The internet is awash with promises of easy horsepower and fuel efficiency gains from plug-and-play Obd2 Chiptuning Boxes. Among these, the SuperOBD2 Tuning Chip has emerged, claiming to remap your car’s ECU for increased performance simply by plugging into the OBD2 port. However, before you spend your money, it’s crucial to understand what’s really inside these devices. We’ve conducted a thorough analysis of the SuperOBD Performance Chip, and what we found may surprise you – especially if you’re familiar with the notorious Nitro OBD2 scam.
If you’re new to the world of OBD2 tuning scams, we highly recommend first reading the detailed reverse engineering analysis of the Nitro OBD2 performance chip by quarkslab: https://blog.quarkslab.com/reverse-engineering-of-the-nitro-obd2.html. This prior investigation sheds light on a widespread scam that the SuperOBD appears to be closely related to. Numerous videos also corroborate the Nitro-OBD scam, demonstrating its deceptive nature: 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 focus here is the SuperOBD2 Tuning Chip. Advertised on platforms like Amazon, it promises “Plug & Drive Ready” performance enhancement for all cars from 1996 onwards, claiming to remap the car’s ECU based on driving habits after 200km of driving. This immediately raises a red flag. Legitimate ECU tuning is typically vehicle-specific, tailored to the engine and modifications. A universal solution for “all cars from 1996” is highly improbable.
Image alt text: SuperOBD2 OBDII chiptuning box product listing on Amazon, showcasing its plug-and-play performance enhancement claims.
The Price Discrepancy: Amazon vs. AliExpress
The SuperOBD2 Tuning Chip is listed on Amazon for around $35. However, a quick search on AliExpress, a direct-from-China marketplace, reveals a drastically lower price of under $2. This price disparity is a major warning sign, mirroring the pricing structure of known scam devices like Nitro OBD2, which are also manufactured in China. The advertisement even mentions “Nitro OBD” in the title, further suggesting a connection to the infamous scam.
Image alt text: Super OBD tuning box product page on Aliexpress, highlighting the significantly lower price compared to Amazon listings and mentioning “Nitro OBD”.
Déjà Vu Packaging and Installation
The SuperOBD chiptuning box comes in a simple paper box with installation instructions printed on the back. Examining these instructions, a striking similarity emerges when compared to the Nitro OBD2 scam device.
Image alt text: SuperOBD box and installation instructions, revealing steps nearly identical to known OBD2 scam devices.
Image alt text: Nitro OBD2 scam installation steps, displaying almost identical procedures to the SuperOBD, raising strong suspicion.
The installation steps are virtually identical. This, combined with the pricing and advertising similarities, paints a concerning picture. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…
Inside the SuperOBD2: A Familiar Circuit Board
Driven by suspicion, we obtained a SuperOBD2 OBDII Chiptuning box and disassembled it. The internal circuit board was shockingly similar to the verified Nitro OBD scam chip.
Verified Nitro OBD scam chip circuit board:
Image alt text: Analysis of a Nitro OBD circuit board, revealing simple components incapable of ECU remapping, typical of OBD2 tuning scams.
And the SUPER OBD2 Tuning Box Circuit board we examined:
Image alt text: Bottom view of the SUPER OBD2 OBDII tuning box circuit board, showing an almost identical layout and components to the Nitro OBD scam chip.
Image alt text: Internal analysis of the Super OBDII OBD2 chiptuning box PCB circuit board, highlighting the simplistic design and components mirroring the Nitro OBD scam.
Both circuit boards feature three surface-mounted LEDs, a diode for purported “circuit protection,” a 5V voltage regulator, and, most notably, the PIC16F59 microcontroller. The PIC16F59, manufactured by Microchip, has a mere 3KB of memory. This is far too small to store the complex vehicle map data required for genuine ECU remapping.
Image alt text: PIC16F59 product specifications sheet excerpt, emphasizing the limited 3KB memory capacity, insufficient for ECU map storage in OBD2 tuning boxes.
Legitimate vehicle ECU maps are typically 512KB or larger, depending on the vehicle’s complexity. The minuscule memory of the PIC16F59 is only capable of holding a very basic program, such as a simple LED flashing routine – exactly what the Nitro OBD scam has been proven to do.
The manufacturer even draws a comparison to the Nitro OBD Tuning box, highlighting a “reset button” as a new feature, essentially admitting its lineage to the earlier scam.
Image alt text: Aliexpress advertisement comparing the SuperOBD to the Nitro OBD tuning box, showcasing a reset button as a differentiating feature, but reinforcing their connection.
The Blinking Light Test: Confirming the Scam
To further validate our analysis, we connected the SuperOBDII Box to a vehicle and drove with it for three weeks, carefully monitoring fuel economy and performance. As expected, we observed absolutely no discernible difference in vehicle behavior.
Finally, to definitively confirm that the internal programming was identical to the Nitro OBD scam, we powered both modules on a bench and observed the blink patterns of their LEDs.
Image alt text: Blink test comparison of Nitro OBD (left) and SuperOBD (right) modules, visually demonstrating identical LED blinking patterns, proving shared scam programming.
Video evidence of the identical blink patterns: https://youtu.be/NzdWdQw2UpQ
Astonishingly, both the Nitro OBD tuning scam and the SUPER OBD2 Tuning Box blinked at precisely the same intervals! Identical circuit boards, identical components, identical blinking patterns – the conclusion is undeniable: it’s the same scam, repackaged.
Conclusion: Don’t Fall for the SuperOBD2 Chiptuning Box Scam
Our comprehensive analysis, from price discrepancies and packaging similarities to internal component examination and blink testing, definitively concludes that the SUPER OBDII OBD2 Chiptuning Box is nothing more than a rebranded Nitro OBD scam. It’s a decorative light show, not a performance enhancer.
Different circuit board version of the same scam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB810U7j77k
Save your hard-earned money. If you’re still considering purchasing this product after this evidence, we can only offer this:
