Remapping an M54 Auto

[enuff_zed]

So as I headed home from the old man's 82nd birthday down in Sussex I decided I should just check the remap on my E89 was still functioning. As I popped it up into 6th gear at roughly 50mph faster than the highway code suggests on a dual carriageway, my co-pilot asked, "can we remap mine?".
It's a 2.5i, M54 automatic so I'm not expecting to beat NASA back to the Moon, but in all seriousness, is it worth contemplating at all?

[j3nks79]

You will get very little gains. Maybe 5bhp.

[enuff_zed]

You will get very little gains. Maybe 5bhp.

I told her that.
Wondered if any increase in torque would make the difference?

[raymond.harper]

It will cost around £300 and you have to tell your insurance company which raises all sorts of problems and costs. After you have spent all that money you will convince yourself the car is faster even if the gain is nominal. The old urban myth of a Mini tuning firm in the 1970s just lowered the seat and placed a weaker spring on the throttle return on the carb making its "customers" believe the car was much faster. I suppose you could fit 16-inch wheels, by chance I will have a set for sale soon with the useful option of wheel cracking run-flats, and that should get you off the mark a bit quicker but I suspect fuel consumption will take a hit. Or just buy your long-suffering co-pilot a faster car.

[enuff_zed]

It will cost around £300 and you have to tell your insurance company which raises all sorts of problems and costs. After you have spent all that money you will convince yourself the car is faster even if the gain is nominal. The old urban myth of a Mini tuning firm in the 1970s just lowered the seat and placed a weaker spring on the throttle return on the carb making its "customers" believe the car was much faster. I suppose you could fit 16-inch wheels, by chance I will have a set for sale soon with the useful option of wheel cracking run-flats, and that should get you off the mark a bit quicker but I suspect fuel consumption will take a hit. Or just buy your long-suffering co-pilot a faster car.

Yes I think that is the sensible decision. I just wondered if anyone had done it.
Could be on the lookout for a 3.0i auto instead.

[j3nks79]

You will get very little gains. Maybe 5bhp.

I told her that.
Wondered if any increase in torque would make the difference?

Again very minimal. A remap on a NA engine may get you a smoother power delivery and no flat spots.
But really nothing like mapping a turbo car.

[mmm-five]

Can the auto-boxes on these be remapped...will make it faster without having more power just by having quicker gear changes/higher shift points?

[coldel]

NA remapping for sure is about 'area under the line' and about driveability. Even for turbo cars the peak power figure so often quoted is a pretty useless number day to day when driving the car. You could potentially map the gearbox, maybe, which would make it more sporty and reactive.

I wouldn't dismiss a remap on the basis of a peak power number. Put the car on a dyno run and look at the line, if it is full of flat spots then £300 in reality is peanuts to make the overall drive better, given people throw much more at other useless items like intakes and spoilers etc. I cannot see the problem in spending a bit on making the car better to drive which affects it positively pretty much every second you drive it

[B21]

Can the auto-boxes on these be remapped...will make it faster without having more power just by having quicker gear changes/higher shift points?

That’s a no…

[Zedebee]

Can the auto-boxes on these be remapped...will make it faster without having more power just by having quicker gear changes/higher shift points?

That’s a no…

I’ve asked that question before, same answer. My solution was to retrofit flappy paddles and engage the sport button more often. Doesn’t make the car any faster, but dials up the fun factor.