6.0L V8 Vauxhall / Holden Tuning

Holden / Vauxhall VXR8 - L62 V8 | Unichip Tuning

With only 150 automatic Vauxhall VXR8's left on the UK roads, these understated V8 Aussie beasts are becoming somewhat of a rare commodity. And, when it comes to rare vehicles (or any vehicle for that matter...), decisions in regards to modifications and tuning have to be made very carefully - because the last thing this customer wants is a rod flying out of the engine and landing back down under...

Holden Vauxhall VXR8 V8 Unichip Piggyback ECU Tuning Solution 1

Above: And there's me thinking I'd never buy a Vauxhall...

Originally producing somewhere in the region of 420HP, this VXR pulled up to our workshop with a few minor modifications already installed; a "sports" cat-back exhaust system and an uprated camshaft. You don't buy a V8 to set out to be the world's most economical driver, you buy one for the power. And power is addictive. Step up the Unichip.

The Tuning Process | Holden / Vauxhall VXR8

As with ALL of our installs, the Unichip can only be properly tuned in conjunction with an accurate Rolling Road / Dyno, which we have on our premises at Redline Tuning.
Once we'd secured the vehicle to the Dyno, completed all of our safety checks & ran a quick power run to determine the vehicle's actual power output, the Unichip Q was installed within the engine bay, in close proximity to the vehicle's stock ECU.

Vauxhall Holden VXR8 Unichip Piggyback ECU Tuning Solution - Engine Bay and Q Module

The Unichip Q installation was a breeze; it's always an added bonus when there's a "designated spot" for the Unichip to sit in. In some instances, we have to remove glovebox compartments to install our modules. Maybe Holden knew a few of these VXR8's were destined for a Unichip...
A couple of hours on the Dyno with our head tuner, and it's mission complete. The owner of this vehicle has been extremely meticulous in the upkeep of his VXR8, making our job a hell of lot easier knowing everything is as it should be. The most time consuming part of our jobs at Unichip Europe are rectifying issues created by "slap-dash" or unprofessional installations of previous modifications.

Unichip Q installation on Holden Vauxhall VRX8 Piggyback ECU Tuning Solution back view

Above: Kylie Minogue might have the best Aussie voice of this generation, but this VRX8 is a definite close second...

As previously mentioned, rare vehicles call for a more sensible tuning package - what's the point of having an extra 100 horses if you're only gonna get another 250 miles out of it before your wallet has a complete meltdown?
Pre Unichip install, our Rolling Road concluded that after several runs, this vehicle was producing 420HP, which is almost identical to the original power output claimed by Vauxhall despite an uprated exhaust system.
The Holden / Vauxhall VXR8 now produces 450.5HP, with the Unichip Q finding +30.5HP. 425 LB-FT of Torque is now produced at 4,500RPM, offering drastic improvements to driveability & the promise of abundant joy for many, many miles to come.