A company recently came to my attention, as being able to deliver the 'holy-grail' of mods desired by many of us in the STR community, the pièce de résistance of any modded STR, yes, the ECU TUNE!

The company is 'Eurocharged', and they appear to operate internationally, with official dealers and offices around the globe.

I was fortunate enough to have a Eurocharged dealer in my area, so I immediately went about contacting Eurocharged Canada a few weeks ago!

Now, I consider myself someone knowledgeable and experiencing in engine management, and tuning, in aftermarket applications, so I naturally approached eurocharged with scepticism, asking hard questions.

We've had discussion on this forum regarding so-called 'tunes', and needless to say, no one was convinced any legitimate option existed.

How it works: Eurocharged appears to have their own proprietary hardware and software. When I arrived, they hooked up their scanner to read my stock ECU calibration files,
The files are then emailed to Eurocharged headquarters, in Houston, where they are modified (tuned) and sent back. They then load the tuned version using their hardware to your car.

Now I still had a lot of questions and concerns, so Eurocharged Canada informed me the main man himself, Jerry, from eurocharged HQ, will be flying up to Toronto in the coming weeks for a 'dyno day' and spending a few days in Canada to do custom tuning on customer cars.

Jerry is the founder of Eurocharged, the main tuner behind all the tunes they engineer, with one claim-to-fame being the main tuner for all the undergroundracing gallardo's....

Eurocharged Canada phoned me back a few weeks later, informing me Jerry will be in town this Saturday, and he is excited to work with me on the STR,

Jerry proceeded to explain how all their tunes are engineered from many hours of datalogging and tuning of customers cars on the dyno and street.
He has tuned many examples of our 4.2SC jags in the past, and has a good background of data to be able to customize a tune specifically to my application and mods.

After picking his brain extensively, I was left feeling very reassured Jerry knows exactly what he is doing.
He asked me about what mods I had done to the car, specifically, what size pulley I have equipped.

Jerry explained how there are over 4,000 'maps' within the calibration file of my ECU, effecting a very wide range of operating conditions, half of which are modified for the 'tune'. In other words, expect an improvement in performance and fuel economy over an extensive range of engine operation, in both open and closed loop.
According to Jerry, my tune is slightly conservative, and there are gains to still be made if I would like to hook my car up to the dyno and have him further customize it to suit my car.
After loading the tuned calibration onto the ECU, we disconnected the battery for 30 min, and watched a Ford GT dyno 600hp...

I drove the car home from there, trying to identify any immediate changes in power or driveability. So far, it's difficult to draw any conclusions as I simply haven't had much seat time in it yet, and trying not to let my ***-dyno get carried away by any placebo effect.

When I return to the dynamotorsports dyno this coming week, I hope to confirm REAL gains there. I look forward to driving the car some more and hope to pick up on signs of smoother operation, better fuel economy and improved driveability.

Once I have some more data and time spent driving with the new tune, I will share all the results with you guys!

I leave you with a couple of videos on the dyno yesterday:

 

I'm struggling but can you please just point me to your base dyno sheet showing TQ & HP graphs as I can't find it.

 

I will be posting the baseline dyno information later once I have everything sorted. Expect to see complete results in one post coming soon!

edit: the big update with all the dyno results:

Ok guys, my apologies for keeping you all waiting, the Thanksgiving day long weekend really had me sidelined,

So on Friday evening, I returned to the dynamotorsports dynpack dyno, running the same 91 shell V-power, along with near-identical temperature and weather conditions. Same 30 minute drive over with a short cool down prior to the runs.
In terms of peak numbers, the eurocharged tune gained 7.1hp, and 4lb-ft of torque.

If you look closer at the dyno chart, and examine gains at other parts of the powerband, you'll find gains between 10-15lb-ft of torque in a few spots, as well as 10-15hp along the entire run.

This roughly 10-15hp gain is visible and consistent across the whole powerband,

So there you have it folks, not a wild gain, but that was somewhat to be expected. If you look beyond the peak figures, you will see there is a small bump across the whole powerband.

