Updated on April 29, 2021 - Should You Remap the ECU of your car? What are the Pros and Cons of ECU Remapping and is it any Good In The Longer Run? We tell you all that in this article.
Original Article - July 23, 2020; Almost all the parameters in modern cars are electronically controlled. The device controlling these components is known as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Manufacturers across the globe map these ECU in such a way that these extract the best combination of fuel efficiency, power output, reliability, and emissions. However, this sometimes takes a toll on the overall performance of the car, and owners resort to ECU remapping to increase the overall driveability and performance of the vehicle (Example: 170 BHP Seltos). However, there are a number of pros and cons of ECU remapping. Before we start, join our 91W Auto Enthusiasts Whatsapp Group to be a part of more such discussions.
ECU Remapping-: Pros
1. Increased Power: A remapped ECU helps in increasing the overall power output by around 20-25 percent. By remapping the ECU, the peak power and torque outputs are significantly increased making the car accelerate in a very swift manner.
2. Better Driveability: While remapping the car, a tuner focuses on improving the overall power delivery of the engine. A better power delivery improves power delivery in much better driving experience.
3. Better In-Gear Acceleration: An improved power delivery boosts the power output at different RPMs thus improving the overall performance and in-gear acceleration. Strong in-gear acceleration helps in performing quick overtakes on the highways.
4. No Flat Spots: A remapped ECU controls the engine in such a manner that the power and torque output from the engine is supreme at all RPMs, thus eliminating all the flat spots and weak spots in the entire operating range of the engine.
Read Also: KIA Seltos 1.4 GDI Tuned to 170BHP; Badass in True Sense!
ECU Remapping-: Cons
1. Warranty Gets Void: As soon as you will get your car remapped, the warranty of the vehicle will be void as it is a clear violation of the company policy.
2. Reliability may get affected: A remapped ECU pushes the engine to produce more power. It may affect the long term reliability of the engine and other components as these are running under great stress to produce that extra amount of power.
3. Poor Fuel Economy: A stock ECU works to extract maximum fuel efficiency and engine smoothness and this may limit the power output. Remapping an ECU to produce more power may take a toll on fuel efficiency.
4. No Updates and manufacturer support: Modern cars get regular updates from the carmaker in order to maximize the overall performance and experience. Such updates can overwrite the codes written by a tuner and in such a case, the owner has to go back to the tuner to get the ECU re-mapped. On the other hand, your car manufacturer may deny updating your car if you get it remapped.
With this being said, ECU remapping surely increases the overall performance output of a vehicle and make the driving experience much better than before. However, there are some cons of ECU remapping as well, hence, it is very important to ensure that you get your car tuned by an experienced professional.
