was just reading the k&n thread and someone mentioned a chip on ebay, the guy at the dealer says they have a "chip" (i'm assuming it's from mazdaspeed) that will increase the power by 50+hp i was planning on getting it eventually, several hundred $$$ i think, any truth to this? the guy new what he was talking about, in regard to every aspect of the car and racing cars in general, but after reading about the ebay chip i'm starting to wonder........

 

no chip will add 50+ hp unless you have some large bored V8 where you started with over 350hp anyways... or if you have a factory turbo'd car that has it's boost regulated by the computer like the VW 1.8ts.

I wouldn't waste my time with that BS chip. Even after investing in a true chip (aka Standalone engine management), you can realistically expect maybe 10-15hp max increase on tuning alone.

 

Probably not. First, Mazdaspeed does not sell chips, and second, there is no simple, inexpensive "bolt-on" chip that will add ANY power to a 99+ Pro. You must replace the entire ECU with an OEM MP3 ECU (~4-8 hp) or an aftermarket unit like a Haltech, or use a system capable of totally overriding the stock ECU's output such as a Unichip. The MP3 ECU is "plug and play" but costs ~$1,000; the other systems require extensive wiring and technical know-how to set up, and also cost a lot.

NONE of the mods I mentioned above will add more than 4-8 hp to your car, unless you've extensively modified other things, and it sounds like you haven't. FWIW, there is NO electronic mod that will add 50+ hp to any modern car. The only thing that even comes close are 1.8T VW's and Audis, but they have turbos with computer-controlled boost, and the same rules do not apply to normal N/A engines. The list of newer cars that benefit from chips is VERY short, and the Protege is NOT on the list.

Actually, here's my opinion of what the guy's telling you: