120d F21 Remap
Discussion
So I’ve just bought a 17 plate 120d manual having gone from a company car to an allowance. It’s only done 27k and I’m planning on keeping it for two years during which time I’ll probably stick another 50k or so on it. My question is has anyone got any experience of remapping one of these? The figures being quoted are a power hike of 40ish bhp and a big jump in torque. This seems impressive for a three hundred quid outlay. I’ve never had a car mapped though so am I likely to see reliability issues as a result and are the figures quoted achievable?
I can't speak to that car or engine, but my F31 330d N57 has done over 50k with a mild map, without issues.
The main things to understand / factor when mapping, in my opinion are: a) have it done properly on a rolling road by a reputable experienced person (I used GKR) and not just a flash map b) keep on top of maintenance schedules (i.e no 20k oil changes etc), c) consider supporting hardware to get the best out of it - most importantly larger intercooler. The stock ones are poor and can't keep up after one pull.
The main things to understand / factor when mapping, in my opinion are: a) have it done properly on a rolling road by a reputable experienced person (I used GKR) and not just a flash map b) keep on top of maintenance schedules (i.e no 20k oil changes etc), c) consider supporting hardware to get the best out of it - most importantly larger intercooler. The stock ones are poor and can't keep up after one pull.
To add - do your research. Understand if the engine is able to take the power upgrade, or if you're likely to end up with problems.
There have been two threads on here that come to mind. One in SP&L, "Wrongly Accused Remap", where bloke buys a Honda Civic Type R that was mapped, engine detonates, dealer basically says 'Eff Off' - it's still ongoing.
The other was a 320i that was mapped to well beyond 330i levels and promptly melted a piston or two. Unsurprisingly, the warranty wouldn't pay out due to the remap. You can't assume that the engine can just take a re-map with no damage, and you'll frequently find that the internals are *not* the same in different powered versions of the 'same' engine.
For example, the B48 petrol 248bhp runs lower compression pistons than the 181bhp version (I only found this out after quite a bit of research), and has a different oil cooling system. The 305 bhp version has lower compression again, uprated crank, rods, and further uprated pistons. Yet remappers will offer to take the 181bhp engine up to around 300.... If BMW think the engine needs uprated internals to run that power level, I wouldn't risk remapping a 320i to those levels.
There have been two threads on here that come to mind. One in SP&L, "Wrongly Accused Remap", where bloke buys a Honda Civic Type R that was mapped, engine detonates, dealer basically says 'Eff Off' - it's still ongoing.
The other was a 320i that was mapped to well beyond 330i levels and promptly melted a piston or two. Unsurprisingly, the warranty wouldn't pay out due to the remap. You can't assume that the engine can just take a re-map with no damage, and you'll frequently find that the internals are *not* the same in different powered versions of the 'same' engine.
For example, the B48 petrol 248bhp runs lower compression pistons than the 181bhp version (I only found this out after quite a bit of research), and has a different oil cooling system. The 305 bhp version has lower compression again, uprated crank, rods, and further uprated pistons. Yet remappers will offer to take the 181bhp engine up to around 300.... If BMW think the engine needs uprated internals to run that power level, I wouldn't risk remapping a 320i to those levels.
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