Ecu upgrade, what to expect ?
Discussion
Here's the dyno sheet for my car with the Mbe installed.
What your thoughts re torque please chaps,,,,,,,drops off after 4K would that likely be the cam I'm running?
I've not had chance to drive much but it feels pretty good,,,,, I'm fibbing, it feels really good
New heat socks on plug leads and two Lambda probes and a new exhaust rear bracket including bushes ,,,,, this cars nearly brand new,,,
So if we say use 18% and recalculate the figures,,,
300bhp
342 ft-lbs of torque,,,
Engine spec,
Standard Pistons, rods, new rings, re honed bores
10thou re ground crank with shells,
Vernier timing gear,
Kent 885 cam
Heads and block skimmed,,,,
Standard 4.6 heads, valves re lapped in,
Valve guides etc, new rockers
Oil pump gears,
No mods to induction other than smooth bore ACT intake pipe including elbow, K&N filter.
Standard plenum
Standard exhaust other than Pre cats removed.
CATTED Y pierce
Obviously these figures are post Mbe,,,
So with intake mods, de cat pipe,,,,330-340 Bhp or is that to much to ask?
Whatever I'm rather pleased so far
What your thoughts re torque please chaps,,,,,,,drops off after 4K would that likely be the cam I'm running?
I've not had chance to drive much but it feels pretty good,,,,, I'm fibbing, it feels really good
New heat socks on plug leads and two Lambda probes and a new exhaust rear bracket including bushes ,,,,, this cars nearly brand new,,,
So if we say use 18% and recalculate the figures,,,
300bhp
342 ft-lbs of torque,,,
Engine spec,
Standard Pistons, rods, new rings, re honed bores
10thou re ground crank with shells,
Vernier timing gear,
Kent 885 cam
Heads and block skimmed,,,,
Standard 4.6 heads, valves re lapped in,
Valve guides etc, new rockers
Oil pump gears,
No mods to induction other than smooth bore ACT intake pipe including elbow, K&N filter.
Standard plenum
Standard exhaust other than Pre cats removed.
CATTED Y pierce
Obviously these figures are post Mbe,,,
So with intake mods, de cat pipe,,,,330-340 Bhp or is that to much to ask?
Whatever I'm rather pleased so far
Mat you couldn't be more right about the mods ,,
The air/fuel ratio isn't bad,, Dom says maybe another odd tweak but I'll drive it first and get some miles in.
I jumped in it and promptly sat in a traffic jam,,, fans kicking in and out and temps stable, I'll go and have a blast later
Richard yes entirely, it's a screamer,, keep it revving sort of motor,,,
That's where I loose out, that initial burst of torque, the bigger engine just gets you off slow corners in third gear,,
The power curve is exactly as the engine feels, even before the Ecu, but now it's just broader, more air, more fuel, better spark point,,,louder and that's always a good sign,,
Jay mentioned it's only the second 4.6 they'd done with a similar spec, almost the same power,,
Dom made me laugh,,, I said I'm not sure if I'd drive it to France,,, he said get in it and drive it there you tart,,, or words to that effect,,
Well I suppose it's time I sat in it and felt all this new found power,,,,,,hold on ,, temping fate,, bad bad idea,
Needless to say,,,, I might go for a gentle cruise later
The air/fuel ratio isn't bad,, Dom says maybe another odd tweak but I'll drive it first and get some miles in.
I jumped in it and promptly sat in a traffic jam,,, fans kicking in and out and temps stable, I'll go and have a blast later
Richard yes entirely, it's a screamer,, keep it revving sort of motor,,,
That's where I loose out, that initial burst of torque, the bigger engine just gets you off slow corners in third gear,,
The power curve is exactly as the engine feels, even before the Ecu, but now it's just broader, more air, more fuel, better spark point,,,louder and that's always a good sign,,
Jay mentioned it's only the second 4.6 they'd done with a similar spec, almost the same power,,
Dom made me laugh,,, I said I'm not sure if I'd drive it to France,,, he said get in it and drive it there you tart,,, or words to that effect,,
Well I suppose it's time I sat in it and felt all this new found power,,,,,,hold on ,, temping fate,, bad bad idea,
Needless to say,,,, I might go for a gentle cruise later
MPoxon said:
Alun, that is really impressive, you have the same BHP and more torque than my 500 which has had ££££s spent on mods and properly mapped.
