# chipping remapping



## rocky1968

has any one chipped or remapped there mh


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## Arrachogaidh

Yes, got remapping from 127hp to 160 hp Big benefit all round.


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## WildThingsKev

On our X250 2.3 it has made it very easy to drive with plenty of power but no extra mpg. Most people with X250's report the same but if you have the older base vehicle it would seem you can benefit from significant extra mpg as well as the extra power.

Some people will say it will lead to catastrophic failures but I don't believe that; if you use the power unwisely you will probably wear some parts out a bit quicker but unless you are driving it for the next 50,000 miles I shouldn't worry about it.

Kev


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## brillopad

Yes had my merc sprinter done, wouldn't be without it.

Dennis


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## faber

Shuggy68 said:


> has any one chipped or remapped there mh


 Yes I've had my 2.8 Turbo engine re-mapped it's improved power and economy, well worth doing. But I used a firm that works with the manufactures spec. rather than writing their own program, (so they said).


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## tonka

Hugh... my older apache with the 2.8jtd is remapped.. Had it done 4 years ago, makes a good difference to the pulling power.... Romps up hills..

The new one with the 2.3 engine not done yet as I want to get a few more miles done first and some Fiat re-call work done..

I have a contact in Cannock if you need it...


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## averhamdave

Had my 2007 Autotrail X250, 2.3L remapped by Wow Power. Chelston did it.

Took power well up to approx 150/160 hp (no-one ever actually knows) but for me it was the gains in economy that made it worthwhile.

Pulling a large 4t camper around - Apache 700, with the standard map gave me about 22/23 to the gallon, when remapped that went up to a typical 25/26 mpg on a like for like driving basis.

Best money I ever spent.


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## averhamdave

Following on from my previous post, I would be really interested in anyones feedback on the outcome of remapping a Fiat 3 litre auto.

My Mohawk seems to be doing about 23 with careful driving. I would like to drive it a bit harder but daren't look at the trip computer! 

My remapped 2.3 was more spritely than this camper. Both are similar size and weight. Is it a case of me adjusting to the characterisics of the new combination, is it a more thirsty combination and should I get it re-mapped?


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## mags52

We had our 2007 ducato 2.3 remapped. It's great although we did find that it revealed a worn clutch. The van is easier to drive and we change gear far less often. 
We used a local WOW garage - great service.


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## Baron1

Had our Hymer 2.8 JTD remapped by Quantum Tuning (WOW) about three weeks ago. Power up from 127 to 160, have only done a couple of short trips so far so can't comment on mpg figures.
The immediate noticeable difference is much less gear changing and faster acceleration, it also seems quieter to me.
The whole job was done from inside the vehicle, the guy plugs into the engine management system accessed behind a flap under the steering wheel. He downloads your current engine "map", sends it to Quantum who then "remap" it and send it back, it's then reinstalled and job done! Whole process took less than an hour.
I looked at various companies before I chose Quantum and they come highly recommended. They also seem very popular on MHF!!
Mel.


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## wakk44

I had my 2.8JTD remapped from 127bhp to 165bhp about 4 years ago.I concur with the posters regarding performance,it was much better on hills,less gear changing and more power when overtaking,the mpg was unchanged.

However after a couple of years and with 20k on the clock the clutch starting slipping.I had it replaced at a cost of £500(OEM) and all was well-until on our recent trip to France,it started slipping again(now done 27k),usually when going up a long steep hill in 5th gear at 1800-2000rpm.

It nearly always happened when cruise control was set and it was trying to maintain speed going up a hill.I have the ''long'' 5th gear fitted which means at 2000 rpm the speed is 55mph.

Bear in mind that the truck is always near the mgvw as I travel with the water tank full,bikes on the back and a whole host of after market accessories which eat into the payload.

I dealt with this problem by changing down to 4th when the engine started struggling up a hill with the cruise set and the rpm dropped to 2000,the clutch didn't slip again.

Fiat do not supply a heavy duty clutch which would no doubt solve the problem so I am considering having the engine remapped back to the original 127bhp.


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## averhamdave

I can't really see why an increase in horsepower will increase clutch wear?

There will be an increase in torque (which is how you get the increase in horsepower) but if gear changes are smooth how is the clutch affected? It is either engaged or not engaged.

The Autotrail 634 is quite a lightweight van for the 2.8jtd to tug alaong. After all the same engine was fitted to some very large tag axle motorhomes without undue problems.


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## wakk44

averhamdave said:


> ...................... but if gear changes are smooth how is the clutch affected? It is either engaged or not engaged..........


When the clutch starting slipping it was in 5th gear with cruise control set so no gear changes involved and the clutch was engaged.

Maximum torque must be achieved at around 1800-2000rpm as this is when it happened,when I changed down to 4th the engine speed increased to nearly 3000rpm because of the long 5th gear ratio but the clutch didn't slip at these revs.

When the old clutch was removed the mechanic was surprised it was slipping as it was not showing signs of excessive wear,however he said it had been overheating as the surface was glazed.


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## SamAhab

I think most motor home base vehicles could benefit from some 'tweeking.' I had my Iveco (65C18) based Concorde remapped in 2008 - rather than chipped - after one season's use and the improvement was very noticeable and worth every penny of the cost.

