www.jec.org.uk

Hi,

Does anyone have experience of either remapping the ECU or adding a "powerchip" on the Diesel to get more power? Have read a bit about it and consensus seems to be that quite significant gains can be had in terms of performance and possibly consumption. I know insurance companies are wary and that could be a problem, just wondered if anyone else has gone down that route?

Andy.

Morning Andy,

Paramount Performance specialise in diesel remaps using reflash to modify the programme previously installed in the Power Train Control module. The reflash is set within safety perameters to ensure the engine does not become over stressed in future service. Gains in economy and performance are possible but if you use the extra performance you will use more fuel. You don`t get something for nothing!

Paramount reflashed my petrol V8 and it became a different beast. The reflash was set for performance and I was made aware that I would not notice any economy gains even under normal driving conditions. What I did gain is extra torque and power across the entire rev range and the car drives in a much more fluid and and easy manner. The remap is worth having just for that benifit alone. Read about the upgrade in the July 2009 edition of our magazine. If you don`t have a copy, e-mail me at eagmarine@hotmail.co.uk and I`ll send you a pdf copy by return. Anyone else who would like to see details is also welcome to mail me.

Reflashing the ecu is one option. The other is to fit a "piggy back" external module and control to the car. A certain amount of joining to the car wiring is required but I understand this is not overly difficult. Torquing of Cats market such a unit and I have heard good reports about the kit. It also features, I believe, an adjustable control which allows the driver to vary the control unit for economy or performance. The unit comes pre programmed for the particular vehicle in question.

One of our members had such a unit installed on his diesel and spoke highly of it. When he sold the car he removed the kit and then sold it to another member. I`m hopeful that we will be able to publish details of the installation and results in a forthcoming magazine. I`m currently awaiting to hear back from the member with hopefully his copy and photographs.

As regards insurance issues, the reaction from companies is mixed and varied. Some hate chipped cars with a passion and won`t entertain them. Other more specialist companies such as Peter D James are rather more receptive to the idea and when you talk to them, they are fully understanding and very helpful.

Remapped cars are a joy. Remapping makes a good car great.

Finally, Diesel cam belts. These should be changed at 105k miles to avoid failure. David Marks suggested at the recent S-type seminar that idler bearings should also be changed at the same time to prevent failure at a later date. The job is fairly complex and time consuming as well as being difficult due to space limitations at the front of the engine. It is generally around a £900 job which rather knocks the economy aspects of running a diesel! This aspect is only just becomming known to owners of higher mileage diesel owners. Best advice would appear to be changing the cam belt if remapping is to occur when the mileage has climbed to around 100k miles.

Hope this helps , Andy.

Mike

Thanks Mike, very useful. Current insurer just says no, so will probably wait until renewal time. If anyone has used the Synergy 1 featured on website below I would be interested in their experience. Cheers.

http://tuning-diesels.com/

Not heard of these guys, Andy.

I looked at the site but there is nothing on it directly for the S-type diesel as far as I can see. Might be worth asking them.

Somewhat strangely, Autoglym also have branched out into remap tuning. As I recall, there is an option to even down load a program for a particular car (At a cost of course) and then upload it to your car via a laptop and an OBD 11 lead via the diagnostic socket. However I`d much prefer to take to Paramount and have the experts do the job. One hopes that in the case of an internet download that the programme supplied is well developed for each application. If not it could cause problems!

One thing I forgot to mention is the use of a decent air filter to being with. The K&N direct replacement panel filter, Part No 33-2266 is a good investment. Cheapest I`ve found is from Motorsportworld on the net. Alternatively, Geoff Adams at Adamesh can supply a Green Filter of similar design. Mention you are a JEC member and he will look after you. A good guy to deal with. A good filter will pass more air and you will again find that will help a little with performance and economy even with a standard stock tune engine. Again you will find details of the benifits of good filtration explored in our monthly column over the past few months.

Mike

Thanks again Mike.

Andy,
I'm in the throws of putting a 'torquing of cats' chip on my 2.7 diesel. This is an external chip which plugs into the fuel control circuit at the back of the engine.
I had the timing belt changed last week and aim to put the chip on in the next couple of weeks.
Peter D James will insure the car but at a premium increase of £150, making it £5 dearer than their STR quote. So I'm expecting great things from this chip !
I will post my impressions once its done.

