WOULD YOU LIKE
CHIPS WITH THAT?
STEP^4
Tickling your diesel for better power – and economy?
Still chasing more power? Time
to tickle that motor’s funny bits- electronically!
HOW DO
PERFORMANCE
MODULES WORK?
“All electronic performance
devices fitted to a diesel engine
increase the amount of fuel
injected into the combustion
chamber to achieve greater
output,” Andrew from Diesel
Care explains. “Some change
other things too such as
turbocharger pressure.”
“Vehicle manufacturers are
able to achieve what a module
can by programming the
Electronic Control Unit (ECU).
It’s fair to say that all modern
diesel engines have their output
limited to a certain point by the
manufacturer even though the
engine can safely have higher
output. There may be various
reasons for this; to be onthe conservative side to only
allow the engine to work at an
easy rate, or to allow room for
the next update model vehicle
to have improved
performance.”CAN YOU DIY-FIT A
PERFORMANCE
MODULE?
As 4WDers we love getting
our hands dirty, and working
on our vehicles ourselves.
That inherent dis-trust of
electronics could largely be
negated if we can fit ‘em
ourselves, and understand
how they work in case
anything goes wrong out bush.
So is a performance module a
DIY job?
“Once again I’m speaking for
Steinbauer here,” Andrew
mentions. “In most cases yes,
but this depends on the vehicle.
Installation can be very easy;taking just a few minutes, or
quite tedious, taking hours – it
varies between models of
vehicles. We can advise people
if their particular vehicle is DIY
or better left to a dealer to fit.”HOW BUSH-PROOF
ARE THEY?
Speaking of things going
wrong out bush... just
how tough are
performance modules
considering we like
throwing our 4WDs at
every bog hole we can
find? And if something
does go wrong, what
happens – are you left
stranded out in the
middle of nowhere with
a dead vehicle or can it
be limped home again?
“A ny ele c tr onic
device can fail,” Andrew
says. “In the case ofSteinbauer; if the module fails,
in most cases the engine
operates at standard power but
runs normally. The exception to
this is if the common rail
injectors are Piezo operated. In
this case the engine will stop.
However by unplugging the
harness from the injectors the
engine can then be started.”BEHIND THE
WHEEL: SEAT-OF-
THE-PANTS
RESULTS“The seat of the pants “feel”
depends on the vehicle, but 20%
more power & torque is
certainly noticeable, especially
when towing. Also
performance off the mark is
noticeable, the vehicle feels
more eager with less turbo
lag,” Andrew explains.Even^ the^ big^ V^8 Cruisers^
massively^ benefit^ from^ a^
performance^ moduleThere are few better
modern d ways^ to^ get^ aiesel singing than (^) wit
aftermarket (^) perfor h^ an
mance module
D
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