PCR Performance Chip Revamp IAT Performance Chip Tuner Review / Teardown
Before reading further, if you have not already seen the writeup on IAT chips by sequentialtaillights.com, check it out here: http://www.sequentialtaillights.com/dodge/Performance%20chips%20scams.htm
We point you in this direction because these ‘IAT performance chips’ have been proliferating on the market for several years, with varying sizes, shapes, colors and logos, but they all are essentially the same thing. From the above sequentialtaillights.com website:
“What it is: 10 cent resistor. Newer models now use a “variable” rheostat (looks like a knob) to trick individuals into thinking it is a different product.
What its supposed to do:
Increase power by fooling the stock ECU/PCM into thinking the incoming air is colder than it actually is.
What it actually does:
Changes the reading of the IAT sensor (intake air temp) to show cooler air then is actually entering the engine. The engine adapts by adding additional fuel to compensate for the supposedly incoming denser and cooler air. This would normally add power, IF the car ran a relatively lean fuel mixture.
Unfortunately this is not the case with new cars. Due to EPA2 regulations, manufacturers now setup the A/F ratios to be extremely rich, especially in the upper rpm’s. Adding more fuel to these mixtures DECREASES POWER and DECREASES MILEAGE. The exact opposite effect of these eBay ads.
In closing this post, it is very important that you do not tamper with the IAT or any other sensors on your HEMI engine in hopes of getting “free horsepower”. There is no such thing.
If you run your engine lean you run the high possibility of causing permanent engine damage.
This and other similar scams will continue to draw in the novice and uneducated and these scammers must be making a lot of money from this ruse as its been around for many years.”
To sum this up, the IAT scam is basically a resistor placed across your engine sensor (typically the temperature sensor), which fools your vehicle into thinking the temperature is different than it really is, causing it to dump more fuel into the mixture and resulting in an altered air / fuel ratio. Anytime you have to disconnect a sensor / or place a resistor across it, it is not good for your vehicle. A sensor is designed to send a varying output signal, whereas a resistor only generates a set signal – it’s value does not change.
Once unscrupulous sellers discovered they could sell these ‘resistors in a box’ as ‘tuners’ at a high price, the market has been overwhelmed with them. We provide our analysis below of the PCR (Performance Chip Revamp) chip and reveal what is inside this product.
Reverse Engineering the PCR Performance Chip Revamp IAT Performance Chip Tuner
Tags: Performance Chip Vehicle Tuning Scams Analysis Reverse Engineering PCR Performance Chip Revamp Performance Chip Tuner Scam
This article involves reverse engineering and analyzing the “PCR Performance Chip Revamp” Performance Chip in order to identify if it truly works as advertised or not.
The PCR Performance Chip Revamp Chip comes in a unique looking black plastic case with mounting holes on either side. It is compact and sleek looking, but as we have seen in the past, what is inside is what counts – does it work?
A look at the claims of the product on the website performancechiprevamp.com immediately fuels our suspicions:
A common thread with these scam products are OUTRAGEOUS HP / Fuel Economy gains. This is exactly what we see here – 60HP / 8 MPG gains? Really? This is an extreme claim. As we have seen before, looks can be deceiving!
CASE / PACKAGING
PCR Performance Chip Revamp Case
The kit included the above PCR chip, two wire splices and an instruction sheet. The black plastic case looks solid, but we see two wires coming from the case, so we have a good idea what is inside. Perhaps we are wrong?
What does the PCR website claim about this ‘chip’? Plenty! Here is a screen grab of their claims:
The website claims “each module is programmed to only be compatible for the vehicle it is listed for”. This suggests the PCR chip is programmed for a specific vehicle. While this is extremely doubtful (as a resistor is a resistor and can not be custom programmed for any specific vehicle), perhaps we will be proven wrong when the inside of the module is inspected. The website also claims “if your engine is 100% stock, you should expect to see an increase of 30-35 horsepower using our product. If you have modifications such as a cold air intake system, throttle body upgrades, exhaust upgrades, and so on, you could gain up to 75 horsepower”. These claims are ridiculously high for such a simple upgrade. The truth will soon come out!
COST
The PCR Performance Chip Revamp Chip is listed for $59.99 on the performancechiprevamp.com website. Wow, +60HP power gains for only $60? What a steal!!
In addition to the cost, you can also see the claim repeated of gains in BOTH horsepower AND fuel economy. This is not possible with most simple performance chips. To improve both is usually impossible without the use of advanced vehicle modifications. Either the PCR Performance Chip Revamp chip is a new, advanced circuit which can deliver these seemingly impossible gains, or it is just another IAT scam. The hints we have uncovered up until now lead us to believe this product is just another IAT scam box, but what is actually inside the PCR Performance Chip Revamp Chip?
