Is remapping safe for my car?
We all want more performance from our vehicles, and short of buying a high-performance car at a vastly over-inflated price, the best way is to opt for an ECU engine remap.
In case you didn’t know, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) remap is a way of boosting performance by modifying a car’s onboard computer. The ECU has settings that manufacturers impose to limit a car’s performance, but these can be overwritten, quite legally, to boost a great all-round driving experience.
Professional remappers like Mobile Eco Tuning will tweak your car’s ECU software to produce a variety of results, depending on what you want. You’ll certainly notice more power and torque from your engine, and that you’re stepping on the gas much more lightly. Overall, you’ll get way more power and efficiency from your vehicle, and you certainly won’t be paying supercar prices!
So that’s all good. But is ECU remapping safe, and might it damage your car’s engine? These are good questions, and worth knowing before you decide to take the plunge and go for a remap.
ECU remapping is safe, but only in the right hands. There are plenty of DIY remapping kits out there, plus an equal number of garages prepared to do a backstreet remap without considering whether the car in question is actually up to this kind of modding. Most engines can benefit from a tweak or two, but not if they’re older or showing diagnostic faults. In this case, remapping really wouldn’t be a great idea, and any remapper worth his salt would tell you exactly that.
Secondly, can remapping damage your engine? Again, it depends on who’s doing it. Professional remappers like us take time and effort, combined with specialist training, to make sure that your vehicle is remapped safely and tested at every stage. We provide a lifetime software warranty and perform a full diagnostic health check before upgrading the ECU map. But many wouldn’t. They might give your vehicle a remap that’s too aggressive, straining your engine and causing wear and tear. And if your engine is suddenly working way above its pay grade, it’ll have a negative effect on fuel economy. The worst-case scenario is a seriously damaged engine – absolutely the opposite of what you wanted!
There is one issue with remapping that won’t hurt your engine but might cause a little bit of pain in your pocket. As remapping is considered a modification, you will need to disclose it to your insurance company. If you don’t, your car insurance could become invalid and if you are caught driving without insurance…well, you know the rest! Disclosure might also see your premium rising, depending on what you’ve had done, so it’s better to be aware of this before you get stuck in.
If done properly, by a reputable firm such as ours, a quality remap can see real benefits for your car’s engine. Our in-house software engineers create the maps, providing impressive horsepower and torque increases while maintaining engine safety. We can deal with both petrol and diesel vehicles, and everything is evaluated on our four-wheel-drive dyno, allowing us to accurately record the power and torque of a vehicle. For more information on what we do contact us here or call us on 01934 644427.
