FAQ

What is 'Optimisation'?

An engine control unit (ECU) determines various aspects of an internal combustion engine's operation. ECU’s determine the quantity of fuel, ignition timing and other parameters by monitoring the engine through sensors. These can include, MAP sensor, throttle position sensor, air temperature sensor, oxygen sensor and many others. ECU's were first introduced back in the 1980s. The problem lies in the fact that all new cars have to undergo 'Type Approval', and need to pass through the 'Urban Driving Cycle' tests. In order to meet these stringent requirements, modern day engines are now virtually detuned to pass the test. As a result the car never performs as well as it is mechanically built for, resulting in hesitancy and flat spots. Taking this in to consideration it leaves masses of room for a specialist engineer to optimise the car to vastly improve performance and efficiency without infringing any emissions regulations. No hardware is changed in your car - all modern cars have an ECU to manage, run and protect your engine. All these settings are stored as maps within the ECU. By altering these settings based on the mechanical allowance provided by the manufacturer we could increase performance

Will it affect my warranty and be noticeable when I take it to my dealer?

As there are no physical changes to anything mechanical on the car the warranty can not be affected and the changes can not be seen when you take your vehicle to the dealer for routine servicing All we do is manipulate variables in the ECU code so we are not removing or replacing any original equipment on the vehicle. This is done within the manufacture tolerances however if an incidence does occur and the matter becomes an issue we will stand by our guarantee. We are extremely confident about our quality of work, as our map designer has installed over 20,000 maps without incident.

Can the optimisation be reversed?

Yes. We will restore to the original factory settings at any time. For example, if you want to sell your car with the standard factory settings. It would be your decision.

Can I get both power & economy?

It is actually the extra torque that is the primary factor in the economy gains, the newly optimised fuelling and boost pressure also help to give you better consumption. The additional torque allows you to use less revs to move through the gears. With the additional torque your cars engine will actually pull stronger at low range (and have a smoother power curve) allowing you to change up through the gears earlier to keep up with the same traffic flow. In addition that same torque will allow you to accelerate or overtake smoother and more effortlessly thus reducing the number of down gear changes and the less revs needed the less fuel used.

Can it run cleaner and greener?

By optimising your cars compromised fuel and boost settings, you have less un-burnt fuel being ejected by your car. Also by eliminating the flat spots in your new range and ensuring your car runs at its most efficient in optimum driving conditions your car will produce less CO₂ in usual driving conditions. Also if your car usually returns 30mpg around town and it now returns 36 mpg you obviously burn less fuel therefore you produce less carbon emissions.

Can I really get better fuel consumption?

Yes, absolutely by optimising the settings that are set as a compromise by the manufacturer we are able to make your car run cleaner and more efficiently and the increase in torque will result in fewer gear changes and lower revs at the same torque levels thus offering significant fuel savings.

We have two ways of optimising your vehicle’s ECU

Firstly we identify the ECU type in the vehicle from our extensive database and then remove the existing data set. If this data can be retrieved via the EOBD diagnostic socket then it takes anything up to 15 minutes to download and save the dataset. Rarely the ECU cannot be programmed via EOBD then we remove the ECU from the vehicle and program the chip inside directly with an electronic probe. Whatever method we have to take, once we have the data we can then start the intricate work of the reprofiling. Once the original data has then been optimised we re-save the new performance file, which is then uploaded back on to the vehicle. Using patent pending (EOBD Port Programming) architecture, we are able to remotely download new profiles to today’s modern ECUs. The system first collects and profiles driver behaviour including acceleration and braking and adds geocoded data to give location input. Our adaptive setup algorithms that change with driver behaviour and vehicle usage are then applied giving the ability to have near infinite adjustability of ECU controls. This allows better fuel economy from the engine by combining control between the user and the ECU, depending on the operating conditions of the vehicle. Thus the ECU controls could be set manually or remotely to suit different conditions. Vehicles could have their profiles changed when entering London’s Congestion Zone for instance or set for motorways when needed. In short profiled to the way and where you drive. Historically ECUs were optimised for power but these days this includes specific optimisation for fuel economy and resultant lowering of CO₂. The whole process takes between 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your car's ECU.