Anyone remapped a 20i to 28i spec?

M

Ming

Member
As the title suggests, has anyone had a 184bhp 20i remapped to anywhere near the 28i' spower of about 260bhp?

I really would have preferred just buying the 28i but couldn't find one for the right money and spec so looks like I'll be getting the 20i version with an auto box. I've not even driven one yet so once I get it I'll see whether I think it needs more grunt and look to getting it mapped.

I have a good friend who looks after my vehicles and works at a specialist doing both mechanical and electrical work and he reckons it can be done and pretty cheaply. I trust him as I've seen what he's done to his M3 which is putting out some serious horsepower and been upgraded chassis wise to match.

I'm just wondering how much you'd notice the difference. I'm guessing a fair bit seeing as there's an extra 70-odd bhp to add on. I've owned a Leon Cupra with 180bhp and it felt okay but not blisteringly quick.
 
Had my 2litre done same week I brought it, it totally transformed the car, 280 bhp 300 torque, I reckon its pretty accurate although not had a rolling road etc. £300 from Celtic tuning they came to me :thumbsup:
 
Ming said:
As the title suggests, has anyone had a 184bhp 20i remapped to anywhere near the 28i' spower of about 260bhp?

I really would have preferred just buying the 28i but couldn't find one for the right money and spec so looks like I'll be getting the 20i version with an auto box. I've not even driven one yet so once I get it I'll see whether I think it needs more grunt and look to getting it mapped.

I have a good friend who looks after my vehicles and works at a specialist doing both mechanical and electrical work and he reckons it can be done and pretty cheaply. I trust him as I've seen what he's done to his M3 which is putting out some serious horsepower and been upgraded chassis wise to match.

I'm just wondering how much you'd notice the difference. I'm guessing a fair bit seeing as there's an extra 70-odd bhp to add on. I've owned a Leon Cupra with 180bhp and it felt okay but not blisteringly quick.
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It’s more like an additional 100bhp & approx 50% more torque, you can imagine how lively it makes the car feel.
Rob
 
Sounds like a done deal. The wife and I are both old, safe geezers so insurance shouldn't be a problem. My buddy reckons £200 but there's no dyno so it'll be how it feels through my arse-dyno.
Had my KTM mapped and it released maybe 10bhp on a stock 120ish and I really noticed that so this should be a nice surprise
 
Ming said:
Sounds like a done deal. The wife and I are both old, safe geezers so insurance shouldn't be a problem. My buddy reckons £200 but there's no dyno so it'll be how it feels through my arse-dyno.
Had my KTM mapped and it released maybe 10bhp on a stock 120ish and I really noticed that so this should be a nice surprise
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Who does he use for the remaps? Is it a company that’s got a known name? :?
Rob
 
Not sure. The guy he works for (there's only the 2 of them) advertises on the website that they offer ecu remapping amongst other services but I've no idea how they do it. I've used him for routine servicing as well as installing a new loom in my old Astra and I know he's done some serious engine work on his M3 and his old 370Z Nissan so I trust him to do a safe, reliable job.
 
I got the stage 3 Celtic tuning remap done on my 20i m sport too and it’s totally transformed the car, as Ben f says. Had the mobile service come out and do it. It’s now more powerful than the 28i. 280bhp vs 241bhp and 290lb/ft vs 258lb/ft. So worth the money.
 
Getting it done tomorrow hopefully. How long did the guys who came to you take to complete the job?

I'm hoping there's something he can do to make it a tad noisier - really I'd like the exhaust to pop and crackle a little bit on gear changes, rather than full-on "teenager in a Corsa" syndrome. I drove an F-Type Jag for a while and that could be restrained if you wanted but what a racket when you open the taps. I know the 4 cylinder engine doesn't lend itself to that behaviour like the V6 did but there are 4-pot cars out there with a bit more "attitude", which is what I want from a 2-seater.
 
