Jasons `Economy` tune
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 1:35 am
I use my 3.0d for towing in addition to the usual driving. I usually average about 23mpg, towing at 60mph.
Spoke to Jason a few months ago and as I live nowhere near him, we agreed that the best option was for him to send me a programmer, I`d send him the default map which he then tweaked.
He gave me 2 maps to try, the usual increased `power and a bit of economy` map or a `pure economy` map.
Initially, I flashed the `performance` map onto the ECU and drove out to Germany. I averaged 24mpg, but the biggest improvement was much increased mid-range performance. Overtaking was even easier than usual. The car pulled noticeably better.
For the return journey, I flashed the `economy` map onto the ECU. This gace a noticeable decrease in performance, especially compared to the power map, but the upside was reduced consumption, I was getting 25mpg now, occasionally rising to 26 after some careful driving.
I have done a lot of towing and 23mpg was the average when towing many thousands of miles. The power map gave a 1mpg improvement and the economy one gave a 2mpg (sometimes 3mpg) improvement over stock.
Normal driving also seems better, I can easily get 32-35 on a long run, managing 37 during a 140 mile round trip on the A1 the other week.
Overall, for me, the economy map was the way to go. It will pay for itself within 12 months and to be honest, with the cost of filling up the X5, any improvement is useful !
The car has done 91,000 miles and I`m conscious (I`m sure totally unwarranted) about putting extra strain on the gearbox when towing. I have no experience of engines or gearboxes suffering from the effects of mapping. Heck, my track car, properly mapped, spends its life being thrashed and it very reliable. If I wasn`t towing as much, I`d definately have stuck with the `power` map, the drive was definately better, but I just wanted to err on the side of caution seeing as I tow a very unaerodynamic 2te load quite regularly.
Would I recommend Jason ? Absolutely. Not only did he do a great job at a very competitive price, but he was pleasant to deal with and always had time to answer my questions. The map-by-email worked perfectly, he discussed my needs, the revs I usually drive and and tweaked the map to suit.
I`m a very satisfied customer.
Spoke to Jason a few months ago and as I live nowhere near him, we agreed that the best option was for him to send me a programmer, I`d send him the default map which he then tweaked.
He gave me 2 maps to try, the usual increased `power and a bit of economy` map or a `pure economy` map.
Initially, I flashed the `performance` map onto the ECU and drove out to Germany. I averaged 24mpg, but the biggest improvement was much increased mid-range performance. Overtaking was even easier than usual. The car pulled noticeably better.
For the return journey, I flashed the `economy` map onto the ECU. This gace a noticeable decrease in performance, especially compared to the power map, but the upside was reduced consumption, I was getting 25mpg now, occasionally rising to 26 after some careful driving.
I have done a lot of towing and 23mpg was the average when towing many thousands of miles. The power map gave a 1mpg improvement and the economy one gave a 2mpg (sometimes 3mpg) improvement over stock.
Normal driving also seems better, I can easily get 32-35 on a long run, managing 37 during a 140 mile round trip on the A1 the other week.
Overall, for me, the economy map was the way to go. It will pay for itself within 12 months and to be honest, with the cost of filling up the X5, any improvement is useful !
The car has done 91,000 miles and I`m conscious (I`m sure totally unwarranted) about putting extra strain on the gearbox when towing. I have no experience of engines or gearboxes suffering from the effects of mapping. Heck, my track car, properly mapped, spends its life being thrashed and it very reliable. If I wasn`t towing as much, I`d definately have stuck with the `power` map, the drive was definately better, but I just wanted to err on the side of caution seeing as I tow a very unaerodynamic 2te load quite regularly.
Would I recommend Jason ? Absolutely. Not only did he do a great job at a very competitive price, but he was pleasant to deal with and always had time to answer my questions. The map-by-email worked perfectly, he discussed my needs, the revs I usually drive and and tweaked the map to suit.
I`m a very satisfied customer.
