On the diesel engines, how does a tuning box differ to an ECU upgrade “remap”?
A. Tuning boxes are add on devices that work by intercepting the signals between the ECU and the sensors and fuel system in the engine. Some tuning boxes intercept the sensor signals fooling the ECU into thinking that the engine is doing something different to what it actually is, thus making the ECU add more fuel. Other tuning boxes work by intercepting the output signals from the ECU and thus modifying the fuel control. Either way, a tuning box will only increase the amount of fuel that is added. Furthermore, the tuning box is always fighting the ECU. The ECU will to some extent try to compensate for the increase in fuel that is caused by the tuning box. This is especially true of the latest Euro IV engines with very tight emission controls. The end result is often inconsistent performance, and sometimes no improvement in performance at all. A remap on the other hand works in harmony with the engine and emissions control. A “remap” is simply a rewrite of the software in the engine co
