JuGrNuT350

A lot of people seem to be going w/ Ed Wright... Who else makes custom chips & how much are they generally?

Thanks,
-Timbo-

Grim Reaper

Ed does an okay job, but you will get better results if you do it yourself. If Ed had "hands-on access" to your car, then I am sure he probably could make you a very good eprom.

But without access to your car, how can he know the optimal spark curve or fuel curve for your car? The answer, he can't - NOBODY can.

Lastly, for the cost of a custom eprom, you can get all the equipment to do it for about the same price AND you can use it over and over again. The cost can be further offset by the gas mileage increase you can get by invoking Highway Mode.

The best place to start to learn eprom burning is when your engine is not heavily modified. You can "learn the craft" with the peace of mind knowing that you can always resort to the stock eprom as a "backup".

But, whatever you do - DO NOT accept offers from people to burn you an eprom "cheap". There are some unscrupulous people that peruse this board just looking for a "sucker" that is looking for a custom eprom, like you just posted.

This is why I generally just delete posts like this - to save you from these scammers. But I am going to leave this post alone for a bit to let others post their opinions.

Back in the late 60s/early 70s, the guys that had the faster "stock cars" all "tuned" their carbs and spark advance curves. This is REALLY what eprom burning is all about. And no two engines are alike - even with similar mods.

Don't think of eprom burning as some "mystical black art". All it is, is just tuning the engine for the optimal spark curve and fuel curve - and this requires a lot of testing and monitoring - no quick fixes. Burning eproms is only the "method" that must be used on EFI cars - but it is still just "tuning".

And note, it is the ONLY WAY you can "tune" an EFI car. When guys talk about "tuning" their EFI car, generally they are really just doing either a "tuneup" or "a mild mod". But not actual "tuning".

88TPI406GTA

If you just want a chip to get your car running OK, then I would recommend Ed Wright. Overall though, Glenn is 100% on the mark.

I ordered a custom chip from Ed Wright a year ago when I did my 406 swap. The car ran ok, but when I compare the Bin files of a stock-type Bin to my custom Bin, I can see what Glenn is saying. In no way is the chip close to being 100% tuned for my combo. That is what I will have to do myself. Maybe Ed could get it right if I brought my car to him, but that isn't an option now.

I don't know why, but the average hot rodder wants to believe that the chip solution is a simple bolt on item, like a TB. It is nowhere near as simple as this.

My first suggestion would be to start learning about PROM burning. It will take a week of research and can be ongoing, but it is one of the most overlooked areas of the car for tuning.

Good luck!