Altering a Map

Altering a map is a complex process, which is difficult to explain fully here. However, we have covered some of the basic points below.

The internal combustion engine works by burning fuel and air, converting this chemical reaction into kinetic energy. By Remapping an ECU, we can alter the amount of air and fuel that enters an engine. On a turbo vehicle, we can increase the air quantity by increasing turbo boost pressure and we can also increase the fuel quantity by altering the fuel injection maps. If you alter the amount of fuel and air injected into the combustion chamber you can alter the power, torque and efficiency output.

Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Many other factors also come into play when tuning a combustion engine. You must also consider at what point in the engine cycle should the fuel be injected, how long the injection period should last for and at what point the fuel should be ignited. Remapping is about fine-tuning and getting the balance correct for that specific engine design.

Here are some of the parameters that are altered during a remapping process:

• Injection Quantity
• Injection Duration
• Injection Pressure
• Turbo Boost Pressure
• Spark Advance
• Pedal Maps
• Torque Limiters

Tuning can be fun and the increase in performance and efficiency can be truly amazing. However, if done incorrectly it can also be dangerous. A petrol engine running too lean with too much timing advance can result in detonation (fuel igniting too early and pushing the piston back the wrong way) – detonation can cause catastrophic engine damage. Diesel engines can also be damaged if too much fuel is injected, internal combustion temps can increase dramatically due to the extra energy created and piston damage can occur. This is why it is important to choose the right company / tuning provider when you decided to have your vehicle remapped.