what kind of gains will i improve on and is it worth me spending $460 for it?

 

Don't Bother

 

what not. would like a more detailed answer...

 

By itself, no, not worth the $460. Unichip promises gains up to 14 HP, but that's with an intake and exhaust. it makes just 8 HP over having just the intake and exhaust. There's cheaper ways to achieve those gains, easily achievable w/ an intake, header, and lightweight pulley.

Also, on the dyno from their site they show a graph of stock, add-ons, and add-ons+unichip. The add-ons were a CAI and cat-back exhaust, and they probably used a stock header. The breathing system is just that, components that work together. It doesn't make sense to have a big exhaust and a restrictive header. There is no data on stock+unichip, I suspect there isn't much it can do on a stock airbox.

Honestly, for a computer you may be better off with Greddy eManage + Plug & Play harness, that will at least be tunable to your specific intake / header / exhaust, other mods setup. it will also scale and be useable if you decide to turbo later. Really though, a computer is not worth it unless you are going forced induction or going high compression natural aspiration by swapping engine internals.

 

well i have i/h/e already on the tc. thought about getting the pulley ut really need guidence as to which route i should take because i am looking to go N/A i got about$5000 put aside in savings but have yet to deside if i also want to buy the stroker kit from BC

 

what will the Greddy eManage + Plug & Play harness do for me???? i am clueless as to the tuning scene and have just started modifying with the basic I/H/E. after that i dunno. HELP!!!!!!!!

 

eManage, AEM FIC, Hydra, etc. all do the same thing with varying levels of manual programmability. They change the factroy signal for fuel and ignition so that you can run leaner or richer at certain points in the RPM band. More expensive ones may also include feedback and use the MAF, cam / crank position, etc. for better operation.

For fuel, you're looking at injector duty cycle. Especially if you switch to larger injectors, the ammount of fuel will need to be regulated. For ignition, it controls the timing, where in the stroke does it spark.

Good luck if you want to go N/A, but for the $$ you will get better performance from a turbo and engine build. The 2.4L doesn't give a lot of room for gains, though it can be done as the Honda guys have shown. Not a lot is out for the tC for all-motor so you're looking at a potential high price tag for custom parts. If you haven't built an engine before and will be getting all the work done at a shop, labor can get expensive quickly and $5k may not cover everything, parts and labor.

You say you're new to tuning, nothing wrong with that, everyone starts as a novice. Just think about walking before you run, and do parts selection so it can be upgraded to fit a more involving build. This is why turbo's are great for tuning. You can start with one at low boost on a stock engine, then upgrade intercooler, exhaust size, injectors, add a boost controller for higher pressure, swap for bigger turbos, etc. to fit your needs and HP application. At higher boost levels you will need to swap engine internals at some point or things will start breaking. It's been pretty well proven the 1NZ-FE will only hold 150 HP on a stock block, I'm not sure what the 2AZ-FE can hold. Check the tC F/I forums for that.

To help with your build, talk with Paul from Dezod or Mike from PTuning. Both are very active in the tC turbo community and also happen to have their own turbo kits available. They do post on here quite a bit as well. Don't go cheap w/ an eBay kit, there is a high probability it will fail early and you'll end up paying more to have it repaired.

 

thanks

 

Is there anyone out there using the unichip with the supercharger?