1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats best?

[pietch]

1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats best?

Can anyone confirm the below with regard to the JTD's as the below is only me experience with the VW TDI's:

Analogue resistor mod for about £25:
This fools the fuel temp sensor in thinking I am in sub zero russian climates and gives more fuel. Not sure if there are plug an play units for the Fiat JTD's, I know they can be bought on eBay for the VW TDI's.

Verdict:
Amazing value and probably the most noticeable in terms of refinement, it really help the initial accelerator and clutch relationship. BHP added probably none, torque low down (below 1500 rpm) about 20% up at least! Does not effect MOT emissions (tested). No soot. No check light problems.

Digital Tuning Box (aka Piggy Back ECU) for about £150:
Digitally alters signals from the ECU and pumps in more fuel at different RPM and Throttle positions.

Verdict:
Works really well, especially off boost. Increases power band. Can be adjusted from 1-10 (10 being max power). Does not alter turbo boost pressure and uses existing fuel maps. Can be used with analogue mod with no check light, problems. Car soot’s a little on setting '10'. MOT emissions are on limit (tested), but the device can be turned down or turned off in an instant prior to MOT test.

ECU Chip Remap for about £200:
Proper remap. New fuel maps and boost pressures.

Verdict:
Car feels less torquey (perhaps its just more refined) but it is defiantly faster! I would say performance is up another 20-25% compared with when I was using the digital tuning box along with the analogue mod. However it does not have the same 'off boost' performance as before, not that it really matters, but for real speed a change down is by far the best option. MPG is also down by 20 miles per tank, not that it matters and could be just the fact that my driving enjoyment is up! MOT Emissions are un effected (again tested), on full load boost emissions? Who cares!

 

[a1ant]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Hi mate,
If you have got the money, then the remap is the way to go. The JTD engine responds very well to a decent remap and you can get quite big power gains (+40BHP etc) and similar amounts of torque too.
I personally would steer clear of the resistor jobby. In essence all your going to get is a load of black smoke out the back and not much more go!! (despite what that "verdict" says!!)
The digital tuning box is probably the next step down from the remap, and i have heard (as this is the one of the three that i have never personally tried) that they do give you a slight boost in performance.

My "Verdict" is, if you have got the money, then get a remap (from a decent company or someone with good reviews etc not fred ina shed). You wond be dissapointed! The JTD is a lovely engine that has lots to offer!

Cheers,
Alan

 

[pietch]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Has anyone compared a tuning box and a ecu remap on the JTD?

 

[a1ant]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Yep...i've had/have both. The remap is much better, becasue it takes into account lots of different things. The tuning box simply fools the ECu into thinking that it needs to supply more fuel pressure to the common rail. It didnt happen to me, but it has been known (i think it happened to somone on this forum) for the common rail to crack under the increased pressure of the fuel. Which is costly to replace (£600 ish). I started off with a tuning box, i noticed the power increase, wasnt amazing, but certainly noticable, and then i thought i'd go the whole way and just get a remap. My car was running 80bhp, since the remap its now running 130bhp. You would never get that sort of gain with a tuning box.
All of the above has been done on my 1.9JTD
Hope that is of some help,
Alan

 

[pietch]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

The problem is I would prefer more torque over BHP. I don't have to change gears so much i.e. from 5th to 4th when going up hill at 45mph.

From my experience on the TDI engines the tuning boxes make more torque 'off boost' which equates to less gear changing in normal driving conditions with the accelerator around 1/4 pressed. I agree they do not make the vehicle much faster, but more drivable overall.

With the remaps I find that gearchanges are needed to make the most of the new found power along with the accelerator being required to be pressed past 3/4's. I do agree however the vehicle will now be considerably faster.

This however sounds worrying: "...it has been known ...for the common rail to crack under the increased pressure of the fuel" Won't this happen with the remap too, or is is just injector duration and boost pressure that are increaed?

On most tuning boxes the lever of power can be selected from 1 to 10 right?

Thanks

 

[a1ant]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Hi mate,
Yes you are quite right, I forgott to mention about torque. With a decent remap, you are looking at +50-60lbft torque increase. You wont get that with a tuning box. Also, yes, on a tuning box you normally get a dial that you can vary between 1 and 10. I found that my car ran best on around 8, but again, this was nothing compared to my remap. Secondly, when it was on 8 or anything above, and i booted it, there were clouds of black smoke! The tuning box will simply change the informaton sent to the ECU from the fuel rail, telling it to increase the pressure. A remap will change lots of settings which all work together to a)increase the power/torque and b)ensure that the engine is still running economically and safely.
I will have a look for the post, but i have certainly heard other people saying that the increased pressure in the common rail has lead to all sorts of problems suck as cracks in the common rail etc.
The remap will vary all sorts of things, such as the boost pressure, injection timing....etc etc rather than just crank up the fuel pressure in the common rail.
Also another factor to consider is the difference in price..... a "decent" (i use that term loosley) tuning box will set you back £150 ish. A full remap by a profesional with the rsults i gave above almost guarenteed will only set you back £50 more.
With hindsight, i wish i had saved myself the £150 for the tuning box and just gone for the remap straight away in the firstplace.

