remapping

[wardy]

To remap or not to remap that is the question, Seen engine remapping specialists BOOSTERS at the

peterborough show at weekend they say that a 15 per cent gain on MPG some 6 miles to every gallon.

I have a Autotrail 840d 3.0 ltr semi auto trip gearbox on a fiat.Can anybody give me some feedback on mpg

or torque or both they can be seen on www.boostersremapping.co.uk cots for both up to £450, Thanks B-)

[Wallynnette]

Don't bother, go to Energy Tuning for their turbo tune. Far cheaper made by themselves in this country, 9 different positions to cope with whatever is req. You can also transfer to another vehicle should you change. I've had one for awhile and its a fantastic bit of kit.

[Billggski]

Two points,

A tuning box just adjusts the fuel pressure, it's not a proper remap which re- programmes your ecu for optimum performance. The prices are actually about the same, but you can't transfer a remap.

If you have a semi automatic gearbox the gear settings will have been specifically tailored for the power you had from the factory. Any change in mapping may confuse it.

That said my automatic Jaguar has much better performance since a remap.

280 mile round trip yesterday and it averaged 47mpg, and that's from a 2.7 litre XJ with 250 bhp!

(Diesel and aluminium body aided by 50 mph limit for about half the journey)

 

[shotgun]

did a chip tune on my fiat 160 autotrail

just made it black smoke may of had a bit more pull in it

took it back off

[Keithl]

Wardy,

 

DON'T BOTHER!!!

 

I spoke to 'TDi-Tuning.co.uk' at the show about their plug in device and the guy showed me figures claiming a 30+ BHP increase on our 130 BHP Merc but had no evidence to back it up. He said you have seven options to alter fuelling by moving a jumper inside the box. This all sounded very heath robinson to me!

 

So on Monday I spoke to one of the Diesel engine calibrators at work (I work for a large UK manufacturer of 4x4 vehicles) and he said all these plug in boxes are doing is holding the fuel injector open for longer and overfueling the engine. Note, they cannot increase the fuel rail pressure with a plug in box! You may be lucky and experience more power or you may be unlucky and overfuel your engine to the point you damage it!

 

The manufacturers tune is optimized for all driving styles and fuels but most importantly is also optimized to maximise engine life. How do you know what damage you are doing yo your engine by overfueling it?

 

My advice, hold on to your cash and use it to enjoy a few more nights away in your MH.

 

Keith.

[Wallynnette]

All fair comments but I have one question. How come chipping, remapping, plugins etc have been done for quite a few years now.Surely if this practice is a no no they wouldn't be so widespread across all types of vehicles, bikes, cars,vans, race cars you name it it could and possibly has been chipped etc. I ask out of interest as I realise some people are ok with it and some aren't

[gocro]

Think, do you really NEED the increase in power and marginal improvement in consumption.

The increase in power is almost always there but the mpg figures are often speculative.

There is a risk,despite what you are assured, that this will have a negative impact on the engine.

So unless you can't live with your current engine power, don't bother.

[Wallynnette]

So, 2nd question. Ever since some bloke invented the engine there's been an army of other blokes striving to make it more efficient/powerfull/quieter. Things like bigger bores/pistons, exhaust/inlets, carbs/jets the list goes on. Why is it then that when some other bloke invents the ECU etc its frowned on?. Its a fact as soon as some bloke/woman invents something it WILL be modified at some point.

[colin]

Wallynnette - 2014-04-30 9:51 PM

 

All fair comments but I have one question. How come chipping, remapping, plugins etc have been done for quite a few years now.Surely if this practice is a no no they wouldn't be so widespread across all types of vehicles, bikes, cars,vans, race cars you name it it could and possibly has been chipped etc. I ask out of interest as I realise some people are ok with it and some aren't

 

Most vehicles I know of that are 'chipped' are done so to increase power with less regard to longevity and fuel consumption.

[colin]

Wallynnette - 2014-05-01 7:12 AM

 

So, 2nd question. Ever since some bloke invented the engine there's been an army of other blokes striving to make it more efficient/powerfull/quieter. Things like bigger bores/pistons, exhaust/inlets, carbs/jets the list goes on. Why is it then that when some other bloke invents the ECU etc its frowned on?. Its a fact as soon as some bloke/woman invents something it WILL be modified at some point.

 

I've modded a few engines in my time, most of the work which ups the efficiency is time consuming and if done during manufacturing would have added to the cost, most of these ECU tuning companies products could be incorporated into a manufactured van at little or no cost, so there's a reason manufacturers don't tune the engines like this.

Now you can get a system (for petrol cars at least) which is fully tune-able to the engine it is fitted to, with time and effort and a fair bit of expense you should be able to get a engine to it's peak in what attribute you want and generally improve it overall, but forget hundreds of pounds and think more of thousands of pounds to achieve this.

[rolandrat]

I can't see the logic in wanting to interfere with the power output of a 3ltr 160bhp Fiat Prancing Horse, it's a fantastic engine, oozes power and a pleasure to drive. I'm on my second one and in between I had a 2.3 130bhp which was acceptable but couldn't compare with the 3ltr. Fiat have modified the 2.3 to euro 5 and some have been uprated to 150bhp but they'll never compete with the 3ltr. Another thing to consider is that as the mileage increases the engine loosens up and runs as smooth as silk. The 2.3 at speed sounds like a stressed out lawn mower but there again that's only my opinion. If I was ever to be in the market again it would have to be another 3ltr. Simply the best.

