Whats The Difference Between Chip Tuning And ECU Remapping?

ECU Remapping Is The Most Commomnly Used Term For Tuning A Car.

What is the difference between Chip Tuning and ECU Remapping?  The difference is basically the age of the techniques used to obtain the cars “map file”. Now days you are very unlikely to get your car “chipped” due to the evolution of electronics and chips themselves. Basically, chip tuning is on older approach while remapping is a more modern approach.

Chip tuning or most commonly known as “Chipping” is the old way of increasing a car’s performance and economy, used on cars built before 2000. ECU remapping is the modern term, and the modern way of doing the same thing chipping does for older cars.

Remapping a cars ECU is carrying out the same process as chip tuning, but does so without actually chipping the car. All cars built before the year 2000, to modify a car you would physically be opening the vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU) and taking out the chip (Eeprom) to manually tune and reconfigure the engine map file, and then replacing it into the car, usually via a soldering method. This procedure is allot riskier than remapping, but no problem for a skilled chip tuner.

Now due to evolution of electronics and software we are able to things much safer, and much more effective with ECU remapping. Using the cars OBD port fitted in cars post 2000, we can now hook up to the diagnostics port (OBD port) in your vehicle with our Kess, or MPPS, and with our specialist software and expert analysis, we can remap and re-programme your ECU without any invasive techniques.

Having your car remapped or chip tuned by Layton Remaps will always be a safe bet, because we always back up all the software and data of your cars ECU, so should you change your mind or experience any issues, we can either revert to the factory settings, or re-do the ECU remapping, to get perfect performance and efficiency for you.

So, if you’re wanting to increase your car’s performance and efficiency, and you’re driving a car built before 2000 then you will need a chip tune. If you’re driving a car after 2000, then you need ECU remapping. There aren’t many tuning companies about that still offer chip tuning but here at Layton remaps we offer both. At Layton Remaps we’re all about the latest and best technology, and that’s why we’re experts in ECU remapping but on occasions we are required to chip tune due to the age of your vehicle. Layton Remaps Chip tune all over the westmidlands covering Worcester, Reddicth, Bromsgrove, Birmingham, Pershore, Evesham, Cheltenham, Hereford and Malvern.

Below is a picture of Layton Remaps Chip tuning a 2004 Volvo XC90 2.4VD, ECU was a BOSCH EDC15C11 which had a 44pin AM29F400BT chip. We removed the chip, placed it into our chip reader and backed up the cars map file. The file was then adjusted for a power map. We erased the chip then wrote the new modified map file to the chip. Once the chip was wrote we prepared the ECU’s PCB and re-soldered the chip back to the board. Another successful chip tune by Layton Remaps in worcester

What Is Remapping And What Exactly Do You Do?

Layton Remaps link to the vehicles ECU or ‘brain’ with a laptop PC through the vehicles OBD (Onboard Diagnostic) socket and read the current engine management file which is then Tuned by Layton Remaps and custom optimised for your vehicle. Layton Remaps Technician then programs the new Layton optimised file into your vehicle and you then have opportunity for yourself to experience the amazing results. On some vehicles it is not possible to carry-out this function be the diagnostic socket so in this case the ECU is removed and either a chip change or boot loading function is carried out, direct into the ECU. The final effect is exactly the same, only the process is different. Depending on the vehicle, the chip tuning normally takes less than 1 hour to complete the re-map. You can choose to visit one of our dealers, our head office in Iver or, dependent on area we can visit you at your home, office.

Is It Safe? Can It Damage My Veichle?

Our Layton Re-mapping process enhances and optimise the power of the engine within safe limits, not beyond them. Extra power will also result in fewer gear changes. Manufacturers have to build in a tolerance for the parts in the engine, to manage the effect of wear and tear, production variations, and to ensure their warranty claims during their warranty period normally 3 years, are kept to a minimum.

Most race and rally engines are pushed for every last bhp, and thus they more common to fail, whilst normal car/van/lorry engines are limited back, well away from probability of multiple failures. Each individual engine is different as in how much it can be pushed in a remap, but a good ecu remap from a quality ecu tuner will never get close the limits of component failure.

You will see that the top companies within the market place have all develop vehicle improvements to similar outputs. Beware of tuners who claim significantly more, it’s either lies hoping that the average customer wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, or the engine is being pushed too hard and will quickly become unreliable.

Why Dont Car Manufacturers Do It from Factory?

Manufacturers generally sell one vehicle that covers various markets, with different tax and emissions regulations; different climates with extremes of heat, cold, humidity; different fuel quantities; different operating altitudes, etc. A manufacturer has to take all of these factors into consideration and make substantial compromises in the vehicles operation.

Sales and marketing also have a big affect on the way an engine is mapped. If you look the in manufacturer brochure at the engine specs, the torque graph will rise, then flatten out on a straight line, and then drop off. This obviously isn’t how an engine breathes, and it’s the request of sales and marketing to produce this flat lining of the torque. Why? Well it’s about having better torque figures than the competition and about local market taxation laws.

