Adjusting an ECU can extnact extnaporrveF fnorn an engine, nour Supenchipsis f inding gains in the tnansrniss ion too

Words & Pictures: lan Kuah

ne British firm that hasconsistently stayed aheadof the game in the ECUre-mapping market isBuckingham-basedSuperchips. And, according

to its bosses, it is the only aftermarketcompany which can serial programme aBMW via the factory diagnostic port.

Altering the ECU programme of acurrent BMW takes a matter of minutesand, if you're worried about whathappens when the car goes for a seruice,Superchips says the altered programmestill satisfies BMW dealers' diagnosticinterrogation protocols.

BMW frequently issues factorysoftuuare updates which the dealer loadsinto the ECU in a similar method to theSuperchips upgrade. These softwareupdates will overuvrite the Superchipsprogramme, but if you then take yourcar back to a Superchips dealer; theprogramme will be reinstalled free ofcharge, taking into account the updatedparamelers.' Last year, we tested Superchips'BMW 23 and 52Bi four and six-cylinderECU conversions, where the power andtorque curves were manipulated viafuelling and ignition. This smoothedthe dips and troughs caused by theneed to produce attractive fuelconsumption figures. Both cars showeda more progressive power delivery thanthe standard models, with enhancedhorsepower and torque. In fact, we weresurprised to see a gbhp improvementon the 2.8-litre engine when no morethan 5bhp was expected.

However, the firm had furtherimprovements in mind. 'Even though weare acknowledged as the industry leadersin chip re-mapping and pioneered serialprogramming with BMW cars, we recent-ly asked ourselves if our chips were

really as good as they could be,' saidSuperchips MD, lan Sandford. 'ln thepast, we optimised power and torque byre-mapping the fuel and ignition curvesand pushing the ignition timing closer tothe edge of the knock sensor's triggeringpoint. Then, we decided to take ourexperience one step further and delvedeeper into the vehicle systems, lookingclosely at all the other parametersinvolved in the drivetrain behaviour. MyBMW 535i seemed a bit lacking in goand I was seriously considering selling it,so it became the company's guinea pig!'

Cunent industry practice is to usea CAN-BUS system with which theengine, gearbox and systems such asASC+T and ABS are all interlinked.

As far as engine power and torqueare concerned, the normally adjustableparameters on a BMW are the fuellingand ignition maps.

However, it transpired that the auto-matic versions also have a torque-limitingmap, which reins back power and torque

O Superchips canoptimise the ECUby re-mapping it

on each upshi f t , the nevs dnop back to thesweet spot in the powen band

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