CA Automotive UK
23-06-2007, 03:00 PM
As many of you know I tend to get on my soapbox about all the misinformation on re mapping that seems to exist today, some examples being claims such as :
- 35 bhp for an E46 M3 ( "because we can map the vanos to act like high lift cams" say some chip tuners !!! Yeah right ! Vanos controls cam overlap ONLY, and yes you can adjust it to give various effects, but + 20 bhp over all other tuners' remaps is not one of them :)
- "invisible" coded maps :confused: :confused:
- full "live mapping" through the car's OBD port and a run down the road. Not possible... for many reasons,not least of which is the data transfer rate from an OBD port could never support this kind of action.
- dyno results achieved on the chip tuners own dyno
Over the past three years we have learnt a lot about maping, and been lucky enough to meet and be able to employ when required one of the top three engineers in the world. Sounds like a boast I know, but as an example this software engineer (MR X as we call him) has just finished mapping the latest Mclaren Formula 1 racing car, originated the OEM BMW maps for the new M3, the E60 M5, and a lot more. So no boasting here :)
Well these last two days we have spent at Bruntingthorpe carrying out true "Live Mapping " on our M3 and 3 customer cars.
The ONLY way to live map is to solder special sockets inside the DME board and connect an emulator between the DME and laptop, and a good AFR gauge to the exhaust.
In basic terms the emulator ( at a cost of many thousands of pounds)replicates what the DME is doing, in real time onto our laptop whilst we are driving, allowing us to accurately monitor AND adjust all parameters ( fuel, ign., vanos control, safety fields, temp. control etc ) instantly as we are driving, at all loads, at all throttle openings, at all revs, under real world conditions. Any changes that are made take effect and can be measured immediately ...no educated guesses, no estimates, no "close enough" assumptions.
This allows a more accurate, effective and truly custom map for each individual car. A dyno is not required for this, live road mapping is the ultimate way to configure a map on any car and it is how it is done on Rally, Formula 1, and all true race and very high end performance applications.
Dont get me wrong, dynos still have their uses of course in initial set up procedures and attaining power figures, but, especially for force inducted cars, final mapping should always be done live and on the road as a dyno is not as accurate as many would have you believe and, most importantly, can never replicate real world air flow, climatic and load conditions, all crucial factors.
Over the last two days we mapped the following cars in this manner :
- E36 m3 evo with CA CSL style carbon air box, including deletion of MAF and conversion to Alpha N
- E36 M3 evo with DA Motorsport ASA based superchager system. We did not fit this system,and it normally comes with a piggy back management system, but the owner called us at the end of his tether as the car just would not run right or even idle.In this case we refitted the MAF that DA had eliminated in it's kit as it suited the application better.
- The two "stage 4" M3 cars (our demo yellow car being one of them), having fitted larger injectors and some more minor engine mods.
- Bruntingthorpe owner David's E39 M5 and jaguar XJ220 ( + 60 bhp) . We did these for free as David has always been so helpful to CA :D
The customers were very happy indeed with the results, as were we with our demo car, it is even smoother and more ferocious , we may even have broken 540 bhp, we will post up dyno results when we get them :)
The only downside of live mapping is the hours it consumes, and the cost.
A typical charge for a live map, including track hire is £1800 plus vat, and we would only recommend the process where :
1. the car has been extensively modified and the tuner has not previously formulated a generic map for the conversion
2. a new or custom tuning kit / product has been fitted that has not previously been tried out or mapped for
3. the customer simply wants the very best possible regardless of cost
Anyway hope you find the images interesting and that we have not bored you too much. Again I stress that none of my comments on other software tuners refer to any one company in particular.
