ECU Remapping
Northampton Motorsport has a complete range of ECU Remapping products to enhance the performance and economy of your road car.
Introduction
There are so many limits on driving these days and even your car’s performance is restricted by the manufacturer. Why would they do this? Well they have to allow for drivers who do not adhere to service schedules and who use sub-standard fuels and deliberately produce conservative engine maps to ensure the long term reliability of the engine. Also you will often find the same engines within a particular model range that have different power outputs. This is achieved by restricting the power on the lower models to give an apparent enhancement to the more expensive higher spec models in the range. The good news is that ECU remapping software can free you from these limits.
Northampton Motorsport has chosen to partner with the leading companies in this field to allow us to cover a wide range of popular cars and light commercials.
Revo are based in the UK and have their own “in house” R&D facilities with rolling road test cells to ensure their products are developed and tested to the highest standards. Code is carefully developed to ensure that the engine remains reliable whilst providing more power, efficiency and mid-range torque and maintaining smooth driving characteristics. Once the code is written it is tested in real world conditions at Millbrook proving ground where cars and engines can safely be tested to their limits.
All this translates into an engine that you don’t have to thrash to get where you want to be, and therefore results in better economy. So if you want the best from your car you need an engine ECU remap. Just call Northampton Motorsport and let us free your engine and give you a more rewarding & exciting drive.
How does ECU Remapping work?
Engine chipping as it was first known came about after carburettors were replaced with the introduction of the Engine control unit or ECU. Since the early 1990s, most engines have been controlled by an on-board computer, (ECU), which among other functions, defines the ignition timing, fueling and boost pressure for all given engine speeds and loads.
Modern ECU’s are very powerful and are fully embedded into the vehicles electronic systems. Taking information from and wide range of on board sensors and interacting with other control units around the car they control the way the engine behaves under all conditions
ECU Remapping lets us change the way the engine is controlled. For example modern turbo charged engines can deliver lots of torque and to some drivers this can be a little intimidating so the way the torque builds is deliberately softened by the manufacturer’s conservative mapping.
Once remapped the true torque potential of the engine can be realised much earlier with less throttle movement which allows the driver to control the delivery the way they want. Far from making the car harder to drive this additional response means less lag, less gear changing and generally less aggressive use of the engine, resulting in better economy and more driving pleasure.
This is just one aspect of a remap and the code developed by our suppliers is extensively modified and tested to ensure the best possible results.
Now days most ECU’s can be remapped via the diagnostic port on your car, just like you would download software for your PC or lap top. Some ECU’s do require removing from the vehicle and opening to allow certain security features to be turned off. They can then be remapped as normal.
ECU Remapping FAQ’s
Why would a manufacturer detune an engine?
Engine management maps have to meet many criteria including meeting specific emissions targets that look good for marketing purposes and mitigate against poor maintenance and driving. An ECU remap allows the engine to perform to its best ability and puts the control back with the driver.
How can a remap make my engine more economical?
By allowing the engine to develop more torque at lower rpm the engine can be driven using less revs and throttle to achieve the same or better level of performance. Customers often report their engines are more responsive and flexible resulting in less time spent at higher rpm. Clearly if a driver uses all of the extra performance, all of the time the engine will use more fuel.
Can the extra power damage my engine or transmission?
It would be wrong to suggest that putting more power and torque through your engine and transmission doesn’t put more strain on its components. However remember that the engines and transmissions of higher spec models with more power and torque are essentially the same with mainly mapping differences. Add to this the fact that the manufacturer will deliberately build a significant degree of additional strength into these components to make them last and be safe and you will see why we have never had a major mechanical issue following a remap.
