Mapping - please explain the differences

[jimk04]

So I pays my money to chosen big company - AMD,Revo,GIAC etc.  Does the dealer just plug your car in and flash a new generic map in, so mk5 GTI stage 1 map is same as 10'000 other cars mapped around the country\Europe......sorry my question mark key is bust......been pressing it like a lunatic...

Does going to say PDT or Shark (or AKS maybe) - do you guys do a 'bespoke' map - so the calibration is specific to the vehicle.

Then I read a comment from Stevo at Statllers saying he loves to  tune cars...I think they offer GIAC and REVO....question.....but does their knowledge allow them to develop their own custom maps....Q

I am AMD St1 and reasonably happy but there is always the hankering for more (and a linear pedal)....AMD want £120 for linear. I also think my cold start running could be smoother.

I am liking the sound of Statllers as I am local enough (Retford).

Worms - can - opened

[PDT]

I am quoting these replies from other posts I have made, some may be relevant to your answer, others not but should hopefully help

This is a basic information post and not directed at any paticular company, wether mentioned in this post or not.


This is one of my favourite subjects, having been in the engine management industry for 10+ years 90% of the stuff on the internet about ECU mapping makes me chuckle.

The biggest issue at the moment is people buying tools on ebay for a few hundred quid, making a website and claiming to be an 'ecu mapper' when all they are doing is copying and pasting cheaply bought software into peoples ECU's with no development, testing or real idea of what they are doing. Just take a look at these links, you can buy files for most cars for a few euros:

http://ucables.com/ref/ECU-MAPS
http://www.chiptuning-files.net/Chiptuning/chiptuning.html

Are these files any good? chances are, the people buying files wont know how to look at the file to see if it is infact even a map file,  and if they are paying a few Euros for it then thers no chance it has had any development work, or testing. But they will gladly buy this file, write it into your ECU (usually parked outside your house armed with nothing more than a laptop) and  dissapear with your hard earned cash.

Then theres the whole issue about 'custom maps'. The fact is that theres very few people in the industry that can actually make a custom map correctly. Anyone that offers a custom map should have their own dyno testing facility, and the car should constantly be tuned and tested, then retuned, then tested etc.... so that you can follow the rule of getting a base level of the parameter that you are tuning, changing this parameter and then re-testing to see the effect of the change. I had a customer wanting a dyno test last week that had a 'custom remap' done outside his house for £150, the customer seemed delighted that the guy had completed this 'custom' map in just 25 mins and that the car felt loads better to drive. The dyno showed the map to be exactly what I had imagined, they had literally changed just 1 map (fuel pressure) and although the car had gained power from standard it was extremely 'peaky' and extremely smokey (it was a diesel).

After looking at the map for the customer we realised that the harware and software number of the file used wasnt even a match for the ECU fitted to the car! So all that had been done was the good old 'copy and paste' method. After checking these ECU identifications, as I expected the 'tuned' file was actually from a completely different car. Was there anything 'custom' about this remap? well, yes. they had customised his ECU with another cars file, so in a way it was custom to his car, but is that what people expect with a custom remap? I think not and most would agree with me but by putting the word custom infront of the word 'remap' the general public will think that its somehow better.

will continue in another post....

Heres the best advice I can give when looking for a remap and what to ask:

1. Do they write their own software? if the answer is no, we email it to someone else to modify etc.... walk away.
2. If they do write their own software they WILL have dyno facilities so ask to see some power graphs of identical cars.
3. What testing will be done before and after the remap?
4. If it is generic i.e Revo, will the car be datalogged and checked, and retuned? it should be, no 2 cars are identical.
5. Is the company VAT registered with insurance and a registered business premises with a landline phone number?


Follow these basic steps and you wont go far wrong. 

Copied form a previous post asking the same question:



Good debate this one, and a question I am asked daily is 'can you do custom maps and how is it better than a generic map?'


The explanation could go into 3+ pages but a general rule is that a generic map is a 1 size fits all product, suitable for a wide range of applications and is not and can not be adjusted by the end user. i.e bluefin or 'flash remaps'. Flash remaps are a simple procedure where you take the car to a 'tuner' ( I use the term tuner very loosely for this type of remap option) and they get an ID of your ECU type and software version and email it to a 3rd party that will copy and paste the changed settings that were made for a similar ECU and car into a file and send it back, this file is then flashed over your current software, you get the keys back and the 'tuner' hopes it doesnt have any problems. The worst type of flash tuning is usually carried out from a back of a van.

A custom map will be very different, the tuner will likely be making the software themselfes rather than sending it away to a 3rd party and the use of a dyno is essential for back to back testing and measuring, however the use of a dyno does not define a custom map, its just a very very handy tool to have to determine wether ther changes you have made are making any real difference to power, emmissions, torque and various other parameters. A dyno allows you to back to back test the effect of the customising of the map in a controlled and safe environment. I.e if you add ignition advance is it making extra power? Is that extra bit of fuel you have added at 3000 rpm at 80% throttle lowered the exhaust gas temps to a safer levels, or has it effected the power output in any way?    You get the idea, its time consuming and costly but you get the best end product available, not essesntial for the average stage 1 car but for motorsport or highly modded stuff its a must.

Then you get the middle ground such as REVO, which offers the best of both worlds. A simple sliding scale to adjust the boost, timing and fueling properties within the map and can be accurately adjusted with on-road datalogging to get a good end product. Yes it is custom to a certain extent but lacks the resolution of a genuine custom map as you can only adjust 3 parameters on a 2D sliding scale, no single adjustments for fuel vs throttle position for example, but for a quick easy product they are the market leaders for a very good reason.

As a guide, anyone that offers a 'full custom map' without the use of a dyno is cutting corners a little. Anyone that offers a custom map without any datalogging is either missinformed or pulling the wool over your eyes. We had a customer in yesterday that had a 'proper custom remap' (his words) that cost just £200 and was finished in just 10 mins, he was enquiring about rolling road testing as he couldnt tell the difference after it was done apart from it was jerky at low throttle, the 'tuner' said it will get better when the weather isnt so cold

[jimk04]

Interesting thanks