ECU remap – The Secrets of Unlocking FREE Power

I’ve recently guided few fellow car hackers and I am starting to get a feeling that most believe I posses some magical “secret” for unlocking free power that evil car manufacturers purposely steal from us. All important has been written in my FREE GUIDE.

Hope and information are most precious commodities on this planet. Whole industries are built upon this simple concept. Only free product on this planet is dreaming/hoping. THERE IS NO FREE MEALS GUYS…PERIOD !!! I am not a hope dealer as commercial chiptuners – I am a knowledge dealer. Take it or leave it, our strategy is BRUTALLY HONEST!

WHAT CAR MANUFACTURERS CALIBRATED IN YOUR ECU IS OPTIMAL FOR YOUR ENGINE – YOU CANNOT IMPROVE IT, JUST COMPROMISE…PERIOD !!! Of course it is just a compromise because car users want it all – power, perfect fuel economy and maintenance free. Pick one, you cannot have it all…PERIOD !!!

• WANT MORE POWER? GET LARGER TURBO, BETTER YET DUAL STAGE TURBOCHARGING as Gale Banks does for real and clean power at Banks Power.
• WANT FUEL ECONOMY AND POWER? BUY eCar or play games because fuel = power.
• GOT LARGE TUBRO AND POWER? DON’T COMPLAIN ABOUT TURBO-LAG, EVERYTHING IS JUST A COMPROMISE.
• GOT “EGT” over safe 700C? Why do you screw up with AFR/fuelling and EGT limiter in order to damage turbocharger?

I have been contacted by optimists lately and I feel a disturbance in the FORCE…as if it is all my fault that they refuse to understand – after all optimism is caused by lack of information. Recently, a guy contacted me and asked us for a guidance. He is a beginner and his remap reflected his knowledge…no biggie, I wasn’t different just four years ago. His dreams was 200HP from 138HP VW 2.0TDi – one can always hope, it is for free!

If I could just lie…this guy is a gold mine. I made him a “perfect” and “safe” ECU remap based on legendary Hilda HR I. Same engine, turbocharger – what can go wrong? I have explained him that it is not possible what he wishes and there is possibility for 170HP for few seconds.

Few days later came in an e-mail from him “I have flashed a new file based on your suggestions and I think this car has not 170HP.” He seems to be not happy so I made a “traffic-light-racing” ECU remap with at least 160HP@4000rpm.

He asked so many questions and he wanted all secrets of HR because he felt his donation entitle him for all I know (you can always hope guys but you won’t get 30 years of knowledge, worth over hundreds of thousand €, for 100€ donation 🙂 ) I have asked for a testimonial with explanation why but he has no balls to be honest with himself and I have never heard from him again. Lets see if I get “this all your fault e-mail” in future.

You certainly won’t get ECOterorism or destruction from me. You see, I am your master/guide – it is up to you how do you screw up your car, don’t blame me !!! I do not do remaps, I am against remote ECU calibrations. I need to see your car, drive it and then I tell you “your car is in poor condition as most cars are…work on it first and then bother about increasing mechanical stress by new ECU calibration”.

In last months when I became unwillingly “coach”, I see repeatedly same patterns among car hackers – wishing, hoping, dreaming and refusal. It doesn’t matter how many facts you present, people still want to hear “I am right and you talk shit.”

“NEVER ASK A QUESTION YOU DON’T WANNA KNOW ANSWER TO !!!”

First, we have to define what means power output or simply power….not that it matters because torque is the king…but it is commonly used. The real power is what can be used under full load over extended periods of time. If you understand this simple concept, you realise your beloved engine is already pushed to the limits !!!

Of course there is also other forms or purposes of engine calibration such as duning, traffic-light-racing or sprints where only first 10 seconds of maximum power output matters. We at HR focus on real power and our strategy is similar to rally where transient response matters more than maximum power at high revs…where would you use it in real life anyway?

