FAO any piston heads here

[Marc]

Remapping. Worth it? I really don’t want to join a car forum to ask this question as those forums are just about willy waving so anyone here have any experience?

Cheers

 

[Wij]

Remapping. Worth it? I really don’t want to join a car forum to ask this question as those forums are just about willy waving so anyone here have any experience?

Cheers

Of course I haven't done this but the stage 1 remap for my Jaguar XE 25t (Ecoboost version, not Ingenium) would theoretically have gained me 30BHP and 100Nm(!) of torque. Of course I haven't done this but strongly suspect the torque curve would feel much flatter and when in Dynamic mode it would feel like a different car, always ready to give a shed-load of torque. The theoretical downside I imagine would be that loads of torque with reduced lag being put through rear wheels only, on summer tyres, in cold weather, in the wet, would be likely to spin the tyres rather than move you forwards. The other downside might be that if you do it by remapping the ECU rather than an add-in box then you may have to get it re-mapped again if you get a software update during a service.

The final downside is that you might need to pay more for your insurance and put your warranty on a sticky wicket. Or you could just deny that you have done it.

 

[Bodhi]

Going to book mine in for one after I get back from California later in the month - mine is an N/A Petrol so normally there isn't much use, but BMW strangled mine to clear some air to the 135i Coupe, and is otherwise identical to the engine in the 130i hatch (mine is a 125i) , so it will go from 218hp to around 260hp with just a change of map. Others may be less successful however.

What car is it? And what are the remappers offering?

 

[Wij]

Yes, tell us what you are looking at and how old?

 

[Wij]

Going to book mine in for one after I get back from California later in the month - mine is an N/A Petrol so normally there isn't much use, but BMW strangled mine to clear some air to the 135i Coupe, and is otherwise identical to the engine in the 130i hatch (mine is a 125i) , so it will go from 218hp to around 260hp with just a change of map. Others may be less successful however.

What car is it? And what are the remappers offering?

You should be able to get more than 260:

BMW Serie 1 F2x - 2011 -> 2015 125i - Elite Remaps

 

[Marc]

Thanks for the input so far you 2, its very interesting what you have told me. Its a 2011 C63. The guy says he can give me an extra 60 bhp and nearly 150 in torque

 

[Bodhi]

You should be able to get more than 260:

BMW Serie 1 F2x - 2011 -> 2015 125i - Elite Remaps

Mine's the Coupé, so an E82. Different engine, no turbo just extra cylinders in mine - a proper engine

 

[Bodhi]

Thanks for the input so far you 2, its very interesting what you have told me. Its a 2011 C63. The guy says he can give me an extra 60 bhp and nearly 150 in torque

Ah, the C63, the other situation like mine. Again Mercedes didn't want the C63 to step on the toes of it's bigger brothers (the E63), as as standard, the ECU in the C63 won't let you use full throttle.

After a remap, you can, so I would expect his claims to be valid.

I assume it's the 6.2 V8 C63 rather than the current 4.0 Turbo?

 

[Wij]

The straight-six yes.

This?

BMW Serie 1 E8x LCI - 2007 -> 2011 125i - Elite Remaps

 

[Wij]

Ah, the C63, the other situation like mine. Again Mercedes didn't want the C63 to step on the toes of it's bigger brothers (the E63), as as standard, the ECU in the C63 won't let you use full throttle.

After a remap, you can, so I would expect his claims to be valid.

I assume it's the 6.2 V8 C63 rather than the current 4.0 Turbo?

Looks optimistic expecting 150Nm more torque to me although different tuners may vary.

Mercedes C W204 - 2010 -> 2014 C 63 AMG (2011) - Elite Remaps

You usually only get huge torque-gains by overclocking the turbo. When you haven't got one they will normally be more modest.

 

[Bodhi]

The straight-six yes.

This?

BMW Serie 1 E8x LCI - 2007 -> 2011 125i - Elite Remaps

Yep. I'd say 281 is probably optimistic based on others who have had it done, but 260 ish should be possible - engine has 116K on it though, which may limit what I can get.

 

[Wij]

Yep. I'd say 281 is probably optimistic based on others who have had it done, but 260 ish should be possible - engine has 116K on it though, which may limit what I can get.

It may limit what you already have

 

[Exioce]

Thanks for the input so far you 2, its very interesting what you have told me. Its a 2011 C63. The guy says he can give me an extra 60 bhp and nearly 150 in torque

Think you've got enough horses with that. Seems little gain for invalidating warranty, insurance, increasing wear & tear etc.

 

[Marc]

Ah, the C63, the other situation like mine. Again Mercedes didn't want the C63 to step on the toes of it's bigger brothers (the E63), as as standard, the ECU in the C63 won't let you use full throttle.

After a remap, you can, so I would expect his claims to be valid.

I assume it's the 6.2 V8 C63 rather than the current 4.0 Turbo?

Yep its the 6.3 V8. Think its from 2015? onwards they changed to Bi_turbo but dont quote me on that!

 

[Marc]

Looks optimistic expecting 150Nm more torque to me although different tuners may vary.

Mercedes C W204 - 2010 -> 2014 C 63 AMG (2011) - Elite Remaps

You usually only get huge torque-gains by overclocking the turbo. When you haven't got one they will normally be more modest.

He put my details into some computer app thing that showed me the gains. Im quite clueless about it all though so I dont know if they are telling the truth or not

 

[Marc]

Think you've got enough horses with that. Seems little gain for invalidating warranty, insurance, increasing wear & tear etc.

I have already contacted my insurance company (Admiral) and they are more than happy to continue insuring me after a remap with no extra premiums needed which is a result! I wouldnt have considered it other wise.

