Engine Remap

EdButler said:
Rolling roads dont really mean anything either, you can rig the results within seconds...
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:wink:

It racks the cost up pretty quick, but I'd get an independent test done, before and after, from somewhere with no vested interest. In fact I did just that when I had mine "fiddled" with (when the exhaust and induction kit were going on they said they'd map it FOC) - to make sure there was no loss in power, or shift in the delivery. I used a very well known Ferrari specialist, there is link though my signature (the mods bit).
 
Without doubt
the best improvement in performance & value for money is driver training
having been with trainers on track & road the difference is huge

However failing that DO NOT take the ECU out of the car, if you are going to remap its a simple plug & play jobie
The gains you get for the money are actualy quite good & the only way to prove the gains is with a dyno run.

Failing that if you rearly want more power get out your cheque book
I spent £2000 on throttle bodies & a fully progamable ECU for the 7, great improvements,
Oops going faster, need to stop quicker (brake upgrade)
Stoping quicker, need to corner faster (suspension upgrade)
cornering quicker (proper tyre & wheels upgrade)
& so it goes on

In the 7 community its called upgradeitus & take it from me it is a very expensive road

ps I am having the 3.0 done anyway
 
I've been discussing this recently with a few friends, a remap alone rarely increases enough to notice it on small engines. On a turbo car the boost is usually increased at the same time of a re-map giving that extra gain (if you run a turbo and increase the boost then a remap is advised anyway).

I have the N52 engine in my Z4, which I believe is quoted at 265bhp (I've not rollered it but would guess it's probably closer to 260 as BMW are known for being generous with their figures). If you do a google search for "Superchip" you'll find their main site. You can put in your car and year and it will give you the figure of what to expect from a remap. There are so many variables in this, one of which is how the engine has been treated in it's previous life if you have bought a 2nd hand car. They quote approximately a 14bhp gain for my car however if I recall corectly it was quite a hike in torque through the range, which in laymans terms means an increase in accelleration and better on hills.

Superchip dealers are up and down the country but I've had a quote for £255 to remap mine.

Oh also to note, the name Superchip doesn't mean they change a chip in your ECU. They used to piggy back one that was programmable, and I believe still do on some cars, but the BMW ECU is fully programmable for this type of job (it's only when you go deep into the realms of custom engine builds and performance parts that you would need to change the ECU and this is so as you can run more than one programme/set of mapping), so it's nothing more than plugging the tool into your diagnostics port in the passenger footwell and loading up the programme for a different map setting. Rolling roads aren't very often used in these circumstances to do any more than to prove to the customer that there has been an increase in power.

There are however some custom programmers who do use a rolling road set up and they create a completely custom mapping set up to your engine modifications, i.e. performance manifolds, exhaust systems, induction systems, cam changes etc. But to be fair, unless you've done all of these then there's very little to gain in a custom programme and they can cost in the region of £1000!

I'd advise checking the superchip website first to see if you believe their figures are worth the money.
 
It's all smoke & mirrors on a car that's already decently tuned, and the 'feel' of a faster car can usually be put down to the placebo effect, as you won't feel a 1-2% peak power increase. Any tuner who claims better fuel consumption at the same time as a power increase is either lying, or are leaning the fuel mixture off - which can result in more power, but can also cause damage.

If your not running it on super unleaded then you could get it mapped to run solely on higher octane fuel, which would release some extra ponies, but you'll be paying every time you fill up. If you're already solely using super unleaded then you might see a 10-15bhp gain once it's mapped for it, but just don't use anything lower or you may risk engine damage.

Don't forget that BMW are now (allegedly) checking the ECU checksums of some cars that go in for warranty work (although mainly the single & twin turbo 3.0/3.5 models) - and you may find any engine/transmission related claims are refused.

The only way I ever got any improvement out of a rechip was when it was to complement another upgrade (e.g. head work, cams, throttle bodies, intake system, etc.), and I had plenty of experiences of rolling road days where you're shown to have 340bhp one day, but 290bhp the next.

You've got to ask yourself whether a notional 10bhp gain is worth the £300 cost, plus the potential rise in insurance cost, plus the damage to residuals of having a 'chipped' car, plus the risk of invalidating part of any warranty you might have (BMW or aftermarket).
 
Somebody posted a review thread for their Evolve 130i remap over on babybmw.net. Evolve are a well respected company, and his car ended up with about 280bhp and 14lb/ft more torque iirc, so I'm guesing gains on a 3.0si would be similar. It is possible to squeeze some extra power out of N/A engines, valve timing and lift can be tweaked on the N52 engines aswell, which is a good way to release abit more power.
 
280bhp purely from a remap on a standard N52 sounds like wishful thinking to me. Has this guy got any other mods? Even Evolve don't quote that much themselves. Would be good to know if it is possible though on a standard engine but at £400 is it going to be worth it? Will you really use that extra power enough to warrent £400 on an everyday commuting street car? I don't think I would... if it were around the £250 mark I think it would be better value for money.


Evolve quote figures to Superchip, but £150 more expensive...
Evolve remap

Superchips
 
If it is possible to remap the ECU to give a few more BHP, then why, I wonder, don't BMW supply cars set up like this?

In this day of Power Hunger, extra BHP means an awful lot to some buyers :cry:
 
bmwangler said:
If it is possible to remap the ECU to give a few more BHP, then why, I wonder, don't BMW supply cars set up like this?

In this day of Power Hunger, extra BHP means an awful lot to some buyers :cry:
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For the same reason car manufacturers don't fit performance brake pads, performance induction systems/exhausts, lower suspension etc...etc... They build cars to appeal to the masses, therefore no doubt MPG unfortunately comes into the question in this case and the figures that they can quote in their sales catalogue.

A remap will get you extra power, I'm just not sure it's worth the money for the amount of gain you get. If I had cash to throw away I'd get it done, then again if I had money to throw away I'd have a more powerful car in the first place.
 
Speak to these guys ....http://www.amdtuning.com/btcc.blog.cfm


they build /develop and run the VW touring cars

Last time I was there a race car transporter was unloading Group C Le Mans sports cars for engine development work
 
slick said:
Speak to these guys ....http://www.amdtuning.com/btcc.blog.cfm
they build /develop and run the VW touring cars

Last time I was there a race car transporter was unloading Group C Le Mans sports cars for engine development work
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They're fine for anything with a turbo, but I'd look elsewhere for proper NA tuning.
 
Got my 3.0I done at amd

Very pleased with it

Feels quicker, better power delivery through the range

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
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