The internet is awash with miracle performance-enhancing gadgets for your car, and the Super Obd2 Performance Chip is one that has been making the rounds. If you’ve encountered claims that this little device can dramatically boost your engine’s power and fuel efficiency just by plugging it into your OBD2 port, you might be intrigued. However, before you rush to buy one, it’s crucial to understand what’s really going on.
We’re automotive experts at obd2global.com, and we’ve seen countless products promising easy horsepower gains. To give you some crucial background, we strongly recommend first checking out the detailed reverse engineering analysis of the Nitro OBD2 performance chip scam conducted by quarkslab: https://blog.quarkslab.com/reverse-engineering-of-the-nitro-obd2.html. This Nitro OBD2 scam has been rampant for years, spawning numerous similar devices with different names and appearances.
The SuperOBD performance chip is clearly part of this family. In this article, we’ll dissect the SuperOBD performance chip, revealing its inner workings and whether it lives up to the hype – or if it’s just another cleverly disguised scam. Spoiler alert: if you’re familiar with the Nitro OBD debacle, you probably already know where this is heading.
For further evidence of the Nitro-OBD scam and its many variations, numerous videos on YouTube demonstrate the reality behind these “performance chips”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgXwfBTKLGU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-l9ohTjvkw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdoIjt2mMEQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OIO1tJPEy8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1OmGDE1FLA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytwlDVaFbec. These videos provide visual proof and deeper explanations of how these devices operate – or rather, how they don’t operate as advertised.
SuperOBD Performance Chip: The Amazon Sales Pitch
Let’s examine the claims made on the Amazon product page for the SuperOBD2 Tuning Chip. The marketing boasts: “Super OBD2 is a Plug & Drive Ready device to function the increasing the performance of engine. Super OBD2 is easy to install. Just plug it into the OBD2 connector of cars. Super OBD2 fits all car from the year of 1996. It works based OBD2 protocols as remaping the Car’s computer ECU. After driving 200 km road total, Super OBD2 adjusts itself to the car,according to the drivers’ habits and always keeps remaping the ECU to increase the performance of engine. What does Super OBD2 make? According to your driving habits, Super OBD2 makes new map in the car’s computer ECU to increase the performance of your car. As you driving much more KM/Mile, it renews the map.”
This sounds impressive, promising ECU remapping and performance gains simply by plugging in the device. However, a major red flag is the claim that it “fits all car from the year of 1996.” Legitimate ECU tuning is highly vehicle-specific. Each car model and engine type requires a unique tune to optimize performance safely and effectively. A generic, one-size-fits-all tuning device is immediately suspect.
The Price Discrepancy: Amazon vs. AliExpress
The SuperOBD2 Tuning Chip on Amazon is priced around $35.94. However, a quick search on AliExpress, a popular online marketplace for goods direct from Chinese manufacturers, reveals a dramatically different price point: $1.97.
This massive price difference is a significant indicator. Combined with the knowledge that the Nitro OBD scam chips are also manufactured in China, and the AliExpress listing even mentions “Nitro OBD” in the title, the connection becomes undeniable. The Super OBD Box is almost certainly related to the Nitro OBD scam. The question is: how closely related?
Identical Packaging and Installation: A Clear Warning Sign
Sometimes, the most telling clues are right in front of us. The SuperOBD chiptuning box comes in a paper box with installation instructions printed on the back.
The packaging of the SuperOBD box, featuring installation steps on the reverse side.
Take a close look at these install steps. Now, compare them to the installation steps from the original, known scam NitroOBD tuning chip. Do you notice anything strikingly similar?
Installation steps for the Nitro OBD2 scam device, showing near-identical instructions to the SuperOBD.
The steps are almost identical. This strongly suggests that the SuperOBD is not just related to the Nitro OBD scam, it’s likely the same scam in a slightly different box. As the saying goes, “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”
Inside the SuperOBD Chip: Déjà Vu of the Nitro OBD Scam
To confirm our suspicions, we acquired a Super OBD2 OBDII Chiptuning box and carefully disassembled the plastic casing. What we found inside was strikingly familiar – in fact, it was identical to the verified Nitro OBD scam chip.
Here’s a look at the circuit board of a verified Nitro OBD scam chip, courtesy of manocao from mhhauto.com (https://mhhauto.com/Thread-EcoOBD2-and-nitroOBD2-Good-or-Bad?page=2):
Now, compare it to the circuit board from the Super OBD2 Tuning Box we examined:
The similarities are undeniable. Both circuit boards feature three surface mount LEDs, a diode (purportedly for “circuit protection”), and a 5V surface-mounted voltage regulator. Most concerning is the presence of the PIC16F59 microcontroller chip. This chip, made by Microchip, a US company, is a recurring element in Nitro OBD scam devices, as highlighted in numerous expose videos. The PIC16F59 has a minuscule memory size of only 3KB.
This tiny memory is woefully inadequate to store the complex vehicle map data required for genuine ECU tuning. Legitimate vehicle maps typically range from 512KB upwards, depending on the vehicle’s complexity: https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/69265/ecu-tune-file-formats.
While 3KB is far too small for ECU mapping, it’s perfectly sufficient for a simple light flashing routine. And that’s precisely what the Nitro OBD has been proven to be: a light flasher, not a performance enhancer. It’s clear from the identical components that the SUPER OBD2 OBDII Chiptuning Box is simply another iteration of the NITRO OBD scam, possibly with the addition of a reset button for added (but meaningless) functionality. The manufacturer even subtly acknowledges the connection by comparing the reset button to its “earlier cousin,” the Nitro OBD Tuning box:
Real-World Testing: Confirming the Scam
To put the Super OBDII Box to the test, we connected it to a vehicle and drove for approximately three weeks, conducting multiple fuel fill-ups to monitor fuel economy and performance. The result? We observed absolutely no difference in fuel economy, performance, or any other aspect of vehicle behavior. This real-world testing further reinforces the conclusion that the device is ineffective.
The Blink Test: The Final Nail in the Coffin
For definitive proof that the Super OBDII Box uses the same deceptive programming as the Nitro OBD scam, we performed a blink test. We connected both the Super OBDII Box and a Nitro OBD module to a 12V power supply on a bench and compared the blink intervals of their LEDs.
You can see the blink test in action here: https://youtu.be/NzdWdQw2UpQ.
The outcome was conclusive: both the Nitro OBD tuning scam and the SUPER OBD2 Tuning Box blinked at exactly the same intervals! Identical circuit boards, identical blinking patterns – it’s the same scam, repackaged.
Conclusion: Don’t Fall for the Super OBD2 Scam
Our comprehensive analysis, including reverse engineering, component comparison, real-world testing, and blink tests, leads to an undeniable conclusion: the SUPER OBDII OBD2 Chiptuning Box is nothing more than another Nitro OBD scam. It’s a deceptive device that provides no performance benefits and is designed to trick unsuspecting consumers.
It’s essentially a fancy, expensive light blinker, masquerading as a performance upgrade. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on this electronic illusion. There are legitimate ways to improve your car’s performance, but plugging in a cheap, generic chip from AliExpress is definitely not one of them.
Beware of similar scams with different names and appearances. This video shows another circuit board variation of the same underlying scam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB810U7j77k.
If, after all this evidence, you’re still considering buying a Super OBD2 performance chip, we can only offer this response:
