ECU Remapping Pros and Cons

If you are considering an ECU remap there are a few things to consider. Are you looking for just a fuel saving and a slight increase in BHP & Torque, or are you looking for a good blend of fuel savings along with a good uplift in BHP & Torque or are you looking for out and out power increases?

There are a few points that you need to understand before you consider a remap:

·         Is my car fitted with a turbo? If your car is fitted with a turbo then you will benefit the most from an ECU remap, as there is much more the tuner can do to find that extra power. Be it diesel or petrol, the power gains that can be achieved will be between 20-35%. Fuel savings will only really be seen on diesel turbo vehicles this will range between 8-15% as it depends on the type of remap you opt for. Petrol Turbo vehicles may see between 2-5% fuel gains.

·         If your vehicle has a naturally aspirated engine then you will find, that the most power gains that can be achieved are around 10%. For example, if the vehicle’s engine produces 300bhp standard then a good remapper can achieve an extra 30bhp. This is a very good power gain and will be noticed! Our rule is if the target vehicle is less than 200 bhp standard which would achieve a 20bhp increase, it’s probably not worth doing.

Things to Consider

Is the engine in my car sound? i.e. Is there any engine related faults? If there is then you should not attempt to remap your vehicle until the engine is free of any faults. This is why a good remapping company should and will run a diagnostic check prior to remapping your vehicle. If it is found that there are any engine related faults then he or she should highlight this to you before proceeding.

Do I service my car inline with the vehicles manufactures guild lines? If so then there should be no unforeseen problems. If your vehicle’s engine has been neglected in terms of servicing or its been driven to an inch of its life! then its probably best to avoid an ECU remap. No Company wants an unhappy customer and I know that customers don’t want problems with there car!

How can you the customer lessen the risk when having your vehicle remapped? Well, the answer is yes if you take the advice in this article. There are some companies that offer an ‘After Remap Mechanical & Electrical Warranty’ This is supplied to our customers that have requested it or are advised to have the additional warranty. It negates any unforeseen expensive repair bills up to the value of £10,000. The warranty gives you the customer peace of mind as you don’t have to worry about trying to prove it was the remappers fault and not the vehicles possible underlying problem.

The warranty will last for 30,000 miles or 12 months whichever comes first, please ask for details from the remapping company supplying the warranty.

Make sure that the company that you have chosen are qualified!!to carry out the Ecu remapping process there are some companies like Remap2Race that has this qualification. There are lots that don’t!

DANGER: There are too many fly-by-night remappers out there charging £150! using clone tools and do not have the correct suite of tools to deal with an unknown situation. If its all about the price for you then I would suggest you do not have a remap carried out on your vehicle.

Remember: All OEM software can be reverted back to the vehicles ECU if requested…