Is the Thorton Top Speed OBD2 Cat Performance Chip another internet scam? In the world of automotive performance enhancements, the promise of a simple plug-in device that can drastically increase horsepower and fuel efficiency is incredibly tempting. The Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip, marketed as a revolutionary OBD2 tuner, claims to do just that. However, experienced automotive enthusiasts and experts often approach such claims with skepticism. This in-depth review will analyze the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip, dissecting its claims and revealing the reality behind this enticing product. We’ll draw comparisons to known OBD2 scam devices, like the Nitro OBD2, and delve into the internal components to determine if this chip is a genuine performance enhancer or simply another misleading gadget.
Before diving deeper into the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Chip, it’s crucial to understand the landscape of OBD2 performance chip scams. Extensive research and reverse engineering efforts, such as those detailed by quarkslab https://blog.quarkslab.com/reverse-engineering-of-the-nitro-obd2.html, have exposed the widespread nature of these fraudulent products. These investigations have consistently shown that many of these “performance chips” are nothing more than simple circuit boards with blinking LEDs, designed to deceive consumers into believing they are getting a real performance upgrade.
Numerous videos on platforms like YouTube further corroborate these findings, demonstrating the inner workings and deceptive nature of Nitro OBD2 and its numerous clones: 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 resources serve as a strong foundation for understanding the prevalence of OBD2 performance chip scams and provide context for analyzing the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip.
This analysis will focus on reverse engineering the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip Tuner to determine its true functionality and assess whether it lives up to its performance claims or falls into the category of OBD2 performance chip scams.
Initial Impressions: Familiar Design and Dubious Claims
The Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip boasts a sleek, black, and glossy exterior. However, this design immediately raises red flags, as it bears a striking resemblance to other OBD2 performance chips previously identified as scams. Thorton Chip Tuning, the company behind this product, claims to be “a team of automotive enthusiasts based in Columbus, GA, founded in 2008 with a mission to work with high-performance vehicles.” However, a closer look at their “About Us” page photo casts doubt on their claims of being a tuning specialist.
Image alt text: Thorton Chip Tuning “About Us” page – photo analysis reveals a shop focused on axles and gearboxes, not engine tuning, raising concerns about their claimed expertise.
The image on their “About Us” page depicts workers engaged in tasks related to axles, gearboxes, and tires, with no visible activities associated with engine tuning or performance modifications. This discrepancy between their claimed expertise and the visual evidence raises initial concerns about the legitimacy of their performance chip.
Further examination of the Thorton Chip Tuning website and product photos reveals more unsettling similarities.
Image alt text: Thorton Chip Tuning “About Us” shop photo – close-up showing axle and gearbox work, further questioning their focus on engine performance tuning.
The product advertisement on their website showcases the Top Speed OBDII Cat chip with enticing visuals.
Image alt text: Thorton Chip Tuning website advertisement for Top Speed OBDII Cat chip – product photo highlighting sleek design but hinting at potential deception through visual cues.
However, a closer inspection reveals striking parallels to previously exposed scam products, suggesting that appearances can indeed be deceiving.
Packaging and Physical Similarities to Known Scams
Comparing the packaging of the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip to that of the SuperOBD scam chip reveals almost identical boxes and instruction sets.
Image alt text: SuperOBD vs Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat chip packaging comparison – identical box size and almost identical instruction sheet, suggesting a common origin or deliberate imitation.
The size, shape, and even the instructions on the box are eerily similar to the SuperOBD scam chip. This extends to the chip itself, where visual inspection reveals a near-identical design.
Image alt text: SuperOBD scam chip vs Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat chip visual comparison – lights, button, and overall design are identical, with only color and labeling differences.
The lights, button, and external design of the Thorton chip mirror the SuperOBD and Nitro OBD scam chips, with only minor cosmetic variations in color and labeling. This strong physical resemblance further fuels suspicions about its true nature.
