EcuTek's new tuning software for the Mazda MX-5 ND promises tuners more power and greater flexibility

EcuTek have become an established leader in the field of ECU tuning, carving out an enviable reputation for being able to extract significant performance gains from an extraordinary variety of machines, and all utilising the OEM ECU.

EcuTek’s latest ProECU tuning suite is a powerful tool for those tuners seeking to improve upon the factory performance of the recently launched Mazda MX-5 ND, the fourth generation of this staggeringly popular roadster.

Mazda’s objective with the SkyActiv series of engines was to make them the most efficient they could be. As a result understanding and getting control of this engine’s complex fuelling and ignition is a task of professorial proportions…a task EcuTek’s boffins have successfully achieved with their ProECU MX-5 SkyActiv-G tuning suite. Phase 2, which is in development, will go on to provide further control to enable forced induction, flex fueling and their traditional RaceROM feature set to really set this car on fire.

At the heart of the ProECU suite is a list of maps that’s accurate and comprehensive, with each file denoted by a logical name and a short piece of descriptive text, designed to make mapping safer and more intuitive by eliminating any element of guesswork. The use of FastFlash technology also means that physically uploading maps can be done in moments, sometimes in as little as 15 seconds, with the upload’s progress displayed via the rev counter.

EcuTek understands that tuners are justifiably proud of their work and the amount of time, money and effort they invest in it, hence why the firm’s ProECU comes with a host of checks intended to offer protection from dealer re-flashes or rival tuner edits. Should you wish to return the car to standard fettle, ProECU retains the original factory maps and can easily and swiftly re-set the ECU to its OE settings.

Accurate, safe mapping largely depends on a tuner’s ability to see and analyse data in real time, so it should come as no surprise to learn that the ProECU comes with a Live Data Logging facility. This enables over 100 different parameters to be logged (including non-standard items added by EcuTek; such as estimated torque), while the detailed log viewer they’re displayed in makes data interrogation swift and simple. Coloured Map Tracing means that key parameters and potential sources of trouble can be pinpointed and highlighted. Available in 3D, this feature allows for maps to be coloured according to AFR or knock, and makes identifying precisely where and when an AFR issue or knock event occurred, the work of seconds.

ProECU can also reset any of the factory Diagnostic Trouble Codes, no matter whether they occur on the engine ECU or the various other modules.

EcuTek’s ProECU MX-5 SkyActiv-G suite has only been available for a few months, and already it has received glowing reviews from a number of noted tuning concerns. Joe McClughan at Dynotronics attributes his gains of up to 30hp at the wheels and 22lb/ft of torque to having a degree of control over Variable Valve Timing phasing, Ignition Logic and Fuel Strategy that wasn’t previously possible.

Never a firm to shy away from ‘putting its money where its mouth is’ when it comes to its products, EcuTek’s own MX-5 ND 2.0 litre has been extensively utilised in the development of the tuning suite. This very car has seen a marked upsweep in its performance potential and now boasts headline figures of 182bhp and 159lb/ft, up from 166bhp and 151lb/ft respectively.

Available through the EcuTek website, the new SkyActiv-G ProECU tuning suite promises to be an indispensable tool for any tuner seeking to bolster their Mazda tuning capabilities.

For more information on EcuTek products, please click to www.ecutek.com