The allure of boosting your car’s performance and fuel efficiency with a simple plug-in device is undeniably strong. Enter the Super OBD2 performance chip, a product promising exactly that. However, before you rush to purchase this tempting gadget, it’s crucial to examine if it lives up to the hype or is just another scam in the crowded market of automotive performance enhancers.
If you’re familiar with the notorious Nitro OBD2 scam, exposed in detail by quarkslab’s reverse engineering analysis https://blog.quarkslab.com/reverse-engineering-of-the-nitro-obd2.html, you’re already one step ahead. The Super OBD2 chip bears a striking resemblance to this infamous scam, and in this review, we delve deep to uncover the truth behind its claims. We’ll dissect the Super OBD2, comparing it to its scam predecessor and providing a comprehensive analysis to help you make an informed decision.
Numerous online resources and YouTube videos have already debunked the Nitro OBD series as fraudulent, demonstrating that these devices are little more than flashing lights. You can see some of these exposés here: 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.
Our investigation focuses on reverse engineering and analyzing the “SuperOBD2 Tuning Chip” to determine if it genuinely enhances vehicle performance as advertised or if it’s simply another iteration of the OBD performance chip scam.
Super OBD2: The Product Claims
The Amazon product description for the Super OBD2 boasts impressive capabilities: “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 description promises ECU remapping based on driving habits and claims compatibility with all cars from 1996 onwards. Immediately, red flags are raised for those familiar with legitimate car tuning. Reputable performance tuning typically requires custom solutions tailored to specific vehicle models, not universal plug-and-play devices.
Cost Discrepancies: Amazon vs. AliExpress
The Super OBD2 Tuning Chip is listed on Amazon for around $35.94. However, a quick search on AliExpress, a popular source for products directly from Chinese manufacturers, reveals a drastically lower price of just $1.97.
This massive price difference is a significant warning sign. Coupled with the mention of “Nitro OBD” in the AliExpress product title, it strongly suggests a link to the Nitro OBD scam chips, which are also predominantly manufactured in China. The question is, how closely related are these devices?
Packaging and Installation: Echoes of Nitro OBD2
Often, the most telling clues are hidden in plain sight. The SuperOBD chiptuning box comes in a simple paper box with installation instructions printed on the back.
SuperOBD box packaging and installation instructions, revealing a simplified setup process that raises questions about its actual functionality.
Take a close look at these installation steps. Now, compare them to the installation steps of the original Nitro OBD2 scam chip. Do you notice any similarities?
Installation steps for the Nitro OBD2 scam, displaying an almost identical procedure to the SuperOBD, further suggesting a common origin and deceptive nature.
The installation procedures are virtually IDENTICAL. As the saying goes, “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”
Internal Circuit Board Analysis: Déjà Vu
To delve deeper, we acquired a Super OBD2 OBDII Chiptuning box and carefully disassembled its plastic casing. The internal components revealed a startling similarity to the verified Nitro OBD scam chip.
The circuit board of the Nitro OBD scam chip, analyzed by manocao from mhhauto.com:
And here’s the circuit board from the Super OBD2 Tuning Box we examined – the resemblance is uncanny:
Both circuit boards feature three surface-mounted LEDs, a diode (purportedly for circuit protection), and a 5V surface-mounted voltage regulator. Alarmingly, both also utilize the PIC16F59 microcontroller chip, a component frequently highlighted in videos exposing the Nitro OBD scam. The PIC16F59, manufactured by Microchip, a US company, has a minuscule memory size of only 3KB.
This memory capacity is far too limited to hold the extensive vehicle map tables required for genuine ECU remapping. 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 insufficient for map data, it’s more than enough to store a simple LED flashing program – precisely what the Nitro OBD has been proven to contain. The evidence strongly suggests that the SUPER OBD2 OBDII Chiptuning Box is merely another Nitro OBD light-flasher scam, perhaps with the addition of a reset button for cosmetic variation. The manufacturer even draws a direct comparison to the Nitro OBD Tuning box, highlighting the reset button as a “feature.”
Real-World Testing: No Performance Gains
To validate our findings, we installed the Super OBDII Box in a vehicle and drove it for approximately three weeks, meticulously tracking fuel consumption and performance across multiple refuels. Our observations revealed absolutely no discernible difference in fuel economy, performance, or any other aspect of vehicle behavior. The driving experience remained unchanged, further supporting the conclusion that the Super OBD2 has no impact on the vehicle’s ECU or performance.
Blink Test Confirmation: Identical Scam Operation
To definitively confirm that the internal programming of the Super OBD2 is indeed the same as the Nitro OBD scam, we conducted a blink test. We connected both modules to a 12V power supply on a bench and meticulously observed the blink intervals of their LEDs.
Video of the Blink Test: https://youtu.be/NzdWdQw2UpQ
The results were conclusive: both the Nitro OBD scam chip and the SUPER OBD2 Tuning Box blinked at precisely the same intervals. Identical circuit board components, identical blinking patterns – the evidence overwhelmingly points to the same underlying scam.
Conclusion: Super OBD2 – Just Another Nitro OBD Scam
Our comprehensive analysis, encompassing reverse engineering, component comparison, real-world testing, and blink pattern analysis, leads us to a definitive conclusion: the SUPER OBDII OBD2 Chiptuning Box is unequivocally another iteration of the Nitro OBD scam. It’s nothing more than a fancy LED blinker masquerading as a performance enhancer.
Don’t be deceived by the enticing promises and waste your money on this elaborate light show. Your hard-earned cash is better spent on legitimate performance upgrades or quality vehicle maintenance.
For further evidence of the evolving nature of this scam, consider this video showcasing a different circuit board version of the same fraudulent device: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB810U7j77k.
If, after reviewing all this evidence, you are still contemplating purchasing the Super OBD2, we can only offer this final, perhaps blunt, assessment:
