Performance ECUs

[Ophiochus]

I have a 2011 Scion Xd, and My father has a 2006 Bmw Z4. I love both of these cars, but they are both bone stock, and in some peoples eyes (including mine) they are slow. Especially the Scion, it is definetly slow, but i love the grip the car has on the road.

Now Ive noticed online they have ECU's that are in the $60-$80 USD range that claims 60 hp boost and 6-7 mpg. That seems extremely lofty, but if it where true that would signifiganlty improve the car. I mean seriously the car has around 105-120 hp ANYWAY, so for $60 i can improve my performance by 50%.

So two paragraphs to ask the question, Are ECU's the most cost efficent performance upgrades? are there any kind of specific drawbacks to these?

If they are as good as they sound ill probobly get one for the scion and one for my fathers BMW.

 

[Ridox2JZGTE]

No, simply no, don't get taken by online ads. ECU manage fuel mapping, tuned ECU will improve power or mileage, not both. The power improvement won't be much on a standard cars, less than 5% usually and it depends on the engine displacement, fuel type, number of cylinders and how worn out is the engine. The best upgrade for less money would be intake - air filter.

 

[speed junkie]

$60-$80 ECU that claims 60 hp boost and 6-7 mpg. That seems extremely lofty

Nah. Seems Legit.

So two paragraphs to ask the question, Are ECU's the most cost efficent performance upgrades?

On an otherwise modern, stock car? No.
^Refering to ECUs (usually $1000+,) not "ECUs."

Are there any kind of specific drawbacks to these?

To what you're referring to? Probably.

If they are as good as they sound ill probobly get one for the scion and one for my fathers BMW.

How could they possibly NOT be as good as they sound? Have you tried google?

The power improvement won't be much on a standard cars, less than 5%.

IF that.

...and it depends on the engine displacement, fuel type, number of cylinders and how worn out is the engine.

And the size of its MAF sensor as it would be removed and replaced with a MAP and IAT sensor.

 

[Ophiochus]

I just started getting into cars within the past few years, so forgive me if i sound like a noob. But things like (with an automatic transmission) will it over rev the engine? will it overwork the engine ? and i would rather own the car for a LONG time then make it faster, and if they over work or aren't necessarily good for the car then i don't want to invest in it.

I am trying to read things about it, but i think some customer reviews are fake, and some articles are kinda hard to understand. I trust the opinions of real people.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

It all depends. Performance gain claims that just specify HP are always suspect, it should be specified as a percentage.

On turbo diesel trucks, ecu tuning can yield massive gains on an otherwise stock engine. On turbo gasoline engines, ecu tuning yields pretty impressive gains on an otherwise stock engine. This is primarily due to very safe factory tunes (very rich fuel mixtures and gimped timing to make sure the engine runs cool) that are designed to make the engine last 200k+ miles. You tune it, and you might see half of that longevity. On n/a gasoline engines, ecu tuning yields marginally improved performance, mostly in the areas of throttle response because the factory tune is already close to maxed out for the engine specifications.

Also, tuning can increase both fuel efficiency and power (mostly on turbo engines again) because it leans out the a/f mixture and gives more timing. Leaner air fuel mixture means you are using less fuel than before=better mileage, provided you can keep your foot out of it.

Long story short, if you 'chip' your Xd you might see slightly better fuel mileage, but hoping for any felt performance gain is unrealistic. Also, only buy tunes from reputable companies, and make sure it doesn't void your warranty. Your engine can go to hell very quickly with a bad tune.

 

[speed junkie]

(with an automatic transmission)

Why were you even thinking of modifying an automatic Scion?

Will it over rev the engine? will it overwork the engine?

You're going way farther with this than you should. I guess you missed my sarcasm in my first post but everyone knows these things are a scam. I don't know ANY technical details on the product (not even a link?) and the amount of information you provided from the add stating exactly HOW it achieves ANY improvements are nil. In fact, OBD2 cars (anything manufactured after 1997) don't need ANY ECU modifications unless you're doing something turbocharging, ITBs, or swapping to a different engine.

Not to mention, if the seemingly false customer reviews don't give it away I don't know what will.

I trust the opinions of real people.

Well I hope facts work for you too.

 

[Grayfox]

The only way to get more performance out of an ECU is to tune it in a shop that deals with that sort of thing.

Eg the 2.2 diesel civic hatch has 140hp can get to 220hp with ECU tunes.

The ebay ones will kill your ECU do not get off ebay.

Any ECU tune will void warranty.

 

[kikie]

Don't bother if your car doesn't have a turbo. Chip tuning and remapping gives very good result on turbo diesels and gasoline engines with turbos.

The cheapest way to gain performance is to remove the spare wheel, back seat etc... .
Weight kills acceleration!

 

[HELLAFLUSH240SX]

I've never heard of an ECU tune, or standalone chip being that cheap.I've all heard things, atleast 700 bucks.

Wouldnt even be worth it on an automatic car.

 

[Ridox2JZGTE]

^Probably just a cheap piggy back ECU or pre-tuned replacement chip, not worth the money IMHO, there are many other routes of upgrade that are better bang for the buck, like weight savings