

When the news first broke, automotive enthusiasts in. Basically, under the new rules, any vehicle with an ECU that's not approved by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will fail the state's mandatory biennial smog check. I'd recommend having a chat to a solicitor and seeing where you stand legally. Last month, the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) began enforcing a new policy focused on computer tuning in modern electronically-controlled engines. I can't speak for tuners in regions where emissions compliance is mandatory but it is a concern that you should be factoring into your business.

For example if you go and fit a set of 1700 cc injectors and a cam with 300 degrees duration then no tuner is going to be able to pass emissions testing.
#Is ecu tuning legal in california full#
This is made possible through APRs optimization of the factory engine management system to take full advantage of the engines capabilities, without needing any. The upgrades dramatically increase horsepower and torque, making for an exceptionally quicker and more exciting vehicle. This requires an ECU that is capable of doing so as well as a mechanical engine configuration that is capable. APRs ECU Upgrades are the best dollar-per-horsepower modification one can make to improve engine performance. I think it will become more and more prevalent that modified vehicles will need to prove that they can pass an emissions drive cycle test. It will come in time but I think right now the cost of the testing equipment is prohibitive for our country.
#Is ecu tuning legal in california software#
Depending on the vehicle and ECU type the chip tuning process can take under an hour and if at any time you wish to return your vehicles ECU to its original default settings, this can be done easily and free of charge as we always keep a copy of the original software as a backup.We're quite lucky here in NZ as there are currently no emissions standards enforced or tested for. The technician will then upload the original map to our map writing team who will adjust the parameters to maximise the performance, fuel economy or a clever blend of both. In some newer models the ECU will have to be removed from the vehicle and the casing opened, our technicians will then use specialist tools to read the original map straight from the processing chip. In many cases the map stored on the ECU’s processor can be accessed via the on-board diagnostics port (OBD) in the vehicle, normally found under the dashboard. We do not change any hardware in your vehicle, we just modify the operating parameters in the ECU’s program or ‘map’. WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY MODIFY IN MY VEHICLE? With the extra torque - especially at the bottom of the rev range - you will see a fuel saving as it will require less throttle input to maintain motorway speeds you can drive in a higher gear at a slower speed and the additional power is especially useful when fully laden, towing, or on gradients.

The other main benefit of remapping will be a reduction in fuel consumption. As a driving enthusiast, you do not need or want such restrictions placed upon your vehicle’s ECU, so with a conversion you can benefit from the hidden power and torque locked away within your engine management system. Frequently, the vehicle’s power output is restricted by the manufacturer for no other reason than to ensure that it fits into a class to suit fleet buyers. This will make the power delivery a lot more linear, which in turn will make the vehicle feel livelier to drive and the engine more flexible. Every engine will have its own unique map and by adjusting this we can fine tune the characteristics of the engine unleashing more power and in many cases reduce fuel consumption too.ĮCU programming will not only improve the engines power and torque figures, it will also sharpen the throttle response and widen the power-band.

It is a completely safe process as it is just giving the engine the performance it should have had in the first place before all the compromises were applied to the original programming. These could include sub-standard fuels, extremes in temperature and altitude, differing emission laws and even the possibility that vehicle may not be serviced on a regular basis and in accordance with the manufacturers recommended instructions.ĮCU remapping is taking a read from the ECU’s processing chip of the vehicles standard compromised map and adjusting various parameters within the map such as fuel pressure, boost pressure (on turbocharged applications) ignition advance and throttle pedal control amongst others to release the true performance from the engine. This means instead of just optimising the ECU’s program or ‘map’ to deliver the best performance or the most fuel efficiency they have to make compromises to the map to take into account these potential differing operating conditions. When a manufacturer develops a new car they have to take into consideration all of the conditions it may be subjected to in all of the regions in which they intend to sell this model.
