Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Monday March 18, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC General > News & Rumors > Non-Subaru News & Rumors

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-12-2008, 12:06 PM   #1
AVANTI R5
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 73805
Join Date: Nov 2004
Default Product Review: Shark Injector



Quote:
The full-page ad copy shouted, “I will boost your horsepower & torque.” Whoa! With claims like that, I felt personally challenged to test the Shark Injector. It’s an OBD-II connector that overwrites a part of the BMWs DME (BMW speak for electronic control unit or ECU) with its own internal Conforti software to deliver claimed results. So I installed the Shark Injector on a BMW 325i, one of the many six-cylinder BMWs supported by the Shark (includes all sixes in the 3, 5 and Z series BMWs through 2005, plus the M3 and X5 3.0). Or should I say I set about installing the Shark injector…


Installation involves connecting the Shark Injector to the car’s OBD-II connector, following the detailed instructions, allowing the Shark’s software to copy itself over the default factory software. Assuming all goes well, the programming takes about forty minutes. The lights on the device signal green for complete, and red for “issues”.



In real life, installation can be tricky, requiring a battery charger connected to the car to provide the necessary voltage while programming. Without this, the installation will not work; the device checks for the needed voltage. Also, you need a mirror to see the programmer, as the car’s doors have to remain shut during installation.


Ebay buyers beware! Once installed, the device becomes locked to the car and will not work on any other vehicle. The Shark stores the stock DME program to allow reinstallation at a later date; such as when selling the car or taking the car to the dealer for engine issues (hint hint). Even though the federal Magnuson Moss warranty law specifically allows devices like these without voiding your warranty, many Bimmer dealers will look for any excuse to limit warranty claims if they can blame the software for the defect. Even if, in fact, the software did not cause the problem.


The Shark Injector provides some real world benefits beyond the claimed power increases. First, it changed the redline limiter of the vehicle, increasing permitted revs by several hundred additional revolutions. On my install, I was able to gain approximately 400 RPM over stock before the rev limiter kicked in. This extra room let me stay in a lower gear a bit longer, improving performance under certain… conditions.



Needless to say, maintaining constant high speed revs is a sure way to decrease your engine life. Also note: this benefit may be illusory for most slushbox users without extra software to reprogram the shift points on the car’s auto transmission.


The second benefit (especially if you drive the autobahn frequently or rob banks for a living): removal of the 155 mph top speed limit. The limit is part of a gentleman’s agreement between Audi, BMW and Mercedes (but not Porsche) to appease Germany’s Greens. Assuming you have the appropriate speed-rated tires and a long enough track, a Sharked car will surpass this limit. My test 325 only dreams of such speeds.


The third benefit: subjective drivability. After installation, I felt that the throttle was a bit more responsive. The car did not feel faster or more powerful, but power delivery was smoother. This could, of course, be the placebo affect, to justify the nearly $400 I paid for the device. But I stand by my feelings, immeasurable as they my be.


That said, several sites include dyno results for the Shark. They show slight increases for the 2.5 and 3.0-liter engines, with more power gains on the 2.8-liter engine. None of the increases is dramatic, ranging from five to 10 horsepower. This is due, in part, to BMW already tuning their cars for the best performance with lower octane gas. Sharked cars require at least 91 octane to operate without potential vehicle harm from engine pinging.


The Shark Injector is emissions legal in most states, but not California and its emissions compadres. It’s available online from several retailers, including bimmerzone.com and turnermotorsports.com, for $369.00.


I give a qualified recommendation for this product due to the price and limited gain. Combined with a quality cold air intake, free flow exhaust and good gas, you will have a slightly faster, better driving and better sounding car. The only way to really gain power from these cars is via forced induction. That runs several thousand dollars, but delivers huge performance gains and more power-per-dollar than these choices. However, for most drivers, the Sharked car is a simple, slightly expensive way to improve the ultimate driving machine.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/pro...hark-injector/
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
AVANTI R5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 12-12-2008, 12:20 PM   #2
JuggernautTCW
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 169223
Join Date: Jan 2008
Default

sounds like a big waste of $$$ to me... just get juicebox and be done with it.
JuggernautTCW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2008, 01:32 PM   #3
jettore
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 89760
Join Date: Jun 2005
Default

This has been around for years, it's not a new product. At one point I think this was the only BMW option for a software tune beside going to Dinan or a few of the custom BMW shops. Juicebox I believe is only for the TT 3.0 liters. This is for the older non FI models.
jettore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-12-2008, 04:18 PM   #4
Hazdaz
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 14611
Join Date: Jan 2002
Default

Why even write a review like this if you aren't going to do some performance testing?
How about testing the 0-60 or 1/4 mi runs before and after installing it.
Or even better, jumping on a dyno.
Geez.
Hazdaz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2008, 11:52 PM   #5
Derbagger
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 32113
Join Date: Jan 2003
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: Trollhatten, Japan
Vehicle:
05 Saabaru
Satin Grey

Default

I usually find "thetruthaboutcars" has little truth, or car knowledge to speak of.
Derbagger is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Product Review: Stop & Shop Assorted Star Drops kfoote Off-Topic 4 09-12-2005 04:01 PM
Product review: Trojan Supra dropmech Off-Topic 43 09-08-2005 07:49 PM
miracle product review: citrus magic air freshener RaceCarRiot Off-Topic 6 07-17-2005 03:36 PM
Product review: Turtle Wax 2001™ Foaming Wheel Cleaner billzebub Car Part Reviews 4 03-02-2004 09:00 PM
('93-'01) Product Review: TRi Short Shifter MBX Motorsports Impreza Forum 15 07-09-2001 01:09 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:58 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission
Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.