ECU engine re-mapping

[stuartholmes]

Does anyone have experience of getting their engine re-mapped?

I had my Smart car done ten years ago and loved the results but a campervan's needs are different. I got the Smart re-mapped for more power & torque but for the campervan (a 2010 diesel Ducato) I'd be more after fuel economy while (at minimum) not losing power or torque.

Anybody done that & if so got recommendations?

 

[funflair]

Quantum come with a good reputation

 

[cumbriankeith]

I've used Pendle Performance on several vehicles over the years, including our latest Ducato based Moho. Very good results. Custom remaps not generic for that engine.

 

[stuartholmes]

Quantum come with a good reputation

Thanks, I've followed that & emailed them some questions. Will report back if I 'buy' ☺

 

[Stealaway]

Does anyone have experience of getting their engine re-mapped?

I had my Smart car done ten years ago and loved the results but a campervan's needs are different. I got the Smart re-mapped for more power & torque but for the campervan (a 2010 diesel Ducato) I'd be more after fuel economy while (at minimum) not losing power or torque.

Anybody done that & if so got recommendations?

I had a chap come to my house with a selection of re-maps for my 130Hp 2019 Ducato.
I chose 160HPand max torque / MPG. I was concerned about the flimsy Ducato clutch and alpine roads.
I paid him £190 for the map and the three hours it took him to download it -- I wont be bothering again.

The engine is certainly smoother and there's a bit of an increase in acceleration but there is absolutely no change in MPG.

Even with rose tinted glassed and trying to justify having spent £190 - it still wasn't worth it

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[stuartholmes]

I've used Pendle Performance on several vehicles over the years, including our latest Ducato based Moho. Very good results. Custom remaps not generic for that engine.

So you had to go to Pendle & get the vehicle on a rolling road?
(Like that idea better than off the peg & did that for my Smart but the dealer I used then retired.)

 

[stuartholmes]

I had a chap come to my house with a selection of re-maps for my 130Hp 2019 Ducato.
I chose 160HP and max torque / MPG.
I paid him £190 for the map and the three hours it took him to download it -- I wont be bothering again.

The engine is certainly smoother and there's a bit of an increase in acceleration but there is absolutely no change in MPG.

Even with rose tinted glassed and trying to justify having spent £190 - it still wasn't worth it

That's very helpful thanks!

 

[L' Hobo]

Quantum come with a good reputation

Have I not read on Fun in the last two days where a couple of Funsters were having problem at altitude after they had their vehicles remapped by Quantum?
Not sure if there was a connection though?

 

[stuartholmes]

Have I not read on Fun in the last two days where a couple of Funsters were having problem at altitude after they had their vehicles remapped by Quantum?
Not sure if there was a connection though?

I'll look for that as it seems quite possible, thank you.

 

[cumbriankeith]

So you had to go to Pendle & get the vehicle on a rolling road?
(Like that idea better than off the peg & did that for my Smart but the dealer I used then retired.)

The HQ is in Barnoldswick and yes I've gone there to Martin on each occasion - he has a big enough unit/dyno to do vans (I had a GT-TDi Golf done by him once and got an instant 5mpg improvement, but it depends on how you drive!). He provides before and after printout graphs of power and torque. It's the better and smoother torque delivery that's important. They do have agents around the country but having never used them I have no idea if they have dynos. I get the impression that the maps are worked up by Martin himself and sent back out, but you'd have to contact him for such details if you want to know all that. Not cheap, but I figured that as I plan to keep this van for a long time it's worth it.

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[Spriddler]

Does anyone have experience of getting their engine re-mapped?
Anybody done that & if so got recommendations?

Often asked on here.
If you want some bedtime reading put 'Remap' in the 'Search' then 'Advanced search' facility you'll get 28 pages and hundreds of posts asking/discussing/recommending/not recommending remapping.

 

[stuartholmes]

Often asked on here.
If you want some bedtime reading put 'Remap' in the 'Search' then 'Advanced search' facility you'll get 28 pages and hundreds of posts asking/discussing/recommending/not recommending remapping.

Thank you!! I don't know why I didn't think of the search option - too new here! Cheers.

 

[Spriddler]

Thank you!! I don't know why I didn't think of the search option - too new here! Cheers.

No worries. I'm never quite sure whether to suggest using the 'Search' facility to find previous relevant posts as it might be taken as an impatient dismissal, but it is without doubt a useful facility and good to dip into to find initial information even if it doesn't cover your precise needs. There are very few questions that haven't already been asked and answered.

 

[funflair]

Have I not read on Fun in the last two days where a couple of Funsters were having problem at altitude after they had their vehicles remapped by Quantum?
Not sure if there was a connection though?

I don't think the problems turned out to be anything to do with the Quantum remap though, see below.

Very true. So it looks like there are two problems causing this, maybe three. I don’t really know if we can define any as the root cause. Still, the problems were:

• very sooty engine, including the boost pressure sensor due to:
• partially blocked air filter caused by mice eating insulation and
• pressure loss from a cracked (intake) host due to the prang.

I’d like to say “if you see this problem, check for cracked/loose hoses and change your air filter” but I think that wouldn’t have cleared the fault in my case because of the soot which I think was caused by 1000s of miles through the uk and France with the mice ridden filter. It’s certainly a good start though.

 

[Steve and Denise]

I had our Iveco remapped runs a bit smother and seems to get up to speed easier as for mpg our run down to Spain 1300 miles 15mpg speed between 50-70 mph

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[Ninjabob]

Quantum upgrade on my AUDI A6 was excellent - more power and economy if driven accordingly. No issues.

