The term ECU is an acronym for Electronic Control Unit which is a standard term for any integrated system which controls a system or subsystem in an automobile. As vehicle technology has become both increasingly complex and an increasingly vital component of the motor industry some cars, especially those fresh from the production line can have up to 80 Electronic Control Units.
One of the most essential of these ECU’s is the Engine Control System (confusingly also termed an ECU). This type of ECU is used to compute the amount of fuel, specific timing and other factors which are needed to keep an engine running. They were first trialled in BMW in 1939 and are now an integral part of the vast majority of cars. Prior to this a series of sensors and actuators were used to determine the correct levels the engine required but they were inaccurate and prone to failure.
Remapping
Many manufacturers choose to limit the power of the vehicle engine for any number of reasons, either for environmentally friendly reasons or to allow them to release a more high powered version of the car later on down the line. Technology now means that remapping the computer can unlock some of that power. This process is known as remapping and is increasingly common. In addition to adding power to the engine there are a further number of advantages; increased torque and additional fuel and engine efficiency.
Remapping works when the computer software is either rewritten modified by adding additional software or programmes and in a very short time, normally a couple of hours, can improve engine power and capacity by up to 20%.
Cautions
Many of these programmes are sold directly to customers who can then remap the computer programmes themselves. This is approach can be hazardous as many of the programmes sold, especially those that are available on the internet, can do more damage than good. Professional remappers always back up the original system so that it can be reverted to in the future if needed whereas this approach and the technology needed to do it is not always referred to or provided with at-home systems.
A further caution which should be placed upon remapping is that whilst it is often undetectable by dealers and will therefore not affect the warranty of a vehicle an increase of the power of an engine should always be reported to the relevant insurance company.