 

[pietch]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Who offers a £200 remap for the JTD's? I am interesred.

Also which is be best tuning box for the JTD's? I am not interested in ones that produce soot!

 

[NottsCharger]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

The following is a reply that I have posted on Stilo forum about my personal experience with a digital tuning bob.

I recently posted my experience with a tuning box. This wasn't a cheapie, came from reputable well known maufacturer £250. I had used it on my previous JTD for a couple of months before I sold that car. Whilst on that it went quite well I was aware that it was screwing up the fuel computer by giving wildly optomistic economy figures when tested against tank to tank calculations, it would also smoke badly on hard acceleration, bit like defective EGR only mucho worso!

Ultimately this tuning box caused a rupture in my fuel rail and the fuel return manifold on my next Stilo JTD, after only 3000 miles. The fuel return manifold is a hard to replace plastic box which collects low pressure fuel from filter, pump and injector before taking back to tank. I am still waiting for a new one of these to come from Italy.

Many have seeminly used a tuning box without problem, a mate has had one on his Golf TDi for years. After much enquiring with Fiat I found out many Alfa and Fiat 1.9 and 2.4 JTD's have suffered the same expensive consqeunces of using a tuning box

For now I will lick my wounds and make do with what is still a reasonably sprightly car anyway.

 

[Tris Harris]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Who offers a £200 remap for the JTD's? I am interesred.

GSR will now remap all Fiats for £199

pm a guy called oldschool on here hes knows his stuff.

GSR custom make induction kits, cams, etc for Fiats and Alfas they are the dogs ******** really when it comes to tuning

 

[a1ant]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Ah...cheers for that Tris!
Also, if you are going to go for the remap, its best to do it once you've done any other engine mods you have done. For example, if your thinking of changing the cams, changing the exhaust stystem or adding an induction kit, do this first and then get it remapped, otherwise every time you add something knew, you'll have to get it re-re mapped if that makes sense!

 

[Tris Harris]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Ah...cheers for that Tris!
Also, if you are going to go for the remap, its best to do it once you've done any other engine mods you have done. For example, if your thinking of changing the cams, changing the exhaust stystem or adding an induction kit, do this first and then get it remapped, otherwise every time you add something knew, you'll have to get it re-re mapped if that makes sense!

:yeahthat:

 

[johnstoke]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

I had a tuning box that plugs into the fuel pressure regulator (dragon performance), and my car ran for 3 years very well indeed, though it did throw the trip computer out quite a bit, and smoke if you booted it after pootling round fora while ........ then the fuel pump started spraying out diesel like theres no tomorrow, costs a lot of money to have it sorted........ ran the box for another 6 months, then took it off at MOT time. car was no where near as responsive. at the moment, i have left the box off for the slippy season. May refit in the spring, but car has done 145K miles (punto 1.9jtd) and money is tight at the moment, so im tempted to leave it off for the moment, though I do miss the poke. Still have memories of the look on the face of the driver of a lexus IS200 (alan partridge shape)when i outdragged him up the A34 from talke roundabout heading towards parkhouse......................

 

[JFL]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

Cant wait to get my Stilo mapped

 

[alfanige]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

We put our balls on the line recently and did a Tuning Box v Remap comparison for Auto Italia. They did a full two page article with Tunit setting up their tuning box then ran the car for 6 months.... we were then asked if we could sort it out.... so took the tuning box off and remapped it. Sadly editorial space reduced it to a full page but needlesss to say the tuning box ended in the bin.

Why pay huge amounts to change the signal.... when you can have the signal changed for less and with better results. Tuning boxes are easy money or the seller but the results are mediocre in comparison

 

[JFL]

Re: 1.3, 1.9 & 2.4 JTD Tuning, chip remap, analogue resistor or digital box - whats b

How much would i be looking at for a remap on a 1.9JTD Stilo115 (3 dr).

Im hoping to get it done early february kind off time.

What would my power gains be, and should i need anything else uprating such as the gearbox and clutch