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Courtenay Sport Stage 1 ECU Remap

Exclusive Courtenay Sport Stage 1 Software Upgrade. Software customising whilst on our rolling road optimising fuelling, full boost and ignition maps, Full Power and Torque Graph Print Outs.

Our Stage 1 upgrade gives much better low end response combined with a smother and flatter torque curve, whilst at the top end we have managed to increase and sustain the power for longer. Alongside this you will also benefit from improved cruise fuel economy. We saw a peak power figure of 342.65 lb ft torque with power rising to 300.07 bhp. Our development car still has quite low miles so we would expect to see a few more bhp as the engine loosens further.

Like all our ECU upgrades the software is installed on your car whilst on our rolling road optimising fuelling, boost and Ignition maps. This enables us to see and rectify any underlying faults or problems and to ensure that the calibration is 100% accurate and safe for your car before handing it back over to you, along with the full power and torque print outs.

£565.00 including full map optimisation, datalogging and Rolling Road Set Up.

Courtenay Sport Stage 1 Remap Graph Astra J VXR

Had something a little different on the Rolling Road this morning……

A 1965 Cortina GT 1500 on twin webbers.

It was just being run up to check fuelling and power and made a respectable 100bhp at the flywheel.

Cortina GT 1500

Cortina GT 1500

Cortina GT 1500

Cortina GT 1500

Courtenay Sport, as part of our development and testing, have run the new Astra GTC VXR on our Dynojet Rolling Road. This car is standard, and has been run as a benchmark. Mapping details will be released soon, along with full details of the 76mm performance exhaust system and intercooler.

Standard Astra GTC VXR Power Run on our Rolling Road

Courtenay Sport mapped Garrett Conversion. The brief was to achieve 500bhp from the mapping and the customer had prepared the car with a Garrett GTx3076 turbo, tubular manifold, 76mm exhaust, 90mm air flow meter, 680cc injectors, High Flow Inlet Inlet Manifold, Courtenay Klasen cams, Forge Race Intercooler, Mocal Oil Cooler, Sachs Uprated Clutch and Uprated Cera Metallic Paddle Disc and Lightweight Flywheel.

Another question we are constantly being asked is about remapping and correct set up and why this is better than a hand held unit.

Many people like the convenience of installing a map from a hand held unit (and are often ‘sold’ the same results as bespoke mapping, which invariably is not the case), but without checking it or seeing what it is doing for the car, the results are simply ‘hit and miss’. Put simply unless ecu software is properly checked and optimised to each car, you are unlikely to get the results you are expecting (or have been sold!)

Here’s a graph for an Astra VXR which we were asked to dyno which had a lower front mounted intercooler fitted, a full 70mm Remus Exhaust System and an unchecked map from a hand held unit. The resulting dyno figures show the map gave worse results than the factory software (where we have seen 270bhp on a car with exhaust and intercooler fitted):

Astra VXR Competitor Stage 3 : Before

This set up, correctly mapped should really have been producing at least 285bhp, not 252bhp!!

At the customer’s request, we changed the intercooler for one of our Full Height Front Mounted VXRacing Intercoolers and fitted a full 76mm system. Once properly remapped, datalogged and set up on the rolling road we achieved:

Astra VXR Courtenay Sport Stage 3 : After

And finally here are the before and after graphs, showing the differences. Much more power and torque right across the rev range, which will totally transform the drive of the car:

Astra VXR Stage 3 Comparison

On more than one occasion we have extolled the virtues of a good, free flowing 76mm sports exhaust system for Astra VXR to get the best performance results out of remapping correctly.

Well here is another classic example……..

The car in question is an Astra VXR 2.0 Turbo which was fitted with a Stage 1.5 Hybrid K04 turbo (with exhaust wheel cut back), a large full height front mounted intercooler and a ‘one-off’ made to the car exhaust system which in places reduced to 50-57mm.

Once mapped the results were as follows:

Astra VXR Stage 3 : Poor Exhaust System : Before

Results: 278 bhp and 318 lb ft torque.

Upon examining all the evidence from the rolling road and datalogging, we concluded that the exhaust system was the limiting factor. Some might say it was easy for us to blame the exhaust (which we didn’t supply)….. why could it not be the installed software??

Well, we could comfortably rule out software based on the fact that all our maps are optimised on the rolling road and datalogged. so we knew we couldn’t get any more ignition timing into the software or take any more fuel out (without risking safety).

So we had the car back a couple of months later and fitted our full 76mm sports exhaust system, changed nothing else and ran the car back on the same rolling road, resulting in the following:

Astra VXR Stage 3 : 76mm Exhaust System : After

Yes, no word of a lie results of 305bhp and 348 lb ft torque, aided by the Stage 1.5 hybrid turbo, the full 76mm system and the cold February dyno cell temperatures.

Here is the before and after graph. The gains speak for themselves. Lots more power and torque right across the rev range:

Astra VXR Stage 3 - Good Exhaust vs Poor Exhaust : Before and After Results

So if you are trying to decide on which exhaust system to fit to your Astra VXR, we think we’ve just made the decision much easier for you. A good exhaust system may cost a little more, but you will get the benefits from fitting it.

