Tune Your Freelander
Mark Williams entrusts his Freelander 1 to ALIVE for them to rag it at full chat on a dynometer – it’ll either kill it or transform it....
The secret to getting more torque and a smoother power curve from the Bmw-derived Td4 2.0-litre
When BMW began selling engines to Rover Group to slot into Freelanders, they did us all a massive favour. The Bmw-derived Td4 2.0-litre common rail turbodiesel is a very fine engine indeed, with chain -driven camshafts and legendary longevity. I know of one Td4 Freelander which has travelled 270,000 miles and the head has never been off the engine.
That’s why I now find myself at ALIVE tuning in Louth, Lincolnshire. I’m not here by chance. Before committing to an electronic power-up, I canvassed opinion from a number of experienced 4x4 technicians, including our very own Ed Evans: “Yes, you should try going to ALIVE,” they all told me.
The alternative is a variety of tuning boxes which, in the round, sit downstream of the ECU kidding the fuel system that the engine needs more diesel. They’re at varying levels of sophistication but tend to follow a one-size-fits-all for a range of models. They definitely give engines more urgency, but often at the expense of a smoking exhaust. Fuel economy is rarely better.
A remap such as that done by ALIVE is a more holistic approach, measuring smoke as well as monitoring the tuning levels at every throttle setting so the vehicle has no power bumps or surges, and accelerates cleanly and comfortably.
AF05 LHN has already had 97,000 miles under her axles, so it’s not exactly in the full flush of youth. That said, it’s been almost wholly main dealer maintained and, in my ownership, will want for nothing. But I do have a two-berth caravan, and the memory of towing it with my Rover 75s (yes, plural) is fresh in my memory. The first was a 2001 CDT model with 110 bhp, capable enough, but up a really long drag would cause an embarrassing tailback while the second, a 2005 CDTI auto, had 130 bhp and extra torque, too – all the edge it needed.
It turns out that ALIVE’S workshop manager, Stewart Summers, quite likes my hippo, partly because he has one himself. It’s the family workhorse, towing trailers and the like, so he’s, er, alive to the issues. Needless to say, his Td4 is remapped for a general and modest torque improvement and this is a state of tune we’ll try to achieve with AF05.
The first stage is to strap the Freelander to the four-wheel dyno and run it at full chat to see what its current output is. This is a closed door process since there’s a miniscule chance that the car, travelling at 100 mph on the rollers, could come to grief and throw con rods. It’s actually bad enough that I can hear the car from the waiting room, screaming like a banshee.
But it’s good news, says Stewart when he comes back. AF05 is marginally down on power but on a hot day with low air density, it’s not unexpected. The exhaust monitoring reveals completely smoke-free tailpipe emissions, so the engine’s sound enough. Stewart now teams up with Gary Wood – ALIVE’S owner, no less – to produce a remap which will deliver a touch more torque a little earlier and create a smooth power curve.
All of this is done electronically, with ALIVE accessing every parameter set and controlled by the ECU. This makes it possible to adjust systems in parallel, so the engine stays within emissions constraints and everything remains in balance.
In the isolation unit that is ALIVE’S waiting room, I can hear the Freelander being run at full chat three times. I cross fingers and look to the heavens. But then it’s all over, and Stewart and Gary come in clutching a graph of the before and after performance of AF05: “Want the good news?” jokes Stewart, leaving me to wonder what the bad news might be. “All done, and the car’s performing really well.” I’m minded of visiting a relative in hospital for news of an operation.
“We’ve remapped to get moderate gains but the car will feel peppier and more driveable. Come on, let’s try it out.”
Sure enough, the Freelander has been transformed, with short-shifting dropping the engine nicely into noticeably more torque in every gear and the acceleration giving steady progression. In fifth with a hill in front of me, I can accelerate from 50 mph without dropping to fourth.
Since the remap, I’ve taken a 600-mile journey. I’m getting 40 mpg comfortably but I’m not being heavy-footed. The car is altogether a nicer thing to drive, holding the speed limit with almost no throttle. It’s been money well spent.