INTERNAL ANALYSIS
We ordered a PCR Performance Chip Revamp chip and removed the foil label:
Immediately upon opening the case, we saw what looks like a ‘too good to be true’ design – a seemingly empty circuit board with a single integrated circuit on it?
A closer comparison of the integrated circuit ‘chip’ in the above photo proves what we already suspected – this is nothing but a resistor pack in an integrated circuit case:
This is no ‘CHIP’ or microprocessor, it is just a resistor pack which contains qty 8 5.6K ohm resistors! The price above at digikey for qty 2000 of these resistor packs is .60 each!
To confirm, there are only two connections made to this ‘chip’ on the reverse side of the circuit board, which is GLUE GUNNED onto the circuit board with hot glue – how professional!
So we basically have two wires, a black case, a circuit board and a 5.6K OHM resistor. This is the classic IAT tuning chip scam! To prove this, we tested the resistance across the two wires with an ohmmeter:
We were correct. The resistance measured across the PCR chip was 5.57K ohms. This is indeed just a 5.6K ohm resistor! Here is a visual equivalent of what the PCR chip truly is:
The PCR Performance Chip Revamp is LITERALLY the same as a 50 cent 5.6K ohm resistor with two wires and a black box! Nothing more. How about those claims we saw earlier on the PCR Performance Chip Revamp Website? The website claims “each module is programmed to only be compatible for the vehicle it is listed for”. This is now known to be an outright lie, as one cannot ‘program’ a 5.6K ohm resistor for a specific vehicle! It will have the same 5.6K ohm resistance regardless of the vehicle it is installed in!
From these facts, we can clearly see that the PCR Performance Chip Revamp Performance ‘chip’ is just another IAT chip scam and is not what it claims to be. Our first suspicions were correct. We didn’t even connect this to our test vehicle as connecting a resistor across engine sensors is not smart for the long term health of your vehicle. While in some cases it may provide more power gains in the short term (because it fools the vehicle into dumping more fuel into the engine), it can cause long term issues such as vehicle computer damage, sensor issues, check engine lights, etc. Each vehicle reacts differently to this resistor hack, so some users may feel improved power but will have issues down the road – LITERALLY! Some users get instant error codes and check engine lights. We weren’t about to see what we would get. Looking at the BBB page for Performance Chip Revamp yields 19 complaints which the company has not responded to – not a good sign. The BBB assigns the company with a grade of ‘F’!
CONCLUSION
From our research as well as testing we find that the PCR Performance Chip Revamp performance ‘chip’ is just another of the many IAT resistor ‘chip’ scams on the market today. Our instincts early on were correct. Don’t CHIP in your hard earned money for this – you’re better off to buy a BAG OF POTATO CHIPS!
If after all this, you STILL are considering purchasing this product, here is our response:
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Wow, just wow
Thanks for saving me from this BS mate
Thank you for the info convinced me to be more selective on my purchase i knew nothing about this IAT scam
Thank you for reading the article – it helps us a lot to know it saved someone from one of the many scams out there!
Hi what are some good alternatives for wanting to do what the fake chip claims to do?
Almost literally bought this. But is there a honest company with honest claims that actually does work? I am sure others would like to know. I rather spend a couple hundred dollars on something that does work as the claims.
Unfortunately no. Hopefully we will eventually come across a product that actually works. Be sure to avoid any tuning product in the shape of the nitro obd scam – they are all fakes. We would suggest contacting a true tuning company / shop for your vehicle needs
I was just curious what the torque increase and specs on this chip would do for my 1995 Chevy K1500
If you are lucky, maybe a few horsepower at most. If you are not, damage to your truck
So if it’s for a front wheel drive dirt track race car that only gets ran on the track like 10 minutes a week. It would help me gain a little more get up and go, correct? (Considering just getting a resistor and doing it myself though)
Possibly, but you may also risk damage to other parts of the car
I wonder if Austin and Jonathan actually read the article?
I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia 4.7 V8 and I was wondering is there a real plug in solution to give me a little more power reliably
Unfortunately no – all products we checked so far have been scams. We suggest checking a real tuning shop for vehicle upgrades, not an online store.
I didn’t know this I bought one the other day not knowing my gf bought me a sct scraner so I tried to cancel order they told me on 22 april it had already been sent but got an email 26th april saying it had just been shipped I then contacted them again. They said they would email return labels I received product on 29th April still no email I contacted them numerous times they said they emailed me return labels still no emails from them as of May 3rd still no email and when I talked on phone again they told me to pay for return
Sorry to hear this – these clowns get more and more brazen with each passing day. Hopefully you will be able to receive a credit via your credit card company by disputing the charge.
I went to buy it on my pc after looking at my phone for it. AS SOON as I saw the blanket claim of 8mpg and not just for my truck I got disheartened and looked for someone to fact check. You sir have saved another highschooler his daily pay!!
Glad you avoided the scam!!
