If you are crazy about cars and feel that you cannot settle for just another good-looking vehicle, there are many things that you can do. Whether you are planning to improve your vehicle’s fuel efficiency or are behind getting yourself a higher torque and BHP, there are a lot of things that you can do.
Today, I will discuss ECU remapping. I have gathered most of the information from TD Performance Tuning where I occasionally take my vehicles for tune-ups. Let us see what ECU remapping is and whether it is safe and useful for your vehicle in the first place.
Objectives of remapping
ECU remapping is also termed as chipping and tuning. One of the primary objectives of remapping is improving the efficiency of a vehicle. Whether you drive a truck, a car or a van, an efficient engine remapping can show you higher torques and power, improving the feel of the drive.
At the same time, tuning your vehicle will show you improved fuel efficiency and better driving comforts based on your specific preferences. All this does not come at the cost of the engine’s reliability at any time, at least when you get experts to work on your vehicle.
Being a bit more technical
ECU is nothing but the vehicle’s “Engine Control Unit”. Hence remapping the ECU is nothing but customising the way you want to control the vehicle’s engine. Often termed as the brain of the engine, the ECU monitors and controls a number of factors. It controls the amount of air that is mixed with the fuel during ignition in the cylinder. The ECU is also responsible for controlling turbo boost features in your vehicle if your vehicle is equipped with it.
Factory settings from car manufacturers are often set out to offer you different outcomes. You may not be able to enjoy the real power of the vehicle you purchased when you drive out from the showroom. New cars are generally tuned down to show you lower fuel economy and subdued power performance.
This is important through the initial days after you purchase a car. Manufacturers concentrate more on the reliability and safety of a brand new engine rather than the performance. Once you have driven your vehicle for a decent number of kilometres and the oil and fuel has spread throughout the fuel system, you can opt for remapping.
The engine is well oiled by this time. It can now be controlled by the ECU to show you better fuel efficiency, higher power output and torque without creating problems for its reliability.
Getting the job done by experts
One of the most important things to do would be to talk with real experts before you get anything done on your vehicle. I had discussed my requirements with TD Performance before I got anything done by them on my car.
My objectives were primarily to get a bit of extra power out of my 6 monthsold truck, and also better fuel efficiency. Not only does my vehicle feels good to drive, but it also responds much the controls now. Moreover, I get to save some money on the fuel as well!
Nixon is a regular writer on various online portals. Nixon loves cars and generally writes on automobile engineering and companies like TD Performance Tuning.