Diesel tuning box Vs remap?

[paul668n]

Has anybody had any experience with either of these? I've got a Vectra Sri Cdti (150) - (Don't all groan at once, it was cheap, had the right spec, enough room for the the family and most importantly, it still left me some dosh to spend on watches!) and am thinking of trying to get a bit more power out of it. I've read about both chips and remaps, and both promise the earth, ie better performance and fuel economy. Can it be true or is it all just marketing hype?

Thanks fellas, I'm sure somebody out there's used one. :D

[eddieo]

I've had a VW TDi 90bhp engine with both a tuning box and a remap. The tuning box was a middle ground for me, whereas the remap was fantastic, upping power to around 120bhp but seemingly making the engine much smoother in the process (well at least as far as diesels go, perhaps due to the increased boost). I didn't experience any problems in terms of reliability. I didn't notice the economy improve but this would be hard to prove as I was probably driving more quickly anyway. I would definitely recommend a remap in any case as it made the car much more enjoyable to drive, the "stock" map felt agricultural by comparison, more diesel rattle under acceleration and with less turbo "whoosh".

[ingenioren]

Take a look at http://www.dmsautomotive.com - excellent reports,
I'm very tempted (had it not jeopordised ther warranty !) get my X5 E70 4.8 'treated' - would be fun giving some S4/S6 Audi drivers a kick up the a..e :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[RaulGonzalez]

I had my Skoda Fabia vRS (VAG PD 130) remapped around 8 months ago. Before the remap it had 130bhp and 310nm and its now running around 175bhp and 400nm. The map is very smooth and if you hadn't driven a standard one it would be difficult to tell its not a factory map. The car now pulls right to the redline (4500rpm) without the previous power dip at 3000rpm and likes to rev a lot more. Just be careful that the incresed torque stays within the limits of your standard clutch!

Don't expect to get an increase in economy in everyday driving though. On the motorway at a constant speed you may get a few more mpg due to the increased torque but you will undoubtedly drive it harder so mpg tends to drop slightly. But the added enjoyment and extra overtaking power is 100% worth it :)

Overall though I would recommend it as being an excellent modification but beware there are good and bad maps around so do your research. I can thoroughly recommend Richard Washbrook at Oscarli as I'm running one of his maps. He has various distributers around the UK too.

Good luck!

[Maris]

Can recommend http://www.e-maps.co.uk/, very well known on a popular BMW forum.

[paul668n]

Thanks for the advice fellas, will check out the link and the warning about the clutch - wouldn't want that to go wrong! Looks like a remap is probably the best / most professional way of doing it. :D :D

[CmdrBond]

Another vote for a re-map. I have a VW Bora Tdi and has the 115bhp engine in it. I had a re-map and although it hasn't been on a rolling road to verify, I am told that it now pumps out 143bhp. No modifications to the clutch or brakes were needed as it was only a Stage 1 re-map.

As for fuel economy - you're not going to get better in everyday driving - when I drive mine quick (which to be fair is most of the time :twisted: ) I would say it averages about 45-47mpg - although saying that just last week when caught in 50mph traffic in 6th gear I got the average mpg upto 62mpg :shock:

Just be sure to declare it to your insurance company :!:

[paul668n]

Another vote for a re-map. I have a VW Bora Tdi and has the 115bhp engine in it. I had a re-map and although it hasn't been on a rolling road to verify, I am told that it now pumps out 143bhp. No modifications to the clutch or brakes were needed as it was only a Stage 1 re-map.

As for fuel economy - you're not going to get better in everyday driving - when I drive mine quick (which to be fair is most of the time :twisted: ) I would say it averages about 45-47mpg - although saying that just last week when caught in 50mph traffic in 6th gear I got the average mpg upto 62mpg :shock:

Just be sure to declare it to your insurance company :!:

Thanks Cmdr, will add your vote to the tally, think I'd be lying to myself if I'm realistic about better fuel economy - after all more power = more fun :D :D :D

And yet again, as I'm coming to expect from chaps on the forum, a good piece of advice about notifying the insurance company (not sure I'd have thought of that :shock: ), cheers!!

[doug darter]

Hi,

I drive a motorcaravan with a 2.8ltr twin turbo diesel. It actually has plenty of power, but I enquired about a re-map, hoping I could improve fuel efficiency.

There were plenty of firms, some promising the earth, and others a modest increase of around 5-8mpg, with a power increase to around 150BHP. Most were well regarded, but none offered any sort of warranty regarding the engine. Almost without exception, they said the re-map was perfectly safe, and I shouldn't expect trouble, BUT........ :evil:

I did a long trawl on the internet, and found dozens of people stating that a re-map had led to engine failure at some stage or other. To be fair, far more said that the re-map had been a spectacular success.

I suspect however, that long term reliability is compromised whatever mod you do, so I somewhat reluctantly decided to make do with 130bhp, and 25/28 mpg on a long run.

Before anybody makes a decision however, they should think about the impact on insurance rates. Re-mapping will HAVE to be declared to your insurance company, failure to do so will almost certainly result in them refusing to cover any claim made against the policy.

[paul668n]

Hi,

I drive a motorcaravan with a 2.8ltr twin turbo diesel. It actually has plenty of power, but I enquired about a re-map, hoping I could improve fuel efficiency.

There were plenty of firms, some promising the earth, and others a modest increase of around 5-8mpg, with a power increase to around 150BHP. Most were well regarded, but none offered any sort of warranty regarding the engine. Almost without exception, they said the re-map was perfectly safe, and I shouldn't expect trouble, BUT........ :evil:

I did a long trawl on the internet, and found dozens of people stating that a re-map had led to engine failure at some stage or other. To be fair, far more said that the re-map had been a spectacular success.

I suspect however, that long term reliability is compromised whatever mod you do, so I somewhat reluctantly decided to make do with 130bhp, and 25/28 mpg on a long run.

Before anybody makes a decision however, they should think about the impact on insurance rates. Re-mapping will HAVE to be declared to your insurance company, failure to do so will almost certainly result in them refusing to cover any claim made against the policy.

Thanks Doug, yet more food for thought - may well wait until the car's out of warranty with the manufacturer. :? :?