Lovely flat torque curve i bet she is a dream to drive. Please take my advice and don't spend any more money on engine mods, you have a really nice package there, just spend the money on fuel and the occasional trackdays.
Enjoy fella!
ETA - I think you have the best of both worlds there - I have always liked the revy nature of the 4.6 and the piece of mind of the later cross bolted block, however after my 500 every 4.6 I have driven feels a bit slow in comparison, I miss the epic torque from the 500 which IMO makes the car feel faster than it actually is as it pins you into your seat in every gear. You have both now!!!
Mat, yes indeed, it doesn't matter what the top figures are,,,it's the power coming on that gives you the gut feeling of excelleration, all the 5.0 I've been in are all much faster than my engine but,,,, as mine is really smooth upto 5400 revs it sort of gains a bit back at the top end, saying that I'm hoping I've got a broader torque curve now so maybe she's not so far off. Lovely flat torque curve i bet she is a dream to drive. Please take my advice and don't spend any more money on engine mods, you have a really nice package there, just spend the money on fuel and the occasional trackdays.
Enjoy fella!
ETA - I think you have the best of both worlds there - I have always liked the revy nature of the 4.6 and the piece of mind of the later cross bolted block, however after my 500 every 4.6 I have driven feels a bit slow in comparison, I miss the epic torque from the 500 which IMO makes the car feel faster than it actually is as it pins you into your seat in every gear. You have both now!!!
Edited by MPoxon on Wednesday 21st October 19:30
Your more likely to spin up the wheels as I can probably get better traction off a turn, 6 of this a half a dozen of that,,,
Other than that initial bang of power ,,, I've got a sneaky feeling my engine is right on the money even against a 5.0',,,,I'll tell ya later
MPoxon said:
ClassiChimi said:
Mat, yes indeed, it doesn't matter what the top figures are,,,it's the power coming on that gives you the gut feeling of excelleration, all the 5.0 I've been in are all much faster than my engine but,,,, as mine is really smooth upto 5400 revs it sort of gains a bit back at the top end, saying that I'm hoping I've got a broader torque curve now so maybe she's not so far off.
Not anymore Alun, same BHP as mine but more torque so yours is more powerful than my sorted 500 and has the same epic torque curve which makes the 500 cars feel proper quick. Really good result that!My 500
Your 450
So a nice test drive,, holy flipping heck, fast, really pulling well in 5th,
Ragged it like a racing car then instantly pottered along and everything's brill, pops and should I say whip cracks out the exhaust,
Anthony,, you'll see it is very similar to your engine, hp, yes about the same,, ft-lbs,,, yours will feel like more,,
I've also fitted Protech shocks,,,duel adjust,,, so far there far better than my old ones,, even in damp conditions the car felt like I have more grip, town driving is far far better,
The last thing that matters hugely to me is I don't have to ride the clutch to negate the shunting,,
I can still feel the slightest hesitation here and there but it's now far more enjoyable to drive,,
Over a few years driving that's worth a few bob in my estimation alone
roseytvr said:
TV8 said:
Hi Ian, I was planning to track it this year! Life is definitely getting in the way lately and then foreign travels.
hopefully, it will be n track soon. I have taken it across France and Belgium a couple of times this summer, so it's not sat in the garage.
How is yours going?
Sat in the que at Doms awaiting an MBE if he has any left! Al, don't suppose you told him I was next? Mine has been running very well but unfortunately no one could get the fhopefully, it will be n track soon. I have taken it across France and Belgium a couple of times this summer, so it's not sat in the garage.
How is yours going?
ker through an MOT. So much for a "turn key" solution when I upgraded??. So it's a second new ECU and wiring loom etc. Boy this modding malarkey gets expensive. Should have kept off this website and stuck with Sprint
No doubt I will feel better when Dom has sorted it
He'll be on it soon enough mate.
MPoxon said:
My 500
Your 450
The more I look at these two graphs,,, Your 450
I have very good power at 2000 revs
The 500 pulls slightly more Bhp all the way up but when both engines are spinning from say 4900 to 5400 mines matching Mats,,
Same sort of thing with the torque, just that bit more grunt in the 500,,,
The 4.6 is forgiving though, it spins well, less vibration so may well pull those last few useable revs better than the 500,,,
Might be a bit better on downshifts too,,, easier.