Courtenay Sport Garrett Conversion. The brief was to achieve 420bhp with Garrett GT3071 turbo, tubular manifold, 76mm exhaust, 80mm air flow meter, 630cc injectors and Courtenay Sport Full Height Intercooler. The 80mm Astra VXR is maxxed out at around 420bhp so the achieved figure was the best achievable using the given components.

Klasen Motors 700bhp Speedster (VX220) Turbo.

Another big power turbo conversion using the new V Band Cast Manifold.

Courtenay Sport 300bhp VX220 2.2 Supercharger Conversion.

Another big power supercharged VX220, this car features an engine rebuild, balancer shaft removal, high lift cams and uses the OE GM Eaton Supercharger.

Astra VXR with V Band Cast Manifold, External Wastegate, Garrett GT3076 Turbo, Courtenay Sport Full Height VXR Intercooler, Courtenay Sport High FLow Inlet Manifold, Full 76mm Exhaust System, 90mm Air Flow Meter, Steel Road, Factory ECU (Bosch 7.6.3 management) bespoke mapped by Courtenay Sport

For this conversion using our new V Band Cast Manifold the brief from our customer was as close to 500bhp as possible but with usable power. We opted for a Garrett GT3076 turbocharger. The car also has our full height VXR intercooler, steel rods, Courtenay Sport High Flow Inlet Manifold and 76mm full exhaust system.

V Band Cast Manifold Astra VXR

V Band Cast Manifold with GT3076

And finally the all important Power Graph:

Astra VXR Power Graph

Following the introduction of our V Band Cast Manifold with external wastegate, here is an example of afinished conversions and graph on a VX220 Turbo.

The manifold has been flow tested to 600bhp and the Tial V Band flanges are much more secure and allow for easier turbo fitment.

V Band Cast Manifold fitted to VX220Turbo

V Band Cast Manifold fitted to VX220Turbo

The VX220Turbo with this V Band Garrett Conversion and GT2871 has also had a full engine rebuild and has had a full 3″ exhaust system and chargecooler system fitted, 80mm air flow meter, high flow injectors, uprated map sensor and uprated clutch and flywheel.

The build spec was for up to 400bhp, the final power output was 398bhp.

VX220 Turbo Power Graph

Courtenay Sport VX220 Turbo with a bespoke Garrett Build, strengthened rebuilt engine, Pro Alloy Chargecooler, full 3 inch exhaust system and full Z20LET engine management mapped by Courtenay Sport….. 360bhp

Courtenay Sport’s latest Supercharged VX220 2.2 16v running Harrop Supercharger, strengthened rebuilt engine, 4 branch stainless steel manifold and full 3 inch exhaust system and full Z20LET engine management. 377bhp

2 Bar Dyno Runs….. 580 bhp at the wheels….. More to Come…..

Courtenay Sport’s mapping engineer Stephan Klasen has a new project underway; An Astra H drag car……..

First dyno runs at 12psi producing 400 bhp. Target horsepower in excess of his Speedster Turbo.

This car should be quick!

We were asked by a customer to diagnose a misfire on his Vectra VXR, which had occurred at around the same time as a set of spark plugs had been replaced.

Initially we checked which plugs were fitted in the front bank (as these are easy to check) and also to check the plug gap, which is critical on mapped cars. At this point all seemed well as the plugs were iridium ones, and they were correctly gapped.

Running the car on the rolling road (with full datalogging facilities) the car did indeed have a misfire running the ecu remap that was installed. As the plugs seemed fine, wondering if software had anything to do with the misfire we mapped back to standard (as the customer had brought his hand held unit with him) and ran the car again. The misfire had gone.

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over just a 3″ (76mm) cat back exhaust system.

Had an Astra VXR in today, for an additional exhaust upgrade.

The car had previously been to us, not many weeks ago, for an ecu remap and rolling set up, having already had our 3″ (76mm) Cat back exhaust system fitted but running a standard pre-cat and main cat set up.

Our customer asked how to get further improvements out of his car and we suggested the addition of our 3″ (76mm) exhaust front section (straight through downpipe and cat), which removes the pre cat completely and utilises a motorsport main catalyst (all still UK MOT emissions friendly), making a full system.

Once the front exhaust section was fitted and the map altered on the rolling road, the differences are clear………..

Astra VXR Before and After Graph

Bear in mind, this car already had our 76mm cat back system fitted, so we were only adding the first half of the exhaust system, but the graph shows how restrictive the standard pre-cat and main cat are.

Gains across the rev range are: torque 20-30 lb ft, power 10-20 bhp and at 6,300 rpm a massive 30 bhp gain.

What’s more it completely transforms the car on the road.

Had another Astra 1.9 SRi CDTi (150PS) in on the rolling road today.

What a fantastic car and engine combination. An ecu remap resulted in nice and safe 185 bhp with 330 lb ft torque; more than enough to trade blows with an Astra VXR! Plus 50 miles per gallon.

A remapped Astra H CDTi SRi (with a rear ARB and DAP spring set) has got to be the best cross-country hack around at the moment. Great chassis, plenty of go and it will leave your fuel card (credit card) in your wallet for that little bit longer!!

A customer asked for his Astra VXR to have a run up on our rolling road the other day, as he had recently bought it and was curious about the power and torque output of the car which was running a full 2.5″ Milltek exhaust system and an off the shelf ecu flash.

The ecu reflash had been carried out by an authorised dealer however it had not been check on a rolling road (as the installer did not have one).
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