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by Zizzle 3894 days ago
I recently put a turbo on my van since I live high in the mountains where the atmospheric pressure is low and the performance loss is noticeable.

Of course the ECU needs adjustments to the fuelling tables (you need to run rich under boost to prevent detonation), spark timing tables, as well as a patch to the OS to allow the use of a different manifold pressure sensor (default OS doesn't recognise press above 100kpa).

I guess this was illegal.

I have heard rumblings from the professional engine tuners that the OEMs are already starting to lock down ECUs. Not only via DRM, but by having enough checks in the code that modifying parameters to up performance results in error codes and limp home mode. They expect to be having to go to after market ECUs soon.

Some of them would have cost more than my whole project:

https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_systems/fuel_injection/...

Fortunately there are more DIY friendly set ups:

http://megasquirt.info/products/diy-kits/

But it seems a waste to have to throw away a perfectly good ECU because the OEM (or gov) decided to lock it down.

2 comments

I'm a dealer for Holley ECU products. They're fantastic! But you are correct, people in my industry are now forced to tell the modern hot rodder that step one (for the most part) is purchasing a $1200+ computer replacement plus rewiring their car in order to do anything.
You can modify your ECU all you want so long as it doesn't have any DRM-like protections.