Will I Get A Warranty?

A professionally tuned engine will not cause technical faults with a well serviced and maintained the engine. In the extremely unlikely event of a problem we will 100% stand by the quality of our product, should any fault be assessed to have been caused by the upgrade.

What Is Remapping?

If you want to tune your diesel vehicle and still keep the vehicles safety and durability functions for the engine/transmission/ESP intact, the only way to tune a diesel vehicle is to make changes in the existing control system of the engine.
That is exactly what Layton Remaps offer with Our Software. Our tuning process has total control over all parameters at any moment, and we don’t disturb the safety functions of the car, by deceiving the system.
Apart from an obvious power, torque and fuel economy benefits you get the following advantages with a Layton remap:

• The Layton Software is installed within the hour, normally without lifting the bonnet
• Nothing needs to be connected to the vehicle after tuning to get the benefits
• No loose boxes and wiring flexes in the engine compartment
• Torque comes soft and smooth
• Torque is adjusted/limited on lower gears (to avoid damage on the transmission)
• Boost pressure and air flow is optimised
• The original settings can be reinstalled if required
• On board computer shows correct fuel consumption
• Anti skid program (ESP) function is fully retained
• Torque reduction when shifting gear (for comfort and durability) is retained
• Regeneration (emptying) of diesel particle filter (DPF) is retained optimal
• Correct calculation of exhaust temperature
• Correct calculation of service interval
• The diagnostic system is retained
• No enlarged NOx, HC, CO, CO2, Soot emissions compared with original when going for MOT and servicing

Do You Offer A Trial Period Or Money Back?

We are very confident that your Layton Remap running Layton Software will both improve your driving experience and save you substantially on fuel. But, don’t take our word for it, try the upgrade for 30 days and if you are not delighted with the results we will take it off and give you a full refund.

Do I Need To Tell My Insurance Company?

We advise that it is your responsibility to inform your insurance Company of any modification to your vehicle. We are finding that more and more insurance companies are not penalising their customers for saving fuel and recognise our economy upgrades. We can provide a certificate of conformity if required.

Do You Keep A Copy Of My Original File?

Yes, in secure archival storage, should you ever require your vehicle to put back to original.

Will A Remap Affect My Manufactures Warranty?

Some manufactures diagnostic equipment may detect a remap. Additionally many forward thinking manufacturers turn a blind eye to a quality remapping service , knowing that a properly enhanced vehicle can only ever benefit them. The official line from most manufacturers is that if a modification causes a problem with the vehicle, then the part of the vehicle affected will not be covered under warranty, this does not mean a unilateral cancelling of the whole warranty.

Ho Does A Remap Improve My Veichle?

A full Layton Remap Runing Layton software alters the fuel, boost and torque characteristics of the engine. By controlling the fuel pressure, injected fuel quantity, maximum permissible visible smoke limit, boost pressure from the turbocharger and the torque characteristic.

Layton software offers a fully controllable change to the engine characteristics, whilst still operating with full engine feedback control and within all the preset engine sensor limits.

Ive Seen Diesel Tuning Boxes, What Do They Do, And How Are They Different To A Remap?

We do not fit add-on tuning boxes, which normally just interfere with engine management signals to trick the injectors into adding more fuel. Our service is a custom re-map of your ECU, specifically for your vehicle.

These differ from how a remap works. A tuning box relies on the principal of more diesel fuel = more diesel power. That theory is correct and boxes do increase power, but they can’t control the amount of black smoke (maximum permissible visible smoke limit) coming out the exhaust.

Too much smoke is undesirable, both environmentally and visually. More importantly, the black smoke is un-burnt diesel fuel attached to combustion chamber, with deposits exiting straight out the exhaust pipe, thus wasting fuel which hasn’t had any effect on power gain. The results are raised emissions, a higher thermal load on the engine (i.e. exhaust temperature) and frequently defects such as “bucking” are often the result. It should be clear what this means for your engine.”

In a modern engine there are complex engine control systems that cooperate with each other to make everything work perfectly. A diesel box manipulates some signals in order to either increase the injection time or fuel pressure. Unfortunately this manipulation is done entirely without the engine control system’s knowledge. This means that a diesel box tricks the engine control system of the vehicle and the consequence is that a large amount of values and control data will be incorrect, resulting in:

• The on board trip computer shows improved fuel consumption, but the real amount left in the tank is less, as fuel is being injected without any of the sensors detecting the additional amount entering the cylinder.
• The anti skid program (ESP) is disturbed because of incorrect torque value
• No loose boxes and wiring flexes in the engine compartment
• The automatic gearboxes get incorrect torque value
• Torque reduction when shifting gear (for comfort and durability) is not retained
• The regeneration (emptying) of particle filter will not be optimal
• The calculation of exhaust temperature is disturbed
• The calculation of service interval is disturbed
• The diagnostic system is disturbed