Chipping + MOT

[Tony Norton]

I'm sure I recently read that, for instance, a "Smartbox" was a good thing because it could easily be removed before an MOT. Why? Surely something that makes an engine run more economically, and therefore 'cleaner' should not be an MOT problem, or am I missing the point?

 

Tony Norton

 

 

 

[Guest caraprof]

Tony Norton - 2007-09-12 6:31 PM I'm sure I recently read that, for instance, a "Smartbox" was a good thing because it could easily be removed before an MOT. Why? Surely something that makes an engine run more economically, and therefore 'cleaner' should not be an MOT problem, or am I missing the point? Tony Norton

There is no reason why you should have to remove the box for an MOT. If anything it could help your car pass as its emissions will be cleaner (if they measure emissions that is, I not even sure?).

My partner has a Mercedes S320CDi and he's had a Van Aaken smart box fitted for over two years. The car has just sailed through its first MOT with the box in place.

[martin r c]

In its self chipping any engine won.t even be looked at, at MOT time.providing the vehicle passes the emissions test.Might cause agro with your insurance if you don't tell them.

 

Martin

[Clive]

Please don,t believe that chipping an engine or fitting a smart box will make it cleaner, it won,t.

Governments apply increasingly stringent emission requirements to vehicle manufacturers so as to reduce pollution. However the requirements for the MOT have to be much lower so that older vehicles in good condition will pass.

Smart boxes change the air/fuel mapping allowing more fuel in per unit of air into the engine. This gives much better acceleration, turbo spin up times are reduced and more torque is provided. The driving experience will be improved, less gear changing etc.

This chipping also increases the emissions of the engine close towards that required by the MOT. Its still legal but an engine thus chipped will no longer meet the higher standards set by government legislation when it was new.

So its your choice but please don,t delude yourself into thinking its cleaner, its not!

 

 

 

 

[Mel B]

Slightly digressing, but what about those magnet things that you strap to the fuel line? Can't remember the name at the mo but it's like 2 pieces of long metal with 2 long magnets in one side and 1 long magnet in the other.

 

It supposedly makes the fuel more burnable/efficient, giving a bit more power although it's really sold as more to do with better fuel efficiency and supposed to make you get more MPG - what d'ya think Clive? Again would this affect the MOT?

 

Mel B

[davenewellhome]

Mel B - 2007-09-15 5:56 PM

 

Slightly digressing, but what about those magnet things that you strap to the fuel line? Can't remember the name at the mo but it's like 2 pieces of long metal with 2 long magnets in one side and 1 long magnet in the other.

 

It supposedly makes the fuel more burnable/efficient, giving a bit more power although it's really sold as more to do with better fuel efficiency and supposed to make you get more MPG - what d'ya think Clive? Again would this affect the MOT?

 

Mel B

 

Don't bother Mel, they don't work! Its just snake oil by another name. If anybody disagrees with this then please show me the scientifically gathered evidence to support their use.

 

I was once told by a salesman that they were used on Spitfires during the war to enable them to run on poor quality fuel but I used to know a chap who was an RAF air mechanic during the war (sadly dead now) and he told me Spitfires and other planes in that era had such a short flight time between rebuilds that fuel additives of any kind weren't required. That's those that survived at all of course. Plus the RAF had the best fuel that was available which was why everyone else had to suffer low grade fuel and rationing.

D.

[Guest caraprof]

Clive - 2007-09-15 5:12 PM Please don,t believe that chipping an engine or fitting a smart box will make it cleaner, it won,t. Governments apply increasingly stringent emission requirements to vehicle manufacturers so as to reduce pollution. However the requirements for the MOT have to be much lower so that older vehicles in good condition will pass. Smart boxes change the air/fuel mapping allowing more fuel in per unit of air into the engine. This gives much better acceleration, turbo spin up times are reduced and more torque is provided. The driving experience will be improved, less gear changing etc. This chipping also increases the emissions of the engine close towards that required by the MOT. Its still legal but an engine thus chipped will no longer meet the higher standards set by government legislation when it was new. So its your choice but please don,t delude yourself into thinking its cleaner, its not!

