Superchips Cortex

[TWG1572]

Has anyone had any real life experiences with a superchips programmer? I've been toying with the idea of getting one for my stock Nissan Frontier, simply because I've heard some decent things about them on other forums.

I understand it's just for fun value, and I'm not going to get from point a to b faster. It does remove the Nissan wide open throttle restriction at slow speeds, and some people have reported 1-2 mpg gains on the economy tune. Me, I'll probably try max power at first, at least till I get sick of it gulping fuel.

This forum tends to be a bit more grounded in reality, vs. some of the other forums where ever new tune/mod/bolt on raises your status. So I thought I would ask the question here.

 

[jdog]

i have a cortex fore my nissan titan it realy woke the truck up i usualy use the 87 octane program and acasionaly the milage program which helps on long trips but not much in town you might look at the bully dog gt i will be bying one next month it does a lot more than the cortex does it is not cheap though

 

[mechtech2]

Electronic tuning, whether a chip of programmer, are great.
Generally, you have to use an upgrade in fuel one or two grades.
It is well worth it for power and economy, though!
So why don't the factories simply program them this way?
Sometimes they do - a Porshe Boxter does not have much room for improvement. But they want cars to use regular fuel, for a bunch of reasons.
Turbo'd cars and truck can always get more boost from a chip. LOTS of power .

BTW, up to 9.0 compression can be maxed out[tuned]with regular. 9 to 10 mid grade, and 10 to 11 needs high test.
These approximations are general guides. If you have a 9.2 CR car, a mid octane tune is probably best, although you can squeak a few more HP from a 93 tune on it.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Tuners are VERY different. Make sure you check out what they actually allow you to adjust.

On my platform a Superchips tuner is extremely limited. Smart Mopar owners run the Diablo Predator software for lots more adjustability.

Then we go to a licensed CMR dealer for a detailed tune on the dyno, even more power if the tuner knows his stuff.

 

[Nayov]

I have one on my '05 Frontier (same engine) and the differerence is substaintial. Not Corvette-like by any stretch but you will notice it; add a cat-back and CAI to double your pleasure.

 

[TWG1572]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Tuners are VERY different. Make sure you check out what they actually allow you to adjust.


From what I have gathered - Uprev, Superchips, Bully Dog, and Hypertech are main chips that are used on the Frontier.

Uprev seems to be considered the best, because it allows you to re-tune based on mods. The other handholds more or less reflect the stock setup. I'm not getting too mod happy, so I was looking at the superchips because it seems to be the one that most people have the most positive comments about. I think the functionality is similar between the two, for what I need to use it for. I do need to sit down with the literature and confirm that though.

 

[TWG1572]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
BTW, up to 9.0 compression can be maxed out[tuned]with regular. 9 to 10 mid grade, and 10 to 11 needs high test.


That's good to know. IIRC the Frontier has a 9.7 compression.

Thanks everyone for the input so far. I'd say everyone appears to be happy with their purchase. Its a decent amount of coin, so I just wanted to get some real life experiences.

 

[mechtech2]

TWG - I just want to make it clear that you can always advance the timing so far so it would knock even with race fuel.
A good tune for mid should be great on the car.
And remember that I did say a 93 tune will glean a bit more.
It's up to you. Some chips have three programs that you can go back and forth with- stock, mid, and high octane.

BTW - Resist the urge to buy the first thing that sounds good on the internet. Do your homework as best you can, first.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
BTW - Resist the urge to buy the first thing that sounds good on the internet. Do your homework as best you can, first.


That's a gem. Genuine good advice on MANY things!

 

[badbrad358]

I'll input on this older topic as well: I have a '06 Frontier SE with the 6 spd manual and I really am looking into programmers right now too. If you are going Superchips my advice is save the money and buy the FlashPaq as it's the identical tuner it just doesn't include the warranty, that's straight from Superchips tech support.

From what I can research the Uprev seems to be the best, particularly the one you hookup to the laptop as it does the best customizing tuning out there and Uprev seems to know Nissan/Infiniti super well. But, I can get used Cortex tuners (must be set back to stock by previous owner FYI) for about $200-250 whereas the Uprev is $500, so is it twice the price better?

Not really sure, doing my homework too and taking my time.

 

[UncleS2]

I bought a used Superchips 3715(discontinued model, works on 03 5.7 Hemi, & 98-03 3.9, 4.7, 5.2, & 5.9 Dodge Truck gas engines) from a member on a Dodge truck forum, it arrived today. Had to settle for the 87 octane tune today- but even that was a noticeable improvement. I don't expect anything to transform my 3.9 V6 ATx Dakota into a speed demon- but I would like less downshifting, a little better performance, and most of all better gas mileage.

I'll probably top off the tank with regular tomorrow, try to get a mileage reading on at least one tank of reg on the 87 tune. Then fill with 93 & try one of the high-octane tunes, either Performance or Towing.

I think this is gonna be fun!

 

[Scott_Tucker]

Most of the perceived power gain on newer cars is from re-calibrating the fly-by-wire throttle. You can make the throttle open wider for a given pedal angle and this gives the illusion that the engine has more power. There is very little power to be gained from changing fuel and spark maps anymore. I used to be a software engineer for Dinan Engineering and this is what I spent all day doing. That doesn't mean they aren't legit products, there are a lot of things you can do with these programmers.

 

[SteveSRT8]

absolutely true.

Usually it's all about improved shifting and reduced torque management