ECU remapping of cars!

whacker4fun

Anybody wana give me a quick break down on remapping diesel engines
Typically remmapping a golf gt tdi 130 bhp to a 150bhp.
What is actaully done, ive been told its a small fuse thats changed and then ive been told its done with a computer!
any help?
disadvantages?

HashSlinging

use the search function on this screen. many topics to help you.

Mr Magnolia

An ecu re-map - the ecu is removed, the parameters are down-loaded and sent off to where they are re-configured/altered/re-mapped to give a higher Bhp and more toque as a result. (best option IMHO)

A chip - (depending on the type of chip) A plug-in unit that increases fuel pump pressure, also results in higher Bhp and more toque

Dis-advantages - some people will say the clutch burns out or the turbo may explode, IMO this no more likely to happen than before hand, other than the fact you might have a bit of a lead foot and abuse the car. Insurance costs may go up, don't know the impact. Costs between €400-€500 to have re-mapped.

Advantages - Diesel consumption is supposed to be better than before. Car has more power and torque.

smcgiff

Sparks400 wrote:

[
A chip - (depending on the type of chip) A plug-in unit that increases fuel pump pressure, also results in higher Bhp and more toque

I'll be going down the Plug-in Unit route, but this also involves reprogramming the ECU. It'll be costing €700. The good thing about the unit I'll be buying is that you can reset to "normal" unoptimised settings again.

JHMEG

Sparks400 wrote:

Advantages - Diesel consumption is supposed to be better than before. Car has more power and torque.

This is marketing. The extra power has to come from somewhere, ie increased fuel consumption. If it was so easy to gain power and improve ecomony it would have been done at the factory.

layke

whacker4fun wrote:

Anybody wana give me a quick break down on remapping diesel engines
Typically remmapping a golf gt tdi 130 bhp to a 150bhp.
What is actaully done, ive been told its a small fuse thats changed and then ive been told its done with a computer!
any help?
disadvantages?

I assume your trying to make a Red 'D' into a Red 'DI'. I've heard (never seen) that the only difference in the two is the ECU and that they both use the same Turbo system.

smcgiff

JHMEG wrote:

This is marketing. The extra power has to come from somewhere, ie increased fuel consumption. If it was so easy to gain power and improve ecomony it would have been done at the factory.

They do - Saab for example are offering the Hirsch "chipped" version in the UK throught their dealer network. The thing is the factory stock car is set up for the lowest common denominator country re Octane etc.

Now, the fuel economy is slight something like .1l per 100km combined driving, and the increase is during normal driving. So, if you drive at 120 km on a motorway for a period you will pick up fuel economy. Of course if you take advantage of the extra power you will use more fuel.

Owen

JHMEG wrote:

This is marketing. The extra power has to come from somewhere, ie increased fuel consumption. If it was so easy to gain power and improve ecomony it would have been done at the factory.

Not true. I've remapped many of my MINIs, and they've all returned better MPG. Probably, because I've had more power down low, and I haven't had to redden the engine to get the same performance. The immediate advantages, apart from my pocket each week at the pumps, were smoother power throughout the revs without having to worry about noise constraints (The reason most cars are restricted in the first place), and a marginally higher redline.

Oh yeah, with software, one of my MINIs went from 90Bhp to 135Bhp

smcgiff

I'm going to add a caveat - The increased BHP is based on 98 Octane, and I personally will ask what effect having to use 95 Octane will have on expected results.

Not having the choice of 98 Octange sucks! :mad:

Owen

smcgiff wrote:

I'm going to add a caveat - The increased BHP is based on 98 Octane, and I personally will ask what effect having to use 95 Octane will have on expected results.

Not having the choice of 98 Octange sucks! :mad:

Not neccessarily. If you speak to the people making the files, in my case MTH Tuning, they will map for octane, and any additional mods to the car.

rebel.ranter

Hi Ned or any others. Who have you used to re-map/chip your car? I am particularly looking for a Cork based service that will do a 2002 530D.

Owen

Try Ger O'Leary on 0868663828 tomorrow. He's the Irish agent for MTH Tuning, based in Ballincollig.

JHMEG

From the TDI FAQ section on chipping:

Q. Is it going to use more fuel?

A. Typically, properly-done modifications to a diesel engine DO NOT significantly increase fuel consumption unless the "extra" power is being requested all the time... The reason is that under part-load conditions that account for the vast majority of normal operation, most properly-done modifications do not significantly change the way the engine operates.

