Re-mapping a car

[Buckman]

If you remap a car that is out of warranty for better performance and economy, will this effect low down torque when towing or does that depend on the size of the engine i.e. no difference with a 3.0l diesel or petrol engine, but a 1600 towing there is a difference with low down torque.
Although I have no intention of remapping our Jeep as adequate power although economy not so great, I am aware that if you do the insurance company need to be notified of the modification.

 

[ProfJohnL]

There are many different possible types of remaps, and each will affect the way the engine works depending on what code is changed.

Ask the supplier how their remap will affect your car.

 

[Raywood]

As the prof says there are different types, if you ever go for this you would need to talk to the firm involved and discuss what you require.

 

[Hutch]

I had a 2008 Santa Fe Diesel 2..2 remapped by Angel tunning, I think I gained about 30 BHP and 45ft lbs of torque, also the automatic gearchanging was smoother and we gained about 4 mpg. In reduced fuel consumption. The limiting factor being the turbo,
I paid about £200 , but that was about 10 years ago.

Angel Tuning - The Engine Tuning Performance Specialists

The Engine Tuning Performance Specialists

www.angeltuning.co.uk

 

[otherclive]

You can get some that boost max power in a number of stages as chosen by you, but often the penalty is increased emissions. Some can be turned back as the car goes for MOT so emissions are back to “ normal’. There’s a wide variety on offer.

 

[Buckman]

As the prof says there are different types, if you ever go for this you would need to talk to the firm involved and discuss what you require.

As said, we have no intention of remapping our car, but was wondering about the consequences of remapping.

 

[Hutch]

On our Santa Fe, The chap came to my house, as he lives nearby, and just plugged a computor into the car, done some wizardry and 20 minutes later It was finished. I found the increased torque fantastic for towing the caravan. Very helpful people.

 

[Buckman]

On our Santa Fe, The chap came to my house, as he lives nearby, and just plugged a computor into the car, done some wizardry and 20 minutes later It was finished. I found the increased torque fantastic for towing the caravan. Very helpful people.

As mention above has it gone through a MOT since and where the emissions okay?

 

[Hutch]

As mention above has it gone through a MOT since and where the emissions okay?

Yes, everything was good, I had it for three MOT's afterwards and no problems. Insurance company, said no problems as it was not an add on item, just a Engine Control Unit, adjustment.

 

[Beachball]

On some of the cars in past might have had some remapped for more power but not on my present car that one is fine

 

[CustardAvenger]

Looked into the official Polestar 'optimisation' for my D4 XC60 - It took the stock BHP from 181 to 215 - which is the stock BHP of the D5 badged cars of this generation - but the increase in torque and 0-62 was not worth the £800. The sweet Polestar badge was tempting though.

 

[bertieboy1]

If you remap a car that is out of warranty for better performance and economy, will this effect low down torque when towing or does that depend on the size of the engine i.e. no difference with a 3.0l diesel or petrol engine, but a 1600 towing there is a difference with low down torque.
Although I have no intention of remapping our Jeep as adequate power although economy not so great, I am aware that if you do the insurance company need to be notified of the modification.

You would think manufacturers would map engine management systems to give optimum performance.

 

[otherclive]

You would think manufacturers would map engine management systems to give optimum performance.

It’s hard to define what optimum is when a car is driven by a wide range of drivers, in a range of driving environments. What is required by one driver may be very different to what another may require. Not everyone requires increased torque or power which is what many aftermarket remaps. give. It’s interesting that Polestar do remaps for Volvos. What are the cars emissions, performance and mpg compared to the standard engine map. What gets better what gets worse ?

 

[RogerL]

As mention above has it gone through a MOT since and where the emissions okay?

The MoT test doesn't really test emissions - it simply measures CO at fast idle to ensure the system is running at fast idle and a smoke test on diesels - there are many other emission statuses designed in by the original manufacturer but these aren't tested at MoT time.

 

[RogerL]

You would think manufacturers would map engine management systems to give optimum performance.

Those days are long gone - engines are mapped by the manufacturer to give minimal emissions.

 

[Tobes]

It’s interesting that Polestar do remaps for Volvos. What are the cars emissions, performance and mpg compared to the standard engine map. What gets better what gets worse ?

Polestar were Volvo’s performance arm long before they were spun out as the stand alone EV manufacturer. The emissions and WLTP efficiency remain as they were before the map. Of course if you drive it like you mean it after the map, your mileage may vary!

Polestar (the EV arm) have also just released a”performance map” as a pay-to-play software download for my Polestar 2 EV. It boosts power from 300kW (408ps) to 350kW (480ps) and torque from 660nm to 680nm. Brings 0-62 time down from 4.8s to 4.4 official, but makes a big improvement for overtaking speeds at 40 to 80mph.
Not cheap at £975, and unavailable (at the moment) to me as company car fleet driver, which is probably a good thing as I a) totally want it and b) absolutely don’t need it…🤣🤣🤣

 

[Woodentop]

Those days are long gone - engines are mapped by the manufacturer to give minimal emissions.

Not quite right. The ECU has multiple maps, the one selected is for the country of operation to give best performance with minimum emissions within the Type Approval for the country. The selection can only be made by factory controlled software.

