Anyone try upgrading their ECU software for increased power and fuel economy? Any suggestions or recommendations?
ECU upgrade
- Thread starter traveler218
- Start date
Gremlin500
Member
So many views, and not one response.....strange...
Hi, I used to do this for a living many moons ago. The concensus then was that for non-turbo petrol engines, the power gains would be quite small, of the order of 5%. For a turbocharged engine, particularly diesels, the gains can be of the order of 20-25%.
The reasons are quite straightforward, most engines have a conservative map to take account of the differences in fuel quality, ambient temperature, etc., around the world. Fuelling can be increased to take advantage of this, but unless more air can be got into the engine to match the fuel delivery, the gains will be small, hence why a turbocharged engine will produce greater gains, the boost pressure can be increased to match fuel delivery.
However, other modifications to air breather/filtration and exhaust may also be required to maximize the potential gains, so things can start getting expensive. If you are considering this at all, I would recommend going to a specialist tuner with a proper rolling road set up, who can do a "before & after" and give a guarantee of minimum power gain or get your money back. The engine needs to be in good fettle beforehand, and so does the breathing and air meter and so on.
IMHO, cost would outweigh gains for a standard Z4, it would be a small gain in driveability, not exactly "wow" factor. Better save up for a Z4M! The other option of after market turbos/superchargers are silly money. There is also the issue of all that lovely petrol washing away all the lubricant off the cylinder bores and causing premature engine wear, ask any ex-TVR owner. IMHO don`t bother, enjoy your car as it is.
Hi, I used to do this for a living many moons ago. The concensus then was that for non-turbo petrol engines, the power gains would be quite small, of the order of 5%. For a turbocharged engine, particularly diesels, the gains can be of the order of 20-25%.
The reasons are quite straightforward, most engines have a conservative map to take account of the differences in fuel quality, ambient temperature, etc., around the world. Fuelling can be increased to take advantage of this, but unless more air can be got into the engine to match the fuel delivery, the gains will be small, hence why a turbocharged engine will produce greater gains, the boost pressure can be increased to match fuel delivery.
However, other modifications to air breather/filtration and exhaust may also be required to maximize the potential gains, so things can start getting expensive. If you are considering this at all, I would recommend going to a specialist tuner with a proper rolling road set up, who can do a "before & after" and give a guarantee of minimum power gain or get your money back. The engine needs to be in good fettle beforehand, and so does the breathing and air meter and so on.
IMHO, cost would outweigh gains for a standard Z4, it would be a small gain in driveability, not exactly "wow" factor. Better save up for a Z4M! The other option of after market turbos/superchargers are silly money. There is also the issue of all that lovely petrol washing away all the lubricant off the cylinder bores and causing premature engine wear, ask any ex-TVR owner. IMHO don`t bother, enjoy your car as it is.
Liverpool
mmm-five said:
I did a search and didn't find anything. I guess I searched the wrong terms.
I do appreciate the one valid response that I did get though (thanks Gremlin500)