Moving beyond just peak numbers and WOT performance,

Here are some of my observations with the tune over a week now. I've had a chance over the course of a week to drive and really feel out what the tune did for driveability,

I'm not going to bore you guys with the details, but it seems like there has been a small but noted improvement across most driving conditions for me, particularly in the mid-range under throttle. The tune might be taking advantage of the 3lb pulley, as I feel more lively performance from my usual 1,800rpm - 3,200rpm blasts,

On the third pull with the updated tune, we got some pinging around 5,000rpm briefly. Never had the motor ping before, and this may be due to more aggressive timing/whatever. I am going to be stepping up from Shell 91 V-power I usually pump, to sunoco ultra-94, to help guard against detonation. It's possible the ECU might be able to take advantage of the extra octane.

I have also noticed much less gurgling/back-firing/popping from my exhaust on deceleration / engine-braking,

Following clip from dyno with the tune:



Overall, I feel the tune has demonstrated to make more power, maybe not as much as some may have hoped, but about what was reasonably expected,

I have picked up on some small changes in response and performance, particularly in the mid-range, as well as a slightly stronger pull to redline,

Further good news is when it comes to time to tuning around more hardcore mods such as twin-screw upgrade, I can count on Jerry and the eurocharged software to do it.

This is that extra little bit for the STR, and I had a lot of fun over the last week dyno'ing it, testing, and driving it.


EDIT 2:
After going through some datalogs of the dyno runs, I would like to clarify and expand on a few things,

On the third dyno run with the eurocharged tune, we netted 315.4hp / 333.4lb-ft,

This run the dyno operator slightly let off around 5,000rpm due to ping, and did not complete the pull at 100% throttle.

I wouldn't consider this a 'valid' run,

The fourth and following pull, we netted 322.6hp / 332.7lb-ft,

So, lets average the three stock tune runs: 311.4hp / 333.5lb-ft,

Now, lets average the three tuned runs (1, 2, exclude 3, and 4): 322.8hp / 339.2lb-ft

This results in an average gain of 11.4hp and 5.7lb-ft, figures which looks a bit better than the two best before/afters overlaid,

Looking at the each set of three dyno runs, suggests the eurocharged tune puts out more consistent power, a good thing... maybe...

Further more, based on the logs, the dyno operator was trying to avoid the transmission kicking down from 4th to 3rd gear, so he would be about 80-90% throttle into the 4,000+ rpm range,

This sort of effects the peak torque figures as it sort of depends on when the dyno operator chooses to hit it, so take it with a grain of salt, but i believe we could establish a better idea of overall torque gain if it was possible to dyno a little lower in the rpm band,

Some more food for thought fellas,

 

 

Subscribed!

I have a lot of questions but i'm going to wait until we see the before/after runs.

Please show the lambda / AFR's as well as the torque curve of each run, in addition to just the HP.

Thanks!

 

GT42R - May I ask how much all this costs?

BTW - you have a beautiful car.
Steve

 

GT42R, pls excuse this dumb question, but I see that your rear wheels have been removed. Is this the latest technique for doing dynos without damaging tires, or am I missing something?

 

Sounds like we might finally get a tune.

Great documentation! I will wait for the results.
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To answer some questions:

Cost: You're going to love this part guys... Eurocharged has entered the market undercutting a lot of the existing players offering similar tuning services. Eurocharged is VERY BIG among the Benz/AMG crowd, because their tunes have been offering the best gains at the BEST PRICE! Jerry was explaining how their philosophy is to offer a high quality product to their premium-minded customers, without the luxury-tax/mark-up you generally find on mods for these high end brands.
I'm not entirely certain what the official price is on the STR tune, but I believe it is in the $500-$800 range, and some dealers may sell for less, probably worth bargaining. The Eurocharged Canada open-house-dyno-day included a hefty 30% discount, so I'm not sure where the price sits exactly...

Furthermore, Eurocharged Canada for instance, (I'm betting other branches offer something similar), offers a 'tuning package' which includes a supercharger pulley, install, AND tune, for about $899! Eurocharged Canada showed me a few XFR's they done recently with pulley install + tune. This seems like an outstanding value for anyone who wants to do a pulley upgrade on their jag!

