What is an ECU?
All modern vehicles on the road today has a 'brain' which is your ECU (engin control Unit). Sensors acorss your vehicle measuring various parameters, from your engines temperature to your vehicles exhaust gasses, to how far your accelerator pedal is pressed in.
Using the information provided, your ECU which is essentially a mini computer, provides your engine with the optimum signal to make sure your correct amount of air and fuel is mixed in your engine to provide economy and performance.
How Does ECU Remapping Work?
When a manufacturer develops and sells a car, they program or map the engine to perform efficiently across all possible environments the vehicle may be sold in. They factor in different grades of fuel which may be used, to extreme cold or heat in some places of the World. Even differing emission laws can play a part in how the engine is set up to run when it leaves the factory. The manufacturer also likes to keep well within the known operating limits of the engine, to ensure reliability.
Remapping your ECU involves removing the original map and uploading a new optimised map, this new map will optimise throttle response, air and fuel mixture, boost pressure and more, to give your vehicle the map it was originally intended to have before the manufacturer placed in the compromises. this in effect gives the vehicle more torque and power and a higher MPG.
Benefits of ECU Remapping
Reprogramming your ECU will give your vehicle a more smooth power delivery, giving you more power through your vehicles rev range with a wider power band. This gives the owner a more usbale band of power and a vehicle that's quicker and more fun to drive.
You would also notice an increase in MPG, bringing down your running costs on every day driving. This is acheived by optimising the fuel and air mixture, along with a lower torque range meaning your vehicle runs more efficiently.
ECU Remapping benefits For Diesel Turbocharged Engines
Diesel trubo engines are known for their high torque and good MPG on long journeys. Remapping your ECu on a turbo diesel engine can further increase this on your vehicle.
Remapping your ECU will give the follwing:
- Torque increased
- Horsepower increased
- Higher MPG
- Smooth power delivery
- Increased throttle response
ECU Remapping for Turbocharged Petrol Engines
Petrol engines which are turbocharged have always been the sports engine to have for good reason. With high power & torque output and the exhilerating feeling of the turbo power when you accelerate, it's often found in manufacturers top sports models.
Remapping your ECU will give the following:
- Torque increased
- Horsepower increased
- Higher MPG
- Smooth power delivery
- Increased throttle response
saving fuel With ECU Remapping
If you are looking at maximum fuel saving with your remap, increasing the lower end torque will mean less throttle required to maintain your cruising speed, giving you a better fuel economy. You will also find you will have to change gear less often with the increased torque across the range of gears.
If you combine this type of remap with a slight change in driving style to suit the new map, you could see an increase of MPG by as much as 20%.
How It Works
When remapping an ECU, there are no hardware components that are required to change. The majority of vehicles are able to be remapped by plugging in our specialist equipment into your vehicles on-board diagnostics port (OBD). The technician then reads and downloads a copy of your current map, before tweaking and uploading the new optimised version.
In some cases the technician may have to remove the ECU itself and read the map direct from the processing microchip and optimise and re-upload direct, before reinstalling back in the vehicle.
