Remapping can be a great way to update and increase the power and performance of your car. However, it’s not for everyone, and can be a little confusing, especially if you are relatively new to or inexperienced with cars.
Fortunately, we have put together three simple alternatives to remapping your car, while still allowing you to enjoy enhanced power and performance.
What Is Car Remapping?
Remapping is the process of replacing the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) in your vehicle with a more powerful one that will allow you to achieve greater performance from your engine.
The ECU controls all aspects of your vehicle including fuel injection, ignition timing, air/fuel ratio, boost pressure, and so on. A remapped ECU allows you to change these settings to suit your driving style and preferences.
How Does It Work?
The ECU in your car contains many different maps which control how each part of your engine functions. These maps are stored on an EEPROM chip inside the ECU.
When you start your car up, the ECU reads the current map and uses this information to determine what settings should be used by the various parts of your engine. If you want to change the settings on your ECU, you need to replace the existing map with a new one. This is where remapping comes into play.
The first step in remapping is to find out exactly what map your ECU currently runs on. You do this by looking at the factory service manual for your specific model of car. Once you know what map your ECU is running on, you can then buy a remapper toolkit from any reputable automotive supplier, such as our own garage offering MOT and servicing in Laindon,Thurrock and Basildon.
Once you have got hold of a remapper toolkit, you simply remove the old map from your ECU using the supplied removal tool and place the new map in its place. Then, you just plug the remapper back into your car and turn it on. The remapper will read the new map and use it to set the correct settings for your engine.
What Are Some Alternatives To Remapping Your Car?
If remapping your car seems like a step too far, there are three alternatives that you can try, and these include:
- Changing the Fuel Injection Settings
Changing the fuel injection settings on your car is another option that you may wish to consider. There are two main types of fuel injectors – sprayers and multipoints. Sprayer injectors work by spraying small amounts of fuel onto the cylinder walls as they rotate past them. Multipoint injectors work by injecting larger amounts of fuel directly into the combustion chamber.
Changing the type of fuel injector you run on your car is a fairly straightforward procedure. Most modern vehicles come with multipoint injectors fitted, so changing over to sprayer injectors would require some modification to your car. However, if you are happy to make some modifications to your car, you could always fit sprayer injectors yourself.
This is a change that can offer you the power of a remap, but with no need to touch the ECU.
- Using Aftermarket Software
Aftermarket software packages are available for most popular makes and models of car. They usually cost around £100-£150 and contain all the settings needed to get the best possible performance from your engine.
- Tuning Your Engine Yourself
Tuning your own engine is also a viable alternative to remapping. Although it requires a lot of time and effort, it does give you complete control over every aspect of your engine’s operation.
So Which Is Better For Me?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question; the decision really depends on your desired result. If you’re after maximum power output, then remapping is probably the way forward, while if you are more interested in reliability and longevity, then going down the route of tuning your own engine might be better suited to your needs.
Final Thoughts
In summary, remapping is an easy way to improve the performance of your car without having to spend a fortune. However, it does take a fair amount of skill and knowledge to get it done properly. So, before you decide whether remapping is for you, it’s worth considering the alternatives we have discussed.
