Remapping a car

scotty1971

Thinking of getting my ford grand c max 1.6tdi remapped. What are the positives and negatives of doing this?

thanks

Not_Me_Officer

More power
i've heard better economy.

Negatives - bad map, someone pushing it too hard on the map not knowing what they're doing. Cost.

Retrogamer

Pros
Good gain in bhp and torque
Usually better fuel economy when you drive it carefully.

Cons
Reduced reliability if done on it's own.
Possibly excessive exhaust emissions (too much black smoke under load)
Possible MOT emission check problems.

forgotmyname

Is that the 1.6TDCI with turbo troubles?

Iceweasel

Positives:
1. More power = better acceleration.
2. Better mpg - but NOT if you make use of #1

Negatives:
1. More stress & strain on nearly every component in the drivetrain & engine parts such as turbo etc.
2. Forget any goodwill or guarantee on failed components from either Ford or your local garage.
3. Your insurance will likely be increased when you inform them of the mod.
4. Your insurance will possibly/likely be cancelled if you have a claim (even if unrelated to the mapping) and although they will pay out to any innocent 3rd parties they will come after you for the entire amount of any liabilities.

Gloomendoom

Retrogamer wrote: »

Pros
Good gain in bhp and torque
Usually better fuel economy when you drive it carefully.

Cons
Reduced reliability if done on it's own.
Possibly excessive exhaust emissions (too much black smoke under load)
Possible MOT emission check problems.

My car is remapped by a good margin over stock.

Out of the list above, only the gain in bhp and torque applies. There have been no downsides apart from higher insurance premiums.

However, a colleague had his car remapped (an Alfa) and was plagued with clutch problems. I believe smoke was also an issue.

If you can find an owners' club or forum, join it and get advice for your specific model. Not all cars or remaps are the same.

Retrogamer

Gloomendoom wrote: »

My car is remapped by a good margin over stock.

Out of the list above, only the gain in bhp and torque applies. There have been no downsides apart from higher insurance premiums.

That might be true just now but more boost pressure from the turbo = more load on the turbo bearing = reduced lifespan.
Unless the turbo is modified to cope....

The increased boost pressure, and fuel pressure = more power More power produces more heat unless the intercooler is upgraded.
Hotter engines have a reduced lifespan....

The increased fuel pressure will cause the injector nozzles to wear quicker, unless the injectors are upgraded

The increased torque and power will put more load on the clutch and dual mass flywheel, causing both to wear out quicker.

Hence why i said "reduced reliability"
It might seem fine just now, but give it 100,000 miles, make use of the extra power often and see how it gets on.

Gloomendoom wrote: »

However, a colleague had his car remapped (an Alfa) and was plagued with clutch problems. I believe smoke was also an issue.

If you can find an owners' club or forum, join it and get advice for your specific model. Not all cars or remaps are the same.

No need. My diesel car has been remapped for approx 100k miles along with a lot of other work
I've been involved with modified cars the last 20 or so years and before that i'd studied Automotive Engineering at college for a few years before going on to work as a mechanic for a while.

Gloomendoom

Retrogamer wrote: »

That might be true just now but more boost pressure from the turbo = more load on the turbo bearing = reduced lifespan.
Unless the turbo is modified to cope....

Unlikely if the turbo is still operating within (the turbo) manufacturers approved parameters.

The increased boost pressure, and fuel pressure = more power More power produces more heat unless the intercooler is upgraded.
Hotter engines have a reduced lifespan....

The cooling system has huge reserves, particularly in our climate, and has been designed to cope with higher than 50°C ambient temperatures. Unless there is a problem with the cooling system or the increase in power is huge, the engine will run at exactly the same temperature as it always has done, possibly very slightly higher. That is what thermostats do. The function of an intercooler, incidentally, is to reduce the density of the intake charge, not cool the engine.

The increased fuel pressure will cause the injector nozzles to wear quicker, unless the injectors are upgraded

Quantify the increase in wear: one year (not happened in my case), five years (not happened), twenty years, a hundred? Incidentally, the reason fuel injectors are sometimes upgraded with a remap is because the standard injectors are unable to flow enough fuel in the open time available to them to match the increase in air supplied, not because of wear issues.

The increased torque and power will put more load on the clutch and dual mass flywheel, causing both to wear out quicker.

True. I think I mentioned that. However, in my case, the car is an auto and again, the gearbox is still operating within the (gearbox) manufacturer's limits

Hence why i said "reduced reliability"
It might seem fine just now, but give it 100,000 miles, make use of the extra power often and see how it gets on.

Not everybody keeps a car that long, particularly if they bought it new. It's someone else's problem and a reason that I wouldn't buy a car modified by somebody else.

No need. My diesel car has been remapped for approx 100k miles along with a lot of other work
I've been involved with modified cars the last 20 or so years and before that i'd studied Automotive Engineering at college for a few years before going on to work as a mechanic for a while.

:huh: Are you the OP?

My point, in my original post, was that all cars are different and some will be able to cope with the extra strain of a remap without further modification better than others. Remaps also vary in quality. Hence, why consulting an owners' forum is a good idea.

EdGasketTheSecond

insurers don't like remaps; assuming you fess up your premium will go up. Anyway remapping is such a chavvy thing to do.

palgrave

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

insurers don't like remaps; assuming you fess up your premium will go up. Anyway remapping is such a chavvy thing to do.

Your comment makes absolutely no sense. remapping the ECU for a car requires expertise knowledge and very expensive equipment - something you can't do.

motorguy

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

insurers don't like remaps; assuming you fess up your premium will go up. Anyway remapping is such a chavvy thing to do.

I've literally been getting it done for decades. The first one i got done was a 1999 Passat 1.9 TDI 110BHP and with a simple tuning box on it it took it to 135BHP. It made a big difference to its overtaking ability.

I'd one of my 535ds remapped some years ago from 286BHP to 350BHP and an X5 3.0d up from 230BHP to 280BHP.

I've a tuning box on my 2016 Passat and its probably giving me an extra 20BHP. We could do our A45 Merc and it would take it to 430BHP.

Its modern day car tuning. When i had my first car - a 1980 mini we used to do carb upgrades, induction kits, bigger bore exhausts and manifolds, etc, etc and still would only have got a few extra BHP.