2 remap or not 2 remap

[LaZy]

I have a decision 2 make people and would like ur input. I drive a 2003 BMW e39 530dA. It currently harbours 193 horses under the bonnet and 410nm of torque. It drives really well and Ive enjoyed every kilometre I´ve driven with it (over 50 thousand now). However, for a mere €400 I can have the ECU remaped. The tuning engineer said that he can make the beemer spit out 230bhp and skyrocket the torque 2 490nm.

Have any of u remaped ur cars? Although its not something I need at all, it is something Id like 2 have and experience.

Thoughts

out

[deadhanddan]

ive never had it done, but sounds fun to do tho , more hp the better!

[Sporting_Lisbon]

I'll pass on this one, not my area :p

[36drew]

You can get 37 more HP out of remapping your ECU? I'd search to see if you can find some dino tests to verify that those gains are accurate. Maybe that's realistic? I'm not really sure.

I used to spend hours reading about all the ways I could make my Honda Civic fast -- but i'm too poor nowadays and would rather use the money to buy a better car.

[Blackadderthe4th]

More speed is good. It means you can shoot past all those dangerous drivers before they have a chance to pull out on you and cause you an accident.

If you don't do it you will regret it. One day you will find yourself out in the desert being chased down by Jeremy Clarkson in a gunship and be kicking yourself thinking 'if only I had that extra BHP then I could out run Clarkson instead of being blown apart allowing me to take my decapitated legs and kick myself with them.''

[I__CHAOS__I]

I'd use the 400eur to buy a brand new laptop
or maybe buy me food for the next 200 days!

[Palehorse]

LaZy, its a 2 edged sword.

If you make much use of it, there will be accelerated bearing and valve train wear, along with decreased fuel economy, not too mention transmission wear.

[IndyBrit]

LaZy,
The HP and torque are most likely there for the taking. There are a couple of potential issues. First, it will decrease the reliability of your engine, which may not be a big deal to you but it could be a hassle if something fails. Second, it may void any warranty, if you still have one. Your manufacturer de-tuned the engine to the current level for warranty and reliability reasons (and charged accordingly), and will generally not pay for failures if the engine is re-tuned. Incidentally, this is why engines with different ratings but identical hardware will cost different amounts.

There could also be an emissions impact, but I'm guessing not in this case. The price suggests this guy has the manufacturer tool to legitimately tune your engine. Some add-on devices create extra power by fooling a sensor or the injectors, but that doesn't sound like the case here. Those devices can cause serious mechanical issues, and can cause emissions issues that can earn you a fine and repair bill depending on the laws in your area.

Bottom line - I doubt there will be a sudden failure due to this, so if you don't mind having that tranny rebuilt as your car gets older, then you should go for it.

I think it's hilarious that the power is quoted in hp but the torque is in nm, maybe that's just me.

PS - seeing that you have only 50,000 km in 6 years, you may never put enough km-s on it to notice the added wear.

[LaZy]

Thanks 4 all the input people.

a) The car is from 2003 and thus without warranty
b) the car has a total of 125,000kms on it, 50,000 of which are mine
c) remapping and chipping the car is diferent. Remaping the ECU ( electronic control unit) will just change ignition timinings, pressure ratings, air temperature, engine loads etc. Adding a chip 2 ur car will make the fuel injection system think its slowed down thus increasing its output (wll kill it so much quicker though)
d) I have a big cylinder german engine. It has a small turbo with it which is why I can get those 40 horses and those whoping more 80nm torque. A small petrol engine will hardly give u more hp or torque from a simple engine remap
e) my fuel economy will actually go down with the remap, since the higher torque levels at lower revs will allow for better fuel management
f) we, the common folk, use the metric system for torque values, whilst the imperial minds of the world prefer lbs ft Yes ur right Indy 2 maintain unit coherency we , the common folk, should be using kW instead of horse power. In Germany most people will know how many kW their enhne delivers. In sunny Portugal we think kW is for our electric bills only and truly believe that there are real horses living under our bonets. Its what keeps our sout European macho ego´s intact. We measure our manlyhood by hp muahahahhahaah and I shall become more of a man after my remap muahahahahha(2)

out

PS still havent made up my mind on this matter though since I really am very happy with the car the way it is. Its a family car with an impressive confort rating attached to it. If I "pimp" it up a little itll become less family oriented and more sports oriented. Not good in a 2,5 ton car.

[StrokeyBlofeld]

Ditch the remap... (don't think you will notice much difference) and get a digital video camera for S25 instead! You'll get much more fun and of re-living moments from the London S25 which you don't remember because you were too drunk!!!

[cheesehat]

Why don't you just buy an extra 37 horses?

I've learned to be weary of good deals. I'd go ask around, for this or anything else, if no-one else can offer a price similar to this guy then hes probably going to cut your breaks instead of changing the ECU and you WILL regret it at a red light

[LaZy]

DONE!!! And all I can say is WOW.

The car is a true beast, not only at taking off, but especially in the high revs. It handles just the same, sounds identical but boy does it push ur upperbody deep into its seat. Top speed hasnt been altered, I just get there so darn quick its unreal. My 4th gear, which has always been my favourite gear, is so powereful now it almost becomes scary.

All I have do now is see if I can persuade the Mrs into getting hers done.

For any of u fine people driving a diesel engine with a turbo added to it I can honestly say this: remap ur ECU, u´ll luv it!

out

[36drew]

What does your car redline at Lazy? The fact that 4th gear is your favorite scares me since full throttle is mandatory in a favorite gear.

[LaZy]

redline is at 4,500rpms Adam. Since I run an automatic transmission I simply cant make any gears go over 4,200rpms. My 4th gear reaches a whopping 186kmh and is simply Op fun from start 2 finish. Kick down at 150kmh from 5th gear 2 4th with full acceleration from 150 to 186 is mad atm. It really makes u grab the steering wheel with both hands.

Now that same gear, whos ratio has been unchanged (ie it kix in at the same rpm range and skyrockets 2 the same 186), gets the same amount of power on the wheels just a little bit quicker. People, like myself, who do the same bloody stretch every day (work, home - home, work) know that portion of the raod off by heart. Now we know that there are certain straights we can manage at say 90kmh. Now I can do that exact same stretch at 110 or even 120. Doesnt sound like a lot, but boy or boy does it feel like a lot.

490 nm of torque is simply OP. Very few cars have that much torque under the hood. THis is NOT a sports car it is a very large, heavy diesel run car. I have got 2 say that I was a little sceptical about the outcome of the remap and didnt know if I had 2 high expectations. It is simply OP. Its like making ur halberdiers run with the old 33% increased speed.

The wife got the "...yeah baby, daddy is now saving us a lot of money through a more efficient fuel economy BS.." She has yet 2 b persuaded!

out - of gas

[Tubruk]

Haha Nice to Hear Your Went through, with the remap and that your enjoying it. Hf