What is a Remap or flash upgrade?This is a computer software upgrade for late model fuel injected vehicles whereby a new optimized tune is applied to the car's ECU for improved power, throttle response and a reduction in fuel consumption. Bottom line; better response, more power and amazingly, a more frugal engine means more fun at less cost!
No. Inherently, software is invisible, whereas increases in power (bhp) and torque (Nm) are immediately detectable as soon as a car is driven, or placed on a chassis dynamometer. Factory diagnostic functions are not altered during the flashing process allowing your service dealer to still work with all standard diagnostic systems.
The fun factor aside (we can only really use full throttle under certain circumstances), if you are to assume your 'normal' driving style it will result in improved fuel consumption. Our tunes are designed to 'clean up' inherently rich factory fuel settings, both at part throttle, full throttle and during cruise.
Most post year 2000 vehicles are capable of being flashed via the world standard standard OBD2 port, the same port as used by the vehicle manufacturer/supplier for vehicle servicing or diagnostic checks. Please give us a call to find out specific details about your car.
Yes. Every vehicle on our list can be flashed with a new program, and in turn the original program can be re-flashed if requested by a customer. As a matter of course we retain copies of the factory programs of every vehicle flashed with OBD software.
Flashing new programs via a vehicle's OBD2 port is the most secure means possible. OBD uses exactly the same flashing process as vehicle manufacturers, noting that the parameters modified within our 'tuned' files are designed to provide the car with improved power and torque.
The oil temperature may increase by about 1-2 degrees.
The tunes do NOT compromise engine durability whatsoever. It all comes down to how hard and how heavy your right foot is!
It all depends on how you drive. Typically, a tune alone does not have any affect on a braking system, rather via a power increase of up to 35% can result in higher speeds being achieved, and it is up to you to judge from your driving whether an upgrade may be necessary.
Our software is designed for use with all gearbox types, and in all cases we sakes into account the factory transmission parameters. Automatic transmissionsin late model European cars are usually controlled by a separate ECU, the tuning of which is modified to ensure the best possible settings for the performance enthusiast.
"Flash" relates to the re-writing of software into the ECU via the OBD 2 diagnostic port.
ECU remapping will give you a smoother, more responsive engine, sharper acceleration and increased fuel efficiency. It can help give you better fuel economy and cure lower peak torque. It can also give increased acceleration or higher top end power.
Absolutely. ECU remapping is a positive improvement to the engine's performance.
We carry out a full safety check on all vehicles to ensure that your engine is in good condition and can stand the modifications, before any modifications are made. As safeguard, we save the original ECU settings so that this could be restored to your ECU.
You don't have to have a sports car to benefit from the advantages that ECU remapping brings. We remap many "ordinary" cars to achieve better overall performance. Read our customer testimonials section.
ECU remapping affects just the ECU chip. Nothing else in the car has to be modified.
You should expect an increase of 10% to 25% BHP.
Yes. All the modifications are designed to increase torque.
Yes. And, we can remove the manufacturer's top speed limiters.
Yes. But this is dependent on the age of the engine and the way the vehicle is driven.
We will require your car anything from 1 to 2 hours.
It is extremely difficult for anyone to tell that modifications have been made to the ECU.
ECU remapping is a safe and positive modification to the engine. Agent tools will not be able to detect a change in the ECU program. Hence it will not affect warranty.
The cost depends on the make and model of the vehicle, speak to us for a cost estimation.
YES! We offer 1 year software warranty!
Manufacturers can deliver the benefits that we offer, however, a number of factors prevent them from installing optimal settings. Some of these factors include:-
(a) Climate - vehicles are shipped to countries with varying climates, so this is taken into account.
(b) Fuel Quality - the quality of fuel varies around the world so allowances have to be made.
(c) Servicing - many vehicle owners do not follow guidelines so adjustments are made with this in mind.
(d) Development costs - one engine is offered in a number of different cars at varying levels of tune and power output. By doing this, huge sums of money is saved in development.
(e) Marketing - manufacturers often boost sales with new / limited edition higher powered or increased MPG models. In many cases this is achieved by no more than reprogramming or remapping the engine management system.
The simple fact is that not all cars can be remapped, this could be down to a few things:
1. The car is too old
Before the year 2000 there was no standardized way of 'writing' maps back onto the ECU, meaning it's impossible to remap a lot of cars manufactured before this time.
2. Non-standardized ECU
Even today, not all manufacturers use an ECU that can be remapped without a lot of hassle.
3. The protocols have not been reverse-engineered yet
Each manufacturer uses a different protocol (a bit like the drivers your computer needs to talk to the screen, keyboard, mouse etc) for reading and writing to the ECU. Sometimes it can take our technicians a little time to reverse-engineer these protocols (the manufacturers won't release them publicly, as it would not be in their best interests), so it might be that while it's not possible to remap your car right now, we might be able to do it in the near future.
The majority of tuning boxes on the market today will only increase the fuel pressure and injection periods. You will not get an even spread of power due to the delay in the tuning box circuitry processing sensor signals. This results in spikes in the power. With re-mapping, these problems are eliminated as the ECU processes everything along with adjusting the torque limiters and turbo limiters, which a tuning box cannot access.
The OBD port (On-Board Diagnostics) is essentially a plug in the vehicle which can be connected to which has a self-diagnostic and reporting capability. The OBD port enables the vehicle owner or vehicle technician to access information relating to the health state of various vehicle sub-systems.
