We have all heard of Superchips in our lifespans at some
point. Well, at least us motorheads obsessed with squeezing every ounce
out of our engine that we can. Superchips sells and markets vehicle
ECM/ECU/PCM remapping via an installed chip. These are typically good
for a few extra ponies without any major overhauling needed.
The Ford 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, which recently took home the International Engine of the Year Award,
really pumps out a fair amount of power (127 horsepower and 149
pound-feet of torque) for a little 3-cylinder plant. It looks like
Superchips has decided that wasn’t quite enough, as it has recently
released a remapping chip for the 1.0-liter Ford engine that pumps its
power up to 145 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque. It does this
without affecting its 56.6 mpg rating either.
This
chip runs ₤499, which translates out to $713 at the current exchange
rate. $713 for an 18 horsepower and 18 pound-feet increase isn’t too
bad. This is especially true when considering that it has no adverse
effect on the mpg.
This hits home when we consider
that Ford has already told us that the 1.0-liter engine is coming to the
U.S. in 2013, which will likely be in the Fiesta.
Considering the Fiesta hits 60 mph in 8.7 seconds with its current
1.6-liter engine that musters 120 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of
torque, dropping some weight because of a smaller engine and adding 25
horsepower and 55 pound-feet of torque will get drivers a nice bump in
acceleration. That means with this upgrade, the compact Fiesta can
likely hit 60 mph in around the 7-second mark, which is damn good for a
compact hatch.
