Performance chips??? Do IAT Chips Work?

I have used iat chips on some of my N/A cars in the past.

I have used iat modules from the following company before.

http://www.nextlevelracing.com/

Has anyone used an IAT chip on their RIV?

Do they work well?

Are there any problems using these chips on L67 powered cars?

Is getting the pcm reprogrammed a better solution?

all an iat "chip" is, is just a resistor that makes the pcm think it is colder outside than it really is. i'm not 100% sure, but i believe the iat can command up to 3* timing based on temp. however, if the maf see's less air b/c it is actualy 85* out (when the pcm thinks it's -60*) the fuel and timing will be readjusted anyways.
in short, i dont think they are worth the money anyone charges for them. go to radioshack, buy the resistor for .25 cents and try it. i doubt you will see any gains.

a tunner is a much better solution. do not waste your money on the ebay "chips" get the pcm swap from a vendor, or tun it yourself. what year is your car btw? different years have different options, so you should put your riv's year in your sig to help us out.

what year is your Riv? Put some info about your car into your sig please.

'96 and newer, you can have your IAT table modified by anyone with a tuner and that will do exactly the same thing with more control. If you want to go crazy get a Caspers Timing Commander, which is an 'adjustable' IAT knob in correlation with a special IAT table for a guaranteed good time!

If you look at the IAT table, it will show you that on the riv (a 97 supercharged anyway) the most the IAT chip can do (assuming factory tune) is command the base timing table. In other words, the only thing that our IAT table really allows to happen is retarding timing when it sees a hot temp coming in. You can put a pellet that says its negative 100 out and it will still command 0 advance as it would at 60 degrees.

Other tunes will have different results, of course. Even the GTP's tunes that I've seen can add a few degrees of advance on the stock IAT table.

Quick answer, an IAT chip will do nothing for this car

I can see the desire to do such a mod. The price and ease of installation are appealing. One reason I would never consider the IAT resistor is because we have one of the few cars that actually locates the IAT sensor in the airbox, where it can read cooler, more accurate temps. There is no need to install a resistor, because the IAT can do it's job correctly.

One some N/A cars, the IAT sensor is in the TB or the intake manifold, where it stays pretty hot compared to the actual ambient temp. I can see how a resistor could help in this case. But simply relocating the IAT to the air filter box could achieve the same result with better accuracy.

Commanding too much timing on a supercharged 3800 can actually be dangerous, since we are always on the verge of knocking. If the resistor worked as intended, the extra timing advance could be too much for the intake air temp, creating knock. This could lower power output or chip a piston.

Someone can tell me which (REAL) performance chip could I use for my 1996 riviera and tell me the link on the web if you can

thanks

All of the so-called "chips" out there in the $50-70 range are simply IAT resistor plug-ins, which won't give any real gains on our engines.

The only real performance chip would be a tuned PCM program. There is some information about this for '96 Rivs in this thread:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/series-ii-scans-tuning-pcm-f5/hp-tuners-software-for-96-riviera-t2418.htm

Agreed on the PCM tune. However, as far as the IAT thing, people are paying for this new harness that houses nothing but a resistor on the signal wire to fool the computer as to the actual air intake temp. I had the table that showed temperature vs resistance for the IAT, so I installed a resistor on the signal wire of the IAT to fool the PCM into thinking it was 55* outside. Didn't work so well. Yes, it will add some fuel and timing to the equation, but when it's 90* outside with a smaller pulley, it's not a good thing. The car ran less than par.....Don't waste your money or your time....

I was bored one day so I tried it. Please don't do something like this, it doesn't work....just go for the PCM tune....

thank's for the comment but im not advanced in pcm reprogramming and like I read at :https://rivperformance.editboard.com/series-ii-scans-tuning-pcm-f5/hp-tuners-software-for-96-riviera-t2418.htm

it's look like very complicate to chip a 1996 so I don't want to do it myself

Hello.... Everyone who said that this "chip" is nothing but a resistor is correct. I surmise that it may actually sell because of the idiotic design of the air cleaner (at least on S/C motors.) With the red restrictor/silencer in place, the IAT sensor is very much isolated from the air flow, resulting in heat-soak being the primary input for that sensor. I didn't pull out the resonating chambers on my car, but I did yank that red addition to the air cleaner lid, and I not only got better flow, but my IAT reads something resembling reality...

If someone wants to basically replicate this chip, and give their PCM honest IAT values, all they have to do is to remove the red restrictor in the lid of the air cleaner.

Using performance chips in a car is not a bad idea. Especially when you want performance from your car. Car manufacturers make the default performance the one which will provide long life to car engine. But in actual the car can perform much better than its default capability and by adding this chip you are just opening those extra capabilities of your car engine. It is just like overclocking you computer processor. So this is great.

joshuatim, a few questions:

1) do you own a Riviera, or have knowledge of the car?
2) what is your experience level with modifying engines?
3) you list Folsom as your location. Are you actually in CA?
4) do you represent an online performance chip seller?

I'll go further and simpler... Did you read my post that was right before your post??

You are correct in one aspect: Modifying an engine IS just like overclocking a computer ship: They both cause excessive heat, and will shorten the useful life if not dealt with properly...

Furthermore, even if we assume a resistor could alter IAT sensor input in order to advance spark timing (the premise behind these 'performance chips'), it won't work with our engines, as the PCM is programmed to give no timing advance from cooler air (increased resistance on the IAT circuit). Take a look at our IAT vs. Spark map:



See all those 0s at ambient temps or lower? That means no spark advance. You must reprogram the PCM to benefit from messing with IAT sensor values. Or to say another way, VENDORS OF IAT TRANSLATOR PRODUCTS MUST KNOW MORE ABOUT EACH CARS' SPECIFIC PROGRAM BEFORE MAKING THEIR CLAIMS. These are snake oil products, and should be made illegal. If you own a Riviera, NEVER BUY!!!