I'm sure that you're right Clive as I know little about the technical stuff but one of the claims for this box was that if you drive it normally, you'll get much better mpg. If the car is getting many more miles out of each litre of diesel, does this not suggest that the emissions will be slightly less?

I'm not contradicting you as I've no idea. I'm just curious that's all. My partner reckoned that this box made a big improvement to what is already a decent car.

[Clive]

If your engine can provide more grunt then believe me you will use it. For example there will be hills where you won't need to change down, just press the pedal a little further. You will change up at lower revs because of the improved bottom end grunt. But if these devices that change the mapping really improved the emissions then our governments would make it mandatory for the manufacturers to incorporate what they do into the vehicle ECU as standard. It would cost nothing to do it this way.

I am sceptible about any claims for improved fuel consumption. Perhaps some improvement can be achieved because of reduced need to change down on hills. But its not just how much fuel you burn its also how its burnt and the format of the engines efluent so to speak.

I must own up to having a previous vehicle tweaked a fair bit. In the end it had to be set back a tad otherwise it would have failed the MOT on smoke if nothing else. It became rather visible but the 2.5 litre Landrover turbo diesel was providing the same power as a naturally aspirated 3.5 litre petrol V8.

Petrol engines are exactly the same if chipped up, the difference is that you cannot see the pollution as they don,t smoke like a diesel.

 

Magnets around the fuel line - Land Cuckoo Cloud come to mind , or perhaps these words are in the wrong order!

 

 

[Guest caraprof]

My partner's Van Aaken chip was made specifically for his car. It isn't a 'one fits all' product. Van Aaken claims that a manufacturer will always set its ECU parameters to take account of 'worst case' scenarios such as poor quality fuel and inadequate servicing.

What its smartbox does is retune the settings to fully utilise the engine's full potential. Neeedless to say it is important the you then always use decent fuel and have your car serviced properly, neither of which is a problem in this country.

I agree entirely about gimmicks such as magnets. They claim improved mileage and at first they often seem to work but only because the driver fitting one subconsciously wants it to work, and in order to justify his decision uses a much lighter foot after the magnet's been fitted. This of course soon wears off!

Smart boxes however are a different proposition and there does seem to be lots of evidence that they will improve an engine's efficiency and whilst it true that many will use the extra power I'm sure that there are many drivers who fit them for the increased mpg that they get if they drive normally.

[Mel E]

I'm afraid Clive is right. I have nothing against Van Aaken - or all the others - but there are two basic ways to improve an engine's performance:

 

- an add-on box. Because it's added between the ECU and the fuel/ignition system, basically all it can do is increase the pressure of the fuel going into the cylinder. More fuel means more power but also, totally inevitably, more emissions. And I'm not sure what that increase in pressure does for the life of the fuel line?

 

- re-map the ECU itself. Here you can play with the full combination of parameters to increase the power without adding too much to the emissions.

 

If you're going to have it done, I'd always go the second route and have it done by a company with a proper dynamometer to measure the before and after torque and horse power, and also emissions testing kit to give you an emissions readout after the changes.

 

And yes to the earlier poster who didn't know - emissions are tested as part of the MoT and have been for several years.

 

We've just had our engine remapped by TB Turbo and I was somewhat surprised to discover that it met EURO4 standards for emissions afterwards, despite a power increase from 112hp to 148 hp and a similar increase in torque. And it cost the same as one of those boxes.

 

Bear in mind that most cars and vans are now offered with a series of different engine power outputs which, in reality, come from the same engine with different mapping in the ECU. So it is possible to remap to the more expensive engine offering. But do check that the higher power engine doesn't also have a slightly different turbo, intercooler, etc., fitted to handle the increased heat and power.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Mel E

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[Clive]

Just to add, improved brakes, handling, anti-roll bars and tyres that may be "standard" on the high power variants of the vehicles.