- - -

Robin, the rear wheels were removed for my dyno run because it was being tested on a DYNAPACK dyno, which bolts directly up to yours hubs. This is far superior as you don't have to worry about traction issues, strapping down the car, etc,


- - -

Today has been rained out, but rest of the week looks clear, so I hope to be back on the dyno at dynamotorsports as early as Tuesday evening, I will be posting and and analyzing the torque curve on the dyno graphs as soon as possible.
I datalogged ignition, fuel, and other parameters through the OBD2 before the tune, and will compare it to the latest data with the tune as well.

Once I get some more seat-time behind the wheel, I'll have some initial impressions to share as well.

 

I hate to sound negative but if you can't instantly feel a $500 to $800 plus upgrade I'd say maybe it's not worth it.

every car I've had remapped has been instantly obvious.

How much is 100hp nos install?

 

Not necessarily - he may be skeptical and wanting to give it time. I have done dyno proven intake and exhaust modifications to my STR that my butt dyno couldn't read.

GT42R - you are killing me with anticipation. We need to put the ECU tune to rest either way (i.e., whether they serve to gain or not). Thank you for being a guinea pig like I was for Forgestar wheels. Def a contributing member of this forum. HP numbers aside, was this tune capable of bringing you to redline or would you need to alter the computer in something else for that outside of the ECU? Thank you again for researching and testing what may be my next and final modification (I thought I was done lol).

 

You may have misunderstood me, what I'm saying is if I spent 800 bucks on a remap and could not feel the difference I'd regret spending the money and wish I'd have spent it on an upgrade I could feel.

I'm awaiting the dyno and really do hope the are gains.

The are a few people in the UK and on the UK Forum who claim to have had their s type and XJR remapped but I've never seen any proving dyno evidance

 

Looking forward to it!

 

Well, as UnderPressure has noted, immediate impressions of power gains can be elusive.
I too have done the dyno-proven mods, and quite frankly, small gains aren't easy to pick up on.
Heck, I did the 3lb pulley install, which everyone raved about as providing a 'night and day' difference in performance, and quite frankly, that too was barely perceptible (slight exaggeration).

I think this has to do with several factors. For one thing, the STR's powerband and power delivery is exceptionally smooth. The torque curve is flat as hell, hardly peaky and not exactly the kick in the pants feeling from a turbo hitting high boost.
This butter-smooth power delivery through an automatic means you feel a steady pull, and it's not easy to pick up on gains.
Furthermore, I consider myself a bit desensitized, as I am used to some very high-hp cars on a regular basis, and the STR quite frankly is pretty slow and sedate no matter how I look at it.

I'm also really sensitive to placebo effects taking place, so last thing I want to do is come on here, raving about how the tune completely transformed the car, and end up overselling everyone on its gains. I will reserve final judgments until I play with the car a bit more.

I drove the car a bit yesterday, and I am certainly picking up on changes, particularly, in the part throttle blasts between 1,800-3,600rpm, where the car definitely seems more responsive. The upgraded pulley did bring more power to the car down low, and it is entirely possible the tune is taking advantage of additional power available at lower engine speeds/throttle positions that under stock pulley conditions just weren't there.

Based on what Jerry was telling me, 2,000+ of the 4,000 maps within the calibration file have been altered.
What this means to me is expect refined performance over a wide scope of engine operating conditions, including fuel economy improvements, which in itself offsets the cost of the tune over time (however marginally).

If anything, the gains might be even LESS perceptible than one may think. If they did as comprehensive a job to the OVERALL engine calibration as they claim, not just WOT/peak power adjustments, it would stand to reason the power delivery and torque curve was FURTHER smoothed out,
This 'smoothing', if anything, would mask what gains might have been otherwise noticed if they were more crudely implemented.

Regardless, how much additional power can we reasonably expect? I do not focus on PEAK gains either. I will be pouring over the torque curve in great detail, to see if there is a marked difference across a wide range. The factory eaton blower is really at limits even in stock form, so I do NOT expect massive PEAK HP gains; what I do want to see is a bump in and around peak torque.


