Often you can get similar results using either option, which is even more confusing. So which is the best and which should you choose? The hard part is that there isn’t always a clear-cut answer as to which is the best option.
So here begins the confusion… In many popular cars you may have the option of using either type of tuning solution – re-flashing or a standalone ECU. Some are designed as a plug-in replacement for the factory ECU and use all of the factory wiring and sensors, while others need to be wired to your engine and may require additional sensors. Standalone ECUs are available from a wide range of manufacturers and are developed with the ability to control almost any engine you can think of. Since you’re using the factory ECU for this method, there’s no need to cut or modify any wiring, which simplifies the job.Ī standalone ECU on the other hand has been designed from scratch specifically to provide complete control over the engine tuning.
Re-flashing is a technique where some smart people have decoded the mapping in the factory ECU and provided us with a software package that allows us to tune the ECU in a similar way to how the factory engineers do the job. There are plenty of options for tuning an engine, but broadly speaking they can be broken down into re-flashing the factory ECU (engine control unit or electronic control unit), or fitting a standalone engine management system, and I’ll explain what those terms mean now. Modern engines may have a lot of complexities, but when we get down to bare bones it always comes back to fuel and ignition. There are literally hundreds of options in the marketplace for tuning your engine, but essentially they’re all trying to do the same thing. I’m talking about optimising the fuel delivery and ignition timing to suit your specific modifications – not bolt on hardware. In this story we’re going to investigate the options available for tuning your engine. And that technology is what we’re going to be discussing today. Right now we have access to some of the most advanced engines ever produced, but more importantly we also have access to the technology to tweak them, refine them and optimise them. If you love modifying engines as much as I do, then you’re in luck. Modifying cars is always about improving, polishing, refining and personalising – and this same philosophy can be just as easily applied to the engine. Just because an engine rolled off the production line a certain way doesn’t mean that’s the end of the story. Perhaps that’s maximum power, but it could equally mean improved fuel economy and perfect driveability.
As a professional engine tuner, my passion is getting the best out of an engine.