9 replies to this topic

[nicksuth]

Looking for some info...........

Now my engine is out for gearbox rebuild (thanks Guessworks) I've had space to get under the bonnet and have a look around.

My God it's a little cluttered in there these days (MPi), anyway, to the point.

I found a little box bolted in the corner with "Icon Race Superchip" on it (see similar photo below), is this a bolt on extra or part of the standard MPi supply.

[attachment=56512:Icon_Rac...uperchip.jpg]

PS - the Mini was built to Cooper "S" Works specification ?

[WEBER45]

I have one of these on my rover 400, they can cost around £200 new, increases the bhp by 8bhp on the rover. you can get them reprogramed for about £50. Popular because they plug into the loom or in some cases they are soldered into the loom.

[DaveRob]

Im making a good guess here.....thats an add on...... and if it were me...... Id strip it out..... the MEMS system isnt reprogramable and my guess is that that box is in the cts and/or possibly lambda circuit and screwing around with the standard settings..... THIS IS JUST A GUESS..... but ive never heard of one of those as a standard fitment..... its relativly easy to make the MEMS ECU run rich or lean it out by adding components to the signal lines for the CTS and LAMBDA.... but if you have to send it away for £50 to get it reprogrammed.....what the hell do they know how your engine is running... If you open that box i think you will find a few passive components in their like resistors etc...... their certainly wont be any flash memory or PROMS.. Just my thoughts...but £20 im right...lol

Hope this helps

DaveRob

[Dan]

You can send the £20.00 to the forum funds if you like then.
Icon by Superchips is quite an advanced re-tuning chip for EFI systems. I don't think that JCG were fitting these as part of the S Works upgrade but a lot of people have fitted them to MPi engines to great effect, there was an article in Mini World about how to install them a few years back. The MPi version of the Rover ECU is tuneable I believe, it's only the SPi system that isn't. You don't send them off to get them programmed, you go to a Superchips tuning house and get it done with the engine plugged into the analyser. This certainly isn't an E-bay special resistor-in-a-box.

[DaveRob]

£20 sent.......lol.......... give me your paypal addy Dan..... but I did say this was a guess and hope it was taken as such.......

<makes note in records re MPi tuning data.......... feels educated>

Cheers DaveRob

[minicooper1.3i]

I was going to post about this issue today as it happens. Some bloke is selling this on ebay, and I was wondering about how they worked. I'm sure Sprocket said that the MEMS ECU is unprogrammable, but 'will' self adapt to certain modifications up to a point.

Sprocket....over to you

[samwell]

but I did say this was a guess and hope it was taken as such.......

then why the f£&k are you posting, is there not a big warning about only posting if you KNOW what you'r talking about. And you even "bet" money on what you say being right when in reallity you weren't that confident or you would have paid up.

knobber

[Guess-Works.com]

Yes, Nick you engine has been suitably fettled with a magic wand....

Some very nice roller rockers sit on top of the head... and of course the 5 speed underneath... The throttle body has been modified, and you've found the 'little silver box' attached to the servo.

As you say, it has pretty much every addon you can put on an MPI without actually removing the engine and putting a vtec or R1 in there...

[Sprocket]

but I did say this was a guess and hope it was taken as such.......

then why the f£&k are you posting, is there not a big warning about only posting if you KNOW what you'r talking about. And you even "bet" money on what you say being right when in reallity you weren't that confident or you would have paid up.

knobber

And you are any better. You are being watched!!



The Superchips Icon will only alter the ignition advance. Im not sure if the newer versions are a mapable system where you can alter the advance at any load point to what ever is required, or whether they still work like the age old ones where they only alter the advance by a set amount somewhere between +5 or -5 degrees from the original advance figure, the change is the same value irrespective of the load point. They are said to return drivebility where the engine has been modified, namely increased compression ratio. On the MPI as to date are the only way of improving the situation on highly tuned engines. The SPi, for the price, you might as well buy a fully programable ECU!

Any Superchips dealer should be able to tune it to your engine if you have changed the secification in any way. Minisport being a Superchips dealer, and probibly one of the only places I would take it.

As for the ebay link, id expect that to do exactly the same as the Superchips Icon Race. It most certainly does not do the fueling!!!

[nicksuth]

Now, now chaps, lets not fall out over this?????

It came already bolted to the car so it aint cost me anything, hoever, as I''m sure would all agree, if it's fitted I may as well make the best use of it?

I'll report back if we can ascertain it's "usefullness" !!!!