The Benefits Of Bespoke ECU Tuning

Paul Cowland takes a close look at the myriad benefits associated with bespoke mapping using EcuTek's sophisticated and highly adaptable ProECU software – the results might surprise you!

EcuTek’s ProECU software should need very little introduction to those of you with a keen eye on the UK’s ECU tuning industry, the firm having carved out an enviable reputation for software excellence and reliability over the last few years. Its range of tuning suites keeps expanding, offering comprehensive packages for some of the most popular and commonly fettled cars in the world.

EcuTek’s level of expertise and formidable reputation ensured that there was never anyone else in the frame when it came to re-mapping my Subaru WRX STi, a car that the North London concern has an impressive portfolio of options for. The car in question was far from standard, with a Milltek Sport exhaust system, some induction work courtesy of Pipercross, a fully forged engine with rock-solid internals, and the small matter of one of Subaru UK’s 340R maps. Keen Subaru fans will already be well aware of the 340R thanks to its (justifiable) popularity within the UK tuning fraternity, plus the fact that it makes use of EcuTek software. It’s a well designed and carefully written piece of software that’s helped my car make a handy 340bhp, but it’s also an ‘off the peg’ map, and one applied to the ECU prior to fitting the new exhaust system. While impressive enough when viewed in isolation, I was well aware that there was potentially a lot more power still to be extracted from my WRX, but getting at it would require a custom ECU solution, one free from the compromises inherent in any ‘one size fits all’ map.

With a motor that could run more boost and fuelling than a standard lump and better aerobic capacity, I was keen to see what could be done with a little expert key-tapping and some bespoke work.

On the advice of EcuTek, I took a trip up north to see the amiable Andy Clark of AC Speedtech in Warrington to see what he could do. I knew I had arrived at the right place when I spotted that, in addition to the numerous tuned GT-Rs and Evos that were neatly parked everywhere, no less than THREE brand new STis were also in for work! Proof indeed that the Subaru tuning scene is as buoyant as ever!

As well as being a thoroughly nice chap, Andy is one of the UK’s most accomplished mappers, and after the ritual tea and chat he set about grabbing data from the car to establish where the gains could be made. It was clear that due to the engine’s previously evolved spec, the map had never been set-up to optimise the new components. Add in my new exhaust, and it was easy for even a layman like me to see that boost and fuel were way off.

Andy’s confidence, coupled with his evident knowledge and passion for automotive ECU trickery, had already left me feeling very positive about what could potentially be achieved, and this was only heightened when I was given a tour of AC Speedtech’s facilities. There’s no escaping the fact that booking your pride and joy in for a rolling road session can be a fairly daunting process for the uninitiated, yet AC Speedtech’s workshops and dedicated technicians are the perfect tonic, able to put even the most nervous of owners in a confident frame of mind. It’s also worth bearing in mind that many of the most advanced cars running in UK Time Attack, fast becoming the country’s de-facto proving ground for certifiable race cars, have been fettled by the AC Speedtech team, so it’s fair to say they know what they’re doing!

Any traces of apprehension were well and truly banished when I took the time to look into what EcuTek’s ProECU software is able to offer and do. ProECU is as adaptable as it is clever, working within the strict confines of the OEM ECU to provide significant potential power gains and a battery of desirable RaceROM features, including but by no means limited to, launch control and flat-foot shifting (both made possible thanks to ProECU’s ability to read data in real time), and incredibly precise control over safety critical factors such as fuelling, ignition and boost. The fact that ProECU is able to do all this without the need for a more traditional, ‘standalone’ management setup also means that there’s no need to compromise on everyday drive ability or refinement, so it really is a groundbreaking bit of kit.

ProECU is also a positive boon for an experienced tuner like Andy, its innate adaptability allowing for the creation of custom maps and impressively advanced data tables, both cornerstones of safe and accurate ECU tuning. Counter-intuitively, Andy was actually able to take a lot of boost and fuel OUT of the map using the EcuTek ProECU tuning suite, yet create far more sophisticated tables of data that gave the car exactly what it needed – and when – rather than just tipping fuel and boost in to give the feel of power, rather than real progress. The open-ended design of the ProECU suite means that, in the hands of an experienced ECU tuner like Andy, the sky really is the limit.

The result after literally hours of careful mapping on the nearby Tuning Developments dyno, one of the most advanced and conservative around, was a car that tickled 370 bhp and almost 400Nm of torque. These are impressive numbers in anyone’s book, and yes, they’ve made the Subaru feel appreciably faster and more responsive, but it’s important to remember that, mechanically, nothing has changed. The 30bhp hike in power and a xxnm jump in torque were both netted via EcuTek’s ProECU tuning suite, its intelligent design allowing AC Speedtech to push my Subaru far further than the 340R would’ve tolerated, secure in the knowledge that the suite’s ability to relay and interpret data in real time would prevent any potential damage long before it became an issue. It goes a long way toward proving that ‘off the peg maps,’ while useful, can never compete with a custom designed, bespoke bit of software, and EcuTek’s ProECU with its unique RaceROM features is most certainly the one to plump for.

Thanks and Contacts
www.subaru.co.uk
www.acspeedtech.co/
www.ecutek.com
www.tuningdevelopments.co.uk