Technical ECU Remap on 1.2 Dynamic

[RyanMc]

First post so I'll make it interesting. I have a 2008 1.2 Dynamic, and a friend of mine has started doing ECU Remaps and said for £200 he'll be able to remap my Panda and increase it's performance.

Has anyone had any experience with the remaps on the pandas? Do they work, and if they do are they worth the cost for the increase?

 

[PNL]

The only one heard about gave 4hp more on the 1.2 .. and 8hp with an induction kit fitted save your money and change the car ..might be an easier route to take at the end of the day..

 

[KozmoNaut]

You're going to see an increase of perhaps 5hp and 5nm, not worth it for £200, really.

Naturally-aspirated engines are generally not suited for ECU remaps. You can remap for higher-octane gas, but the power gains are small and the increased running costs make it a bad idea.

The most common and useful way to increase power on NA engines is to swap headers, the exhaust system and the camshafts for noisier and more aggressive alternatives, but this generally gives you a car that's harder to drive, more finicky, makes its power much higher in the rev band and uses a lot more petrol etc.

Nitrous is another option which can give you momentary boosts of extra power, but the reliability concerns and high cost are an issue. I would love to see a Panda running nitrous, it would be highly entertaining

 

[PNL]

Ha !! panda and nitrous..woo hooooo found this a while back but i dont recomend it..

 

[dave]

First post so I'll make it interesting. I have a 2008 1.2 Dynamic, and a friend of mine has started doing ECU Remaps and said for £200 he'll be able to remap my Panda and increase it's performance.

Has anyone had any experience with the remaps on the pandas? Do they work, and if they do are they worth the cost for the increase?

not much of a mate if he charging 200 quid, thats what most pay any way, with before and after rr runs.

a remap isnt always about more power, some times you can get better mpg, and better use of the power that is already there

 

[HP]

I'd agree with that. Each remap I have had carried out gave me better mpg, a smoother drive and more torque. Usually filled in a couple of 'holes' in the torque curve, too.

It won't make it feel like a 100hp, but it will feel nicer.

 

[ScoobyChris]

Yep - the most drivable cars are the ones with the most area under the power and torque curves and a remap can change the way a car feels and drives, even if there's only a small peak increase

Whether I'd let someone experiment with remapping my car is another matter though

Chris

 

[RyanMc]

Ahh, thanks for the replies.

Any suggestions as for places in yorkshire that have a decent repuration for these remaps? I'm not great with the whole hands on stuff, but these induction systems look quite easy to fit.

 

[dipole]

I'd suggest that a free flowing panel air filter and 0W20 fully synthetic oil in the sump will give you similiar performance increase at less expense and without invalidating your insurance. It'll help mid range acceleration for overtaking, improve mpg slightly and the oil will make the engine slightly quieter.
If you want more performance you bought the wrong car to begin with.

 

[RyanMc]

I bought the best new car I could find with the best mpg and cheapest insurance/road tax (I'm 21, only passed a year ago) - plus I love the look of pandas.

hxxp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/K-N-AIR-FILTER-FITS-FIAT-PANDA-1-1-1-2-2003-2008_W0QQitemZ310122259933QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM


is that the type of thing you're talking about?

 

[dipole]

That's suitable but some people around here prefer other brands of air filter.

 

[HP]

I'd suggest that a free flowing panel air filter and 0W20 fully synthetic oil in the sump will give you similiar performance increase at less expense and without invalidating your insurance. It'll help mid range acceleration for overtaking, improve mpg slightly and the oil will make the engine slightly quieter.
If you want more performance you bought the wrong car to begin with.

0W20 oil in a FIRE engine would incur hideous running costs. It's expensive and it would go through a lot, that's far too thin.

 

[dipole]

I agree it's thin and will slip past the rings easily but the sump capacity is low so you wouldn't be topping up by much to bring it back to full.
It'd definitely make the engine peppier and improve mid range pickup.

 

[HP]

Pardon me, but what has sump capacity to do with it apart from making it more likely to run too low?

 

[dipole]

My Rover 75 takes 7 litres of oil.
Fiat Panda takes something like 2.8 litres if I remember the handbook correctly.
At up to 20 quid a litre running a rover 75 on 0W20 requires a substanial initial outlay. Panda doesn't require a substantial initial outlay.

 

[dave]

0W20 oil in a FIRE engine would incur hideous running costs. It's expensive and it would go through a lot, that's far too thin.

i agree way too thin. and if your engine breaks when under warranty, and they find that grade of oil in it will void warranty

 

[dipole]

doesn't matter to me as FIAT Ireland won't honour my pan-european warranty anyhow.

Why exactly would a lowly stressed engine break due to using the most expensive synthetic oil you can get when you are heeding all other parameters in the performance envelope.

Remind me how FIAT turned the FIAT Panda Dynamic in to a FIAT Panda Dynamic Eco again.
There have been posts here that the low rolling resistance tyres that were supposed to be partly responsible for the drop in CO2 emissions were actually fitted to pre ECO models too. No ECU remap. It was the oil.

 

[HP]

"Law of diminishing returns" springs to mind.

 

[trackdayqueen]

I don't think it's worth wasting money on a re-map. Better to save your money and bide your time until you can afford a faster car.