What is car remapping – the ultimate guide

Everybody wants to get the most out of their car, and with remapping, you can. While the regular car owner might not adventure into the world of car mapping, car enthusiasts often insist on rewriting their car’s Engine Control Unit (ECU).

What is remapping a car?

Remapping involves altering the settings of a car’s ECU, also called ECU tuning or chip tuning. Your car’s ECU will come with its own preset configuration, but this can be 'remapped'

Traditionally, remapping couple mean replacing the old ECU out of a car with a new one, or changing a data chip inside, also known as ‘chipping’. Technology has since moved on. You can usually rewrite the factory ECU that came with your car, or at least, take your car to a professional to do so. This will involve accessing the chip via the OBD (On Board Diagnostics).

Some modern cars may restrict access via the OBD for security. In that case, the ECU needs to be removed manually and connected to an external computer. Sometimes a second, external 'piggyback' ECU may be used instead. This keeps the car’s original state, just adds another ECU which can also be removed easily if you ever choose to trade in or sell your car.

What does the ECU do?

A car’s ECU governs several important functions of the vehicle, including:

• Airbags
• Door locks
• Emergency braking
• Engine responsiveness

Obviously, these are all very, very important aspects of your car, and accidentally altering the correct function of any of them could be catastrophic. Therefore, unless you are properly educated in the programming and safe running of vehicles, car remapping isn’t something you should try at home.

What does ECU remapping a car do?

Engine remapping can change the way car engines act when you drive, and for many enthusiasts and racers, it’s how they make their car run precisely how they want. There’s a reason racers, in particular, would want to remap their cars, and that’s because it can improve the power and torque of a vehicle.

At factory settings, there’s a good chance your car isn’t designed to run at full power. This can be for all manner of reasons, from compliancy to economical choices made by the manufacturer. It’s also the reason the same car can be released as a more powerful version — all it takes is a change to ECU programming.

Advantages of car remapping:

• Improved ignition timing
• Better throttle and engine response
• Extra power and torque when climbing 
• Better air/fuel ratio
• Improved turbocharging boost pressure

How much does remapping cost?

A car remap will depend on which car you have, and what work is required to perform the remap. Please contact us at GAD Tuning to get a quote for your remap

If you leased your car, or bought a car on finance, you may find that remapping it will impact your contract. The best thing to do is to call them and see exactly what remapping your car will change from their perspective.

Can all cars be remapped?

No, not every car can be remapped. Usually, your car will need to have been bought after 2000 to feature the required technology. Remapping is most often used on turbo diesel engine cars. Don’t assume your car can be remapped. Contact us and see if they believe your car can benefit from remapping.

Where can I find ECU remapping near me?

That's where we come in to help! Here at GAD Tuning we have customers from all over the country come to our workshop in Essex for all their performance upgrades, rolling road and remapping needs.

Does car remapping improve fuel efficiency?

This depends on the car. In some cases, remapping your engine can help your car more efficiently use its fuel, this is something we can advise on.

What does it mean to have a DPF removed?

You may here remappers talk about how cars should also have the DPF removed if your aim is duel economy. A DPF is a diesel particulate filter, and it helps filter soot from the exhaust. This can also lead to build-up and required deep-cleaning that can be expensive. Some car enthusiasts believe that diesel engines with the DPF removed will enjoy better fuel economy.

Will remapping damage my car?

So long as you are using a professional to have your car remapped, it shouldn’t damage your vehicle in any way.

Will remapping make my car perform better?

While the main argument for remapping is a more powerful engine, don’t think that manufacturers have watered down your car’s power on purpose. There are plenty of reasons behind the factory settings of your car’s ECU, including its performance in extreme temperatures, challenging weather conditions, when towing and load etc. By remapping your car, it may be in the optimum condition for regular driving, but not for more challenging circumstances. 

Do I need to inform my insurance company that I have remapped my car?

Yes, you may need entirely new cover for modified cars. In some cases, your current provider may refuse to continue to cover you based on these sorts of alterations, so always tell your insurance provider if you plan to remap your car and plan accordingly.

How do I know if my car is remapped?

If you have purchased a used car, it may well already be remapped. A professional will be able to tell you, though in some cases, you can visibly see the external ECU. 

How much power & Torque could you gain from remapping your vehicle?

To finish it all off, your car can be placed on our rolling road inside our top of the range dyno cell, to give you before and after printouts so you can see the performance gains of your AMG GTS

Wait in comfort

Relax in our waiting area with ample seating, large kitchen, complimentary refreshments, 458 Challenge wheel table, V8 Coffee table, Large 50” 4k HDR TV, Netflix, PS5 with PlayStation VR and Fanatec CSL Elite all to accommodate customer while you wait.

We often run competitions on the sim racing setup, so strap in and put on the VR or kick back and watch a movie or TV shows, all while watching over the workshop as we work on your pride and joy.

Access free of charge to beers, wine or soft drinks like Pepsi, Dr Pepper, sweets, chocolate and crisps.

Our waiting area is very important to us as a large percentage of our customers come from literally all over the country and very often other countries.

We perform our ECU remapping / tuning and Rolling Road testing from our workshop in Essex UK, we regularly have customers from London, Cornwall, Wales, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Scotland and even Denmark, Monaco and Switzerland just to name a few so making it comfortable was key.

What our customers say: