Remapping a car

Retrogamer

Gloomendoom wrote: »

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

It will. More load on the turbo bearing from increased boost pressure, and more heat on the exhaust side from the hotter combustion gasses that are created from the extra power will reduce it's lifespan somewhat.

Gloomendoom wrote: »

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 cooling system does little to help with the hotter charge air and hotter combustion temps occurring within the combustion chamber.
The valves and crown tops of the piston can get particularly hot.
Hot valves and hot combustion chambers can freacture after long term use, regardless of how good the thermostat or coolant system is working.
I've hit 77oC intake temps before on a non remapped turbo diesel using a side mount intercooler here. That's higher than most people would like, even with a remap.
On my current car, using the same engine as the one mentioned above i hit about 45oC using a front mount intercooler and that's with a substantial remap

Gloomendoom wrote: »

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.

Indeed. But if you want to use standard fuel injectors to push more fuel, then either the fuel pressure has to be increased and sometimes the duration as well as other factors.

Either way, it causes accelerated wear.

Whether all this accelerated wear will happen in a time period that will cause problems for the OP is a whole different thing.

Retrogamer

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.

My insurer likes my remap fine. Very small increase in premium for the pleasure of another 50 or so bhp

palgrave wrote: »

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

Not really.
Depends on the car.
Seen plenty of "chavs" remap their own cars with a laptop, pirated software and a manufacturer copy OBD2 cable.

Stoke

The stress added to every component is just one of those things to be honest. If you modify your car to make it faster, then of course you'll be adding extra wear on it.

motorguy

Stoke wrote: »

The stress added to every component is just one of those things to be honest. If you modify your car to make it faster, then of course you'll be adding extra wear on it.

On a well serviced, well maintained car the extra wear will be minimal.

And lets be honest - you're not using all of the power all of the time.

My car was set to "long life" services when i got it which on a VW could mean anything up to 20,000 miles which is crazy. It could mean its two years before that car sees the inside of a mechanics garage.

I've had it reset to 10,000 miles / 1 year.

sheff6107

Stoke wrote: »

The stress added to every component is just one of those things to be honest. If you modify your car to make it faster, then of course you'll be adding extra wear on it.

It's not always that simple.

Look at the 1.8 20VT from the VW group. It was available with the K03S turbo in 150 and 180hp turbo guises. There is literally no difference between the two other than the map the car came out of the factory with.

Same with the KO4 turbo which came in 210, 225 and 240hp versions.

Car power outputs exist for marketing most of the time.

System

palgrave wrote: »

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

Sadly not any more. Any muppet with a laptop and suitable OBDII adapter can get a range of remap files they just go round and upload to your ECU. That is what most of the remapping services offer, off the shelf maps. They don't put your car on a rolling road, monitor the sensors and adjust specifically for your car.

AndyMc.....

palgrave wrote: »

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

Have you remapped the Yaris?

keithmac

I was looking into it for our MK2 Kuga Diesel Powershift, looked at Superchips Bluefin and seemed a good compramise (better low down grunt and holds onto it higher into the revs).

You buy the reflash tool and they supply the correct map for your car.

I have self mapped two of my own cars (Supercharged Golf and GTO Twin Turbo), it can get a bit OCD inducing as I always took the laptop out datalogging instead of just enjoying driving them..

Stoke

sheff6107 wrote: »

It's not always that simple.

Look at the 1.8 20VT from the VW group. It was available with the K03S turbo in 150 and 180hp turbo guises. There is literally no difference between the two other than the map the car came out of the factory with.

Same with the KO4 turbo which came in 210, 225 and 240hp versions.

Car power outputs exist for marketing most of the time.

Yeah, I had that engine..... Mapped at 190bhp. See the banger thread.

The reality is though, those bigger turbos will add extra wear.

liltzero

There are no negatives.