I was told (true or not - but believable) that the base vehicles emerge from the factories as one type for ALL markets, be it sub-Saharan Africa or the streets of London. (They are commercial vehicles, after all). Their running gear, therefore, is designed to operate reliably across the entire spectrum of environments, from the lowest possible grades of fuel in the Third World to the best available in, say, Europe. De-stressing the engine is performed by 'dumming-down' the performance potential at the ECU, which helps to avoid many warranty claims!

With high quality fuel and lube oils we have available, 'tuning' of some sort (re-mapping preferred to chipping - apparently) will benefit performance and, at the same time, do no harm to the running gear.


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## erneboy

Had my 3 litre X250 done just after we bought it. It has always gone very well, pulled beautifully up hills etc. It's a 5.2 ton van and we got just over 20 mpg. I was happy with that. I don't drive slowly.

Two day ago in Spain the check engine light came on. There was no obvious problem that I could find so off we went to the local Fiat dealer to have it checked. There conclusion was the the software had somehow become corrupted and needed reloading. They overwrote the remap at a cost of €65 and replaced it with the standard Fiat software. Incidentally they were able to tell me that it had been remapped and was not standard.

I noticed an immediate decrease in power. The van is now a little sluggish although still OK. The big difference seems to be that my average fuel consumption has dropped to just over 17 mpg. It may take a while longer to be certain.

On balance I liked it better when it was remapped. I will live with it as it is for a while as I don't see the point paying for another remap since it might end up being overwritten again if we ever had another check engine fault, Alan.


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## 747

I have to agree with the last poster on engine set up from the factory. What I do not agree with is the amount of extra power (BHP) that some remappers give. Possibly it is the owner asking for the max power available.

On the subject of Clutch slip, too much torque and a heavy right foot plus the inexperience of driving a heavy, diesel powered vehicle can put a strain on the drive train, the weak link being the clutch.

I have the same setup as wak44 but without the cruise control (in fact my MAM is 5 ton). I know that wak44 would never attempt to climb a hill in 5th gear and 1800 RPM if driving manually. Those revs (1800) give maximum torque from that engine and all the strain goes to the clutch and drive train. Guess which one will give way first? To my mind, British congested roads are not suitable for cruise control except in a few circumstances. Yes, I would like to have it, I just feel it is not practical. If your engine struggles at times then your MPG will be poor. You will gain on MPG on long flat runs like motorways but overall there will be a downside.


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## Baron1

Alan,
If you had your remap done by Quantum tuning they will reinstate the remap free of charge, it's part of their guarantee.
I would imagine most remapping companies would offer the same.
Mel.


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## SamAhab

Baron1 said:


> Alan,
> If you had your remap done by Quantum tuning they will reinstate the remap free of charge, it's part of their guarantee.
> I would imagine most remapping companies would offer the same.
> Mel.


Agree. Most reputable companies will offer this. The company who re-mapped mine did...but they are in Germany!


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## erneboy

Thanks, I am afraid I don't know who did it, the dealer I bought from had it done as part of the deal. I may ask them, Alan.


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## averhamdave

Erneboy - interested to hear that the dealer could see your Fiat had been re-mapped.

When I had my last one done (X250, 2.3) it was done by Chelston Motorhomes who besides being a reputable dealer are also a Fiat approved service agent. Because of these two points is why I chose them to do it. They are Wow Power agents - who are one of the biggest and original re-mappers.

Concerned about my Fiat warranty, the Chelston service Manager told me that the Fiat ECU reading software that they had could not read/detect a re-mapping. The remap was in effect invisible.

I now wonder if it was!

--- as I have said elsewhere the improvement if performance and economy was incredible.


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## erneboy

I had also been told it was not detectable but the guy in Spain particularly wanted to draw my attention to it. Maybe they can read the software or it might be branded in some way. I don't know and didn't think to ask how he spotted it. He concluded that it had been done before we bought the van and I let him think that, Alan.


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## blondel

averhamdave said:


> Following on from my previous post, I would be really interested in anyones feedback on the outcome of remapping a Fiat 3 litre auto.
> 
> I too would be interested in anyone's thoughts on this or more particularly the plug in boxes.


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## Penquin

Our 2.8litre JTD has been remapped and it has made a great deal of difference to the performance - greater power at lower revs and therefore lower fuel consumption. Well worth doing IMO.

Is it detectable?

Not by the French _Controle Technique_ - our MH passed without any negative comment or check on Tuesday afternoon as part of it's French registration process.

Dave


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## Stanner

747 said:


> To my mind, British congested roads are not suitable for cruise control except in a few circumstances. Yes, I would like to have it, I just feel it is not practical.


Not my experience at all. I have cruise control on all but one of my vehicles and use it 90% of the time on many journeys, but then I don't tend to travel at peak times unless I have to.


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## robrace

*remap*

Anyone had a Ford Transit 2.4 115 done?I tow a lot and am thinking of getting it remapped.I don't want to go any quicker but would like more torque and possibly more to the gallon.I appear to be getting 25/26 solo and 23/24 towing.


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## rosalan

Will you still be insured if you do not tell your insurance company that you have altered (improved) the performance.
I recently asked several companies for quotes and was asked specifically if I had altered or improved the engine/vehicle, which I had not. However, as insurance companies could be nit-picking in the event of a claim, it could be important that they are made aware of any vehicle modifications that could enhance its performance.
Alan


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## peribro

From previous posts on this topic, a number of members have advised that their insurers had no issues and merely noted the fact that the engine had been chipped. I imagine that many insurers will sensibly draw a distinction between chipping a motorhome to improve pulling power and fuel consumption and chipping a Golf to make it go faster.


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