We do not alter any hardware in your vehicle as all modern vehicles have an ECU. The ECU is a computer controlled device which can be accessed via the on-board diagnostics port (OBD) in the vehicle. The ECU controls many processes such as ignition timing, how much fuel and air are mixed together, when the turbo initiates in etc. These settings are stored as maps within the ECU. We will access your vehicles ECU via the OBD port. From here, we will analyse the maps that are already stored on the ECU. Our technical department will then use dyno tested optimal settings for your vehicle and reprogram the ECU with the new optimised maps. If at any time you wish to return your vehicle ECU to its original factory settings, this can be done as we always keep a copy of the original maps in the ECU.
Yes, if you prefer it. Our service comes direct to your door, whether that be it your home, office or any other location which is suitable. To top that off, this is service is free of charge! Alternatively, you can have it tuned at our Tuning Centre.
We offer very competitive prices matched with the highest quality remapping files available today. Not only are our prices competitive but we also offer standardised prices for standard vehicles. We like to keep things simple. It is worth noting that many remapping providers offer what seem like value for money ECU remapping services. However, great deal of these providers are using stock files (generic library files). These files are not tailored to your vehicles specific requirements. We custom tune your car.
Yes remapping your vehicle is entirely legal and there is no law against this. Each remap which we carry out is done so within the manufacturer safety tolerance zones.
You can continue to use the same fuel that you have been using before and no need to change the fuel type you use.
No your CO2 emissions will not increase. Vehicle CO2 emissions are linked to how much fuel your vehicle uses. For every litre of fuel your vehicle burns, 2.63 kg of CO2 are released into the atmosphere. This is not dependent on how you drive or indeed what you drive, but how much fuel your vehicle consumes and how much you drive!
Yes. We will not remap a vehicle that has engine problems. Please make sure you fix any mechanical or electrical problems before we remap your vehicle.
No. Remapping will in fact reduce the black smoke!
The alternative to a proper remap is a plug-in tuning box. When comparing the two, a full remap is irrefutably the better option. A tuning box sends false sensor values throughout the complete rev-range. This tells the ECU that there is not enough fuel entering the engine. The ECU then over-fuels in order to gain performance. Although performance gains are made, they are at the cost of high emissions, higher engine temperatures, and general abuse of the engine. This may result in poor running, black smoke emitting from the exhaust, clogged injectors, rough idle, and engine cut-out.
The difference between a Turbo and a Supercharger is mainly the way they are driven and therefore the way they behave. Both a Turbo and a Supercharger are producing compressed air, driven by a belt we call it Supercharger and driven by exhaust gasses we call it Turbocharger. Beside that a Turbo is compressing air using the centrifugal principal, and a Supercharger can use the centrifugal or positive displacement principal. In the end a Supercharger is driven be a belt usually from your crankshaft and a Turbo from your exhaust gasses, so a Turbo should be more efficient using “waste gases” from the engine.
The Turbo needs enough exhaust gas flow to get his energy to start some serious work, so this means the engine needs a certain rpm level and load (depending the size of the turbo) before the Turbo comes into action. A smaller Turbo will need less exhaust gasses to come into action than a bigger one on the same engine, but there will always be a “lag” between opening the throttle and getting full power. This is called “turbolag”.
A Supercharger has no “lag” since it is connected to your crank. So the boost level from a centrifugal Supercharger will be almost linear between zero boost at low rpm level and maximum boost at your maximum rpm level. Dealing with a positive displace type Supercharger the engine will have his maximum boost level already at a low rpm level, and maintaining it to almost maximum rpm level. Beside that the power is instantly available at every rpm level.
The simple fact is that not all cars can be remapped, this could be down to a few things:
1.The car is too old
Before the year 2000 there was no standardized way of 'writing' maps back onto the ECU, meaning it's impossible to remap a lot of cars manufactured before this time.
2.Non-standardized ECU
Even today, not all manufacturers use an ECU that can be remapped without a lot of hassle.
3.The protocols have not been backwards engineered yet! Each manufacturer uses a different protocol (a bit like the drivers your computer needs to talk to the screen, keyboard, mouse etc) for reading and writing to the ECU. Sometimes it can take our technicians a little time to backwards-engineer these protocols (the manufacturers won't release them publicly, as it would not be in their best interests), so it might be that while it's not possible to remap your car right now, we might be able to do it in the near future.
We've noticed pretty much equal gains between manual and automatic cars when using this process. In both cases, because of the increase in power, you'll find either the car or you needs to shift gear less often, making for a much smoother drive all round.
We've noticed that vans seem to get amazing gains from our remapping process - this is for two reasons:
•Diesel engines (and especially turbo diesels) benefit far more from this process than petrol engines, as they usually have a wide variety of limiters in place, stopping your van from reaching it's true potential.
•Remapping increases the torque of the engine, meaning that you'll have more power when you need it when your van is fully loaded.
You are more than welcome to wait with us while the remapping is taking place, most people enjoy watching the process of the remap, but please be aware it does take a few hours.
Yes remapping your vehicle is entirely legal and there is no law against this. Each remap which we carry out is done so within the manufacturer safety tolerance zones.
Our vehicle lists are being updated on a regular basis. If you do not see your vehicle listed please contact us for more information as we may still be able to remap it.
It's always a good idea to keep your tires inflated to the manufacture recommended PSI. Reduce weight of the vehicle by removing unused items and spare tiresYou can do this by simply replacing your Spark Plugs and Air Filter!
Any further questions you may have, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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