Re-Mapping, your experiences.

[Mark34bn]

BorkFactor said:

Mark34bn said:

My E36 328i has been remapped, it now has 208bhp / 221LB/ft
I didn't bother with the 325i manifold, I've seen dyno graphs of those and you lose torque all the way through the midrange just for the top end power gain. Mine is just strong all the way.
I'd certainly recommend it, the motor is more responsive and the delivery seems smoother than before.

But would remapping it with the M50 manifold not compensate for the loss in torque?

I ask as I am thinking about getting my E46 328i mapped and I was going to put the 325i manifold on first.

Glad the remap made a difference though

I didn't think the M50 manifold would fit the E46 motor??
I'm sure the M50 conversion is OK, but every dyno graph I've seen shows a loss through the midrange compared to std. I wanted to build on the torquay (sp) delivery of the 2.8, and it still revs well enough.

[jackmontandon]

My e46 330cd has gone from 204bhp to 270bhp (with an exhaust system as well) and its a totally different car, really does fly!

Had a Audi tt 225 mapped to 265bhp and that was a lot more fun!

[Noisy]

The maps are pre-tuned for a best fit for the cars, for optimal performance you can get it on the rolling road and custom tune the map files, but the best fit ones work very well as they have had a lot of time put into them to make them good on not only performance and economy but also to make them safe for the engine components.

I offer OBD mapping and like the OP if anyone isn't happy with the map the car is returned to standard and no charge to the customer.

[anonymous-user]

£70 remap

gave

250BHP -> 275BHP

350Nm -> 430 Nm

and 22mpg -> 24mpg

[philmots]

Custom map on Rolling Road..

Standard car should of made 250hp/260lbft... It made 238hp/280lbft

After the map it ran at 300hp/390lbft !

Huge difference. + 62hp and 110lbft

[RenesisEvo]

philmots said:

Huge difference. + 62hp and 110lbft

Impressive - what was that on?

What have been people's experiences when informing the insurance company / getting a mapped car insured? I imagine this will add a bit to the cost of the re-map.

[ArsE92]

I used a Hypertech tuning device on my Mazda 6 MPS. Cost £300 and I'd say worth it if you intend to keep the car. Improves throttle response and improves the power delivery across the rev range. Peak gains were 'only' around 30bhp but it was a lot quicker through the full range. Allows you to disable the torque limiter in 1st/2nd gear too.

Remapped my 147 GTA - waste of time and had it removed a month later.

Remapped a Volvo S60 D5 - blew the turbo (it was already on it's way out) - replaced turbo and it felt like a new car - took power from 163bhp to about 195bhp I believe.

I want to change the induction kit, fit new down-pipes, and remap the 335i which would take it over 400bhp I think, but Mrs A won't let me

[300bhp/ton]

BorkFactor said:

I am seriously considering getting my car remapped, after I have put the 325i manifold on. I am not sure how much difference it will actually make, as I am happy with it they way it is

It is supposed to make a huge difference on turbo cars, especially the well renowned 335d.

Are you being contradictory? You're happy now, but still wanting to mod??

Anyhow, as a rule the main point of mapping is to adjust fuel and spark (and boost), this affects the A/F ratio. Get this wrong and your car will run like crap and/or potentially grenade itself. Mapping the modern way of messing about with carb jets and tuning needles. It does the same thing only with more control, precision and a larger array of things to adjust and monitor.

However if your car is pre-modified and not running a stock configuration you'll need a custom map on a rolling road to get it right. Pre set maps are usually designed to optimise a standard car and will get it wrong if you've made other changes.

[anonymous-user]

My insurance made a note of the fact it had been remapped, but because the map was for torque and towing (I swears it, guv) and the power gains were minimal, they charge no extra. Apart from the "admin charge"...

[300bhp/ton]

The_Burg said:

Or a lot more to swap it, i drive 15 miles a day to work. Standard it was awful. So yes i consider £200 to be sweet FA compared to changing cars.
Guess what? We don't all drive proper fun cars.
For the money it seems a big improvement.

I'm not disputing why you did, or even objecting. But that's quite a lame excuse you've given. 15 FFS that's nothing. And if you want a fun car - why did you spend money on a 1.6 Focus?

[300bhp/ton]

Jimmy No Hands said:

Fair enough. I was genuinely curious as the I've been widely lead to believe NA gains are pretty minimal and not really worth it, probably dependent on the car. If it makes a £200 difference then I can understand.

Gains can be big, but no on a 1.6

It might make it drive a lot better though. But that said, does it really matter on a 1.6 Focus designed only to pop to Tesco's?

[300bhp/ton]

Six Fiend said:

DaineseMan said:

Six Fiend said:

DaineseMan said:

Thinking of getting my 2.0T A4 rempped, but my only reservation is the fact that it's a FWD

Not likely to cause you problems tbh.

Is there any way of tracing that the car's been remapped?

As I understand it you need to get it checked by a tuner with a suitable laptop program or dyno. It can't be detected just by looking at it

Although that in itself doesn't mean much as many companies (Subaru, Mercedes, BMW, etc etc) all have or do offer a dealer fit map for many different models.

Not too mention it's highly likely some "press" or "demo" cars leave the factory with slightly sharper settings than some others.

[torres del paine]

Jimmy No Hands said:

You spent £200 to remap a 1.6 Focus?