 

[funflair]

I had our Iveco remapped runs a bit smother and seems to get up to speed easier as for mpg our run down to Spain 1300 miles 15mpg speed between 50-70 mph

Who's map was that Steve?

 

[Steve and Denise]

Who's map was that Steve?

I used a company in Wisbech Martin they have a 4 wheel rolling road but not big enough for our van as I wanted to find a company that did not work out of the back of a car (if you get my drift)
Not sure on the map name as we are away at the moment, but they download your existing map send it to a company via internet who do the nessasary and then relied to the ecu, but give them a ring farther and son firm and very helpful cost £400 inc

 

[robnchris]

We had our New for then 2014 2.3L Ducato remapped at 8k, the difference was amazing, before it was a real pain to drive, the A38 with all those hills meant constant gear changing, and we were only getting 21mpg, (ok it was a new engine) after the remap it breezed down the A38, no more constant gear changes to keep the speed up, it became different vehicle to drive so much more of a pleasure and gave 27 mpg.

 

[dunnah01]

On a vehicle of your age I'd just DIY a generic map with an MPPS cable via your OBD port. I've used this company very successfully on an Alfa Spider and a Fiat 500.

ECU Files Fiat Ducato 2.3 JTDM 130hp

ECU files Fiat Ducato 2.3 JTDM 130hp

www.ecumap.com

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[SpeedyDux]

I don't think the problems turned out to be anything to do with the Quantum remap though, see below.

You have to wonder if part of the soot problem is down to low quality diesel. My theory is that it can cause sensors to malfunction, in which case the ECU remap isn't going to work properly anyway.

 

[Gaston aires]

It always intrigues me why a top manufacturer that is trying to present their vehicles in the best way can’t compete with a guy that turns up on your doorstep with a laptop ? The emperors new clothes maybe ?
Phil

 

[Otter Spotter]

Had mine done by Quantum and it really does make a difference, much gutsier if you want it to be or more fuel efficient.
I really can tell the difference when we are fully loaded up for a long trip to Scotland.

 

[funflair]

It always intrigues me why a top manufacturer that is trying to present their vehicles in the best way can’t compete with a guy that turns up on your doorstep with a laptop ? The emperors new clothes maybe ?
Phil

An engine map is a compromise with a few unknown variables, fuel quality, driving manner desired engine longevity etc etc, white van man might want half a million miles up hill and down dale on cheap fuel, we tend to molly coddle our vans and keep them well maintained running on decent fuel, I think the remappers are just using best case to up the performance but of course this puts more stress on the drive train so don't abuse it would be my view. three litre diesels can be taken to 300 or 400 BHP but something has to give and that would ultimately be longevity in my view.

 

[Two on Tour]

I had our van remapped with a Quantum remap 5 years ago which gave good all-round improvements to the drivability and last year I fitted an EGR blanking plate which improved the low down grunt no end.

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[Otter Spotter]

It always intrigues me why a top manufacturer that is trying to present their vehicles in the best way can’t compete with a guy that turns up on your doorstep with a laptop ? The emperors new clothes maybe ?
Phil

Most Manufacturers map their vehicles differently to suit in countries markets as emission controls etc do vary from state to state. The map is a compromise, all that remappers do is (they say!) is optimise the map and make it more efficient within the physical constraints of the engine block, ie no point in making a 2ltr engine produce 500bhp as it will start breaking components pretty quickly, think
Racing cars having to be rebuilt after every race.

The other point with manufacturers mapping is that they offer motors with varying BHP outputs and charge more for the higher numbers, but quite often there is no major component differences just a higher level of mapping tweaks, Oh and the fancy badging to pander to petrol heads, think AMC or M on BMWs

 

[Otter Spotter]

I had our van remapped with a Quantum remap 5 years ago which gave good all-round improvements to the drivability and last year I fitted an EGR blanking plate which improved the low down grunt no end.

I would be interested in that, is it a DIY job?

 

[Two on Tour]

I would be interested in that, is it a DIY job?

Yes fitting the EGR blanking plate was a bit fiddle due to restricted access around the EGR pipework where the plate is fitted, but still only took about half an hour to fit.
The plate I fitted has a small hole in the plate to let a small amount of exhaust gasses through so the sensor does not throw up an error.

This is the one that I fitted.

EGR Valve Blank Restricter plate 2.2L HDi Peugeot Boxer 2,198cc Stainless/S H | eBay

2006 on Peugeot Boxer 2.2HDI 120 HP PUMA engine (PumaZSD-422 2,198 cc ). Prevents soot build up in intake manifold, and valve's, which will lower the power 4. The plate is slotted to make it simpler to fit.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Stealaway]

An engine map is a compromise with a few unknown variables, fuel quality, driving manner desired engine longevity etc etc, white van man might want half a million miles up hill and down dale on cheap fuel, we tend to molly coddle our vans and keep them well maintained running on decent fuel, I think the remappers are just using best case to up the performance but of course this puts more stress on the drive train so don't abuse it would be my view. three litre diesels can be taken to 300 or 400 BHP but something has to give and that would ultimately be longevity in my view.

My opinion is that the introduction of stricter emission controls especially now with the new Euro 6 regs has choked the life out of all these city delivery vans.
They must have fitted such restrictive DPF exhausts that that they are having to turn up the power at the cost of MPG.
Most Ducato now leave the factory with a140Hp but they have stopped supplying the 160/180 Hp models - I suspect because of the clutch.
The larger Hp models are only available with the ZF auto gearbox with no clutch.

IMO - No amount of remapping is going to improve these Euro 6 engines

 

[funflair]

IMO - No amount of remapping is going to improve these Euro 6 engines

That’s not what I hear from people that have had Euro6 IVECO’s done, here and in Germany.