# Power boost for 2.8JTD Ducato



## Kaletzky (Mar 16, 2007)

Hi there, just bought a Eura Mobil Activa 770 (the 3 axle one) and I'm very disappointed with the power on motorways and when there are headwinds. It is running fine and it's not down on power and I'm told that they are like that. Has anyone had any experience with power upgrades such as "Superchip" type conversions? Your help and experience would be appreciated. I dont want to sit at 80mph but just want to be able to maintain 60-65mph without constantly changing down to 4th. thanks! :roll:


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## Hymie (May 9, 2005)

*2.8JTD*

Hi

What 5th gear is fitted to your van?

If it has the "standard" Ducato gearing, it will struggle in top sometimes depending on conditions.

Our van has the lower 5th ratio fitted and its just right - more of the later 2.8 jtd's have it fitted as standard - depends on the manufacturer.

Any Fiat dealer could change it for you.

cheers


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## 101405 (Oct 15, 2006)

*engine size*

Its a big heavy van. it will slow with head winds or long hills, changing down might help your clutch last longer and gearbox! stay cool at 90km!


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Fiat 2.8*

Hello

Yes the Eura is a big heavy thing - about 5000 kgs fully loaded from memory. My Swift is 4000kgs fully loaded - and it operates fully loaded. It cruises well and even when towing the car, I find gear changes minimal.

It does about 2100 revs at 60 mph. I think it is the long legged version.

Is everything else ok, tyre pressures etc?

Russell


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*Power boost for 2.8 JTD*

 
Hi, I changed from a 2.8 iTD Bessacarr to a 2.8 JTD Chausson some time ago, and found the power on the newer motor dissapointing too.
Had the motor chipped at Lincoln show last July, and it has made an appreciable difference. I don't drive fast anyway, but the extra power on long inclines, and acceleration at lights/junctions is much better.
Don't have the details of the firm to hand, but will be going out with the van on Sat. and will then inform you of make/cost.
saluti,
eddied


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## Nogin (Nov 10, 2006)

*Power boost*

I fitted a PSI power boost to Nuevo ES on 2.0L HDI Peugeot, much lighter van I know but it is now much more responsive and pulls very well, in fact I could do with a higher ratio 5th gear, any body know if this is possible,

Nogin


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

Option 1 is to look on ebay for a plug in powerbox. They are very simple to fit yourself and cost about £200. Mine knocked 1.6 secs off the 40 - 60 acceleration time. 

A more expensive option is to have your engine " remapped". I have no experience of this but have heard good reports. Cost about £ 4 - 500.

For a large heavy van like yours the lower 5th gear is also a good idea.

Trevor


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## scotsman (Oct 27, 2006)

hi there,

I just bought the arapaho, tag axle, and thought it lacked power so contacted TB Turbos and they re mapped the ECU unit and now its a flying machine,sat in 5th all the way back to Scotland. 

very happy and most informative company, ask for Andrew


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## Kaletzky (Mar 16, 2007)

Hi All, Thanks very much for the excellent info received, joining this site has to be one of the best things I've done. 

I feel I've got the higher 5th gear because of the large gap between 4th & 5th. (its a 2006 model) It sits @ 2300rpm at 70 which looking at the torque curve on the web is too low for the weight it's puling. 

I will try a remap first and then possibly go for a lower 5th gear if possible. 

My all up weight was no more than 4000Kgs as it was base van, 30litres water and some essentials for a 1st weekend away. It was frustrating to be losing so much on even a slight incline and a 700 something bessacar towing a Punto sailed past at about 15mph more! If I was towing I'd be getting in the way of trucks.

Good point about the tyre pressures. I have read numerous posts on here about the difference it makes. They are bang on the reccomended pressures but these are lower than the pressures spoken about here so I'll contact Michelin to see what they say. Should they be lower being a 3 axle?

Anyway, thanks again for all the advice, much appreciated.


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## rft (May 4, 2006)

You've got the high ratio 5th gear. We had no problem touring Europe in our Burstner 747, 5 up and loaded to the gunwales.

