Chipping MH to get more power (1 Viewer)

[Welshyorkie]

I have a large MH and would like to add a towbar, motorcycle trailer and quite a large 400cc scooter which will be approx. 250kg in weight. My Fiat Ducato MH has a 130 BHP engine and has a total weight of 4005kg fully loaded and was wondering by adding say a further 350kg it will become so underpowered.
Therefore I would like to purchase a performance chip to raise the BHP to say 160.
My main concern is will it have a detrimental effect to the longevity of the engine as over the next few years I would like to travel extensively throughout Europe, now both my wife and I are fully retired ( all be it, awaiting for our elderly cat's demise). As an ex engineer I have my concerns
Can a 130 engine take 160BHP?
Increase in wear and tear - clutch - big ends - small ends etc
Gearbox
All the chip suppliers claims increased fuel consumption - is this the case?
MY MH is currently out of warranty 2010 and 19000 miles on the clock.
Any help will be really appreciated

 

[Baldeagle7470]

Hi,my 2015 Transit based camper has a 155 bhp engine,I tow a 750kg gross three bike trailer,just back from the IOM with two on weighing about350kgs.
I find by stirring the gearbox it is fine with the trailer on hills as the engine has loads of torque,if I let the revs drop even a little it does talker some time to get up to speed again.
I also have a little Skoda 75bhp diesel and two tuners insist it can be chipped to 130 bhp without any detrimental effects.
Haven't done it yet but think the technology has improved enormously.
Had a Nissan Primera chipped that went like stink so feel why not give it a try,not too much to lose and can always remove and if you sell go back to standard.
Good luck with your decision,let us know how you get on.

 

[Welshyorkie]

Thanks for you help. I haven't thought of just removing it, as it is so easy. I will keep you up to date with my decision.
Thanks again

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[Just smiffy]

Before you do that, have you got the payload to add all those things to the weight..?

 

[pappajohn]

Power comes at a price....usually at the pumps.

If 'chippers' said "this device will increase your fuel consumption" nobody would buy from them.

 

[The Nomad]

The trailer and scooter shouldn't add much drag or rolling resistance except when going up hills. I reckon you're best off just driving a bit slower, and changing down to save your clutch and drive train. If you get to destination 20 minutes later after 200 miles then it's no big deal at all. Driving slower means that you get more time to enjoy the scenery, you don't get speeding tickets and there's no queue of vehicles in front of you. My vote would be to leave the engine as the designers intended.

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[Stealaway]

Increase in wear and tear - clutch - big ends - small ends etc
Gearbox
All the chip suppliers claims increased fuel consumption - is this the case?
MY MH is currently out of warranty 2010 and 19000 miles on the clock.
Any help will be really appreciated

I had to replace my 2012 130Hp clutch at 32K miles this year. I hope you have better luck.
We almost always run light (3300Kg) but it does have a chip tune set for torque.

 

[Nirvanauk]

Hi,my 2015 Transit based camper has a 155 bhp engine,I tow a 750kg gross three bike trailer,just back from the IOM with two on weighing about350kgs.
I find by stirring the gearbox it is fine with the trailer on hills as the engine has loads of torque,if I let the revs drop even a little it does talker some time to get up to speed again.
I also have a little Skoda 75bhp diesel and two tuners insist it can be chipped to 130 bhp without any detrimental effects.
Haven't done it yet but think the technology has improved enormously.
Had a Nissan Primera chipped that went like stink so feel why not give it a try,not too much to lose and can always remove and if you sell go back to standard.
Good luck with your decision,let us know how you get on.

I have a Fabia 90 chipped to 133 and it goes like stink. It was done 3 years ago and no probs.

 

[TerryL]

Your biggest concern will be the clutch. Adding power is fine and would initially seem like a good idea given the weight you are proposing to tow, but the clutch is only designed for 130 bhp. I know many have had the power uprated, still considering it myself, but I feel you're asking too much. Go ahead by all means but watch your driving style.

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[Lenny HB]

The Fiat version of the 150 compared to the 130 is not only chipped diffently but has a variable vane turbo to give smoother power delivery and beefed up brakes.
Chipping to 150 is probably safe with the 130 engine but as you are running with quite a high load really ought to look at beefing up the brakes.

 

[tonyidle]

Brakes are unaffected by a power increase. Only two things can affect them: higher speed and/or higher weight. If the vehicle is driven within the speed limits and the design train weight the brakes will be fine.

