diesel engine chip

I was recently told by a Autosleeper owner that he has recently had his engine chipped! a 2.8 diesel Peugeot! ( re profiled ). He told me he had now a lot more power and better mpg! he was guaranteed a minimum of 10% better mpg!! has anyone had this done! and would you recommend?

Not to our MH as its new but yes many people do this to their cars as well, a stage one remap will boost the torque of the engine hence less pushing of the pedal. They will map for performance or to go easy on the juice, well worth getting done.

Havnt had it done, but a chap I know had a 2.5td boxer chipped and it was certainly nippier than our then Executive was. I suppose if an engine is set up right improved economy will follow as did using BP Ultimate in the Executive

Would this be a 'notifiable' modification to your Insurance Company?

PB

As with most things insurance wise its worth a mention to them, but even the main car dealers dont even notice the slight software modification in most cases

I had both smart-cars chipped & it made a heck of a difference, BUT, you either get more MPG if driven the same, OR it goes a lot better (oooomph) but then reduced MPG (obvious)
Also had the Range-rover done (TDI ) & it did the same.

I even 'chipped' the bike, a big difference there as well.

Unfortunately I can't chip my 2.5 Peugeot as its non-turbo & no ecu.

I have a Brabus chip on my Mercedes C 320 diesel, it does make a big difference to the performance, In terms of MPG, I can get over 50mpg on a run which is impressive for a car that powerful. The round town is around 28-30 which again is excellent so probably slightly better than standard MPG with the Mercedes, though the Peugeot may be different.

The chip did cost £1200 though and is a proper Mercedes approved and fitted item so it did not compromise the warranty, I am no expert but believe there is a difference between a performance chip and a re mapping so be careful what you are getting.

I told the insurance company and because the performance upgrade is less than 15% the premium is exactly the same.

We have a Peugeot based Autocruise and I did look at having it done but in the end decided not to, had we used the van for a lot of long journeys I think I probably would have done!

A new Autosleepers Worcester on the Merc chassis arrives in March anyway so a bit late now!

Hope that helps....?

Whether it's a remap or a superchip the insurance company needs to know. A plug in superchip is an obvious mechanical alteration whereas the remap of the vehicle's ECU can't be seen. If/when they find out they'll dump you!
As from January this year, the MOT test covers "performance/economy enhancing modifications" - if the MOT test station know the engine's been modded then the information will also be available to the insurers as the same database is used to road tax the vehicle.

Nevertheless, these mods do work, especially on modern turbo diesels - a 100bhp V.A.G. engine is the same engine as the 140 bhp one - just different mapping for different countries/situations/insurance brackets etc.

Cheaper chips do less, can often bring on the engine management light - and you get what you pay for.

Another thing worth considering is the extra stress/strain ona high mileage engine/transmission - especially the clutch and Dual Mass Flywheel which take a bit of a battering with 30% more torque.

Hi there,

Two daft questions:

1. If they are such a great idea why don't the engine manufacturers install them?

2. On the principle of "There is no such thing as a free lunch!" what are the negative effects?

Best regards,

Dandywarhol has said it all really but not a daft question at all.

1. I guess it is just another cost option that not everyone would want
2. Not a lot, the strain on other components is really only an issue if you use all that extra power but then again if you are not going to use it why bother with the extra cost in the first place..... please see 1 !!!!

.................and manufacturers (rightly) want to save their good name. Manufacturers realise that people don't strictly adhere to service schedules so one missed service could mean an engine covering 40,000 miles on the same oil! In a high state of tune that could reduce engine life considerably and give the manufacturer bad press.

A high output model will have heavier duty transmission components to cope with the extra torque - an aftermarket chip or remap just gives more torque/power.

The main reason I even considered a remap was to achieve better economy! I reckon I'm achieving around 30 mpg from my 2.0 boxer Diesel. could anyone comment whether this is about right! or should I be getting more? anyway even at a minimum 10% improvment, on a long run isn't to be sniffed at. and I reckon the upgrade would soon pay for itself.

I would say 30mpg out of a 2ltr is ok as the weight to power ratio isnt as good as with the larger 2.5/2.8 engines

I agree, my cousin has a 2ltr van conversion and gets betwen 30 and 33. Your coachbuilt is not as aero-dynamic so I think you are doing OK getting 30.

Dutto wrote:Hi there,

Two daft questions:

1. If they are such a great idea why don't the engine manufacturers install them?

2. On the principle of "There is no such thing as a free lunch!" what are the negative effects?

Best regards,

Manufacturers will do as much as possible to ensure their vehicles last out the warranty, so they ship them out with a 'mild' engine-map to ensure this, just about ALL can easily withstand a 'sportier' map, but people being people may tent to 'thrash' them during this period & thus risk a blow-up!
The design & materials used nowadays also mean that engines no longer even require runnig-in.
I actually spoke to a development engineer a couple of years back & he told me its best to hammer the nuts off them right from the start!!