I still think what eurocharged prices this tune at is a bargain relative to what other guys want (double-to-triple the price) for what seems like vapor-ware in most cases.

I set out to datalog, dyno and test this tune at my cost in order to to enrich the communities understanding and potential benefits of such a product.

Ultimately, it is up to end-user to determine if such a tune is going to be 'worth it'. With all the bolt-ons exhausted for many of us, this tune is the only thing left to count on in helping eek out that last bit of power.

I am the last person you would expect to be an apologist, or try to play down any shortcomings, and I'm not here to sell eurocharged products to anyone. I am just as critical about this sort of thing as the rest of you.

I am going to present and disseminate all my findings to the best of my ability, everyone is free to draw their own conclusions, and the value-proposition of this mod is going to be relative to each individual owner.


- - -

UnderPressure: No problem buddy, I don't mind being the test-subject if it benefits the greater good of the community.
As for 'closer to redline',

As we know, the STR's 6 speed ZF transmission short shifts the first three gears.
One of the first questions I asked Jerry was if he was able to modify the TCM calibration at all, specifically shift points, as it can be flashed through the OBD, and eurocharged offers TCM tuning on other applications.

His answer was that yes, he likely could given some development time, but at the moment, he hasn't any experience doing so with the jaguar 6-speed ZF. Now, whether this means he has modified 6-speed ZF's calibrations on other applications, but not on the jag, or that he hasn't modified ZF calibrations at all, I'm not sure.

Either way, he didn't seem very interested in doing any development on that front. Meanwhile, there is no limit in sight for AMG 63's he has on his plate, so no surprise the super-limited market that is jag tuning isn't a top priority.

I would love to push the issue some more in the future though, and I plan to continue email correspondence with Jerry and see if it is a distant possibility.

 

I really do hope the dyno results show gains and your doing a great job documenting it.

 

Excellent! I have met a local dyno tuner who has the software to tune Jaguars, but he has no experience with them and wants $1300.

 

This is a bit disappointing, but understandable.

There is a glass ceiling when it comes to getting power out of the STR and X350 XJR, and that is the transmission.

Once the engine puts out 600Nm / 443lb-ft torque, the ECU starts to pull back the throttle limiting the torque to exactly that number, to protect the transmission.

These electronic limitations need to be removed if we are going to get any more power out of the STR or X350 XJR than around 465HP / 443lb-ft at the flywheel.

 

Really? Is this limiter part of the TCM programming, or the ECU's? Any documentation I could read?

Do you know how the ECU/TCU estimates torque? load calculation?

Have you logged or ever observed the ECU hitting these limiters with your current set of mods?

Wonder if this limiter, if it is in the ECU, was address by eurocharged in my case?

Not sure if 443lb-ft's of torque is something I hit even at peak torque, let alone come anywhere close to that near redline,

i figure avos in his testing of the twin screw kit is more likely to have come across this for sure in that case?

 

He has the Merc 5 speed in his xkr.

 

The limiter is not specifically documented anywhere that I can find, but believe me it's there. I've seen it with my own eyes.

Not sure. There is no specific "torque sensor" that I can find either on the engine or in the transmission. According to this document "the TCM receives information about engine torque" but I can't see where it get's that information from. Maybe it's calculated by the ECU based on air/fuel/rpm data. Maybe it's measured in the transmission somehow. I don't know.

It wasn't my car that flat-lined. It was another XJR.

Let's hope so eh? You should ask them about this.

My engine did 410lb-ft at ~3600rpm, with stock cats, stock exhaust, a collapsed rear muffler, 3lb pulley, intake elbow, K&N filter, stock tune, 100RON fuel & 100'000miles on the clock. You've done the cats & exhaust, now with a tune it should be well over 440lb-ft at the flywheel. Which is why I want to see the torque curve

Yes, he most definitely has!

I've probably said more than I should have. But it's very important that these torque limits (ECU, TCM or both) are removed. If Eurocharged can do it, then we are finally getting somewhere.