proper" route, you can still buy a plug n' play chip, and have it mapped properly by your nearest tuner. So, just because Dastek dont have a map yet for the 182, doesnt mean you cant have a unichip, you just have to have it mapped to your engine, which is in fact the best way to go about it.
This is what I did with my MR2. I installed the chip myself by simply plugging it into the ECU, drove to millways, had it mapped and returned home with a fistful of extra torque, and a hike in BHP form 138bhp, to 156. Not bad for a little 1.8 litre mill out of a Corolla.
During the course of my investigations into the various tuning methods available I spent a lot of time chatting with Jerry, the Head Honcho of Unichip USA, as at the time he was the only one offering the warranty saving plug n' play harness. I think, although I'm not entirely sure, that Dastek Uk have now got their house in order, no doubt helped in part by the fact that I bought 20 Unichips from the USA rather than from them for a Group Buy on the MR2 Roadster Owners Club. It worked out very welll indeed, although, as you would expect some people got better results than others in terms of outright power. However, all were satisfied with the end result. Of all the mods I have tried, the Unichip is hands down the best in terms of bang for the buck...
Below is a pic of what I got from Unichip USA: you can see the Unichip itself, plus a wiring harness. All you do to fit it is unplug the engine harness from your ECU, plug it into the unichip harness, and then plug the Unichip into your ECU. Takes seconds, and is removeable without any evidence whatsoever. Not even a damaged anti tamper seal in sight...
Right, I'll get back to my power steering issues now, and let you hardened RenaultSport nuts get on with it. Dastek have yet to make anything that makes my rattley old mk1 Clio Diesel go any faster...