To prove a point, we had an Octavia 1.9TDi 130 hatch - the last of the Mk1's - and even solo it went like stink. I found a plug-in box that was supposed to improve power and consumption. It was available at prices between about £17 and £156 FOR THE SAME THING!!
I fitted it when we were taking our (then) Bailey S5 Pageant Majestic to Norfolk. Normal mpg around 50 solo, but towing usually about 28-29. With this box fitted solo was 68 and towing 47, plus I could tow in 6th gear which I had never been able to do before. Due to it causing an alarm on the way home I had to remove it, so I decided to dig into its innards.

All it was inside was a resistor (180 ohms) replacing the fuel temp sensor which made the ECU think the fuel was at or in excess of 100C. It was epoxy sealed in its box. A 180 ohm resistor costs about 5p, add a small box, connector and a blob of epoxy, say £5 including labour. It was bad enough that it cost me £17, but £156??? It does however show that there are different maps in there else how would the consumption change so much?

 

[RogerL]

Not quite right. The ECU has multiple maps, the one selected is for the country of operation to give best performance with minimum emissions within the Type Approval for the country. The selection can only be made by factory controlled software.

To prove a point, we had an Octavia 1.9TDi 130 hatch - the last of the Mk1's - and even solo it went like stink. I found a plug-in box that was supposed to improve power and consumption. It was available at prices between about £17 and £156 FOR THE SAME THING!!
I fitted it when we were taking our (then) Bailey S5 Pageant Majestic to Norfolk. Normal mpg around 50 solo, but towing usually about 28-29. With this box fitted solo was 68 and towing 47, plus I could tow in 6th gear which I had never been able to do before. Due to it causing an alarm on the way home I had to remove it, so I decided to dig into its innards.

All it was inside was a resistor (180 ohms) replacing the fuel temp sensor which made the ECU think the fuel was at or in excess of 100C. It was epoxy sealed in its box. A 180 ohm resistor costs about 5p, add a small box, connector and a blob of epoxy, say £5 including labour. It was bad enough that it cost me £17, but £156??? It does however show that there are different maps in there else how would the consumption change so much?

Was that fuel consumption measured brim-to-brim or taken from the trip computer -the 5p resistor will indeed increase power but also misleads the trip computer.

 

[Hutch]

Strangley enough the other day I looked at a company near to me, Phantom Tunning, and the results for a "blended remap, for my Santafe, shows a gain of 50 bhp and a torque increase of 105 nm.
This is a similar remap of the ecu, and not an add on box, that I had on my previous Santa Fe. Not bad for £237.

Phantom Tuning Bedford: Vehicle Performance Enhancements

Phantom Tuning is a specialist remapping firm based in Bedford. We provide engine and gearbox remapping as well as the Autowatch Ghost Immobiliser. Call us now.

beds.phantomtuning.co.uk

They do an economy and a performance remap. .
I was pleased with the previous remap by Angel tunning of Banbury.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Just a general note, if you have a remap or do anything that changes power or performance you must advice your insurers, as the vehicle is no longer the same one they insured.

It also raises a question about over the air revisions enacted by car manufacturers such as Tesla, where some revisions have "improved" performance. Such changes should also be referred to your insurers.

 

[Raywood]

The insurance point was indicated by the OP but worth repeating although Hutch has been on here long enough to know this.
I do wonder f the insurance engineer could actually see if the car has been tuned assuming you do not leave the tuning engineers sticker on.

 

[Hutch]

The insurance point was indicated by the OP but worth repeating although Hutch has been on here long enough to know this.
I do wonder f the insurance engineer could actually see if the car has been tuned assuming you do not leave the tuning engineers sticker on.

Yes, they can , just by plugging into the OBS port and downloading the information from the ECU, for my previous SantaFe, the insurance company were not concerned as the BHP increase was not more than a 25% increase.
Here is a link to insurance companys that specialise in remapping and other upgrades. It is at the very end of the document.

Car Engine Remapping - The Ultimate Guide (Update 2024)

Everything you need to know about ECU car remapping, where can you get your car rechipped, how it might affect your insurance premium etc.

hello-safe.co.uk

 

[Buckman]

Yes, they can , just by plugging into the OBS port and downloading the information from the ECU, for my previous SantaFe, the insurance company were not concerned as the BHP increase was not more than a 25% increase.
Here is a link to insurance companys that specialise in remapping and other upgrades. It is at the very end of the document.

Car Engine Remapping - The Ultimate Guide (Update 2024)

Everything you need to know about ECU car remapping, where can you get your car rechipped, how it might affect your insurance premium etc.

hello-safe.co.uk

TBH not sure why any insurance company would want to check whether a car has been remapped even if it has been in an accident?

 

[Hutch]

TBH not sure why any insurance company would want to check whether a car has been remapped even if it has been in an accident?

Because , they will not have to pay out for an accident if you have not told them. As it is not the car you told them about , ie in my case, the BHP would be 247bhp and not 197bhp.

 

[Buckman]

Because , they will not have to pay out for an accident if you have not told them. As it is not the car you told them about , ie in my case, the BHP would be 247bhp and not 197bhp.

Do they check every car for remapping where there is a claim?