To all,
Has anyone used an aftermarket chip to increase HP on the 5.0L 385hp jaguar xj x351. There seem to be several on the market that offer their own take on hp, increased fuel economy and lower CO. Looking for something that will not void warranty.
Next step will be exhaust change for additions umph and sound.....

 

Fire, which aftermarket chips have you seen? I'm interested in more grunt for my SC too.

 

Barryf43,
The one I have looked at is GForce High Performance Chips at Wholesale Prices but not sure if anyone has used them or have better suggestions. They don't list one for the xj but through emailing them they tell me rhey do and have successful sales and 30-35 HP and 3-4 MPG for $69.00

 

A but more expensive, but these boostbars seem to be the deal for NA engines, with good reviews:
Boost Bar - $159.99 : KaleCoAuto, Hard to find automotive items!

Or in other words, you can damage your car for less money, am amazed that these guys (gforce) can legaly sell this.

 

Avos, thanks and is there anymore info on where this item goes and what it claims ti do? Just started my reading on these items.

 

Fire, here's a link to a chip review website. I have no idea how legit this website is, but GForce is listed as item 7 with very poor reviews.

Performance Chip Reviews and Testing

I have these Formula Dynamics modules on my Maserati:

Grancabrio Drive By Wire Enhancement Module for Maserati GranCabrio

Performance High Power ECM Peformance Chip

They work great. Significant improvement in horsepower and performance. I will contact them today to see if they can help us with our Jags.

 

There isn’t much to gain with these NA engines, if you’re lucky maybe 20 HP, and that will be expensive too. Your best bet would be with tuners like www.viezu.com, as I believe it is always better to tune your original ECU then to use a piggyback system. Professional tuners (that understand the car well), will also be able to tune throttle response for instance. I have no direct experience with viezu though.
Piggy back systems need to be specifically developed for your car if you want to be safe, and don’t risk your warranty, am not aware of any available for the 5.0 NA cars yet

 

Are you serious? Avos was being sarcastic/joking with the boost bar in response to your inquiry about the GForce chip, which is also a scam to separate a fool from his money.

 

The only legitimate ECU aftermarket module is from Arden. I am not sure where you folks are finding this stuff but do you really believe there is a $69 chip replacement for a $90000 car?

 

Yeah Arden, good option, will only cost 6000 euros for 20-25 extra horses (am still in sarcastic mode in case it isn’t detectible ;-). Hey I have nothing against sponsoring Arden, don't get me wrong.

Just did a quick search, and in the Netherlands I found 1 that can do the tuning of the ECU for about 500 euros and one with a piggyback system for 725 including installation. That is more like it for pricing for the limited power you could get imho.

 

If any of the chips were any good, a bunch of guys in the STR section would have already installed them.
Save your money, they're a waste of time and money and may even do more harm than good on these highly computerized cars.
My only experience with a chip was with an '86 Olds 442. I gained a whopping 1/2 second drop in 0-60 and about 10% gain in gas mileage. Took a couple of years to break even.
Not worth it IMHO.

 

SteveM amd Dochands,
This is why I posted the question. Never looked into these and there are a 'lot' of them out there. To seperate the real from the fake is where I am trying to get. Lots of posts on this forum and again not having done this before, info and reading are great with some leads.
Thanks for the info and I would not install 'anything' until I vetted it. 90K is not that easy to come by when you void and damage your Jag.

 

avos no problem with sarcasm. I speak it too.

The Arden chip and exhaust package will add about $12k and give you about 70 extra HP. A high price for a little push.

I think we all miss the days when cars could be SuperChipped and hand tuned. But just like with our audio systems things are more proprietary all the time.

http://shop.arden.de/jaguar/xj/xj-351-from-2010.html

At least the Arden stuff is tested and approved (in Europe) by Jag.

 

Most parts come from other suppliers that arden uses, and it feels like they try to set a good margin on the base product, and then double it all.


If you mean Jaguar by Jag., then I serouisly doubt that, or what do you mean with that?


In Germany you can have car parts approved by the TUV to have it allowed to be used on public roads, this isn't cheap to do, and you can't get everything aproved. You'll notice for most performance products on their website the text "Export only", which means it is not aproved/allowed in Germany.

 

I've spoken to the Arden rep and he told me they have tuned for Jaguar and there is not a warranty issue with their products in Europe. Only know what I was told and have no way to know the veracity of the information. He did send me a copy of a warranty they offer that covers damage to your vehicle should it be ascertained to be from their aftermarket part.

 

Sounds a bit ofdd if Jaguar would be interested in a tune from Arden, as it looks that Arden isn't able to tune the original ECU and uses a piggyback systems (so add on ecu). You might want to ask what that was for, maybe it was something else.

Haven't spoken about warranty, but the tuners I know in europe also offer warranty on their tunes for new cars, but you wouldn't get jaguar factory warranty if they find out.

 

definitely do not put a chip on your car the risks are too high, as above get someone to tune the ECU program direct and insist on warranty. It is actually illegal to void a warranty due to modifications in most countries. The onus is on the dealer to demonstrate the modification has caused the problem. It's like when shops put up a sign "no refunds" does not make it legal. We use to use vieuz just one of many good options. If you end up plugging something else into your ECU it is not programming they have just sold you a tning box. The later cars now have anti tune software but this can be worked around