Thanks Mike, will await the results with interest,

Andy

As Mike 123 knows, I suggested at the S-type Forum that I knew of a Torqueing of Cats module which was available second hand from one of our members. The former owner spoke very highly of the improvement and I suggested he advertise the unit on this site. Mike is a lucky guy and I know he will not be disappointed.

I`m looking forward to hearing how this all pans out.

I cannot speak highly enough of the Paramount ecu upgrade to my V8. Remember they do diesel upgrades as well. My upgrade is rather like an extra cylinder bolted to the engine. The power delivery is just so much more precise and controlled. Effortless in fact. After the mod, you will wonder why the car was ever let out of the factory in such a low state of drivability! That is what you will notice immediately and the feel good factor is almost indescribable. Funny what blows yer skirt up!

Around town, the car feels big and slobbery. It simply rolls down the road and everything is done with so much less fuss than previously. On the motorway, if you want to go, you do just that. A squirt of throttle and you`re gone.

I`m a self confessed remap addict. Once fitted, you will just want to drive and drive and drive the car. The wow factor is huge.

That`s my take on it and its worth every penny of a few hundred quid.

Mike

Mike,

I get the impression you're in favour..............!!

I did email Paramount, who look very professional, and they were very helpful. They do offer a postal service, where you send the ECU and they post it back, but I would prefer the personal visit, I think. Overall I am probabaly keener on a "plug n play" solution, simply for the convenience and removability for selling the car etc, I am guessing that you probably get what you pay for, so it is worth paying more for a better product. If anyone else has fitted these chips, especially to the diesel, I would love to know your impressions. Cheers.

I Googled ecutuningliverpool and came up with these links Andy. I hadn`t appreciated you were so far from Paramount or Racing Green in London.

Mapping Companies have been around for quite a while and generally I believe draw their programmes from one or two outside sources. Most draw from those sources on a pay as they go basis, downloading programs and installing them as a vehicle appears in their workshops. I suspect that the core programs even if supplied and "fitted" by a number of different installation workshops are all much of a muchness.

Might be worth contacting the guys below for a chat. The two links here are just a sample of te businesses that I saw on the browser page when I had a quick look.

http://www.google.co.uk/aclk?sa=L&ai=Cw ... remaps.com

http://www.google.co.uk/aclk?sa=l&ai=CN ... ence.co.uk

Hope this helps,

Mike

Many thanks Mike, will check them out.

Andy

Hi guys
Its all verywell doing this remapping ect but what about the extra stresses on the drivetrain?

I presume that given the relatively modest gains in power the drivetrain can cope, but i am no expert on it ! Mike probably more knowledgeable than me on these things.

Jeff is correct in respect of extra stresses imposed by remapping.

Increased force x distance (torque) must enevitably generate increased stresses within the drive train.

The early 5R55N Ford gearbox is not the strongest of gearboxes. Having remapped J44EAG which is a V8 model with such a gearbox, I`m very concious not to be too heavy footed when it comes to spirited driving.

The later six speed ZF units are a little more robust and are a better bet when it comes to handling the extra grunt.

The S-type R has the Merc box which is even stronger.

Most remaps on the market claim around 10% extra power and 15% extra torque. Used with care and moderation, the drive trains in the ZF and Merc gearboxed cars should handle the upgrade with ease. My belief is that 5R55N based cars should be treated more gently.

Mike

A final update on the Torquing of Cats module. I fitted the chip to see what difference it made but the primary goal was improved economy. In general the chip did tighten the feel of the car, but the early (54 plate) diesel with the auto box did in my view still suffer some lag. Albeit once it got going it went very well. This is only a minor critism but on some windy A roads I felt a noticable wait between when I could see ( push on accelerator) and power delivery. Suppose I should have used the J gate to keep the revs up !

In terms of economy over a mix of use, mostly M'way with about 10% caravan towing ( which absolutely kills any thoughts of economy - 40 mpg goes to 25 ish ) the figure for 36,000 miles was 35.2 mpg. For 4000 miles with the chip, again with 10% of the miles towing ,it rose to 36.3.
So an improvement of 3 %.

I wasn't worried about the drive train as I thought all the later S types, 2004>, had the same 6 speed ZF box which included the supercharged V8.

If anyone else wants to try the chip its for sale as I replaced the 2.7 SE with a STR last Friday.