Website Claims: Universal Compatibility and Exaggerated Gains
Thorton Chip Tuning makes several claims about the Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip on their website. Some of the initial claims appear somewhat standard for such products:
Image alt text: Thorton Chiptuning website claim 1 – “tuning chip adjusts to vehicle engine and driving habits after 125 miles,” a common but often misleading marketing tactic.
They claim the chip “adjusts itself to your vehicle’s engine, your driving habits and continues to remap the ECU for optimal performance and fuel consumption” after driving 125 miles. They also assert they are “U.S. sellers,” a claim contradicted by the product’s likely origin.
Image alt text: Thorton Chiptuning website claim 2 – “U.S. sellers” claim, questionable given product similarities to known Chinese-sourced scams.
However, inconsistencies emerge when they claim universal compatibility alongside the need for specific vehicle information during purchase.
Image alt text: Thorton Chiptuning website claim 3 – contradictory statements about universal fitment for all engine sizes and types, yet requiring specific vehicle details at purchase.
They state, “The Thorton Performance Chip will fit all engine sizes and types for your make of vehicle,” suggesting universal compatibility within a brand. Yet, they also instruct buyers to “select the correct Make, Model and engine of your vehicle when purchasing.” This contradiction raises serious questions: Is it a custom-programmed chip requiring specific vehicle details, or a universal chip as suggested by the “all engine sizes and types” claim?
The most glaring red flag is the claim of significant horsepower gains from a simple OBD2 plug-in device that visually resembles known scam modules.
Image alt text: Thorton Chiptuning website claim 4 – exaggerated claim of 40HP gains from an OBD2 plug-in chip, highly improbable and typical of performance chip scams.
Claiming up to 40HP gains from an OBD2 “chip” that looks identical to previously reviewed scam modules is highly improbable and a common tactic used in performance chip scams.
Pricing Structure and Further Scam Parallels
The Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip is offered in three “levels” at varying price points on thortonchiptuning.com.
Image alt text: Thorton Chiptuning Top Speed OBDII Cat chip price levels – Level 1, 2, and 3 chips priced at $29.95, $59.95, and $89.95 respectively, despite looking identical.
Intriguingly, all levels of the chip look identical, despite the price differences. The “Level 1” chip is priced at $29.95, “Level 2” at $59.95, and “Level 3” at $89.95. The dial logos representing these levels bear a striking resemblance to those of another previously reviewed scam, the Chipyourcar Thunderbolt chip.
Image alt text: Chipyourcar scam chip levels vs Thorton chip levels dial comparison – nearly identical MPG and horsepower values across both brands, strongly suggesting a shared fraudulent origin.
While the dial designs have slight color and shape variations, the MPG and horsepower values are exactly the same. The probability of these values being identical by chance is extremely low, suggesting either a direct connection to the Chipyourcar scam or a sophisticated copycat operation.
Internal Analysis: Confirming Nitro OBD2 Clone
To definitively determine the nature of the Thorton Top Speed OBD CAT Performance Chip, an internal analysis was conducted. Upon disassembling the chip, the internal components revealed a familiar design, consistent with previously analyzed scam modules.
Image alt text: Thorton Performance Chip Top Speed OBDII Cat external view – glossy black casing typical of many OBD2 scam chips, masking simple internal components.
Image alt text: Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat chip internal components – simple circuit board with rearranged parts and LED color changes, but fundamentally a Nitro OBD2 clone.
A closer comparison of the circuit board with that of a known NitroOBD scam chip confirms that the Thorton chip is indeed another clone.
Image alt text: SUPERobd NitroOBS scam chip vs Thorton Top Speed OBDII CAT circuit board comparison – identical parts, rearranged layout, and LED color differences confirm cloning and shared origin.
All components are identical on both modules; they have merely been repositioned, and some LED colors have been changed. The chip utilizes the PIC16F59 microprocessor, which lacks the memory capacity to store genuine vehicle maps required for real ECU remapping.
The origin of these identical components becomes clear when examining listings on platforms like Aliexpress.
Image alt text: OBDIICAT scam chip listing on Aliexpress – showcasing the same module available for bulk purchase at low cost, revealing the true source of Thorton and similar chips.
The Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat chip, identical to the Aliexpress listing, is available for approximately $4.32 per unit. Shockingly, Thorton Chip Tuning even uses the same product photo from the Aliexpress supplier on their own website.
Image alt text: Aliexpress listing comparing Thorton Top Speed OBDII chip to NitroOBD – supplier openly admits product similarity and positions it as an equivalent, further confirming the scam.
The Aliexpress supplier openly compares the Top Speed OBDII chip to the original NitroOBD yellow scam chip, acknowledging their equivalence. Further down the Aliexpress page, comparisons extend to other Nitro OBD variants and highlight the “universal” nature of the device, claiming compatibility with both gasoline and diesel vehicles.
Image alt text: Aliexpress comparison of Thorton Top Speed OBDII chip to Nitro OBD Diesel and Benzine versions – supplier claims universal compatibility across fuel types, reinforcing the scam’s one-size-fits-all deception.
This “universal” compatibility for both gasoline and diesel engines further supports the conclusion that the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip is a generic, one-size-fits-all scam device, not a vehicle-specific performance enhancer.
Performance Testing and Blink Test Confirmation
Real-world testing of the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip on a vehicle, driven for the recommended 125 miles, yielded no discernible improvements in fuel economy, performance, or any other vehicle behavior. No noticeable power gains were observed, confirming the lack of any real performance enhancement.
To further validate the identical programming to Nitro OBD scams, a blink test was conducted, comparing the LED blink patterns of the Thorton chip and a known Nitro OBD scam module.
Image alt text: SuperOBD scam chip vs Thorton Performance Chip blink bench test – side-by-side comparison showing identical LED blink rates, confirming shared programming and scam nature.
Blink Test Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9atyTLr5KU
Both the Nitro OBD scam chip and the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip exhibited precisely the same blink rate. This identical blink pattern definitively confirms that both modules share the same programming, reinforcing the conclusion that the Thorton chip is simply a rebranded Nitro OBD2 scam. The blinking patterns, designed to mimic communication with the vehicle’s OBD system, are merely a deceptive tactic to mislead consumers.
Conclusion: Another OBD2 Light Flasher Scam
Based on the comprehensive analysis, reverse engineering, and testing, the Thorton Top Speed OBDII Cat Performance Chip is unequivocally another iteration of the Nitro OBD2 light flasher scam. Initial suspicions based on visual similarities and website claims were confirmed through internal component analysis and performance testing. This product offers no real performance enhancements and is designed solely to deceive consumers. Avoid wasting money on this scam; your money is better spent on a bag of potato chips.
Update: Thorton Superchargers – Expanding the Scam Network
It appears the individuals behind the Thorton Performance Chip scam have launched another website, thortonsuperchargers.com, with identical logos and graphics. This new site, claiming a Tacoma, Washington address (identified as a UPS store), promotes air supercharger turbines and other accessories alongside the Thorton performance chip.
Image alt text: Thorton Superchargers Nitro OBD scam page – website openly promoting the “NITRO PERFORMANCE CHIP” with identical scam tactics, expanding their fraudulent product line.
Notably, this new website openly refers to the performance chip as the “NITRO PERFORMANCE CHIP,” directly associating it with the original Nitro OBD2 scam. They also contradict their previous claims of custom programming by admitting it’s “an inexpensive, universal solution.” Thorton Superchargers has received a “D” rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with customer complaints regarding refund issues and product quality.
Image alt text: Thorton Superchargers BBB complaints – D rating and customer complaints about refund issues and product quality, highlighting the company’s untrustworthiness.
A comparison of the “About Us” pages of both Thorton websites reveals striking similarities in layout and content, further solidifying their connection and fraudulent nature.
Image alt text: Thorton Performance Chip website vs Thorton Superchargers website comparison – near-identical “About Us” page layouts and content confirm the linked operation and widespread scam activities.
Be warned: both Thorton websites are linked and represent ongoing scam operations. Avoid both Thorton Performance Chip and Thorton Superchargers and their deceptive products.
If you are still considering purchasing this product after this detailed exposé, we can only express our bewilderment.