In other words: use the extra power and you will use extra fuel.

No such thing as a free lunch lads

Mr Magnolia

JHMEG wrote:

From the TDI FAQ section on chipping:

Q. Is it going to use more fuel?

A. Typically, properly-done modifications to a diesel engine DO NOT significantly increase fuel consumption unless the "extra" power is being requested all the time... The reason is that under part-load conditions that account for the vast majority of normal operation, most properly-done modifications do not significantly change the way the engine operates.

In other words: use the extra power and you will use extra fuel.

No such thing as a free lunch lads

fuel consumption can be improved due to the engines ability to 'pull' in higher gears.

From Chipped Ireland

For every quote you dig up on t'internet saying economy doesn't improve I could dig up one to say it does. Speaking from experience (same as Ned78) fuel economy generally improves by anything from anything up to 15%. Personally my car improved by about 2-3 miles to the gallon, and that's with a heavy foot.

Anyway, it's not really about the fuel economy is it?

Also, don't believe all you read on the internet

Gatster

Has anyone here heard of or used this crowd?

http://www.upsolute.ie

JHMEG

Sparks400 wrote:

From Chipped Ireland

For every quote you dig up on t'internet saying economy doesn't improve I could dig up one to say it does. Speaking from experience (same as Ned78) fuel economy generally improves by anything from anything up to 15%. Personally my car improved by about 2-3 miles to the gallon, and that's with a heavy foot.

Anyway, it's not really about the fuel economy is it?

Also, don't believe all you read on the internet

Well the guys that put together the TDI FAQ are owners and experts.

Chipped Ireland do the chipping, so they are bound to say they are everything to all men.

You shouldn't believe all the marketing bumph you read on t'internet.

smcgiff

Sparks400,

JHMEG is correct in what he says but he's being selective. Of course if you use more power you're going to use more fuel.

However, like for like driving between remapped and orignal mapped car you'll get a slight improvement in fuel economy.

smcgiff

ned78 wrote:

Not neccessarily. If you speak to the people making the files, in my case MTH Tuning, they will map for octane, and any additional mods to the car.

Thanks Ned78, I'll keep this in mind.

Daveq

If its a golf your looking at getting remapped talk to the guys on vagdrivers.net probably 95% of the diesel drivers on there would be running remapped/chipped/tuning boxed diesels. There is one member with a PD 130 putting out over 220bhp with a remap, turbo, intercooler and injector upgrades and possibly a few more things thrown in.

Joe from the previously mentioned ChippedIre is a member there too and is always happy to answer questions.

maidhc

smcgiff wrote:

JHMEG is correct in what he says but he's being selective. Of course if you use more power you're going to use more fuel.

I still don't understand why the OEM would choose to make their cars less efficient.

I don't agree with the lowest common denominator argument either. The cars sold in europe are fitted with engines suitable to the region. If you are to buy a car in, say, africa or russia the setup will be dramatically different to cater for the different fuel and temperatures.

Likewise the "ideal" operating environment for an engine is probably crusiing at a constant speed. Being stuck on the M50 isn't ideal, nor is trying to overtake trucks on the N7. These are all matters considered by the OEM before deciding to restrict the max output of a given engine.

VW, BMW, and others have been involved in some blatent marketing related detuning, but very often there is more than just a simple remap required to change the spec of the engine.

copacetic

maidhc wrote:

I still don't understand why the OEM would choose to make their cars less efficient.

I don't agree with the lowest common denominator argument either. The cars sold in europe are fitted with engines suitable to the region. If you are to buy a car in, say, africa or russia the setup will be dramatically different to cater for the different fuel and temperatures.

Likewise the "ideal" operating environment for an engine is probably crusiing at a constant speed. Being stuck on the M50 isn't ideal, nor is trying to overtake trucks on the N7. These are all matters considered by the OEM before deciding to restrict the max output of a given engine.

VW, BMW, and others have been involved in some blatent marketing related detuning, but very often there is more than just a simple remap required to change the spec of the engine.

they are giving the engines big margins in relation to service intervals and fuel type. If you tune the engine to the 'max' and then the buyer doesn't look after it the manufacturer is still the one who gets the blame..