Corrado Dizzy VR6 Chip - Decoder?

[GTIVRon]

Hey guys.

I have a 92 Corrado SLC (Dizzy VR6). When I bought the car I got it with the stock chip installed (car was completely stock) and a "Autothority" chip thrown in.

I installed the Autothority chip and all was good for over 3 months now. Then recently I started getting a very odd misfire and was running lean. I reinstalled the stock chip and everything is normal again. So I take it the chip crapped out.

Now I'm looking for another chip, and have read all the suggestions to go GIAC. I went to their site, and they have a separate listing for the coil pack VR and the dizzy VR, but don't give a part number or sell them on there. I went to a couple dealers' sites (MJM, FourSeasonsTuning) and they only list 1 item to cover both... So I started browsing the classifieds for distributor specific, but all of them are selling the OBD1 dizzy ECUs with a decoding board... My stock ECU doesn't use a decoding board, and the Autothority chip worked fine for over 3 months without a decoding board....

So do I need a decoding board or not?

Thanks for any insight..

[DUBZAK]

The GIAC Chip comes with the encryption board. Yes you will need it for the GIAC Software, no to using it with other chips.

[g60racer]

Curious what Autothority said about their chip. You did call them, right?

They stand behind their products, in my experience.

[GTIVRon]

I did not call them. Not expecting a warranty because I have no idea when it was originally purchased.

I guess I can give them a call though.

Thanks for the quick responses. I take it the decoder board is specific to only the GIAC chip for DISTRIBUTOR VR6 then, right? I guess if Autothority won't do anything about the chip (and I don't blame them if they don't) then I'll go for a GIAC chip in classifieds. None of the vendors even mention decoder board. Just the same part for all 92-95 corrados.

[a_riot]

Leave the stock chip in. All the GIAC will get you is a slightly higher idle, less mileage, higher gas costs since you have to run premium, and I never noticed any power gains at all. I think a lot of the "gains" people claim to see are placebo effect. They just spent a few hundred on a chip so they believe there is more power to justify the expense. YMMV.

[GTIVRon]

I can't say anything for GIAC, but the autothority made a difference, more pronounced in the lower RPM range. It advanced timing, and it was also smoother. On a log, the stock is \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ and the autothority more like _____________________ and higher.

I'll give Autothority a call.

[DUBZAK]

Leave the stock chip in. All the GIAC will get you is a slightly higher idle, less mileage, higher gas costs since you have to run premium, and I never noticed any power gains at all. I think a lot of the "gains" people claim to see are placebo effect. They just spent a few hundred on a chip so they believe there is more power to justify the expense. YMMV.

Other People with GIAC Software have shown dyno proven power so please do not claim butt dyno numbers and try to use them as hard fact. Had you any issues in the vehicle you were driving adding software does not vacuum fix leaks or worn parts.

I can't say anything for GIAC, but the autothority made a difference, more pronounced in the lower RPM range. It advanced timing, and it was also smoother. On a log, the stock is \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ and the autothority more like _____________________ and higher.

I'll give Autothority a call.

Autothority will hopefully stand up for their product. The GIAC one is proven to be best with Camshafts and the 268 Cam Chip is pretty decent. Although, I run a Techtonics Chip currently.

[a_riot]

Other People with GIAC Software have shown dyno proven power so please do not claim butt dyno numbers and try to use them as hard fact. Had you any issues in the vehicle you were driving adding software does not vacuum fix leaks or worn parts.

Have you got a link? I would like to see a comparison by someone other than the vendor on a stock Corrado VR6. Swapping OEM/GIAC back and forth netted no gains that I could feel. I am not really interested in spending more money on software and premium gas for some theoretical power boost I can't actually feel. What's the point of that?

[DUBZAK]

12 Valve Forum has all the stuff you need for this, I am not doing your leg work for research, but the 12V VR6 Forum is full of data. In fact the 3" MBS Exhaust Car was running on GIAC IIRC.

[a_riot]

12 Valve Forum has all the stuff you need for this, I am not doing your leg work for research, but the 12V VR6 Forum is full of data. In fact the 3" MBS Exhaust Car was running on GIAC IIRC.

I searched around but only found vendors dyno charts. I found a thread from someone asking how to "unlock" the chip after installation since it didn't seem to be doing anything. Sounds like they had the same experience I did.