Why?

Tis a good question but you only have to drive Ford's bread and butter engines a few yards to know that they are woeful. Fords have always been like this and I don't know why - Vauxhall do better with comparably vivacious engines.

[300bhp/ton]

hyperblue said:

I would think any remap worth paying for would need to be done on a dyno, where the AFR can be recorded and the fueling adjusted accordingly? Strikes me as stabbing in the dark otherwise.

Only exception would be where the manufacturer has put different ECU maps on the same engine to differentiate models by reducing power on the lesser spec model.

The guy doing it on your drive probably just messed with the throttle response.

Edited by hyperblue on Tuesday 17th April 23:39

There is another explanation. That they mapped one example of this car on a dyno and recorded all the data. You can then make the assumption that all factory cars will be within 'x'% and you adjust the settings accordingly. This way your map will work on any factory standard car of this type. It might not be the most ideal setup, but it will work and be an improvement.

[BorkFactor]

Mark34bn said:

I didn't think the M50 manifold would fit the E46 motor??
I'm sure the M50 conversion is OK, but every dyno graph I've seen shows a loss through the midrange compared to std. I wanted to build on the torquay (sp) delivery of the 2.8, and it still revs well enough.

Apparently you can fit the manifold from the E46 325i to the E46 328i (same engine as the E36 328i but with twin VANOS), but needs a little work to make it fit. Seems to give good results though.

Is there a considerable loss in midrange torque? I think I need to do a bit more research! I am glad the remap worked well for you, always nice to hear a good experience! Had a look in your profile, that is a lovely E36 you have there

300bhp/ton said:

Are you being contradictory? You're happy now, but still wanting to mod??

Anyhow, as a rule the main point of mapping is to adjust fuel and spark (and boost), this affects the A/F ratio. Get this wrong and your car will run like crap and/or potentially grenade itself. Mapping the modern way of messing about with carb jets and tuning needles. It does the same thing only with more control, precision and a larger array of things to adjust and monitor.

However if your car is pre-modified and not running a stock configuration you'll need a custom map on a rolling road to get it right. Pre set maps are usually designed to optimise a standard car and will get it wrong if you've made other changes.

Not my clearest post, I know

I am happy with the car at the moment, but I plan on keeping it for a long time so a little more power / better drivability is always welcome. I want to tune it up a little, nothing silly though.

Ok, so if I were to do something like fit a derestricted manifold and a better exhaust system (probably the extent of what I would do to it) I would have to get a custom map? Roughly, how much would I be looking at to get that done?

Thanks for the info

[Motorrad]

RenesisEvo said:

Impressive - what was that on?

What have been people's experiences when informing the insurance company / getting a mapped car insured? I imagine this will add a bit to the cost of the re-map.

Norwich union charged me 20 quid extra, Liverpool Victoria no difference on the Impreza.

[oobster]

My Octavia VRS has been remapped - I used Ben at Shark performance in Mansfield. HUGE difference and was definitely worth the £.

I also have the hand-held plug in unit that allows me to put the standard map back on the car whenever i like, e.g. if the car is going into a dealer for warranty work.

My insurance co. didn't add much to my premium either, can't remember exact figures but it was under £70.

[captain ash]

Anyone else done any business with Re-map science? An extra 50bhp for £200 on my A3 1.8T sounds almost too good to be true! I'm very keen to hear other testimonies.

[300bhp/ton]

BorkFactor said:

Not my clearest post, I know

I am happy with the car at the moment, but I plan on keeping it for a long time so a little more power / better drivability is always welcome. I want to tune it up a little, nothing silly though.

Ok, so if I were to do something like fit a derestricted manifold and a better exhaust system (probably the extent of what I would do to it) I would have to get a custom map? Roughly, how much would I be looking at to get that done?

Thanks for the info

To get the most from the engine, yes a custom map would be well worth it. Altering the intake or exhaust will affect the A/F ratio of the engine, so you need to do your mods first then get it custom mapped on a rolling road.

But maps are so much more as they can also manipulate many other factors and maximise performance, smoothness and even economy. And they can usually remove any torque limiters that might exist in low gears (don't know if BMW's use these on this model).

Price wise - well it can vary greatly. Usually I'd say starting around £200 and upwards depending on how much custom mapping is needed.


BTW - if you've ever heard of someone saying you need "back pressure" and a new free flowing exhaust made less power - then they are talking bks. This is the exact thing a remap will sort out. Adding a sports exhaust does indeed reduce back pressure, which tends to make many cars run rich (you'll often note the chav racers cars all smoke a bit and produce a lot of black carbon deposits on the exhaust tips). What needs to be done is the motor needs leaning off. This way it'll run more efficiently than before and make more power/torque.

[RobCrezz]

hyperblue said:

I would think any remap worth paying for would need to be done on a dyno, where the AFR can be recorded and the fueling adjusted accordingly? Strikes me as stabbing in the dark otherwise.

Edited by hyperblue on Tuesday 17th April 23:39

I don't agree. I remap my car on the road (albeit a nice straight bit of road near an airfield which is very very quiet), and use an Innovate LM-1 wideband to log my AFRs. But I obviously would never map without using a wideband or as you say, its a (dangerous) stab in the dark.

Having a Dyno to do it would be fantastic and very convenient but not essential.