Is the 10 hp extra from chip tuning included?
Melanie has had her Peugeot 108 chip tuned. Does the 1.2 also have ten extra horsepower?
Suddenly Melanie was part of a pile-up. The front and derriere of her then Peugeot 107 were seriously damaged, but fortunately she remained unharmed. She had to look for another car and ended up with a jet black 108 1.2 GT-line. It has a bit more oomph than the 107, but it could still use something more.
There was a teaching car stationary on the N3 near Dordrecht,” Melanie Keur looks back on that unfortunate Thursday. “The driver in front of me only fully anchored late. And then I was also late. And so did the driver behind me,” she says. The teaching car was eventually able to drive through unscathed…
Shortly after that moment of double impact, Melanie realized how much she values her driver’s license, her own car and the freedom that brings. “I thought to myself: I have to start driving again immediately, because if I don’t dare anymore, my driver’s license will no longer be worth anything,” she says. Melanie is a nurse, so she also has shifts and simply doesn’t want to be without a car.
Peugeot 108 is a bit more car than 107
Together with friend Joran, she wanted to refurbish the Peugeot 107, which was a total loss, herself. “That would take a while, so I started looking for something else,” says Melanie. She beams when she talks about her 108. “I think it’s such a cute little cart and yet a bit more car than the 107.” And yes, it is a smooth, cheerful and well-groomed appearance. “Did you see those red stitching on the black seats in the interior?”
Chip tuning
Melanie likes to be on the road quickly and came across an offer for a round of chip tuning of the 108 for €200. “That would yield about 10 extra hp. I had it done and it did do something, but not much. So I’m curious how much.”
“It is limited what extra you can easily get from a block like this, without a turbo,” says chassis dynamometer manager Ghisbert van Ginhoven of Beek Auto Racing. “You can do something about the ignition and optimize it, but a power gain of the order of 30 or 40 hp, which would be really noticeable, is not realistic.”
Melanie wants flatter tires
Melanie likes to drive well and listen to good music along the way. Makes sense when you’re 27. “I pimped it up a bit with a subwoofer under the seat and an Apple CarPlay screen. We also installed side wind deflectors and these side indicator lights. I still want some flatter tires. I think this one is very rounded and it doesn’t look very cool.”
Before we stray towards mere appearance, let’s go back to the technology. What did the tuning ultimately achieve? According to factory specifications, the Peugeot is good for 82 hp and 116 Nm. And fortunately: the small, friendly Frenchman raises his performance level to a step higher, but not giant steps. We’re hammering this car with a small power increase. It is what it is. Melanie: “I’ll deal with it. It is and remains a wonderfully smooth car and it looks cool, so…”