As you can see,well matched on paper but in the real world the 500 is faster but with mine at this standard it's right there so I can't ask anymore,
I have a De Catt pipe on the floor,,,, looking at me
I've used it before, Alex old one, I reckon there's as much as 20hp in it??? I just can't take the noise at 2000 revs,
Considering it's still got the cat, I'm really happy with the power output, how it drives, it's manners, no smell of petrol,
It's only the dogs b
ks so it is 
even before I took it back for mapping Simon, I kept thinking,, this engine seems really sweet, better than ever, just the sound of it on tick over etc.
Yes it's time to leave it alone to do its thing,,,,,
I like the fact it still looks fairly standard in the engine bay,
I might do the odd track day ( funds permitting) but it's a road car and after rather to long,, yesterday's drive with the new softer shocks etc, the cars going in the direction I want and it feels really good,,
Some Audi got to close to my Arse last night,, a few seconds later it was gone,, I was chuckling like a kid,
4th and 5th gear it's so much faster than standard!
Yes it's time to leave it alone to do its thing,,,,,
I like the fact it still looks fairly standard in the engine bay,
I might do the odd track day ( funds permitting) but it's a road car and after rather to long,, yesterday's drive with the new softer shocks etc, the cars going in the direction I want and it feels really good,,
Some Audi got to close to my Arse last night,, a few seconds later it was gone,, I was chuckling like a kid,
4th and 5th gear it's so much faster than standard!
Just a final update,,,,,
I've had the car back a couple of days now,,
As with most if not all our cars mine has always suffered from a loose transmission system,,,, always had to ride clutch to negate shunting etc,
the first obvious thing is how I can run along in 4th at say 30mph and transmission stays quiet, I've saved the price of some CV joints already
The driving experience is very different to before, much much easier to drive around town, I estimate its at least 30% less effort to keep everything taught.
Throttle response is pin point accurate, changing gear is a joy.
Starting the engine from cold or hot it's consistent
The power and torque feel tremendous and the engines manners are now impeccable,,,
Sheel another local Tvr owner had a drive of it,,, first time I'd been in the passenger seat,,,
We both enjoyed that drive I reckon, I really enjoyed how the car felt as a passenger,
As others so rightly have mentioned, I now have a very sorted package, I hope to just run the car awhile now and enjoy it, a couple of years down the line the money it cost will be a memory but the cars ability should not alter to much.
I've done it at last,,,,got the car to a point I believe in its reliability,,,
That my friends is a priceless feeling and one I find hard to explain, it's a Tvr,,, common consensus tells us it's a shed,,,,
With help from folk on here who share knowledge and the talents of a few people who worked on my car, namely Tvr Power,,, yes it's expensive but then so is fuel, tyres, oil, clutches and transmission components,,
The Ecu install has many benefits and knock on effects that already seem to far out way the cost.
The install is very neat and tidy,
A combination of new ACT intake pipe and Jays mapping has given it a power hike for sure so its just a win win situation,
Whatever Ecu you might be considering I now consider it the first and possibly the most important Mod or addition to your car,,
You simply remove, wiring, alarm, starter circuit, and in my case immobiliser issues in one hit, oh I've already stopped thinking about stepper motors,,, priceless.
I've had the car back a couple of days now,,
As with most if not all our cars mine has always suffered from a loose transmission system,,,, always had to ride clutch to negate shunting etc,
the first obvious thing is how I can run along in 4th at say 30mph and transmission stays quiet, I've saved the price of some CV joints already
The driving experience is very different to before, much much easier to drive around town, I estimate its at least 30% less effort to keep everything taught.
Throttle response is pin point accurate, changing gear is a joy.
Starting the engine from cold or hot it's consistent
The power and torque feel tremendous and the engines manners are now impeccable,,,
Sheel another local Tvr owner had a drive of it,,, first time I'd been in the passenger seat,,,
We both enjoyed that drive I reckon, I really enjoyed how the car felt as a passenger,
As others so rightly have mentioned, I now have a very sorted package, I hope to just run the car awhile now and enjoy it, a couple of years down the line the money it cost will be a memory but the cars ability should not alter to much.
I've done it at last,,,,got the car to a point I believe in its reliability,,,
That my friends is a priceless feeling and one I find hard to explain, it's a Tvr,,, common consensus tells us it's a shed,,,,
With help from folk on here who share knowledge and the talents of a few people who worked on my car, namely Tvr Power,,, yes it's expensive but then so is fuel, tyres, oil, clutches and transmission components,,
The Ecu install has many benefits and knock on effects that already seem to far out way the cost.
