[MaseratiBoy]

Hey guys,

A lot of people who are in on the group buys have been asking me for my reviews on the various products... As you may know, I bought them before the group buy to make sure everything was legitimate...

I have decided to give the review about the chip first, as it is the one that I installed first, have had the most time with, and have "used" the most (Installed the pads and am bedding them, and havent taken any canyons yet).

The chip is a lot more "unobtrusive" than the picture on the site... doesnt look anything like it at all... On top of that it comes with an equally unobtrusive "bypass" plug (just swap them and everything feels like stock).

The installation was pretty straightforward, and the instructions were very helpful; I installed it myself in less than an hour, with some electrical tape and a bit of solder

The chip makes a very big difference, the car is a lot smoother in power delivery and doesnt "struggle" anymore to raise revs... In fact, at wide open throttle, when I shifted the first time, I literally SLAMMED into my seat (Like in the movies).

Passing is a lot faster too... 60 to 80/90 is almost instantaneous...

One thing I was extremely nervous about was MPG... It isnt that great already, and I didnt want to get 3 miles to the gallon. MPG is still essentially the same... Only lost about .9 mpg (used the gas divided by distance method, not the console) Jeff explained that this is because unless someone FLOORS it, the MPG isnt really affected.

All in all, installation was easy, it is relativly cheap (considering that it is a piggyback, and other companies that just reflash the ECU charge about 2x as much), and it actually works... I told Jeff that he played it down to me... He said it wouldnt be "that amazing"... but after using it... I can say that it is.

Granted it doesnt turn your car into a MC12, but it is VERY noticable.

 

[MaseratiBoy]

Jeff said that if anyone is interested, contact him via the info below and say you are part of the group buy (to get the discount)...

Formula Dynamics
[email protected]
(800) 351-8757

 

[moosety2008]

maseratiboy, could you enlighten me as to what this chip is? how much it costs and what it does? Is it an HP booster? Will it work on my 05 spyder? appreicate your help in advance.

P.S if its reasonably priced and works on my 05, count me in on a group buy

 

[BigFoot]

Well, I am in Japan and can't even change a lightbulb so the group buy, though very tempting, is out of the question

One question though that tickles me is the following. We all know the clutch on the Coupe/GS is weak and gets roasted fairly early. I wonder with the extra torque and hp of the ECU chip what the impact on clutch life is. Is it too early to know?

 

[MaseratiBoy]

It is a HP booster, Torque booster, and trottle response booster

Normally $2295, Jeff is giving it to us for $1595 as part of the GB

 

[RickBullotta]

Hey guys,

A lot of people who are in on the group buys have been asking me for my reviews on the various products... As you may know, I bought them before the group buy to make sure everything was legitimate...

I have decided to give the review about the chip first, as it is the one that I installed first, have had the most time with, and have "used" the most (Installed the pads and am bedding them, and havent taken any canyons yet).

The chip is a lot more "unobtrusive" than the picture on the site... doesnt look anything like it at all... On top of that it comes with an equally unobtrusive "bypass" plug (just swap them and everything feels like stock).

The installation was pretty straightforward, and the instructions were very helpful; I installed it myself in less than an hour, with some electrical tape and a bit of solder

The chip makes a very big difference, the car is a lot smoother in power delivery and doesnt "struggle" anymore to raise revs... In fact, at wide open throttle, when I shifted the first time, I literally SLAMMED into my seat (Like in the movies).

Passing is a lot faster too... 60 to 80/90 is almost instantaneous...

One thing I was extremely nervous about was MPG... It isnt that great already, and I didnt want to get 3 miles to the gallon. MPG is still essentially the same... Only lost about .9 mpg (used the gas divided by distance method, not the console) Jeff explained that this is because unless someone FLOORS it, the MPG isnt really affected.

All in all, installation was easy, it is relativly cheap (considering that it is a piggyback, and other companies that just reflash the ECU charge about 2x as much), and it actually works... I told Jeff that he played it down to me... He said it wouldnt be "that amazing"... but after using it... I can say that it is.

Granted it doesnt turn your car into a MC12, but it is VERY noticable.

How 'bout some hard before and after numbers (dyno, 1/4 mile, 0-60, 60-100)?

