What are the potential downside/upsides of using an aftermarket chip to modify fuel consumption/efficiency? For instance, using a conforti “shark injector”.
Upside: It could possibly live up to its claims, or at least make you think it does, potential gains on the dyno.
Downsides: Possible noncompliance at smog check time, voided warranty if the car is still covered, expense of buying the part, disappointment when it doesn’t do what it claimed, tendency to drive the car harder because you have a “performance chip” in it, worse fuel economy and increased wear and tear from the last thing mentioned, probably won’t notice a difference in normal driving situations.
I have never heard of the device you mentioned, but I also am not much of a BMW guy. The only programmers I have seen that can make real differences in performance you can genuinely experience are the ones for diesel pickup trucks. It’s entertaining to watch a one ton dually 4X4 Dodge Ram beat a Dodge Viper in the quarter mile by a full second or more.
You need to check on the BMW forums. The one you mention isn’t a ‘chip’, it’s a device that reprograms the car’s computer, increasing max rpms (changing factory redline is risky), increasing max speed (something you need?), and modifying timing, etc for a few more hp. Anything that sells itself as a ‘chip’, like those $70 ones available for all kinds of cars, are a pure scam.