I got one for my 94 t-bird and after putting it on my car I kept on getting a code and engine light would not go off and could not figure out what was wrong with my car then I got to reading some of the reviews about this performance chip and what it does and it was the problem the chip is junk and not worth buying so don’t waste your money like I did
Are any of these chips any good?
So far – NO!
I want one for my mercedes i have a 2008 s550
Most definitely if you are looking to destroy your Mercedes!
My boyfriend bought one and installed it and at first it seemed fine. Now his clutch goes all the way to the floor and his check engine light came on so he had it tested. It said a bad O2 sensor and catalytic converter, so today he decided to Uninstaller the chip, especially after seeing all of the reviews here. He started his car and every light on the dashboard is on. Could this be due to this chip being that it was hooked up for a few weeks?
Yes it can definitely be related as this scam can damage multiple vehicle systems.
I bought it before I saw this review. You are correct. Check engine light came on, went from 25mpg to 18 these things are junk.
Unfortunately i also bought one for my 99 Tahoe the only fortunate thing in my situation is i have not installed it thankfully i found this article and reviews first but now since so many are being scammed what can we the consumer do to ( 1 ) get our money back and ( 2) shut these cons, scammers whatever down so that others don’t get burned i guess research right now is our only Defense . And thank you to the researchers on this one i will definitely educate myself and do more research in the future
They do not return email or calls. There instructions conterdic application. Obviously hoping you mess up the install. Scam company can’t wait to destroy social media with their fraud
unbelievable. A friend of mine bought a different product and gained mpg. we didn’t know about this product till today. TRIED to hook it up and got no support on installation and the instructions were incorrect while looking for support and saw your website and found out the REAL story. WISH ME LUCK I’m sending it back — hopefully I’ll get a refund!!
I wish I had seen this review before buying one of these! I’m one of the suckers that got taken by these guys, I bought it mostly to improve gas mileage but it actually decrease it instead! I’ve sent them emails and tried to call them but got a voicemail. I did notice a slight increase in throttle response but that’s about it. We all need to turn these guys in to the BBB!
I almost bought one of these.I was ready to order when by accident I ran. acrossed this article.Being retired I don’t need to be scammed by someone out to get me.My money only goes so far on social security.Thank you very much for the information.
What do you think on the accel supertuner. Her is the link: https://www.americantrucks.com/accel-superduty-supertuner-49505.html
I was fooled into buying one of these things installing nothing but a decrease in fuel mileage by a whole lot only getting 250 miles per tank of gas that’s about 150 less than I used to get terrible performance when I have the AC on I have no power whatsoever wish I would have read this before I bought it
Today 7/22/22. Ordered this product two days ago. Guess I’ll be sending it back. Glad I didn’t spend more than I did.
I purchased one a year back, a few months ago my check engine light came on and through a gas cap code. I Uninstaller it and reset my CE light and all is good. My truck was running like crap and it would almost seem like my tranny was slipping. When I floored it, it would take a minute for my engine to respond then my RPM’s would almost top out before it changed gears. Horrible product do not buy. Wish I found this thread before I bought it. $60 bucks down the hole! Report these turds to the BBB!
not that I am saying it would actually work, but you obviously don’t know the difference between a simple resistor and an integrated circuit. Which is what you are showing is what is inside the box.
Did you actually read the article or do you work for PCR trying to do damage control? The shape of the ic does not matter, it’s what is inside it that matters. DIP-16 parts can have several different internal components, some are optoisolators, some are true integrated circuits like op amps, etc, but this part shown is a RESISTOR PACK inside a DIP-16 package. Whoever put this in the PCR ‘chip’ was trying to con people into thinking it was a real ic. If they had used just a regular thru-hole resistor, most people would recognize that. It’s deception, plain and simple.
HOW DO I RETRURN THIS UNIT FOR A REFUND? I TRIED TO CANCEL THE ORDER AS SOON AS I PLACED IT, BUT IT WAAS SHIPPED ANYWAY. HOW DO I PROCESS A REFUNG. THE PACKAGING HAS NOT BEEN OPEN WND IS NEW, AS IT WAS DELIVERED TO ME.
Chip is a scam, does nothing lost my money! Phone number is always busy, will not respond to email. SCAM, SCAM !!!!
I was going to order on Friday.
I’m so glad I seen this!!! I’m on disability and saved forever and ended up with an 01 xterra with only 92,000 miles. I can’t imagine how screwed I’d have been if I installed this and damaged my vehicle. I’d have no way to afford repairs. This information REALLY, REALLY saved me from maybe being without a vehicle in the Texas heat. I really can’t thank you enough.
I have ordered this product from PCR, and it never arrived, tried calling, no answer. wrote 4 messages on their website, no responses. Very frustrating. It feels like a scam. Just hoping it’s not. Will continue trying as this item was paid for and it’s really un-ethical for the company to ghost you like that. Updates on this would be forth coming.