ecu tuning
- Thread starter imp75
- Start date
Whether you would notice the power gain or not would be secondary to whether you'd get it. If you are going to go ahead I'd get a before and after dyno from an independent third party, but that will add up to £50 a go.
Not sure which model / spec you have but if you're after getting from point to point quicker, have a look at a brake upgrade, tyres if you're not on RFTs, strut brace if you are, poly bushes on the front (I found this gave much better turn in).
Not sure what the affect would be, but unsprung weight is meant to make a big difference...
http://www.ppcgb.com/BMW/Z4-M-2006--/Alloy-Wheels-18-/pt72_60_-cma578-cmo1308/
Obviously there's a bit of a price difference there and not entirely sure what the standard wheels would weigh.
ADD: If you do go the remap get the before and after dyno done and let us know how you get on. It's hard to do on a NA engine and the results sound optimistic. You're probably better off looking around and finding someone to do a live mapping.
Not sure which model / spec you have but if you're after getting from point to point quicker, have a look at a brake upgrade, tyres if you're not on RFTs, strut brace if you are, poly bushes on the front (I found this gave much better turn in).
Not sure what the affect would be, but unsprung weight is meant to make a big difference...
http://www.ppcgb.com/BMW/Z4-M-2006--/Alloy-Wheels-18-/pt72_60_-cma578-cmo1308/
Obviously there's a bit of a price difference there and not entirely sure what the standard wheels would weigh.
ADD: If you do go the remap get the before and after dyno done and let us know how you get on. It's hard to do on a NA engine and the results sound optimistic. You're probably better off looking around and finding someone to do a live mapping.
caveat emptor, indeed!
its a 2.0 se. have only had a 30mm drop so far in the dynamic mod dept.
next upgrade is strut brace, followed by poly bushes. Looking at the cheaper options first!
planned on wheel swap ~ not concerned with size (have light 16 inch e36 rims at present) but if the wheel is bigger, and heavier would it offset improvements from lower profile tyre (with more heavy steel in the contruction)?
my tyres are run flats, but willswap to non-rft when these are ready for knackers yard.
Brake upgrade will come late in the year.
its a 2.0 se. have only had a 30mm drop so far in the dynamic mod dept.
next upgrade is strut brace, followed by poly bushes. Looking at the cheaper options first!
planned on wheel swap ~ not concerned with size (have light 16 inch e36 rims at present) but if the wheel is bigger, and heavier would it offset improvements from lower profile tyre (with more heavy steel in the contruction)?
my tyres are run flats, but willswap to non-rft when these are ready for knackers yard.
Brake upgrade will come late in the year.
That's not a 'tailored' map like he's saying, not for that price. To tailor a map, you would need a dyno and a good 5-6hrs with a very experienced tuner. There's a few good tuners who have generic maps (like this guy is using) who will dyno your car before and after so you can see the difference - and will refund if you're not happy.
The Z4 is naturally aspirated so to get more than a generic map will offer will involve a lot of expense, because you'll need to be replacing quite a few parts - and you'll never get anywhere near the power gains a turbo will get. You would get a much better improvement for similar cost by just trading up to a 3.0.
Edit: As an example of why to go with a reputable tuner: The Corsa VXR was very tunable, but if you didn't upgrade the injectors the map would eventually destroy cylinder 4. Lot of people up the creek there. Personally I would recommend Thorney Motorsport, they not only found the issue with the VXR early on, but they're also BMW specialists and set up the immense 3 series diesel they raced in Top Gear.
The Z4 is naturally aspirated so to get more than a generic map will offer will involve a lot of expense, because you'll need to be replacing quite a few parts - and you'll never get anywhere near the power gains a turbo will get. You would get a much better improvement for similar cost by just trading up to a 3.0.
Edit: As an example of why to go with a reputable tuner: The Corsa VXR was very tunable, but if you didn't upgrade the injectors the map would eventually destroy cylinder 4. Lot of people up the creek there. Personally I would recommend Thorney Motorsport, they not only found the issue with the VXR early on, but they're also BMW specialists and set up the immense 3 series diesel they raced in Top Gear.
Cheers gents! To quote a well known phrase;if you smell a rat, its usually a rat!
I did think that the 2.0 would be slow car, but to be honest for my needs (99% around town) its quick enough. Had a definite idea of what I wanted it to look like when I picked it up, and now thanks to pawnsacrifice s comment above , I have definite direction for dynamics. my mind is now fixed and making the handling tighter and making myself content with the present acceleration. Will never take it over 100 so don't need higher top speed than it has
I did think that the 2.0 would be slow car, but to be honest for my needs (99% around town) its quick enough. Had a definite idea of what I wanted it to look like when I picked it up, and now thanks to pawnsacrifice s comment above , I have definite direction for dynamics. my mind is now fixed and making the handling tighter and making myself content with the present acceleration. Will never take it over 100 so don't need higher top speed than it has
I'm going by places like Superchips and Celtic. I'm assuming since they use a dyno before and after, the figures they provide on their site will be mostly accurate.
The reason there is so many of these 'tuning' companies out there is because [mostly] their claims are never tested independently before and after.
They also cover themselves somewhat with phrases like 'up to' and 'about', because they just don't know what gains they can achieve on any specific vehicle.
The claimed increase in power does not have to materialise at your current peak power to let them 'get off' with spurious claims. For example, your peak power might be 200bhp at 6000rpm (with 150 at 4000rpm), and you end up with 200bhp at 6000rpm BUT 162bhp at 4000rpm. So the 12bhp increase is given, just not in the rev range you were expecting.
It's also quite easy for tuners to create 'fuel efficient' modes by leaning out the fuel map so that you get better fuel economy at the expense of possible grenading your engine, and most of these internet tuners don't have an warranty in place should you need a new engine, and you'd have a difficult time proving that it was their rechip/remap that caused it anyway.
There are plenty of turbo petrol & diesel tuners that given their customers exactly what they asked for, but then some of those same owners have been told to forget it when chasing the dealer for a repair to a transmission after the tuner has removed the torque limit (which was there to protect those components). A naturally-aspirated petrol car shouldn't have these worries, but why pay for something you'll never know is actually of any benefit other than psychological (i.e. I'm expecting it to be faster so it it).
They also cover themselves somewhat with phrases like 'up to' and 'about', because they just don't know what gains they can achieve on any specific vehicle.
The claimed increase in power does not have to materialise at your current peak power to let them 'get off' with spurious claims. For example, your peak power might be 200bhp at 6000rpm (with 150 at 4000rpm), and you end up with 200bhp at 6000rpm BUT 162bhp at 4000rpm. So the 12bhp increase is given, just not in the rev range you were expecting.
It's also quite easy for tuners to create 'fuel efficient' modes by leaning out the fuel map so that you get better fuel economy at the expense of possible grenading your engine, and most of these internet tuners don't have an warranty in place should you need a new engine, and you'd have a difficult time proving that it was their rechip/remap that caused it anyway.
There are plenty of turbo petrol & diesel tuners that given their customers exactly what they asked for, but then some of those same owners have been told to forget it when chasing the dealer for a repair to a transmission after the tuner has removed the torque limit (which was there to protect those components). A naturally-aspirated petrol car shouldn't have these worries, but why pay for something you'll never know is actually of any benefit other than psychological (i.e. I'm expecting it to be faster so it it).