You will save much more fuel by cutting down the weight that is being carried around , get rid of te unnecessary bits and don't carry a full tank of water with you and the fuel consumption will go up. Sounds as though you are doing pretty well anyway.

modelman wrote: I actually spoke to a development engineer a couple of years back & he told me its best to hammer the nuts off them right from the start!!

Would this be the same Development Engineer that sells replacement engines for a living by any chance????

I did tend to hammer new engines once they were properly run in as per manufacturers instructions; but never before that and never when they got a bit long in the tooth.

Seems to work because I haven't had an engine breakdown in nearly 50 years (since August 1963 to be precise) and about a million miles; and the engine on my boat had done over 6,000 running hours and was still running well when I sold it last year. (Equivalent to 240,000 miles at an average speed of 40mph!)

Every time I go out on a motorway I can guarantee that I see a vehicle broken down in the first hundred miles or so and I presume that the owners must have done something different!

Best regards,

Modern day tolerances and materials used (especially ceramic cylinder liners in bikes) means running in too carefully means they'll burn oil in the very near future - the rings/bores glaze. I used to race 2 and 4 stroke motorcycles and although they weren't designed to last - they didn't lose any power from minimal running in (I proved this on a dyno). Since these heady days engineering has got better (not in every way, whoever designed the stupid plastic pulleys on cambelt tensioners needs shot!) and running in just really isn't required as much as it was.

Remember when you changed the oil and pulled down the cylinder head bolts at 1,000 miles - nah - bolts never retorqued, they stretch and stay - semi or synth oil - 18,000 miles will be your first service Sir or Madam! Not saying I agree with the oil debate - if I'd a new vehicle I'd be changing it at the first 6,000 on modern oils - but then again, I'l old school

I fitted a tuning box from BHP [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

It has the advantage of being removeable if you change motorhomes and has a number of preset profiles you can choose from most economical to highest performance. There are pros and cons for chosing ECU remapping or one of these tuning boxes. Best to do your own research.

I notifeid my insurance company. Torque is certainly much better (2.2Hdi), but I cant say whether fuel consumption has improved as I fitted the device very shortly after acquiring the Motorhome.

I have had a 2006 model Fiat 2.8 remapped in the past, it cost me £250 inc vat at a motorhome show, I specifically ordered bottom end torque rather than extra power. Before the remap it would not run smoothly in top gear below 1500revs, after remapping it would trickle along at around 1000 revs, at under 30 miles an hour without a problem, and the fuel consumpsion improved by about 3 MPG.


Brian

Good to have the extra torque murph but I would think of your poor ol' dual mass flywheel being pounded at these low revs in a high gear - over 500 quid for a new one is expensive!!

Hi there,

Back again with daft questions!

Not being up to date on modern diesels, but having a reasonable grasp of how a diesel engine works, I can only find two variables that can be changed without taking the engine to bits. They are:

1. Fuel. (Injection rate, pressure and relationship to TDC.)

2. Air. (Volume, pressure and relationship to TDC.)

So HOW does a "chip" work and WHAT does it adjust?

Best regards,

Modern engines have an engine 'ECU' (Electronic Control Unit) that has a pre-set 'map' installed, this 'map' controls many parameters, but the main ones are how long the injection period is, i.e. how long its open to pump-pressure, compared to how long its 'off', so it stands to reason that the longer its 'on' the more fuel is injected.
This is carefully worked out by the engine-designers to provide the best MPG or emissions or performace, or a bit of all 3.
Its MUCH more complex that that, but you get the drift, so you either get more power/torque, & less MPG, OR the possibility of similar performance with better MPG. A fine balancing act.
The best 'chips' are usually the ones that are direct replacements for the original, (read expensive) a cheaper alternative is the 'power-box' type, these simply require the engine-harness to be unplugged & the 'box' is inserted using identical plugs/sockets.

Pretty accurate info on the microchipped common rail diesel here [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] .

VAG have gone away from the camshaft driven, individual injector pump set up to common rail recently because the Bosch system now injects twice per injection to ensure cleaner combustion. Since the injection pressures are now over 30,000 psi, the compression ration on a direct injection diesel had dropped from around 20:1 down to 14.5:1 - making for quieter and smoother engines. These modern engines really are a pleasure to drive - ooooooddles of torque and quiet. Less easy to work on though - you can't even change an injector by yourself these days - it has to be individually programmed to the ECU..................