I know only one hill-climb in Alps where can I keep 4-5th gear at full load and don’t break law. Boy, my engine is cooking even with factory calibration 😉 With traditional chiptuning knowledge, I kill turbo in less than 20k km as I have successfully proven in past 😀

Since, lots of guys have similar or same engine as mine – there are some case studies based on FAQ:

• VW 2.0TDi, 103kW, BMM or BKD engine code with GT1646V (Unsure about BKD 16V, there may be also GT1749VA or VB that is commonly used). Officially, 140PS or 138HP at 4000rpm. Real power about 150HP at 3000rpm and then it is pretty much dead till 4000rpm where you get about 155HP. Compressor efficiency about 65% at 4000rpm and 140PS. EGT limiter 780C. Usual IAT is +30C above ambient temp at full load.

Of course for 10 seconds there is possible at least 170HP or even 180HP. This small turbo is great for transient response but it chokes at high revs – it can flow around 1100mg of air at 4000rpm. With optimal AFR you can inject about 57mg of fuel, which is about +10% over factory calibration. With aExpert/eExpert  rich fuelling of 16:1, you have about 30seconds till your EGT limiter kicks in and ECU starts to reduce fuelling anyway !!!

I am sure you fellow car hackers already watched my experiment with EGT limiter – Skoda factory calibration uses 17.4:1 at full load, which clogs DPF in about 5minutes or 5km of full load fun 😉 And EGT limiter kicks in about 20 seconds. Forget about marketed 140PS over summer 😉

VW 2.0TDi, 125kW creates max. power with 62mg IQ and 2.5bar boost at 4000rpm. To achieve same performance with 103kW engine, you have to push it beyond the limit….turbo is beyond choke line, over-speeding  and with efficiency 55%. It means lots of heat, less MAF and thus smoke limiter kicks in…well, unless you change it as chiptuners do 😉

At low to medium engine speed…PD140 injectors can inject 65mg at its optimum duty cycle. At high revs, you are down to 60mg…usual design is 80-90% of capacity is used for optimal durability and life cycle. eExperts suggest up to 20% increase in torque limiter, which translates to 78mg and 72mg at high revs. Dream on meat-bags as Bender would say 😉

In better case scenario, it means 100% duty cycle and injector is always open…good luck with this calibration. In theory, 70mg can be injected…I have never seen over 66mg despite 70mg has been requested. For 70mg of fuel, you need at least 1295mg of air…buy GTB1756VK if you want real power 😉

• VW 2.0TDi, PPD, 125kW, GT1749V – slightly bigger turbo with increased potential at high revs. It flows about 20lb/min of air at theoretical PR 2.5 as seen from official compressor map. AFR is around 18.5:1 – Not much to improve there 😉 EGT limiter starts to reduce fuelling at temps above 845C.

Red line shows Skoda vRS factory calibration. Compressor efficiency about 72% so there is better air density than GT1646V…of course at cost of increased turbo lag but who drives vRS as family lost on shopping trip right? There is some potential at middle revs though.

So IQ62mg, 2.5bar boost at 4000rpm makes 170PS. PD170 injectors have optimal IQ 70mg per cycle. What margin is there for “improvements”? Who knows.

At this point you can see that you can only de-calibrate – compromise fuel economy, overheating for some extra power for short period of time. Pick your strategy and live with it.

Repetition is Mother of Wisdom – THERE IS NO FREE LUNCHES THERE !!! Car manufacturers are protecting us from ourselves. Tell me how many of you use same strategy as me (so far, only one guy contacted me and told me he is as paranoid as me 🙂 ) ?

Recent questions:

1. how can I make 200HP and keep same fuel economy….you can’t, there is no single stage turbocharger capable to produce real 200HP…PERIOD. Fuel = heat = power = heat. How do you want to produce more power with same fuel?
2. my EGT is 900C, why? Too rich fuelling, study AFR guide.