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I'm looking at remapping our Ford Tourneo and looking for recommendations in and around Leeds/West Yorkshire. Its currently a 100bhp version, and whilst this cruises very happily on the motorway, it could do with a bit more poke to deal with the big hills and winding lanes of the Durham dales where my mum lives.
I'd welcome any thoughts on who might be good, and any experiences of having done it.
Ta
(It may be that my google-fu is poor today, as I didn't find much in the Forum search!)
I got my last van remapped (properly, not a resistor in a tuning box) which made a huge difference, torque up by a third. I 'needed' it as my van was underpowered for towing heavy loads.
I wanted to get my new van done as well but I've chosen not to as I've since realised it sends the emissions through the roof (by a factor of 10 or more according to this forum) by stripping out all the careful work done to make it as clean as possible.
(and this is despite getting the first remap for free, and I'm pretty sure I could get the second remap for free as well, I think the retail cost is something like £200-250)
I used Celtic tuning and was happy with the result, having said that I would suggest a local recommendation and get a custom map on their rr.
Recommendation? Don't. There's someone on here who actually knows there stuff (develops maps for big car companys). You don't get anything for nothing - all the 'custom' maps they tested had emissions that were off the scale.
Id agree with ‘Don’t’
if you need more power, buy the van that has enough, there is the emissions issue mentioned above, but you also need to consider the effect a chipped engine can have on the rest of the van, clutch, gearbox etc.
my cousin has a chipped golf, been on a rr and its putting out 185bhp at the wheels (1.9tdi) it needs to be in fourth before the throttle can be floored, whereas the gti version has more power and doesn’t suffer the same problems.
my advice would be buy the right one to start with.
Big car companies spend vast amounts of money developing their vehicles. A bloke in a shed on an industrial estate doesn't know better. There is always a catch with "chipping" vehicles.
A 100 bhp is more than capable of being driven through the Durham Sales at road legal speeds, even with a bit of a load on.
I bought a Tdi tuning box (the latest 4 channel version) - I went for this because it allows you to select different maps including no difference to standard and it can simply be removed. I’ve found it to be very good, with no clatter or black smoke, or any of the things I was warned about even on the highest performance setting. Cost me an extra £80 on the insurance which I thought was reasonable. Lots of people will warn you off remapping/ boxes and to be honest I think they may well be right, but you pays yer money and takes yer choice...
First rule of STW - don't mention remapping a vehicle, goes down about as well as a 'how do I get out of this speeding fine' thread.
Find a place with a good reputation for diesel Fords rather than someone local with a laptop and you'll be fine.
Big car companies spend vast amounts of money developing their vehicles. A bloke in a shed on an industrial estate doesn’t know better. There is always a catch with “chipping” vehicles.
Spend vast amounts passing emissions tests!
Martymac
your cousins golf didn’t have the torque limiters reinstated, had the wrong wheels, dampers and springs and probably wasn’t actually 185bhp
i,m not siding for or against tuning, it is what it is- tuners don’t have to meet the criteria oems do. Recaps don’t fundamentally change the engines performance, it still has to work within the hardwares limits. That means different things to different people.
I've been thinking about this for my 102bhp T5 but seems overkill for only needed additional power and torque for only a few percent of the time, with all the downsides of affecting emissions and reducing engine and turbo life or worse...hazarding all the very complicated and expensive emissions control systems modern diesels have. I've been wondering if a small Nitrous Oxide kit would be better. It's easier on the engine, improves emissions, is insurance friendly, and just having the boost for a few seconds at a time when you are overtaking, accelerating down a slip road or pulling up a big hill, just seems a much more elegant solution.
Quite a few modern cars share the same engine across the range and make one version "hotter" than the other by changing the software - the BMW Mini is (or certainly was) an example of this . If you know that applies to your car then you are on to a winner.
Whilst the basic engine may be the same, internal components can vary to ensure reliability and acceptable nvm for an OEM vehicle. People remapping a car usually just want better acceleration/ top speed
Bsims, it’s definitely 185bhp, he’s had it on the rolling road. He’s not the type of guy who would bullshit. And I should know, because i work with a fair few bullshitters 😂😂
but otherwise it’s a standard (non gti) golf, it is fitted with decent standard sized tyres, brakes, suspension.
he would have been better with a gt tdi imo, hence my comments.
I think nitrous on a Diesel engine is quite complicated as there is no throttle. A remap would be easier!
A quick google suggests it is pointless unless you are already overfueling.
Marty Mac
i don’t doubt the rr said 185. However the road is only as good/ honest as the operator. Usually when remapped you will have a “good engine “ with an high power output to start with. They will say “ we often find vws are like that”.
then you get a higher final reading after remap, so the customer gets a good map and the tuner gets recommended. The best way is to look at the difference between before and after readings and then add that figure to the manufacturers official figure.
With regards to tyres etc, the gti will have wider ,lower profile tyres and a more sport focus suspension set up. Even if you cousin modifies these as well, the turbo will be spooling quicker and may not have the torque limiters turned on. This makes it feel faster, but you have to be careful with the pedal. Also they may have changed the pedal map t9 make the car feel faster.
as you say the gti has been professionally set up by engineers.
Yep, I’d agree, hence my comments re gti being ultimately better.
I’ve been wondering if a small Nitrous Oxide kit would be better. It’s easier on the engine, improves emissions, is insurance friendly, and just having the boost for a few seconds at a time when you are overtaking, accelerating down a slip road or pulling up a big hill, just seems a much more elegant solution.
I would say no (I have had nitrous on a modified turbo car), its going to be considerably more expensive and a load more work than a good remap to do properly.