[Dave Newell]

As I've said before what I don't understand is why remapping with a generic map is so expensive. I took my race car to a rolling road a couple of months ago for remapping after some modifications to the power plant, five hours on the rollers cost me £400 for 3 custom tailored maps (the aftermarket ECU I use can store 3 different maps and I can switch between them on the fly so I have a "dry weather "map, a "wet weather" map and one for MOT time which gives a pass on emissions). If I can get all this for £400 why is a generic remap £300 plus? Personally I would never consider a remap without using a rolling road, its the only way you can be certain the new map is not going to ruin your engine or cause emissions failures.

 

D.

[Wallynnette]

I'm really intrigued by the 'fors' and 'againsts', the tuning/modifying of engines and gearboxes have been done since the beginning, mechanicaly and electronicaly.It is a world wide practice either done by diy'ers or professionals, a tweek here a tweek there, surely this global art for achieving the best out of whatever vehicle, be it speed, torque, economy whatever your particular goal is. As far as engine longevity, how long is that or what is acceptable, there can't be that many engine failures due to tuning surely otherwise the tuning/modifying market would dry up. I'm trying to see it from both sides that's all.

[colin]

Wallynnette - 2014-05-01 8:29 PM

 

As far as engine longevity, how long is that or what is acceptable, there can't be that many engine failures due to tuning surely otherwise the tuning/modifying market would dry up. I'm trying to see it from both sides that's all.

 

It is quite amazing the amount of bad practice around engines and tuning, a classic was the hand cranking of aircraft engines prior to starting, For decades pilots have been using the practice of 'pulling throu' Lycoming engines prior to firing up on the starter in the belief it was beneficial to the engine, about ten years ago Lycoming issued a bulletin warning pilots not to do this as it caused more wear to the engine.

[Muswell]

colin - 2014-05-01 11:44 PM

 

Wallynnette - 2014-05-01 8:29 PM

 

As far as engine longevity, how long is that or what is acceptable, there can't be that many engine failures due to tuning surely otherwise the tuning/modifying market would dry up. I'm trying to see it from both sides that's all.

 

It is quite amazing the amount of bad practice around engines and tuning, a classic was the hand cranking of aircraft engines prior to starting, For decades pilots have been using the practice of 'pulling throu' Lycoming engines prior to firing up on the starter in the belief it was beneficial to the engine, about ten years ago Lycoming issued a bulletin warning pilots not to do this as it caused more wear to the engine.

 

Many years ago I had a friend who spent a lot of time tuning his motorbike. On the maiden trip I set offin my mum's mini and he followed on his bike. When I got to our destination and he arrived some time later I asked, in all innocence, where he had been. The answer was that the extra power was so peaky and the gear ratios were such that when he changed gear into top there wasn't enough power at the new revs. to keep accelerating. :$

[colin]

Had a similar one on a Triton I built for a customer, despite my misgivings he insisted I fit a 'trick' carb set up that came from the Triumph Trident engine guru. After several months the standard carbs where refitted.

[Muswell]

I recall my friend's problem required the purchase of a new cylinder head :-D

[Guest Peter James]

There is another problem. If your engine develops a fault, how do you know whether its anything to do with the remap? Modern engines are complex enough as it is without adding another dimension the repairman doesn't know anything about

[rolandrat]

Peter James - 2014-05-03 9:42 AM

 

There is another problem. If your engine develops a fault, how do you know whether its anything to do with the remap? Modern engines are complex enough as it is without adding another dimension the repairman doesn't know anything about

 

Couldn't agree more. Another thing to consider is what's on the Dealers secondhand forecourt. If you buy one you will never know if its been remapped. You could be buying a load of trouble.

[Brambles]

There are a lot of hidden costs involved in a remap if you intend to keep the vehicle a long time. Increased exhaust pipe corrosion, increased carbon emissions choking up the exhaust reducing exhaust flow so efficiency falls , oil contaminates quicker so extended oil drains you can forget so you have increased servicing costs, increased engine wear, increased clutch wear due to torque slip at max power protecting the gearbox, It is also a myth being in the highest gear is the most economical gear. By slipping down a gear you reduce torque into the gearbox input shaft. Increased tyre wear.

 

Remapping also removes the insurance of knowing if you get a bad batch of fuel it will not damage your engine.

 

So remapping is fine for those who need more power, are happy with the drawbacks and cost, but do you really need more power! Just get out there and enjoy your 3 litre engine for what it is, because it really is a pretty powerful engine already. Did I mention increased turbo wear as well as a cost?

 

The original engine mappers have taken a lot of things into consideration to minimise the running cost and longevity of the engine for owners. If you want a fast vehicle then a Motorhome is not it. Just try an emergency stop from 70mph with a laden Motorhome ...it is not fun and takes a surprisingly long distance. After you have tidied up contents in cupboards and calmed down you might think twice about driving fast.

 

Just realised you also have an auto box..forget any remap as this really would be asking for trouble.