Modified ECU To Suit Fuel?

MinesGT · 08-20-2005

Have noticed on previous threads that the fuel in the US is rated at about 87 to about 93? where in the UK we are using 97!. Based on this, a UK company has been offering to modify the Engine Control Unit to suit the fuel, and, along with a filter change (don't know which brand) will up the HP from 300 to 370. All for the princely sum of £400 ($700 approx). Whilst it all looks good on paper, can anyone see any potential pitfalls ? (other than more speeding tickets!)
Is this type of mod popular in the US?

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'05 GT
Black/Black
Manual
IUP
Shaker 1000
AAT
M/C alloys

**pcfrisch** · 08-20-2005

you are being taken for a ride, you are not going to get 70 more HP from a new filter and a tune.

eyelleye · 08-21-2005

Sounds like BS to me. Honestly, I'd order a "tuner" such as that diablo one or the xcalibrator one before I'd hand over some buckaroos for that. I agree with PCFrisch on this one... them "blokes" are taking you for a ride.

66stang351 · 08-21-2005

You guys have to remember he is in the UK things cost more over there. Here a 91 octane tune in a diablo costs 400 and a CAI cost 2-300. If you find a package you can get it for 5-600. So 700 for a 97 octane tune and a CAI is a pretty good deal.

My wife and I just bought a digital camera for her dad in England it cost 300 to buy it here from Amazon.com. On Amazon.uk it cost 250 pounds which is over 400 dollars.

MinesGT · 08-22-2005

Many thanks for your thoughts, I shall be asking the tuner for proof of the HP increase, i was just concerned if there were any long term problems with "fiddling" with the engine management system.

Its a long way to come and get replacement parts!!!!!!!

Cheers!

alkaline3 · 08-22-2005

Just want to chime in here with an "important point"... hopefully somebody who has a better handle on this stuff can flesh it out a bit:

There are 2 (probably more) ways to measure Octane, RON and MON. RON is the fuel's octane rating (resistance to knocking) under normal load conditions and MON is the fuel's octane rating (resistance to knocking) under severe load. Typically they work out to something like MON + 10 = RON. In Europe (and I assume the UK as well) they rate their gas using RON, while in North America we use ((RON + MON)/2 ... aka the average of the two)

Using the above, the 97 UK fuel would be rated (87+97)/2= 92 here. So essentially, you want to talk to the guys running the 93 octane tune in North America. I assume since it's a local tuner/company that they'd be tuning for 97 UK octane... tuning for our 97 and then using your 97 would lead to disaster. Hope that helps a little!