ECU Remapping may Damage your Turbo if

Turbo Engines engines rely heavily on computer controlled Engine_management Control Unit [ECU]. Basically the engine has an array of sensors which monitor lots of things such as throttle position, crank position, airflow etc. These signals are sent to the ECU, which processes the information received to give the best engine performance for any given driving condition.

ECU remapping can alter engine performance for higher output and/or for better fuel consumption, nevertheless be extra careful even if the tuner a top programmer.

There are many tuners offering what seem like custom ECU remapping. Most of these tuners use and alter programs that are cheaply available through the internet or other sources and are not ngam with the car engine requirements. These can actually damage the turbo/engine.

Remaping alone may not be adequate for the upgrade. Get a professional to do the job and you must get ready to spend on hardware upgrade as well - without which you will need to spend more money on repair bills later.

For performance you will probably reprogram the ECU to control ignition timing advance, force more fuel and more air into the combustion chambers, and make the turbo overspin and hold on to higher pressure than the turbo unit/system can handle and delay/never let the BOV open, which will ultimately damage it. Solution - get a better turbo system before remapping!For fuel economy and power - if you are familiar with nitro-methane RCM car engines you will know what to do at the expense of engine overheating, simply make the air-fuel mixture lean. The same applies to EP6DT engines. Go on reprogram the ECU at your own risk and save money on fuel to partially pay for the damage later on.For instance, PSA produces different EP6DT engine outputs [140THP, 150THP, 156THP, 175THP, 200THP....] based on similar engine but for each output there is not just the difference in ECU program but the turbo system and other hardware are unique .

Btw, even a stock Pug 308 THP140 is capable of hitting 100km/hr in around 9 secs, 1000m standing in less than 30sec, top speed more than 200km/hr .... still not enough for a 1.6liter family hatch?

Think about it! Again and again.

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ECU Reprogramming

During those good ol days, when cars like Alfa Romeo Giulia, Datsun SSS, Fiat 124ST, etc.. ruled the streets I was still a teenager in a technical secondary school. After graduation from tertiary education I only could afford a poor mans Alfa Romeo.

The only inputs to alter engine performance at that time was a mechanical actuator based on centrifugal force in the distributor which advances ignition timing as the engine RPM increases and a vacuum actuator to retard ignition timing when the accelerator pedal was released.

My first Honda [poor mans Alfa-Romeo] - yr 1979 stratified charged 1.5 liter 12v Civic (sold 1n 1983)

Improper ignition timing would induce explosion or/and knocking. A krypton timing light was normally used to correctly set ignition timing. Sometimes a few more degrees offset from the correct setting to advance or retard sesedap rasa. Spark plug and contact point gaps were also adjusted by trial & error to squeeze out every fraction of bhp. For those who were willing to spend more gallons per mile invested on Weber carburetors.

Then around 1980s electronic ignition was introduced in this country for car engines to vary the timing to a greater degree than a fixed ratio advance curve.

My 2nd Honda [poor mans BMW] - yr 1983 has electronic ignition (sold in 1994)

A complete map of variables was entered into the ignition program and preset timing would be read from a table. Later with the advent of modern technology and introduction of programmed fuel injection, cars have been made smart and their performance tuning has been made even simpler.

My first car with programmed fuel injection engine...yr1994 (well kept and still running)

Today engine tuning can be performed via microprocessors or computers. Car engines can be made more efficient, producing more torque [and power] and become economical as well as far as fuel consumption is concerned. This all results can be achieved by reprogramming cars ECU or firmware upgrading or whatever terms you may call it.

My 5th Peugeot - yr 2008 308T , my first attempt on Turbo Car ....

Now air temperature, engine speed, engine load and even control over turbo waste gate control means that precise management of the engine ignition timing is possible and the optimum output throughout the rev range can be achieved.

What is ECU reprogramming
Different cars performance parameters are now judged by sensors embedded at various places in the car. These parameters may include ignition timing, fuel consumption, air flow, throttle position, crank position e.t.c.

All these are closely monitored via sensors and their performance reports are send to cars engine management system or electronic control unit (ECU). So ECU basically is a software program which process the signals send by the sensors and helps in better performance of the car in any given condition.


Why need ECU reprogramming?
Of course for better engine performance...
The car manufacturers do not always tailor make their ECU settings at optimum performance level. It may sound ironic or weird for all car enthusiasts but its a fact. The logic behind it is that the production cars are also aimed for all the end users and make sure that their product is well enough for almost every condition.

ECU reprogramming can be done by just overwriting the existing program and replacing it with a more tuned software to fit for purpose. Previously was done by removing the existing chip containing the software with a super chip . Today, it has been made easy after the advent of serial port reprogramming, and now ECU reprogramming can be performed by just plugging and overwriting engine map by a better firmware.

Reprogramming ECU can be a simple performance upgrading by pro-tuners but it may become complicated to some tuners who are not aware of the cars specification including transmission and would end up in creating a mess because they do not pay consideration on how the car engine is going to behave under endurance.

ECU reprogramming may have some fuel implications if you want to squeeze out every remaining pony available. However 308T car can be tuned to an optimum level, a compromise to save fuel and raise the torque as well. It is believed to achieve an increase of around 30% in max torque... but how the torque curve is going to be is another story.

Why wouldnt I go for ECU firmware upgrade yet?
The answer is ... "still analyzing a few options available..."

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