Ok a chip is exactly that, its a replacement microchip which is programmed to deliver different fuel/air ratios depending on several different factors regarding driving, temperature, engine condition etc.
Normally these chips replace the existing chip in your cars ECU sometimes they just 'over ride' them or enhance them.
Replacement chips:
Does exactly what it says on the tin, you need to remove (unsolder) the existing chip and solder in the new one, best left to a pro.
Override:
These take the output (or input, depending on type) of the existing chip and then override that information, they're sometimes called 'piggyback' chips and often 'plug' into the ECU
the purpose:
Both types of chip discard the factory preset conditons which are set for best economy and make the engine work for best performance (see MORE PETROL ?) the chip (new and old) is 'mapped' or programmed for every eventuality regarding intake air temp, engine heat, cam position etc etc the aftermarket chip has a more 'aggressive' map
Its not really worth 'chipping' your car until your engine can deal with more fuel/air effeciently, so only bother chipping your engine if you are going to add high lift or race spec camshafts, otherwise you'll not really 'use' the chip to its potential apart from a few stray HP. A decent aftermarket Camshaft will put the engine dynamics out of reach of most factory 'maps' hence the need for a new chip.
You only need this when you're racing, not really when 'lowriding' or cruising.
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