See this item from the Burstner Owners Club website:

Fiat 5th Gear Ratio's by Terry Gene's:

There is a choice of gear ratios for the fifth gear on the 2.8 power units. Some people find the higher gear is too high for heavier vans and that it is a struggle to pull 5th gear and the engine labours. The lower gear can be fitted by all Fiat dealers and does not affect the warranty, at a price of around £300.00 including parts, labour and VAT.

My new van has the low 5th and I think the increased torque is as good as having the van 'chipped' 

Q. How do I know which gear ratio is fitted to my van?
Answer.
70 MPH in 5th with the high ratio = 2500 RPM
70 MPH in 5th with the low ratio = 3000 RPM


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

*Power boot for 2.8 JTD*

 
Hi there, just found the details of the gizmo I had fitted to my 2.8 JTD Ducato (Chausson Welcome) last year :
TORQTEC fitted by R&M Motors at Lincoln show. £sterling 337.00 all inc.
www.rmmotors.co.uk
www.torqtec.com

has made an appreciable difference to performance, with out much increase in fuel consumption.

saluti e Buona Pasqua.
eddied


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## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi.

We had the lower 5th gear fitted about a year ago to our burstner 748-2. We opted for this as we travel a lot on A roads and find we can drive very well in 5th down to 40mph and it still pulls well. When we are on motorways we only drive at 60mph with the rev counter showing 2600rpm. MPG is about 23.

steve & ann. ----- teensvan.


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## bracken (Apr 26, 2006)

In response to the Power Box option being discussed - the following note may be helpful to someone. 

Having had a Discovery TD5 chipped in the past and experienced the massive improvement in the driving experience, I've decided to do the same with an Auto-trail Cheyenne and duly purchased a Power box via Ebay from a company in Germany, (where most of these cheaper plug-in boxes appear to originate). The Cheyenne has the long fifth gear fitted, and as others have noted, is very sluggish on even slight inclines on motorways and it spends a lot of time in fourth gear, which cannot be good for fuel consumption. The plug in module duly arrived, and having located the 3 pin injector plug on the rail under the cover at the front of the engine I plugged it in. (The German company had supplied instructions, but not for a Ducato 2.8 jtd, so finding the plug was a bit tricky). On trying to start the engine it wouldn't fire - at this point I removed the tuning box and replaced the system to it's original state - wherupon I was able to start the engine. I then refitted the tuning box and did eventually manage to start the engine - but it ran only at 1500rpm - tickover, and everything else, the accelerator pedal did nothing at all to vary the revs!! 

The tuning box has since been removed and returned to Germany and I'm awaiting a replacement. The company tell me that there are two systems fitted to the Ducato - Bosch or Siemans, and that the Power Box has to be matched to the correct system - so it's apparently not just a simple plug in and go unit as widely advertised! I have not seen any mention of this in the adverts! It would be very helpful to a lot of members if somebody with technical knowledge in these matters could write an article / reply debunking some of the hype surrounding the units, which vary in price from £100 to £600 - what is the real difference?

Regards Bracken
:?


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## Kaletzky (Mar 16, 2007)

Hi everyone, I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and let you know the results. I wanter easier cruising and the ability to maintain speed. I went for the remap at TB Turbo of Lancaster, I'm sure there were others but they were handy enough for me and came recommended. Had it done last Saturday and the difference was noticeable straight away even though I drove into Morcambe afterwards and wasnt on open roads. the van is much smoother, I mean much much smoother and the acceleration is good enough to short shift and keep up with the traffic. the real revelation though was the motorway performance....5th gear and 70mph ALL the way up Shap Summit, fantastic. Previously it was 50mph and 4th gear. The remap is not cheap but compared to the price of the 'van it's less than 1% of the purchase price, that to me is good value. I dont know about economy yet but it has to be better as I'm not needing to thrash the engine now. TB Turbos did exactly what they said they would and the van is doing exactly what they said it would plus the service was really good so I would recommend them. there is another stage that would see a power hike to 180bhp which involves the fitment of a larger intercooler......it's tempting but for now I'm happy to have relaxed cruising at a speed that lets me keep out of the way of the trucks. Thanks again for all the advice. Ralph


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## takeaflight (May 9, 2005)

I Have a Dragon Box for sale if anyone interested
http://www.motorhomefacts.com/advert-view-details-569.html


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