My instinct is always to call "shenanigans" on miracle cures, given that a tweaked Trofeo (which can have its engine torn down every race if needed) is less than 10% greater output than stock, telling me that the stock engine calibrations are at a pretty attractive point on the performance/durability curve.

I'm open minded though, assuming there are some specific measures of performance differences. I would also think that any dramatic changes to the engine dynamics would require increased inbound airflow and freer exhaust, making the case that the mods should be done as a set.

 

[flashgordon]

Fd Ecu

There is a dyno run on FD's website if you are skeptical. It shows about 360 RWHP which equates to about 420 HP at the flywheel - that is a pretty solid improvement.

http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/ecu/ecu.php

 

[MaseratiBoy]

yeah, they are the only guys I know that actually post the dyno haha!

 

[MaseratiBoy]

As I understand it, the flip chip option allows the choice between two mappings, e.g. optimised for two different octane ratings.

Does anyone know what the stock QP fuel mapping is optimized for in Canada / USA? I assume Maserati, maps it for 91 as Shell is the official gas of Ferrari, and they don’t make 93, at least in Canada. As Sunoco in Canada does make a 93, I thought a flip chip for 91 / 93 makes sense. Would that be your strategy?

I actually talked to Jeff about this before ordering my ECU chip. I wanted to do the same as you, sort of. I wanted to do 91 octane and fuel economy.

He explained that unless you will be taking the car to the track and using 100 octane fuel, there is no point to do that. I asked him about fuel usage and he told me that it wouldnt really affect MPG unless you were flooring it...

A few hundred miles later: My consol still shows the same MPG and in doing the math (miles traveled/gas used) my MPG has gone down about .7 mpg. And remember that this is all with me being excited about my chip and flooring it at every light ;]

Not bad at all.

 

[QP Sport]

Which Flip Chip Combo is Best

As I understand it, the flip chip option allows the choice between two mappings, e.g. optimised for two different octane ratings.

Does anyone know what the stock QP fuel mapping is optimized for in Canada / USA? I assume Maserati, maps it for 91 as Shell is the official gas of Ferrari, and they don’t make 93, at least in Canada. As Sunoco in Canada does make a 93, I thought a flip chip for 91 / 93 makes sense. Would that be your strategy?

 

[mister t]

OK, total necro-bump on this thread, but I feel that I should add my commentary.

My folks have a 2008 Gransport Spyder Cambio.

Since I'm basically their de-facto mechanic on everything else around their place, I've had the good fortune to rack up well over 10,000 km in that car since they bought it in 2012. So I'm extremely familiar with the car and how it feels.

So fast forward to a month ago. My folks bought the DBW enhancement module when they got the car in Vegas in 2012, but only finally installed it about 3-4 weeks ago.

My dad, who was thinking of selling it, calls me up and says "Ty, I got the module installed and we have a problem... I don't think I can sell it now, I like it so much" lololol.

So I get in it last night, take it for a about a 5 min warm up drive down the highway. I immediately noticed the instant and positive clutch engagement that others have noted.

I see that it comes up to temp, so I burn a U-turn to allow me to do a full throttle run the other way.

I get the car 95% turned around (just a hair sideways still) and mash the throttle in 1st.

AND JUST ABOUT S*IT MY PANTS!!!

We live at 3500ft elevation, so we're 10% down on power from sea level. I've NEVER seen the traction control light up other than the one time I was in Vancouver.

Well man, that dash light up like a christmas tree and it slammed me in the back seat. Two more launches, same thing.

As someone who is intimately familiar with the Bosch ME 7.1.1 programming that the Maserati 4.2 ECU uses, I know that the ECU operating system is torque based and on the Audis that I've been studying, there are often torque limitations placed on the cars for various reasons.

I can tell you with 200% certainty now that a stock Maserati has torque limiters in 1-2 gear and that the DBW module eliminates those limiters.

So long story short, yes, this modification DOES give you more torque (and hence power). It's not just something to sharpen up the throttle response a bit and make it shift faster.

As indicated earlier, the only time I have seen that car light up the rear end like that in 1st was at sea level, so I think it's safe to say that you have a good 30-40+ ft/lbs right at start-up and 2nd gear where it's needed the most.