 

[Welshyorkie]

Many Thanks I think the general consensus is leave alone.
I hadn't thought about the brakes but the Auth towing weight on my MH is 1200kg - Max Gross is 4005kg and the ex works weight is 3095kg, so I have plenty of weight to play with.
One thing I hadn't bargained for is the weight of my wife clothes etc.
I think I will try it out first and if it is underpowered I will at least give it a go, as some of the chips are adjustable?
Once again many thanks to you all and hopefully we will meet up in the future and have a beer or coffee.

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[ymfb]

I suspect like VW the engine, gearbox clutch etc is the same part for a range of powers, so our 180 T5 has the same as the 150 & 130.

Personally I'd go for it and if you find all it does is drink more fuel, it's easy to step back. I'd be surprised if the fuel consumption changes dramatically as your driving style is unlikely to change.

One point above I would disagree with is the catching up at the back of the queue, having started with a Type 2 twin port 1600 Vdub, and later upgrading it to a 1700 with twin webbers, it's much better to have the choice of causing the queue or being at the back of it. Causing queues creates safety issues with incompetent, inconsiderate, impatient drivers trying to get past, it also gives Motorhomers a bad rep.

 

[Pausim]

I would have thought torque might be more important than BHP when it comes to pulling power. Does the chipping increase torque as well as BHP? Also do the insurance companies allow it?

 

[Welshyorkie]

Yes I believe you can increase just torque but I maybe wrong. If I go ahead I will inform my insurance company, as long as you tell them and they will adjust your payments accordingly, you know how they are, just another chance to get more money out of you.
Thanks for your replies. keep them coming.

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[funflair]

Increasing torque at the top of the torque curve or even extending the curve will increase BHP whereas increasing torque lower down and earlier does not increase the maximum BHP figure as its a product of speed and torque.

Power = torque x engine speed

Martin

 

[Infinity31]

I suspect like VW the engine, gearbox clutch etc is the same part for a range of powers, so our 180 T5 has the same as the 150 & 130.

Personally I'd go for it and if you find all it does is drink more fuel, it's easy to step back. I'd be surprised if the fuel consumption changes dramatically as your driving style is unlikely to change.

One point above I would disagree with is the catching up at the back of the queue, having started with a Type 2 twin port 1600 Vdub, and later upgrading it to a 1700 with twin webbers, it's much better to have the choice of causing the queue or being at the back of it. Causing queues creates safety issues with incompetent, inconsiderate, impatient drivers trying to get past, it also gives Motorhomers a bad rep.

Yes the the lower powered VW engines are just down tuned, so very simple and safe to remap for increased performance.

I would avoid a generic re-chip myself (bit old hat) and go for a proper custom remap from somewhere like Pendle Performance, you can tell them your intended use and they will taylor the power/bhp to your specifications.

Somewhere like that should also know the mechanical capabilities and be able to tell you the safe limits of your engine.

Not had a remap myself but have talked to people who have and none report an increase in fuel consumption, most say their MPG is slightly better. If the engine is working more efficiently for the type of driving you do then that makes sense.

All were extremely pleased with the results. I'd say go for it.

 

[injebreck99]

As I have said before on here many times, remapping by a professional is the way to go, I had my 2009 Fiat Ducato remapped, no effect on clutch, better fuel consumption by about 10%, much more quieter and smoother engine as a result, used for 5. years, and I would remap my present van if it were not for the Pugeot Transit engine with a hybrid ECU which can't be done.

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[Old-Git]

I'm going to try www.racechip.co.uk they adverise +30hp and more importantly +73nm torque for my 3.0 Ducato for 120 quid.

 

[injebreck99]

The technician who remapped my Fiat said that he had taken apart a couple of chips sold for performance upgrades, he said that all they were was transistors in a fancy box that fooled the ECU into flooding the engine with more fuel as in cold start conditions, I was advised to leave well alone as they do not take into accound where and when increased torque was needed to relieve stress on the drivetrain and engine.

 

[Welshyorkie]

Old Git please let me know how things went and whether it makes a difference.

Thanks to everyone. I still haven't made my mind up, I will let you know when I do.

I am going on holiday to Canada in Sept and it is going to cost a fortune so it will be next year before I start looking at again.

Thanks again
Dave

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[Welshyorkie]

Thanks to everyone.

Old Git please let me know if you go ahead and if it makes the difference.

Thanks again to all
Dave