The install is very neat and tidy,
A combination of new ACT intake pipe and Jays mapping has given it a power hike for sure so its just a win win situation,
Whatever Ecu you might be considering I now consider it the first and possibly the most important Mod or addition to your car,,
You simply remove, wiring, alarm, starter circuit, and in my case immobiliser issues in one hit, oh I've already stopped thinking about stepper motors,,, priceless.
yes Rich, they'd be neck and neck. I've just had the most enjoyable drive this afternoon since I owned my Tvr,I've been adjusting the new Ptotech duel adjuster shocks,, their magic,,, transformed the slow speed driving and no nodding dog syndrome at speed, country lanes are a breeze,
I've managed to get the rears to be soft enough to be compliant yet I've wound the re bound up a tad and now the car doesn't bounce, the front feels totally planted and stable at all times,,,
I've noticed they have a good few more windes of steel than my old shocks, thinner steel,,,, so they react to the pot hole type bumps far quicker and less harsh,
If this experiment in softer springs hadn't worked I would have said so,, a bit like the Mbe, the shocks are so much better now,,
The two things that I feel ruined my pleasure of the car namely, shunting and crap road holding, I've removed them both,, what a result. I thought the shocks would feel about the same as say GGP's (old spec)but with more control of the rebound rate, but in fact they are far more compliant yet firm, they do exactly as it says on the tin,,,
I'm well impressed with them
No apologies nessasary Mark, yes please put up your gragh,,
I can't agree with you more re Jays mapping,,listen to my engine and it's smooth as a smooth thing, so Doms not bad at engine building either,,
I know this isn't physically possible but driving my car yesterday the mapping just seems to get better by the minute,
I now consider my car to be far better than the car Tvr produced, they did what they did with what they had and that was some 20 odd years ago,, to have such a glorious engine managed in such a complete way is like owning a Porsche, total belief and security in the engineering,,, as everyone always mentions Dom charges for the work,,, in line with any one stop engineering/car management shop really,
Ok to save a fortune you do it yourself,,
Garage, tools, skills, countless spare hours to complete, what if things don't work properly, you may need more tech support, extra mapping sessions,,, what's a rolling road like Doms cost,,,,
Trailer costs, fuel and it all adds up,,,
I've seen Sheels car in bits,,, he's doing an Ecu install, moved battery and fuse box etc, stripped interior for re fit,,, Rich is an experienced engineer with an abundance of skills, technically he's ahead of the car,,,
But by eck it's a big old job,
Seeing Rich pull and replace wiring loom etc,,,he's doing a wonderful job, looking at my install,,,,it's a lovely job,,,
There's a lot of work involved,,, with what a new Ecu brings you in benefits I'm now considering the cost as a fair deal,,
Fit and forget but feel the difference every occasion you drive!!!
Having looked into it, agonised over which Ecu to use etc, one conclusion I've come to is there's at least three kits available
Mbe, Canams, Emerald etc,,they all would have given me the same results.
I can't agree with you more re Jays mapping,,listen to my engine and it's smooth as a smooth thing, so Doms not bad at engine building either,,
I know this isn't physically possible but driving my car yesterday the mapping just seems to get better by the minute,
I now consider my car to be far better than the car Tvr produced, they did what they did with what they had and that was some 20 odd years ago,, to have such a glorious engine managed in such a complete way is like owning a Porsche, total belief and security in the engineering,,, as everyone always mentions Dom charges for the work,,, in line with any one stop engineering/car management shop really,
Ok to save a fortune you do it yourself,,
Garage, tools, skills, countless spare hours to complete, what if things don't work properly, you may need more tech support, extra mapping sessions,,, what's a rolling road like Doms cost,,,,
Trailer costs, fuel and it all adds up,,,
I've seen Sheels car in bits,,, he's doing an Ecu install, moved battery and fuse box etc, stripped interior for re fit,,, Rich is an experienced engineer with an abundance of skills, technically he's ahead of the car,,,
But by eck it's a big old job,
Seeing Rich pull and replace wiring loom etc,,,he's doing a wonderful job, looking at my install,,,,it's a lovely job,,,
There's a lot of work involved,,, with what a new Ecu brings you in benefits I'm now considering the cost as a fair deal,,
Fit and forget but feel the difference every occasion you drive!!!
Having looked into it, agonised over which Ecu to use etc, one conclusion I've come to is there's at least three kits available
Mbe, Canams, Emerald etc,,they all would have given me the same results.
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