Images show, from left to right :
1. preparing ECU forconnection of emulator
2. our M3 's 3D fuel map
3. M3 's vanos map
4. David's XJ,
5. CA carbon airbox fitted to customer Steve's e36 m3 evo
6. the expensive emulator fitted to the above mentioned e36 m3's ecu
7. the DA motorsport supercharger kit fitted to another customer's e36 m3 evo
- 35 bhp for an E46 M3 ( "because we can map the vanos to act like high lift cams" say some chip tuners !!! Yeah right ! Vanos controls cam overlap ONLY, and yes you can adjust it to give various effects, but + 20 bhp over all other tuners' remaps is not one of them :)
- "invisible" coded maps :confused: :confused:
- full "live mapping" through the car's OBD port and a run down the road. Not possible... for many reasons,not least of which is the data transfer rate from an OBD port could never support this kind of action.
- dyno results achieved on the chip tuners own dyno
Over the past three years we have learnt a lot about maping, and been lucky enough to meet and be able to employ when required one of the top three engineers in the world. Sounds like a boast I know, but as an example this software engineer (MR X as we call him) has just finished mapping the latest Mclaren Formula 1 racing car, originated the OEM BMW maps for the new M3, the E60 M5, and a lot more. So no boasting here :)
Well these last two days we have spent at Bruntingthorpe carrying out true "Live Mapping " on our M3 and 3 customer cars.
The ONLY way to live map is to solder special sockets inside the DME board and connect an emulator between the DME and laptop, and a good AFR gauge to the exhaust.
In basic terms the emulator ( at a cost of many thousands of pounds)replicates what the DME is doing, in real time onto our laptop whilst we are driving, allowing us to accurately monitor AND adjust all parameters ( fuel, ign., vanos control, safety fields, temp. control etc ) instantly as we are driving, at all loads, at all throttle openings, at all revs, under real world conditions. Any changes that are made take effect and can be measured immediately ...no educated guesses, no estimates, no "close enough" assumptions.
This allows a more accurate, effective and truly custom map for each individual car. A dyno is not required for this, live road mapping is the ultimate way to configure a map on any car and it is how it is done on Rally, Formula 1, and all true race and very high end performance applications.
Dont get me wrong, dynos still have their uses of course in initial set up procedures and attaining power figures, but, especially for force inducted cars, final mapping should always be done live and on the road as a dyno is not as accurate as many would have you believe and, most importantly, can never replicate real world air flow, climatic and load conditions, all crucial factors.
Over the last two days we mapped the following cars in this manner :
- E36 m3 evo with CA CSL style carbon air box, including deletion of MAF and conversion to Alpha N
- E36 M3 evo with DA Motorsport ASA based superchager system. We did not fit this system,and it normally comes with a piggy back management system, but the owner called us at the end of his tether as the car just would not run right or even idle.In this case we refitted the MAF that DA had eliminated in it's kit as it suited the application better.
- The two "stage 4" M3 cars (our demo yellow car being one of them), having fitted larger injectors and some more minor engine mods.
- Bruntingthorpe owner David's E39 M5 and jaguar XJ220 ( + 60 bhp) . We did these for free as David has always been so helpful to CA :D
The customers were very happy indeed with the results, as were we with our demo car, it is even smoother and more ferocious , we may even have broken 540 bhp, we will post up dyno results when we get them :)
The only downside of live mapping is the hours it consumes, and the cost.
A typical charge for a live map, including track hire is £1800 plus vat, and we would only recommend the process where :
1. the car has been extensively modified and the tuner has not previously formulated a generic map for the conversion
2. a new or custom tuning kit / product has been fitted that has not previously been tried out or mapped for
3. the customer simply wants the very best possible regardless of cost
Anyway hope you find the images interesting and that we have not bored you too much. Again I stress that none of my comments on other software tuners refer to any one company in particular.
Images show, from left to right :
1. preparing ECU forconnection of emulator
2. our M3 's 3D fuel map
3. M3 's vanos map
4. David's XJ,
5. CA carbon airbox fitted to customer Steve's e36 m3 evo
6. the expensive emulator fitted to the above mentioned e36 m3's ecu
7. the DA motorsport supercharger kit fitted to another customer's e36 m3 evo