 

[Bodhi]

Yep its the 6.3 V8. Think its from 2015? onwards they changed to Bi_turbo but dont quote me on that!

In which case yes - the MB ECU only allows the throttle to open to 65% (iirc), so the remap will let it go to 100%.

Only thing to bear in mind is it may be less worth it if you already have the MB Performance Pack, as they got an extra 30hp from the factory, so you'll see less of a gain if you have that. Red Calipers/Suede Steering Wheel are the giveaway.

If not, I'd fill yer boots personally.

 

[Marc]

Bodhi, so theoretically, I could get a 125i with a remap to put it not far off a 135i? My missus is looking at the one series but wants something with a bit of punch but the 140i is out of her price range

 

[Marc]

In which case yes - the MB ECU only allows the throttle to open to 65% (iirc), so the remap will let it go to 100%.

Only thing to bear in mind is it may be less worth it if you already have the MB Performance Pack, as they got an extra 30hp from the factory, so you'll see less of a gain if you have that. Red Calipers/Suede Steering Wheel are the giveaway.

If not, I'd fill yer boots personally.

Not got either of them so sounds like I dont have the performance pack. Think you have swung it for me

 

[Bodhi]

Bodhi, so theoretically, I could get a 125i with a remap to put it not far off a 135i? My missus is looking at the one series but wants something with a bit of punch but the 140i is out of her price range

If she's looking at the current hatch, then yes a 125i will remap to close to M135i power (around 300bhp iirc), and certainly won't hang around - as mentioned I have the old Coupe with a straight 6, so I'm limited to around 280 depending on how healthy the engine is. But it is a MUCH nicer engine to use than the current 2 litre turbo, so I'm happy to give up a few horsepower for the added smooth growl

Of the two I'd go for the Coupe, personally. Better looking, nicer engine, just loses some of the more modern tech inside.

Only issue with going for the 125i hatch is finding one - the new deals were that good on the M135i, everyone just went for that instead. There are some pretty decent deals on the current M140i I've seen too, £389 down the £389 a month seems quite common, with lower possible on a lease.

 

[Moriath]

Leasing motors like that is such a waste of money imo. And i guess you couldnt alter the car ifits on lease as well

 

[Bodhi]

Works for some people - if you just look at it as you are paying the depreciation on the car over 2/3 years, they don't typically work out too bad. Isn't for me as I like owning the car itself at the end of the term, however some people just want a long term rent. My best man is currently in a BMW dealership somewhere trying to get a lease on an X3 M40i Kids wagon as he just wants a hassle free works car for 2 years.

Horses for courses really.

 

[Moriath]

Works for some people - if you just look at it as you are paying the depreciation on the car over 2/3 years, they don't typically work out too bad. Isn't for me as I like owning the car itself at the end of the term, however some people just want a long term rent. My best man is currently in a BMW dealership somewhere trying to get a lease on an X3 M40i Kids wagon as he just wants a hassle free works car for 2 years.

Horses for courses really.

There is a lot of unease in the finance industry about the practice at the moment.

Are cheap car loans the vehicle taking us to the next financial crash?

 

[Scouse]

Those loan deals looks ridiculous.

Spent 13k on my Civic Type-R 15 years ago. That's less than £75/month. I barely service it. Often don't put oil in it until it's below the dipstick. It sails through it's MOTs year after year.

I'll cry when I have to buy a new motor

 

[Bodhi]

They're mostly so cheap as they are based on the residual value of the car, so a BMW/Audi ends up cheaper than a Ford etc, that's why the finance houses look on them as a fairly safe bet. Biggest risk to them at the moment is the diesel backlash, if they're suddenly worth a lot less thanks to the efforts of the paper you've quoted, then a few manufacturers will be shitting themselves.

 

[Scouse]

They're mostly so cheap...

I don't think it's cheap. I pay about 400 quid on a mortgage and at the end of 25 years I'll own a house. If I pay 75% of that on a car for 25 years I'll own precisely dick.

 

[Moriath]

They're mostly so cheap as they are based on the residual value of the car, so a BMW/Audi ends up cheaper than a Ford etc, that's why the finance houses look on them as a fairly safe bet. Biggest risk to them at the moment is the diesel backlash, if they're suddenly worth a lot less thanks to the efforts of the paper you've quoted, then a few manufacturers will be shitting themselves.

Its appauling value for money.

 

[Bodhi]

Its appauling value for money.

Not at all, and it can work out far cheaper than buying outright. Take the M140i, you can get a brand new one with no options for £28k from your local dealer without too many issues, judging by what's available on Pistonheads, in 3 years time it will probably be worth about 15k, so as long as the deal you find is under £13k you're quids in for some hassle free motoring. OK you can't mod it, but for someone who just wants transport they aren't a bad way of going about it at all.

Some lease deals have been silly - £259 a month for a Golf R for instance wasn't unheard of a couple of years ago.

 

[Wij]

Bodhi, so theoretically, I could get a 125i with a remap to put it not far off a 135i? My missus is looking at the one series but wants something with a bit of punch but the 140i is out of her price range

I very nearly went for the 140i but I fancied something a bit bigger and the manual handbrake seemed old-fashioned. You can't argue with the engine though. It's fantastic.

If she wants a 1 series she'd surely kick herself with regret later if she didn't get the 140i. There are great discounts on BMW almost across the whole range but the 140i especially. I've had brand new offers for £26k. That's barely more than a normal hatch.

 

[Scouse]

So 13k depreciation in 3 years. £4.3k/year?

Fuck that.