Problem is that these results won't show on a dyno where you're doing pulls in 4th gear, already fully loaded. However in the real world, where we all live and drive. This mod is worth every red cent.


DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>>>

 

[Myfirstrati]

Love my ECM

When I picked up the car, the tech said "these cars are already pretty well tuned. You may not see much of a difference." Boy was he wrong. Simply put, this is the car I wanted when I bought the car I have. Cannot recommend strongly enough. Don't do it today. Do it yesterday.

 

[masimatt01]

It is a HP booster, Torque booster, and trottle response booster

Normally $2295, Jeff is giving it to us for $1595 as part of the GB

I am never one to complain about price, however, a piggyback device should not cost more than a full custom tune. My Granturismo and Ghibli SQ4 were both custom tuned and each tune was cheaper then your sale price. Also you mentioned soldering? that is a method used in the stone ages of tuning lol I would recommend researching quality software upgrades from companies that specialize in that. You can get up to date high performance for a reasonable price. I just wanted to give my two cents, good luck!

 

[SeanFulop]

I am never one to complain about price, however, a piggyback device should not cost more than a full custom tune. My Granturismo and Ghibli SQ4 were both custom tuned and each tune was cheaper then your sale price. Also you mentioned soldering? that is a method used in the stone ages of tuning lol I would recommend researching quality software upgrades from companies that specialize in that. You can get up to date high performance for a reasonable price. I just wanted to give my two cents, good luck!

I don't know how you could custom tune an older Maserati, the firmware is NLA from the factory, not even Maserati dealers can do anything about the original control units. We just have to run them as-is until they die, and one day they'll all be dead and none of our cars (5th gen QP) will work anymore. This honestly why I will not get any aftermarket upgrade, whether from FD or anybody else, I am too scared to mess with my ECU/TCU because I've already had one go south, it had to be replaced with a used unit. Not rebuilt, used, just literally salvaged from a wreck, cost me $900. Ain't messin' with it now.

 

[masimatt01]

I don't know how you could custom tune an older Maserati, the firmware is NLA from the factory, not even Maserati dealers can do anything about the original control units. We just have to run them as-is until they die, and one day they'll all be dead and none of our cars (5th gen QP) will work anymore. This honestly why I will not get any aftermarket upgrade, whether from FD or anybody else, I am too scared to mess with my ECU/TCU because I've already had one go south, it had to be replaced with a used unit. Not rebuilt, used, just literally salvaged from a wreck, cost me $900. Ain't messin' with it now.

The Maserati Quattroporte (M139) is absolutely tunable. You ship your ECU, just like any other brand. Out of curiosity, I checked my tuner's website to see if they have software for your car and they do:

Maserati Quattroporte 4.2 ECU Software Upgrade (SHIP IN ECU)


With that being said, I am not sure what route you took that would cause issues, but the process is easy. The outcome, from my experience, is phenomenal and I can guarantee satisfaction of the product. I have been using AMR for years and have never had anything negative to say. Again, I am just giving my two cents from my years modifying vehicles.

 

[SeanFulop]

Well see now, that's why I inhabit this forum, to learn great new things.

Thanks for the link and the information. I will probably try out the ECU tuning. In the recent past my problem has been with the transmission gearbox control unit, which died and the shops and dealers have no way of repairing them. Even for fully equipped shops which can download firmware from Maserati, they no longer provide firmware for the older units, and physically they are NLA, forever on backorder at Ricambi or the dealership.

 

[masimatt01]

Well see now, that's why I inhabit this forum, to learn great new things.

Thanks for the link and the information. I will probably try out the ECU tuning. In the recent past my problem has been with the transmission gearbox control unit, which died and the shops and dealers have no way of repairing them. Even for fully equipped shops which can download firmware from Maserati, they no longer provide firmware for the older units, and physically they are NLA, forever on backorder at Ricambi or the dealership.

I would highly recommend it! They are always offering sales and promotions as well, so they are easy to work with.

A big perk with them as well is the fact they lifetime warranty the software, so should you get a CEL or anything of the sort, they will work with you to diagnose the issue.

Let us know if you get the upgrade, I would love to know how the car feels! Cheers