Get a Complete overview of Stage 1 Tuning for your Car

by Andrew Gilcrist Highly passionate about cars, car modifications an

There are different stages of ECU tuning and each stage involves some particular processes for enhancing the performance of a vehicle. Here’s a detailed explanation of the first stage of tuning or what is commonly termed stage 1 tuning.

One of the most confusing things you may come across when you start taking interest in ECU tuning or car tuning is the different stages of tuning or remapping. While the basic meaning of stage is quite simple in the case of car tuning as well, what is involved in the different stages of ECU remapping is not. Here, in this article, you will get to know about the first stage or the stage 1 tuning.

Things and techniques explained in this article about the stage 1 car tuning are applicable for both the non-turbocharged and the turbocharged engines.

First, let's get to know what stage tuning is.

A stage here represents the set of upgrades that need to be fine at a time as per the condition of the vehicle and how serious the vehicle problems are. And each set of upgrades are fitted as a set only at each stage. A stage can also tell you how far or how much your car has been turned. For instance, stage 2 tuning represents a more tuned vehicle than the first stage or stage 1. Now, where you may get more confused is that what these stages mean and how it can be done depending on the condition of the vehicle and based on the observation or recommendations of the tuner.

What one remapper will suggest after checking your car and understanding its problems may be different than what another tuner may recommend. However, there are some general rules and steps that need to be considered while performing things in each stage of remapping. Here, you will get to know everything about the first stage or the stage 1 tuning.

Stage 1 Tuning:

Stage 1 remapping or tuning involves a series of modifications which can be fitted to the car through advanced technology or more specifically ECU remapping. Stage 1 is the first stage of ECU tuning and this stage includes remaps that include engine, exhaust, and air intake upgrades, which leaves the actual catalytic converters in place. One can make all the changes for good power gains in stage 1 remapping.

But getting these done by reliable and professional remappers is important as these are not as simple as they may seem to you and need expertise in it. Different vehicle models come with different engine features and different kinds of issues that need to be addressed or remapped correctly right from stage 1 only. Here’s the checklist of what is done in stage 1 remapping.

Engine remapping:

Upgrading a modern vehicle often starts with a proper remap these days. This is defined as the process of making some adjustments to the ECU of the vehicle engine. The ECU basically controls the ignition timing, spark, fuel, and turbo boost of the engine. By making some modifications to the factory settings of the ECU, more power, and torque can be unlocked from the vehicle's engine.

Remaps are available in few forms. In the early days, the norm was actually soldering a new chip into the electronic control unit or ECU because of which the process was also called chipping. Nowadays, on most vehicles, this process can be executed via the diagnostic port using a laptop only.

For some vehicles, remapping is not possible but there are many professional remappers or remapping companies that offer a tuning box. These also help.in achieving the same end result by making some modifications to the sensor readings the electronic control unit is seeing from the vehicle engine. Based on the engine, one can get to see a significant increase in power from the software only. However, not all cars will gain the same level of power increase. It greatly depends on the vehicle engine and also on how many spare the vehicle manufacturer has left in.

The vehicle manufacturers leave some limitations on the ECU and the vehicles but with ECU remapping these limitations can be removed. Actually, the software gets better and better as these limitations are removed from the engines and with this, you give the software or the chip more room to breathe.

Air intakes:

Once you start remapping an engine for a higher boost, things like the temperature of the air that is going into that engine, as well as the effect of that on the power of the engine become more crucial. Keeping the vehicle engine fed with an adequate amount of cold air helps to achieve more power as well as maintain that power to the vehicle engine, thereby, trimming the timing and back boost in response to the air that's going into the vehicle engine and is heating up. Actually, a well-designed air intake or induction kit can help to keep the vehicle engine fed with enough cold air.

Increasingly on most modern vehicles, the stock air intake works really well. So, for this stage of tuning, you will just need to fit a performance air filter. And these will drop right into the original airbox and will use a much less restrictive filter material as compared to paper. While the gains are not likely to be as huge with a full air intake, it will certainly not hamper the performance of the vehicle.

Exhausts:

A cat-back exhaust is basically where you start to see the power of your car engine increase even with a stock or standard software. The rear section of the exhaust can be opened up to allow more gas to flow through it, resulting in an increase in the amount of air that a turbo can push or pump through the vehicle engine. De-restricting the exhaust simultaneously with upping the boost must see the advantages of both working together in order to give more torque and power to the engine.

What else should you upgrade in stage 1 tuning? Along with what is mentioned above, upgrading the brakes, tyres, clutch, and suspension is important to ensure to get smooth driveability, increased power, more potential, and improved performance of the engine and the overall vehicle.

Andrew Gilcrist is an expert car remapper associated with a renowned ECU remapping company, ATF-Remapping. The author has written this article to give you a clear and detailed idea of what is stage 1 tuning and what all it involves.