Car:1995 GTI VR6

Version: G-104 chip for OBD-1 Cars (My car has an EA computer)

Cost: $125 from GIAC
$100 (including Shipping/Handling) to de-solder the stock chip and install new chip.

Impressions:

You will notice a significant change from the stock chip right away. Throttle response is more touchy, but not too touchy at all- just right! If you press on the gas lightly, it is just like stock. Anything past ¼ throttle and you’ll really notice how much this chip changes things. The car pulls at half throttle like it did with the stock chip to the floor! The power comes on at about 2K rpm vs. 4K, and it pulls all the way to the redline (and feels like it could keep on pulling.) The car also seems like it has much more power at freeway speeds. All in all, you will feel like your car has much more pull than it did before. As well as an increase in performance, I have also noticed an increase in gas mileage. On an 80 mile trip a few weeks ago, I averaged 28 MPG at 75 MPH! This was with 4 people in the car and the A/C on! Before, I would typically average about 25.8 MPG with no A/C. So far, it looks like I will gain about an additional 30 miles on a tank of gas in city driving than I did before! So about an additional 2 MPG there too. The chip isn’t too aggressive (ie. Doesn’t make your car like a dragster).

According to a sheet I received with my chip, changes from stock are …

1.Rev limiter moved to 7000 rpm
2. Re-mapped fuel curve for maximum horsepower.
3. Re-mapped ignition timing for fast acceleration.
4. Re-mapped part throttle timing for good throttle response and fuel economy.
5. Re-mapped part throttle fuel timing
6. Resting idle smoothed.

Comments:

I purchased the Garrett chip in April. However, the chip wasn’t installed until mid May because I had to desolder the stock chip. (This is only required on 95 and earlier cars with OBD-1 computers.) I thought I would have a local shop de-solder the old chip, but I quickly learned that no one wants the liability of working on your car’s computer. Besides, do you really want to trust the guys at Best Buy with it anyway?! I ended up sending the chip and the computer to Garrett himself, because no one in the Milwaukee area (that I trusted) would de-solder the stock chip. All I did was disconnected the computer (I didn’t open it) and put it in a box with the Garrett chip and shipped it Next Day Air on a Friday. The computer was back to me on Monday with the stock chip out, and the Garrett chip in. Also, my computer is now socketed, so I can put the stock chip back in if I need to! I was concerned about the time it would take for me to get my computer back. However, if you send it in on a weekday, you should only be without it for a day and a half! Apparently, Garrett now has an upgrade for OBD-1 cars (not the G-110). When I sent my chip in, he said it was being tested, so it should be done by now.

Note: You will need to know which computer you have in your car. On the label on top of your computer, you should see a set of numbers with two letters at the end of it. Mine is an "EA" but there are other possibilities. You need these letters to get the right chip for your car.

Bryan Schmidt
95 GTI VR6