When I had my first car performance upgrade (which is the drop-in performance air filter), most of you thought that my next video is about ECU remapping or tuning. That idea didn’t even popped up in my mind.
Upgrading your car is a good thing as it lifts up your spirit, gives you a better feel for your car and of course, it makes your car look cool, modern and powerful.
But not all vehicle modifications are beneficial to your car, some are even useless and harmful to the engine. Does ECU remapping gives you more benefits or is it just a non-essential upgrade?
Lets weigh-in on this subject as I will give you the most notorious disadvantages of ECU remapping known to man to date.
This topic is of course subjective. So to those pro-remapping petrol heads won’t get back right at me throwing unnecessary jobs. Of course, I will also tackle some of the advantages of ECU remapping on my next blog post.
What is ECU Remapping?
Before I discuss the disadvantages, you first need to know what ECU remapping is.
ECU or engine control unit, is the brain of your car. Most modern cars have ECU and it contains all the parameters and codes set by the manufacturer to keep your car running smoothly and problem-free.
Your car’s ECU practically controls everything your car does. This include fuel injection, timing of the spark to ignition (petrol cars), sensors and actuators, throttle response and many others.
So ECU remapping triggers moderate to significant improvements to these systems that will increase power and overall performance, depending on how much power increase you want to tune your car for.
Remapping the ECU is done by a professional tuner or auto shop with broad knowledge (considered expert) about ECU codes and parameters. If this is not done right, your car may end up consuming more fuel than usual and will inevitably breaks your car in a year or two.
Oh by the way, ECU remapping is also known as chipping, engine tuning, etc. I just saved you time in commenting this question below.
Disadvantages of ECU Remapping
Car owners have their own reasons why their car underwent remapping. Some owners use their cars for business so they need their truck to have more torque for hauling power. Some felt their cars consumes fuel excessively than normal, so they want to lessen the engines fuel consumption.
While most of these car owners have valid reasons for improving their car’s performance, some folks are into remapping just for fun – racing, racing and just….racing!
So if you are a speed junkie petrol head, then you might want to read this post until the end. This might help you save thousands of bucks of car repair expenses from an ill-advised ECU tuning gig.
Increases Engine Breakdown
As you intend to increase the performance or power of your engine beyond its manufacturer-designed limits, you increase the chances of premature engine failure.
Such erroneous ECU tuning job can lead to injector leaks, intake and exhaust system issues, and many others. Over-powering your engine will put a lot of stress which increases pressure in the engine, wearing it down quickly compared to non-remapped cars.
ECU Remapping is Quite Expensive
Another reason why you should stick to your car’s stock performance rather than tuning it is the remapping’s ridiculously expensive price tag.
A simple service which only uses a software reprogramming tool, set of cables and a savvy laptop, that cost a lot is quite an overkill if you ask me.
In the US and UK, an entry level remap has an average cost of $400 to $1,000. And yet, some of these tuners or most of them don’t even include a dyno. So if you are determined to get a remap, go to an expert shop that offers a dyno test as well.
You Need to Upgrade other Systems in Your Car
Yes, you inevitably need to upgrade other systems in your car if you want to rip the full benefits of remapping your car’s ECU.
Some folks may disagree with this, but believe me, most of them did upgrade their cars one way or another, or planning on upgrading sometime in the future.
What are the car’s components that needs to be upgraded? Lets start with the air intake system.
You will need to replace that old, restrictive air filter with high-flow filter, or better yet a cold-air intake system. This way, your engine draws colder air which dramatically improves its performance.
Intake pipes must also be replaced. Stock rubber hose won’t do justice in an over-powered engine due to ECU remap. So you need to use aluminum hoses or piping to ensure that the increased air pressure are met and the pipes will hold up sturdy enough in the engine bay.
Your stock intercooler should also be replaced if you want to get that huge amount of air to get to the engine fast. Getting a bigger turbo intercooler is a must if you plan on remapping your car, which is another big expense for you.
Your EGR must also be deleted to avoid further air restriction.
Another component system in your car that needs to upgrade are your braking system and exhaust system, both of which costs thousands of dollar to achieve.
Yes, you need to replace your small brakes and get multiple-piston caliper with big brake pads and rotors (front and rear wheels). For exhaust system, you need to get rid of diesel particulate filter and catalytic converter to enhance proper exhaust of gasses. A downpipe system is a popular choice among car enthusiasts.
Car Warranty and Insurance
Newly released cars have warranties of up to 5 years, depending on the manufacturer. These car companies are very strict when it comes to car modifications because they are beyond the scope of the car’s warranty.
So if the car company finds out (which they will) that you remapped your car’s ECU, your warranty will be voided and you can’t get any refund or free services when some of your car’s components fails or breaks.
For car insurance companies, they too have strict policies to car upgrades. Car owners are honest when it comes to components in their cars that they want to get insured, like wheels and tires.
But when it comes to remapping, it is a different story. Car insurance companies increases their policies to ensure that they get returns in case your car breaks down prematurely. And this is another big cost for you.
Increased Fuel Consumption
Again, if you want to save fuel due to your car’s high fuel consumption, you need to look for an expert tuner to get the job done.
Otherwise, you will end up cursing your car for its fuel-hungry, performance-happy engine.
ECU Remapping is Not for Non-Turbo Cars
Yes, if your car has naturally aspirated engine (has no turbo or not supercharged), you can’t actually get big benefits from an ECU remap.
Why? Because the engine has no force induction capability. Even if you tweak the ECU, you can’t draw so much air to power up your engine because there’s no turbo involved.
So before you remap your car, you might want to install a turbocharger first in your engine.
Unknown Outcome
If you are doubtful if an ECU remap is going to be beneficial or not, then it is better not to undergo this route for your car.
You won’t know what will be the real outcome of an ECU remap. Others argue that they loved the result, but not all people have the same experience.
There are many comments in my video about remapping that their car went from good to worse after an ECU remap. So I guess you just need to be on the safe side for this one.
Conclusion
ECU remapping isn’t that bad as I have also said that you just need to pick the right tuner for the job.
Otherwise, the factors above will make you hate your car more. So it’s much much better if you keep your car all stock instead of undergoing an ECU remap.
Here is a video of mine telling the same topic on Youtube. The video is in Tagalog but has English subtitle.
