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remapping a car
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
Anyone had their car chipped? If so did it make much difference?
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You can potentially make 25%+ on a turbocharged car - but keep in mind that the more power you make, the closer to the edge the components in the car will run. You increase boost, and the turbocharger will be operating nearer to full-boost(higher RPM) than the vehicle manufacturer intended, which can shorten the lifespan - especially if the car still uses transient overboost, which temporarily allows the turbo to spin outside of the design parameters. It can also drastically increase the temperature of the turbocharger, which may well be why the manufacturer lowered the output in the first place - can the engine cool the oil adequately? Is it likely to struggle to get a perfect oil supply when working hard, but being chucked around a corner?
You also increase the stress on other parts - piston crowns run hotter, and are more likely to see detonation(very bad). Manifolds run hotter, injectors work harder, big ends have to deal with more force than standard.
On the other side of things, you have an increased load going through the clutch, gearbox, differential, CV joints, and tyres.
Some cars are produced well below their rated power output - I can't remember if it's still the case, but BMW motorbikes producing 100bhp were built and tested at 150bhp, and then downgraded to give better reliability. The same goes for their car engines - the 2.5 and 2.8 were hugely strangled by the inlet manifold, to keep power down. My Mondeo - if I swapped out the inlet manifolds and throttle body, I'd see close to 20bhp with no other changes...
With a naturally aspirated car, the chances are you'll see more gains if you find what's actually restricting the engine. A tweaked ECU will - generally - offer a more ideal running of the engine, but it can only go so far if the lump is mechanically restrained and incapable of reaching its peak.
Sorry if that was a bit long...
Heatsoak is when the air in the engine bay increases in temperature, and adversely affects the performance of the engine. You'll find it on most cars, but it's often worse when things are messed with.
and post the same question on there. Might be also a good idea to look on the net for 'modifying' your car.
You will receive more answers than on here!