Gearbox Remapping Services Surrey
You might have heard of remapping but what is gearbox remapping and what does it offer?
When vehicles are manufactured and delivered from the factory, they will be given a standard set up but for many, this standard set up just isn’t enough. As a result, car owners look for other ways of enhancing the performance of their vehicle
What is Car Remapping?
There are various ways in which a car can be remapped and this is either through the Engine Control Unit (ECU) or the Transmission Control Unit (TCU). By making changes to either of these systems, it is possible to alter the performance of your vehicle and this is done by connecting your car to a system and then changing the relevant settings electronically.
Why Do People Remap Their Gearboxes?
For those vehicles that have an automatic transmission, they will commonly have a TCU. This controls the functionality of the transmission which will include the likes of the gear shift and it will limit the torque. It works in line with the ECU as it sends data between the two systems and so, when you have your vehicle tuned, it is recommended that people have both their ECU and TCU remapped as this ensures both systems work together.
However, people will often choose to have their gearbox remapped as car manufacturers will only usually have one or two standard automatic gearbox designs. It is a complex design but when you have it remapped, it will help to enhance the power of the engine, the throttle input but also many other elements of the performance of your vehicle.
How Does Gearbox Remapping Work?
Essentially, the TCU will control how a transmission works and how it responds to inputs from the driver. To the driver, the way in which it works might seem relatively simple, especially as they have to push down on the accelerator and then let the car do the rest. However, this is a complex job and so, the transmission has to constantly calculate what the driver wants it to do next. Despite this, there are many inputs that have to be considered such as driving up or down hill, braking pressure and even cornering, all of which play a part in how the TCU and the gearbox works.
Through remapping the gearbox, it is possible to make changes to the way in which the gearbox performs in relation to these inputs and that can enhance performance. As a result, it makes it possible to alter the shift points which is where the car will change from one gear to another but essentially, a TCU remap will remove the constraints that the manufacturer has placed on the TCU, enabling the car to do much more.
What Do You Get When You Remap Your Gearbox?
Fortunately, when you remap your gearbox, you will see a significant difference in the performance of your car. One of the main changes that people will see when they remap their gearbox is the way in which any lag is reduced. This is a common problem with automatic cars but can impact the way in which the car performs from a standing start. So, just by tightening up the shift times, it can improve the way in which the gearbox moves through the gears, making the car more responsive.
There are many other benefits that come with remapping your gearbox and this will include maximising the power and torque of your vehicle while it is possible to improve shift changes by as much as 70%. Additionally, as you lose less power through transmission you could also see an improvement in efficiency and fuel economy while the drive will be smoother thanks to efficient heart changes.
If your car suffers from engine noise, then there is the potential for this to be reduced while the lower gear ration will mean that your car will go faster even though it has the same number of engine revolutions and finally, it is possible to reduce or increase the RPM for both up and down shifts.
It is important to recognise that not all TCUs can be remapped and not all will need to be tuned as this is dependent on the application as well as the performance of the vehicle. With this in mind, remapping your TCU is not just about benefiting from more power but it will improve the overall experience of driving with an automatic transmission which can be very different to that of a manual gearbox. The TCU will define how your car feels at every stage of the journey, regardless of whether you are crawling in traffic or overtaking a vehicle. However, once you have your gearbox remapped, you will soon realise how much better your vehicle performs.
How Do We Remap a GearBox
There are a number of different changes we can apply to a gearbox:
- Shift Speeds – Improving the speed that the gearbox changes each gear.
- Torque Limiters – Increasing the TCU torque limiters to ensure the transmission doesn’t limit engine performance.
- Hydraulic Pressure – Prevent clutch slip by Increasing the hydraulic pressure.
- Shift Points – Changing the RPM limiter of the engine but we may have to modify the TCU software.
We can also activate Launch Control, Full Manual Mode, and Kickdown Delete.