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What Is An ECU Remap?

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An ECU Remap Can Unlock Your Car's True Potential

An ECU remap is a method of optimising the electronic engine management system of a car by overwriting the program installed by the manufacturer.

The brain of the engine is the ECU (electronic control unit) and this is given a different set of instructions that help the engine generate more power and run more efficiently.

Contents at a Glance

How Does An ECU Remap Work?
Installing an ECU Remap
How Much Power Can I Gain With An ECU Re...
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How Does An ECU Remap Work?

Car manufacturers build millions of engines for many different markets and so they have to be designed to cope with a range of different operating conditions, including different fuel grades and various climates, but there are other factors to consider including the need to reduce harmful exhaust emissions. Manufacturers will often set the ECU so that the engine is capable of passing the stringent EU emissions tests with a low carbon dioxide value, meaning the car will fall into a lower road tax and company car tax band, but this is not necessarily the best setting for an engine to run efficiently in the real world.

This gives a specialist engine tuner the chance to improve an engine's efficiency by reprogramming the ECU to make the most of the market in which it is being used. By programming the engine to run with the specific grade of fuel and the air temperatures of the car's home market it can gain faster throttle response, generate even more power and torque, and even use less fuel.

Installing an ECU Remap

Installing an ECU remap is a relatively simple task. Most modern cars have a diagnostic port somewhere in the engine bay or dashboard that allows mechanics to download error codes from the ECU when the car is in for repair, and this same port can be used to upload the new ECU remap using a laptop or special tuning devices.

Some older cars will require the original chip on the ECU to be removed and reprogrammed, which requires more technical expertise and can make the upgrade mor expensive.

How Much Power Can I Gain With An ECU Remap?

Just about any car that has an electronic engine management system can be given an ECU remap, and that applies to both petrol and diesel engines. Results can vary but an ECU remap will always produce the best results when applied to a turbocharged or supercharged engines. This is because raising the boost pressure of the turbocharger or supercharger allows much higher gains in power to be achieved, when combined with the correct ignition timing and fueling adjustments.

However, it is sometimes possible to achieve significant power gains in naturally aspirated engines. Some manufacturers offer the same engine in different models with varying levels of power, and this is done by detuning the engine with a different ECU map. This allows the tuner to remap the ECU to release the same level of power as the higher tuned version. One good example of this is the 1.6-litre petrol engine found in the Mini One, which is a detuned version of the same engine found in the Mini Cooper.

The actual power gain from an ECU remap varies from model to model. Some cars may gain as much as 40% while some as little as 5%, but typical increases in the power of the engine would be around 15-20%. As mentioned, the increase in torque means fuel economy can improve but this varies even more, mainly depending on driving style and how much throttle is used.