Engine management

So where do you start when you want to get more power, or better economy, out of an engine?

Well, in the pre-electronic days we’d start by looking at ways to improve the airflow through the engine by modifying things such as the inlet system, the cylinder head or heads, and the exhaust system.

You can also look at increasing the engine capacity to increase torque, or even fitting a bigger and more powerful engine.

But in today’s high tech engines, where control of fuel flows and injection settings, gear change points (on auto ‘boxes) and even valve timing are all controlled by a computer (ECU – electronic control unit) – a technician with a laptop computer can often achieve more in an hour or so than the traditional mechanic can do in days or even weeks.

For want of a better description I’ll call it “chip technology”.

The ECU in modern vehicles has a computer “chip” as its main component, and this contains all the settings that relate to that vehicle’s engine performance.

It controls the “spark” on a petrol engine, it tells the engine when to inject fuel, on some engines it even controls when and for how long the valves stay open – or the settings for the vanes in the turbocharger, and the amount of air getting into the engine.

However, as with most things the manufacturers of motor vehicles opt for average settings that will give a safe margin of error and average performance over the widest variety of working conditions.

But that doesn’t mean these are the best, and so what has happened is that clever chaps with computers have worked out the IDEAL settings for your personal driving preferences, and can offer them at very reasonable prices.

Usually the chip in your vehicle is replaced by another, and runs in series as a “piggy back”, but sometimes the chip supplied as standard is re-programmed using a laptop computer that’s temporarily attached to the system.

The improvements gained vary according to your needs. If you want more top-end performance, it can be dialed in.

If you want more low-down torque, or better economy, well you can get that too.

DPChip

DPChip is one of the better-known chip modifiers in New Zealand, and in fact my friend Stuie regaled me the other day with the vast difference fitting a chip to his 100 Series turbo-diesel Land Cruiser made.

Stuie tows a 7m aluminium boat on a tandem trailer, and it’s a big lump sitting behind the vehicle, so much that he had to have the tow hitch modified to 3,500kg rating. OK, so the truck could take the load, but could the engine?

“It was quite painful trying to tow with the standard engine,” he told me. “On some hills we had to change right down, and it wasn’t comfortable at all. And the fuel tank was just sucking dry,” he said.

“Then I read in NZ4WD magazine about the DPChip, and had one fitted, and what a difference it made!”

Now that’s a big coincidence, for I wrote that original article for NZ4WD magazine, one of Motor Equipment News’ sister publications, way back when, and I didn’t know Stuie at the time!

“I could immediately feel the power, and we had no trouble hill-climbing. But the big bonus was the fuel economy,” Stuie continued.

“Soon after I had it fitted we went back and the mechanic fine-tuned it a bit, and now we regularly get 10L/100km towing that big boat. In fact, except for long trips, I hardly need to fill the truck up during the summer season, and fishing has become a whole lot cheaper!”

What’s more, it’s been five years now since the chip was fitted, and the ‘Cruiser still runs as smoothly as it ever did, and there have been no mechanical problems at all.

The DPChip is a simple device which intercepts the signals coming from the engine ECU, and then modifies and optimises these signals, well within safe tolerances, before sending them on to the engine. The result is a boost in power throughout the rev range and improved torque low down, where you need it.

Depending on the application, more than 90 percent of DPChips sold are simple plug & play using OEM plugs to connect safely to the vehicle’s existing wiring.

These systems generally take under 20 minutes to install, although some older model diesels may require a wirein harness to be installed, and may take an hour to install.

Apart from smoother running and less gear changing being needed, as mentioned an added benefit is improved economy, with tests showing fuel savings of five to 10 percent possible. The DPChip can be installed by anyone with basic DIY skills or at one of the many distributors around the country.

Each DPChip comes preset for the vehicle and needs no further adjustment; however, as an added benefit, the DPChip can be adjusted for further power either manually or via laptop.

This is particularly useful if you have modifications on your vehicle such as larger tyres, exhaust or intercooler and it means you will now be able to take full advantage of these performance modifications. Improved power and torque - the DPChip independently alters various engine parameters to obtain the best possible balance between power gains and optimum durability. As much as 10 percent better fuel economy. Less and smoother gear changing means you don’t have to drive “foot to the floor” to get moving. The ability to fine-tune to the specific vehicle via manual user adjustment. The DPChip carries a six-year warranty on the device, 60-days money-back guarantee and factorybacked New Vehicle Engine and Driveline Warranty, and there are distributors in New Zealand, and technical support from one of Australia’s leading diesel specialists.

More than 1,500 vehicles are currently supported, and other models are continually in development to suit any EFI diesel engine, whether it be a car, 4WD, truck, light commercial, agricultural machinery, construction equipment or marine diesel.

For more information contact DPChip on +61.248771022 or visit www.dpchip.com.

AP Tuning

As mentioned at the start of this article, the vehicle ECU also controls the automatic gearbox in modern vehicles, and up to now it has been virtually impossible to alter these settings for some makes and models.

In last month’s Performance feature we talked about the work of Roger

Carr, a former Christchurch resident who has relocated to Aussie, where he operates his AP Tuning business in Victoria.

Roger’s speciality is the RD Technik tool, which allows multi-channel plugin solutions for engine tuning , full ECU file coding recalibration, and exhaust ranges. Roger has the distribution rights for New Zealand and Australia.

“The RDT box itself is the most advanced on the market. The files developed are brilliant examples of smooth, economical, punch with gains that are market leading, but are also reliable and safe, and importantly, are responsive and quick to react to driver input,” he says.

Roger says the RDT Flash (transmission remapping) capabilities that have exceeded expectations.

“We are now promoting RDT Flash plus for most naturallyaspirated engines. Not only does it remap the transmissions, but also does a full ECU remap.

“If that is not exciting enough, it means we can tune models previously considered ‘untuneable’, for example 2.7 Toyota Hilux and the Porsche 981 series Boxster/ Cayman range.

“Apparently no-one else in the world can tune them – but we can.

“The difficulty with the modern day vehicle is the inability to tune a vehicle’s automatic transmission to release the engine’s true potential. The transmission always has the last say in what levels of torque and power get through to the road.

“Chips and piggy backs can never access load limiters, and even the best ECU tunes cannot access the transmission load limiters on modern gearboxes, and therefore there is always more torque and economy to be had.

“Certain transmission tuning has been available for some time, yet nothing has been able to tune a number of marques and especially, ‘untunable’ gearboxes from the likes of Toyota, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Mazda, AMG, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW and many others.

“But this tool is not only able to tune almost any gearbox in existence, but can be done at one of our dealers through the OBDII port, and is done in seconds.

“Gearbox response and shifting between gears can be improved by as much as 50 percent, while being smoother, and depending on the vehicle, includes alterations to shift pattern, shift point, launch control, clamping pressure, converter lockup, torque limits and more. The vehicle will drive in a much smoother way and drivability is far better.”

The full range of RD Technik Products is available from AP Tuning and associated dealers. For more information see www.aptuning.com.au or contact roger.carr@aptuning.com.au or phone +61 402 570 578