HP to Dollars.....is it worth it.?

[IamJEEP]

What's a good HP to $ number? JetChips claims 12hp and 10lbs of torque for thier stage one programmer (for the 3.7L). It runs between $230-$300 depending where you buy it. I found it for $230 so that's roughly $20 per hp......Is that reasonable?

Now i have read bad reviews for JetChips, but this is not about reviews, just about hp/$ values.

[Sal-XK]

It depends I guess bro but paying hundreds per 1HP gained is not to bad. Once your really into it and hunting for HP gains that number can turn into thousands for 1HP gained real fast.

[Doc in AZ]

Speed Costs money.... how fast can you afford to go?

12 horse power and 10 ft/lbs of torque... rather than looking at the horsepower gain calculate the percentage. If you had only 12 hp to begin with and were doubling it for that price its not bad. But if you have 300 hp then adding twelve is like spitting in the ocean... you feel like you contributed something but no one really notices.

[strokeZ]

I have a Jet chip. All I can say about it is that it gives me better throttle response. As Doc says - no noticeable difference in HP or torque. If you are looking for cheapest $/HP then you need to look at forced injection. Case in point - the supercharger I installed in my other car gave me 57% increase in HP and a 43%increase in torque. In terms of $/HP it was $48 / HP - now that is real value that you can feel in the seat of your pants. I have looked and looked for either a turbo kit or supercharger kit for the XK - lots of Mopar stuff but no one that has tuned one of these to our ECU's. You can be adventurous and try it yourself OR you can try and get a tuner to do it for you. If I had to guess - and this is just a guess - I would say after the Jet chip, CAI and cat back I might have eeked out 15-20 hp - pretty expensive ponies....

[Sal-XK]

Speed for sure costs money. There will be no plug and play cheap option for your engine.

[strokeZ]

You are right Sal - even if you did find a FI solution for our vehicles, you then have to worry about all the other components that might be effected. I could have gone with a stage 2 or stage 3 supercharger for my other vehicle at a slightly lower $/hp value but then I would have needed to swap the clutch and rear diff to handle that much of an increase. My '07 stock is something like 248 hp - and I would be happy with an increase up to 330 hp - but you either take very small steps for a lot of $/hp or you bite the bullet and pay gobs of cash for a huge increase. I would estimate that a properly tuned FI system would get my 4.7L up to near 400 hp if not more. For our vehicles I would give up top end or 0-60 times for gobs more torque. Can't get one without the other tho!

[IamJEEP]

I totally understand that speed costs money, im just seeing if that was a good number and if it is worth it. Not looking for a dragster here, thats what my other vehicle will be for. Im just looking for a little more (noticable) umph.

So Stroke, you don't think its worth getting the Jet Chip? Did the chip help with mpg any?

[strokeZ]

Hard to say on MPG. I installed it the same weekend as the RR lift and 265's from stock. Of course the stage 1 requires 89 octane so that mixes things up too. I can tell you that going with larger tires I did not see a decrease in MPG. Now that I have the 4" w 285's I am seeing a decrease in MPG - but that's expected. With the RR lift / 265's I could average mid 17's on the highway and around 14 in the city - not bad at all. Now I am getting 16's HWY and 12 city with the 4"/285's

[Matt]

When i look at programmers, i ignore the HP and Tq claims... they're all inflated figures anyway.

You're not going to feel a 10 HP difference, what you will feel (which makes it seem more powerful) is quicker throttle response, firmer shifts, and adjusting shift points... and some other things that do help the engines run more efficient if you have the ability to adjust the fuel trims and such. Unless you're doing other mods that require tuning to adjust for (such as cam swaps, forced induction, etc), the actual power gains are usually a moot point.

So IMO, look at a $$ Vs. Features of the programmer. Get the one that lets you adjust the most in terms of tires/gears/shift points/etc. Almost all of the programmers will increase the throttle response in their "canned" tune since that's probably the #1 SOTP's improvement in driveability.

[Sal-XK]

If it's worth it or not is up to you bro. If you dedicated to getting more HP then you must start somewhere. Maybe check a tuner shop and get someone to write you a custome tune. I think new gears would give you the kick your looking for but that starts all it's own problems right there.

[strokeZ]

Just to fully answer your question IamJeep - do I think it's worth it? Well if I had to do it all over again I would pick up a programmer rather than a chip. The additional functionality with a programmer that Matt_ mentions to me is worth the increase in cost over a chip. Don't forget that with a programmer you can also dial in your tire size to get accurate mph and mileage calcs in the computer.

[IamJEEP]

When i look at programmers, i ignore the HP and Tq claims... they're all inflated figures anyway.

You're not going to feel a 10 HP difference, what you will feel (which makes it seem more powerful) is quicker throttle response, firmer shifts, and adjusting shift points... and some other things that do help the engines run more efficient if you have the ability to adjust the fuel trims and such. Unless you're doing other mods that require tuning to adjust for (such as cam swaps, forced induction, etc), the actual power gains are usually a moot point.

So IMO, look at a $$ Vs. Features of the programmer. Get the one that lets you adjust the most in terms of tires/gears/shift points/etc. Almost all of the programmers will increase the throttle response in their "canned" tune since that's probably the #1 SOTP's improvement in driveability.

The Hyprtech programmer claims to do all of the above but, they didn't make one for the '06s.

[IamJEEP]

If it's worth it or not is up to you bro. If you dedicated to getting more HP then you must start somewhere. Maybe check a tuner shop and get someone to write you a custome tune. I think new gears would give you the kick your looking for but that starts all it's own problems right there.

It's not really worth it to me, at least not 10 or 15hp. If i could find a shop to make me a tune without having to sell them my girlfriend, then i would think it would be worth it. Gear swaps.......ahh, too much of a headache for this vehicle to even think about.

[IamJEEP]

Just to fully answer your question IamJeep - do I think it's worth it? Well if I had to do it all over again I would pick up a programmer rather than a chip. The additional functionality with a programmer that Matt_ mentions to me is worth the increase in cost over a chip. Don't forget that with a programmer you can also dial in your tire size to get accurate mph and mileage calcs in the computer.

Thank you (& everyone else) for your input. I agree that it is best to wait for a programmer with more tunning abilities to come out.

I ordered a speedo re-calculator for my tire set-up, i should have it mid-week, next week.

[Matt]

It's not really worth it to me, at least not 10 or 15hp. If i could find a shop to make me a tune without having to sell them my girlfriend, then i would think it would be worth it. Gear swaps.......ahh, too much of a headache for this vehicle to even think about.

Most shops around here do tunes for equal to or less than what you'd pay for a programmer. Have you tried calling around?

Im a fan of handhelds because I like being able to adjust for tires sizes (which i have been known to change often) and other parameters on my own. But since you're even more limited in options for the 3.7L, if you can find a good local tuner that may be the best bet...

[strokeZ]

If i could find a shop to make me a tune without having to sell them my girlfriend, then i would think it would be worth it. Gear swaps.......

BTW...girlfriends are easier to find than Commanders ;-)

[IamJEEP]

Most shops around here do tunes for equal to or less than what you'd pay for a programmer. Have you tried calling around?Im a fan of handhelds because I like being able to adjust for tires sizes (which i have been known to change often) and other parameters on my own. But since you're even more limited in options for the 3.7L, if you can find a good local tuner that may be the best bet...

This is my next step, going to start making some phone calls.

[IamJEEP]

BTW...girlfriends are easier to find than Commanders ;-)


LOL, you are right but this one is a keeper.