TECH TALK
Remapping enhancing the performance of your motorhome Jeremy Howell explains more
P
eople often find that their motorhome struggles to maintain speed when faced with a steep hill or a head wind: not surprising given their size and the fact that most motorhomes are close to the maximum allowable weight of the base vehicle. The result is lots of gear changing, and difficulty in making steady progress. Fortunately, these issues can be overcome with a simple modification. By modifying the engine’s software, your motorhome can become more economical, stronger, with better response when climbing hills, require much less gear changing, be much more positive moving off at junctions and generally give a more enjoyable drive. But I don’t need my motorhome to go faster! Of course not: motorhomes really aren’t designed to be thrown around at speed! Remapping a motorhome is all about improving driveability and driving pleasure. It’s about not having to worry about maintaining cruise speed when you reach an incline or headwind. It removes the worry about whether or not you can climb a steep hill up to the campsite without dropping down into 1st gear and maybe getting a few more miles per gallon too. It’s about modifying the engine management to better suit the particular needs of a motorhome. 50 MOTOR CARAVANNER October 2021
Remap being carried out on a 2019 Peugeot Boxer 2.0HDi based Motorhome by linking to its diagnostic socket (OBD).
So, how is re-mapping done? For the majority of vehicles, the process is carried out within 2 hours at your home. It’s not normally necessary to take your motorhome to a workshop and the process is quite simple: 1. A technician will come to your location, carry out a simple diagnostic check on your vehicle – remapping should only be carried out on a healthy vehicle – and take a copy of all the unique engine management files and data held on your vehicle's ECU (engine control unit). 2. These files are modified to provide a personalised upgrade, developed and written for your individual vehicle. This can include any
specific requests, such as better fuel economy, good torque for towing a car, etc. The original files are kept so that the vehicle can be returned to original if required. 3. When complete, the re-mapped files are programmed back onto your vehicle's ECU. Then after a final check, the vehicle is ready for you. It’s as simple as that. No visible modification is made to the vehicle and you can immediately feel the benefit. The remap can be tailored to your specific needs, but generally they are offered in three different ‘flavours’ for simplicity: • Performance remaps – focus on best possible safe gains on torque and power with some improvement in economy. >>
