Ecu Remap

[b4es5]

Hey guys

I tried searching for this topic on the forums but couldn't really find anything.

Planning on getting the ECU remapped on my car primarily to improve the low end pick up, till the turbo kicks in. Did a bit of research online and from what I gather the main drawback is that the vehicle will require a bit more attention with shorter service periods to cope with the added stress on the mechanical components following the remap.

Anyway just wanted to check if anyone has had a bad experience following a remap over here? Planing on getting it done tomorrow so any tips before then would be great!

Cheers

[Blitz]

whats the vehicle?

[b4es5]

2004 Subaru B4 - 2.0 Single Turbo

[The Don]

You would probably experience shorter lifespan of engine components as well. A lot of cars in the racing circuit is remapped so the personnel are here who are capable of doing the job. Just make sure the guy who does the remapping finds a good balance between safety/durability and performance. Else you will enjoy excellent performance for a few days and then the engine will go pop!

[sami_uyan]

one of my friends did his hilux invincible in uk and actually the results were not so noticeable for the amount you pay ...you cannot get huge HP change most of the times and only useful i think if used for racing purposes...had cost him like £300-400. So think twice if you plan to do such thing..

[The Don]

  On 8/23/2012 at 5:30 AM, sami_uyan said:

one of my friends did his hilux invincible in uk and actually the results were not so noticeable for the amount you pay ...you cannot get huge HP change most of the times and only useful i think if used for racing purposes...had cost him like £300-400. So think twice if you plan to do such thing..

Dude, re mapping the ECU of an Invincible with a D4D and remapping the ECU of an STI tuned 2L boxer turbo are 2 very different things.

[b4es5]

Thanks guys, actually had to postpone the remap cause I needed to get some work done on the exhaust and thought it would be best to leave the remap for last once all changes are finalised. Zakie Ismail is doing the remap, heard all good things about the guy and I've been very impressed with the work he's done on my car till now.

Hear your point about the longevity of the engine components, mileage is in the high 70s and certainly prefer to be safe than sorry. Like Don mentioned it depends very much on the person doing the remap, and as long as you don't go for extreme power gains I believe engine longevity could even be increased resulting from improved synchronization between air/fuel delivery and ignition. Additionally, a remap would get more out of simpler mods like high performance air filters, fuel pumps and exhaust upgrades.

Given that we cant get anything better than 95 octane petrol here, most of the remaps here are quite conservative which don't really transform into massive power gains and therefore limit the additional strain placed on engine components.

Anyway that's my take on it. Got a bug to get it done, but still on the fence as to whether I should!

[The Don]

  On 8/24/2012 at 6:42 AM, b4es5 said:

Thanks guys, actually had to postpone the remap cause I needed to get some work done on the exhaust and thought it would be best to leave the remap for last once all changes are finalised. Zakie Ismail is doing the remap, heard all good things about the guy and I've been very impressed with the work he's done on my car till now.

Hear your point about the longevity of the engine components, mileage is in the high 70s and certainly prefer to be safe than sorry. Like Don mentioned it depends very much on the person doing the remap, and as long as you don't go for extreme power gains I believe engine longevity could even be increased resulting from improved synchronization between air/fuel delivery and ignition. Additionally, a remap would get more out of simpler mods like high performance air filters, fuel pumps and exhaust upgrades.

Given that we cant get anything better than 95 octane petrol here, most of the remaps here are quite conservative which don't really transform into massive power gains and therefore limit the additional strain placed on engine components.

Anyway that's my take on it. Got a bug to get it done, but still on the fence as to whether I should!

You can use octane booster, toluene or even AV gas if you really want over 95 octane petrol and proper performance out of your boxer. There is a very slight miss in these engines even when you use 95. Ironically using a remap you can probably get rid of the miss though it wont give you any extra power

[b4es5]

Thanks Don, your suggestion (followed by a bit of research) made me realise I should probably be looking at the basics a bit more before I get the remap. I've never had the injectors cleaned and there is probably quite a bit of carbon build up (Subaru's are notorious for this) so maybe after a full clean out and an octane booster I'll get that extra performance I'm looking for in the lower range.

[The Don]

  On 8/24/2012 at 12:47 PM, b4es5 said:

Thanks Don, your suggestion (followed by a bit of research) made me realise I should probably be looking at the basics a bit more before I get the remap. I've never had the injectors cleaned and there is probably quite a bit of carbon build up (Subaru's are notorious for this) so maybe after a full clean out and an octane booster I'll get that extra performance I'm looking for in the lower range.

I think the issue with the B4 is that the turbo is quite big so you don't get a lot of power until the turbo kicks in. So what you experience is quite normal for a B4. The Imprezza WRX has achieved a better balance methinks