D4/5 tuning- Interesting..

[DeZemBer]

No polestart lover here?

[Quacker]

Tuning boxes, which plug in between the rail pressure sensor and the car's harness, only really modify the signal from the rail's sensor in order to cheat the system into raising the rail fuel pressure and similar for turbo pressure. No all boxes modify the boost pressure. There are more sophisticated systems that plug into the harness between each fuel injector and these can alter the duration and timing of injection as well as fuel pressure. Steinbauer comes to mind as a company that can supply both types for many engines. https://www.steinbauer.cc/gb/products/

Mapping is more effective. However many ECU's [most even?] can no longer be simply flashed with a modified engine map that overwrites the original. In many cases the ECU has to be opened and the chip unsoldered and removed to be flashed, before re-soldering and closing again. This is not a trivial exercise. Not sure about that that box that fits on the OEBD socket inside the passenger's compartment. It's an intriguing concept of which I have no experience whatsoever. I have used tuning boxes on various cars and plant equipment and they work well on some, hopeless on others and pull up error codes on the dash of yet other vehicles. I also mapped my Q7 and it was brilliant. It transformed the performance of that car in a very positive way, bringing the performance up to equal that of post-facelift vehicles with the more powerful factory engine. It did actually improve fuel economy slightly, but not by as much as indicated on the dash display.

Personal opinion but I would be more inclined to risk one of these on an engine that was not already at the top end of power output for that engine family. That means I would maybe try it on a D4 but not on a D5.

I have got Polestar on my XC90. The power output hardly changes but the gearbox map does. Yes it is noticeable, for the first couple of days, then you forget what it was like previously, which was perfectly good but slightly different. Polestar is about to make available a new version with 'overboost', which is a temporary, 15 second approximately, serious increase in power. Useful for overtaking up hills one supposes. This is also apparently being offered as a free upgrade for people who bought Polestar in 2018 and makes the Polestar upgrade look like much better value for money than it was. More bang for the buck.

[MidnightT4]

Originally Posted by Berkshirebob

I’ve only tried 2 boxes in the past. both caused issues after a few thousand miles and one rinsed through fuel at an alarming rate. They’ve always been the easier/cheaper option to a remap - not at the prices they are charging now though!!

I’d never heard of SA Tuning until a week or so ago when a another tuning company Rabbid/the tuning society posted the anti-tuning box video. It has now gone viral (in the world of car tuning at least).

I don’t care where my remap comes from, handy that these guys offer a device to load/remove it yourself. They are only re-sellers for this other company DImsport, again who I’d never heard of. After a bit of investigation it seems every single remapping company on earth uses either hardware or software made by them.

I don’t know that much technically about it all but every forum on every car ever made has a tuning box thread where they are eventually exposed as junk.

Yes you can sell the box on eBay when you change your car but the mapping tool is yours for life. Buy a new car and (currently) its £110.00 for a new map.


All of this is a crock of sh*t though cause the poxy thing can’t do my car (for the time being at least)!!

Yes - I’m still very gutted. ;-)

So the ECU is basically locked then?

I would ave the same issue. Unlucky that it didn't work as did look a good option instead of getting bummed by Polestar for a gearbox tweak

[LordLucan]

Originally Posted by MidnightT4

.... instead of getting bummed by Polestar for a gearbox tweak

Possible quote of the week?

[Berkshirebob]

Originally Posted by MidnightT4

So the ECU is basically locked then?

I would ave the same issue. Unlucky that it didn't work as did look a good option instead of getting bummed by Polestar for a gearbox tweak

I’m still yet to hear back from the tuning firm. I’ve also emailed the manufacturer directly and started a dialogue with them.

I’ll keep you updated...

[Quacker]

Here is Steinbauer's module for the XC90. It is not the type that increases rail fuel pressure or boost pressure but does extend the injection duration, and therefore quantity of fuel. I suspect that driven hard, it increases exhaust has temperature compared to a standard engine. Probably with no ill effect to the engine as long as the duration of full power operation is short. It is probably the way that Polestar's new power boost works, although it might also increase boost pressure and only for a short time-limited duration.

https://www.steinbauer.cc/gb/product...73kw__5ty/cuS/

There is no link between me and the company and I have no personal experience of their products but do know that they are very popular and possibly market leaders in the commercial vehicle, agricultural and car tuning sector in the UK and abroad.

[LordLucan]

Originally Posted by Quacker

https://www.steinbauer.cc/gb/product...73kw__5ty/cuS/

Thanks for the link. I have emailed them yesterday to see if the unit they offer for other D4 engined cars would work on the V90 D4. No response as of yet.

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by LordLucan

Thanks for the link. I have emailed them yesterday to see if the unit they offer for other D4 engined cars would work on the V90 D4. No response as of yet.

Steinbauer have 'local' agents.
I have a contact number in my phone from many years ago for a Jason, who was the agent for Wales, which might be near enough to you. No idea whether he's still an agent but he was very committed, having a fully liveried van and a dynamometer [probably a PTO one not a wheel type].

07515851696

Give it a go. You have nothing to lose. Steinbauer itself is based in Austria. As I said I have no personal experience but they really are the top brand for this kind of thing.
My guess is that if the D4 is of the same engine family, the current one, then their unit for one will work across the model range for that engine.

[GlasgowXC90]

Originally Posted by Quacker

Tuning boxes, which plug in between the rail pressure sensor and the car's harness, only really modify the signal from the rail's sensor in order to cheat the system into raising the rail fuel pressure and similar for turbo pressure. No all boxes modify the boost pressure. There are more sophisticated systems that plug into the harness between each fuel injector and these can alter the duration and timing of injection as well as fuel pressure. Steinbauer comes to mind as a company that can supply both types for many engines. https://www.steinbauer.cc/gb/products/

Mapping is more effective. However many ECU's [most even?] can no longer be simply flashed with a modified engine map that overwrites the original. In many cases the ECU has to be opened and the chip unsoldered and removed to be flashed, before re-soldering and closing again. This is not a trivial exercise. Not sure about that that box that fits on the OEBD socket inside the passenger's compartment. It's an intriguing concept of which I have no experience whatsoever. I have used tuning boxes on various cars and plant equipment and they work well on some, hopeless on others and pull up error codes on the dash of yet other vehicles. I also mapped my Q7 and it was brilliant. It transformed the performance of that car in a very positive way, bringing the performance up to equal that of post-facelift vehicles with the more powerful factory engine. It did actually improve fuel economy slightly, but not by as much as indicated on the dash display.

Personal opinion but I would be more inclined to risk one of these on an engine that was not already at the top end of power output for that engine family. That means I would maybe try it on a D4 but not on a D5.

I have got Polestar on my XC90. The power output hardly changes but the gearbox map does. Yes it is noticeable, for the first couple of days, then you forget what it was like previously, which was perfectly good but slightly different. Polestar is about to make available a new version with 'overboost', which is a temporary, 15 second approximately, serious increase in power. Useful for overtaking up hills one supposes. This is also apparently being offered as a free upgrade for people who bought Polestar in 2018 and makes the Polestar upgrade look like much better value for money than it was. More bang for the buck.

This new version of Polestar does look interesting -

https://engineered.polestar.com/uk/p...automatic-2018


The increase in torque on overboost is pretty hefty - 354nm -> 520nm. 20 sec of overboost would cover almost any conceivable situation where you require to use WOT.

I wonder how it works in practice.

[Deman77]

Smth wring with their numbers. Stock engine peaks at 500 torques.