Have the S20i 184hp, and fitted the Racechip GTS + App control. It advertises an extra 52hp and 79Nm.

I can really feel the difference in Sport mode, and the gear change seems much smoother...due to the LD I haven't really tested the differences though...all subjective so far, but feels nicer.
 
I had mine remapped, and the results were very impressive. I too have the 184bhp variant and mine remapped up to 278bhp and a big increase in torque. The driving experience in sport mode is somewhat addictive, but if left in comfort and cruising it is still quite tame, and returns a respectable Mpg.

One thing to note though with my experience of noise, my pops and crackles seemed to reduce somewhat. I was told that this is due to the leaning out of the fuel which occurs with a map. There is an option to have extra noise mapped in, but this is only advised with a decat due to the process involves in igniting fuel in the exhaust system.

If and when I get around to having my decat done I will be experimenting with the sound of the car. My tuner is happy to spend a day with ( at a cost of course) to try different levels of crackles or leave it how it was. Time will tell. Bloody roof fix has taken priority for now :(
 
Ming said:
Getting it done tomorrow hopefully. How long did the guys who came to you take to complete the job?

I'm hoping there's something he can do to make it a tad noisier - really I'd like the exhaust to pop and crackle a little bit on gear changes, rather than full-on "teenager in a Corsa" syndrome. I drove an F-Type Jag for a while and that could be restrained if you wanted but what a racket when you open the taps. I know the 4 cylinder engine doesn't lend itself to that behaviour like the V6 did but there are 4-pot cars out there with a bit more "attitude", which is what I want from a 2-seater.
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The whole thing took him about 30 mins. All he needs to do is plug his laptop into your car’s ECU and upload the new map. My exhaust is definitely throatier after the remap. Not drastically so, but it is noticeable. Never thought to ask him if he could add extra pops and bangs with the remap though I don’t think they’d do a custom map.
 
To all those who have remapped a 20i, what sort of mileage were you on before the re-map and how many in the new map?

My wife's 20i is on only 33k after 6 years and is a bit lacking in oomph.
 
Was on about 69k miles when I did the remap. About 71k now. Don’t do too many miles in mine tbh.
 
Nick_in_Suffolk said:
To all those who have remapped a 20i, what sort of mileage were you on before the re-map and how many in the new map?

My wife's 20i is on only 33k after 6 years and is a bit lacking in oomph.
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12K 66 plate....so far about 40 :|
 
Mine has 58k on it. Before my wife gets used to it I thought it best I got it remapped now so she doesn't get caught out once she's out on her own. We've only had it 2 days and just had a gentle bimble locally so hopefully she'll not notice I've had anything done to it!
 
Nick_in_Suffolk said:
To all those who have remapped a 20i, what sort of mileage were you on before the re-map and how many in the new map?

My wife's 20i is on only 33k after 6 years and is a bit lacking in oomph.
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Does it need a service, dirty air filter/plugs etc? A Dyno run would show if and where it’s below par and not just a case of you “getting used” to it.
Rob
 
On the subject of previous services - I have a FSH at BMW garages apart from the last one. I've registered with the BMW Connected portal thinking I could access the previous details of what's been done but apparently not. There's no paperwork with the car other than the service book and manual.

At it's next service, albeit a long way off, my guy who's remapping it at the moment will probably be doing it but it would be helpful to know if there's anything particular he should be doing as he won't presumably be able to connect to the BMW mothership for advice.

Or is it just a case of ringing the previous main agents and asking for a copy of the car's service history?
 
Cheers, will do. Seems the BMW Connected website just wants you to buy more upgrades! I thought it was a place you could find the history of your particular car, seeing as they go to the trouble of sending an access code to the Idrive
 
The car has a service every year. It might be that I am comparing her car with my car, NOT the mini. In fairness she thinks it plenty quick enough, but very occasionally I get caught out by it being a bit slow to 'gird its loins'!
 
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