[Stealth_i30]

Hi everyone been on here for awhile and love reading all your posts. Thought it might be time to get involved and ask a question. I have a 85kw 255nm 1.6litre diesel automatic and was getting curious if I  should install a tuning box. I get around 6.4 lt per 100 km combined driving but wouldn't mind a liitle more power but more so want it for fuel savings as we all know the cost of living isn't going down with this government. Can anyone advise me on what works and if they are safe for long term use ie gearbox engine turbo? I have read the articles on here and found a few of you use the race chip but no idea if saving fuel.

 Any info helps thanks

[Dazzler]

Welcome Stealth.. Glad you are enjoying the site  Here is my 10c worth

Fuel savings have been mentioned (but not proven) by some owners who have chipped or added a tuning box.. others have noticed no difference economy wise and I think a few have reported worse economy.

Even if there is a small fuel saving, even a cheap (say $200) box is going to take a while to pay for itself... If you have an accident (that is not even your fault) and you are found to have a tuning box connected it could void your Insurance or Warranty (unlikely but possible)

Sorry to be a party pooper.. I'm sure other may be more positive 

[Stealth_i30]

Ok thanks for that!    Anyone else's opinions are still welcome
Good point about possible void of insurance cover, hadn't really looked into it that way. May try call them to find out if they cover that mod?

In regards to gaining back the cost of tuning box I can see what you mean. I drive up to 600km a week and only get 730km per tank due to Sydney traffic when driving gently so any benefit would be welcome. The ability to have some extra torque for overtaking might be of use? If it's true that you can get another 50 nm or so is another thing I guess

[Dazzler]

I don't know how much extra oomph you will get with an auto diesel (I didn't pick up it was an auto to start with) Have you done many kilometres yet? Did you buy it new?

A couple have had issues with the auto box in the Diesel so putting that under extra stress might not be a great idea either.. If you start to notice a lag in take up of reverse in particular, keep an eye on it..

[Keith]

Tuning boxes are very popular over here in the UK.

I had an ECU re-map which is software embeded but pretty similar.

I'd say look for an Economy built tuning box. Most (including me) wanted performance & I got it... almost 200Bhp with 264 ft lbs of torque from my previous car, a 1.9 diesel MJet.

Economy... well if I constantly used the power I had it ate tyres... and used more fuel...

I had no other transmission problems at all but this was a Fiat... I cant see the Hyundai being less resilient but when you upgrade power you have to use it sensibly.

Definitely declare any tuning mods... it added £34 per year to my insurance premium..

[syecadelic]

Personally would advice getting the ECU re-mapped, its catered for your exact car, and if done by a professional will last. Improved smoother acceleration and better turbo response.

Fuel efficiency will differ on how you drive it. Assuming you want to add the box for a bit more poke/power?
So having this added poke/power means your right foot will become heavier, going faster etc, enjoying more acceleration, therefore canceling out your new idea of better efficiency.

Understand?

p.s Welcome, also, think theres been a few other threads about this, have a wee nosey around, (=

[2i30s]

the way a tuning box works on a petrol engine is it tricks the ecu into thinking the engine is running at a temperature lower than what it really is,i can only assume a diesel works on the same principle. one of my friends has a 6cyl turbo petrol engine with a tuning box fitted running just under 350kw. the performance shop that fitted it told him if he drove the car hard all the time his engine would have a very short life. but I'm not sure about a diesel tuning box.

[Shambles]

I bought one (see here) to see if it would help me to get "off the mark" quicker (I've got manual trans); the first 20,000 miles or so I was unhappy how sluggish 1st/2nd gear were before I fitted it. Once plugged in, I experienced amazing low end boost and seemed to get better economy too.

Ultimately I removed it as the beast improved all by itself. That, plus I was always conscious of the fact that should I be involved in an accident, it would be "discovered" and any claim I might need to make could be annulled.

[syecadelic]

, it would be "discovered" and any claim I might need to make could be annulled.

That is the joys of a remap on the ECU, its not visible.
Even if looked at on the diagnostics, its very hard to know if its been changed, you would have to compare to cars the same, side by side, 1 with a map, one without it.

(I was told this from a Hyundai master technician)

[AlanHo]

I wonder what happens if you have a remap - then during service or a fault repair - the dealer re-sets the ECU to default settings.

You would surely lose the performance enhancement remap and have to have it done over again

I know that my ECU was remapped when the dealer fitted cruise control and they told me that they would have to do this again if ever the ECU was set to default settings.

[syecadelic]

I wonder what happens if you have a remap - then during service or a fault repair - the dealer re-sets the ECU to default settings.

You would surely lose the performance enhancement remap and have to have it done over again

I know that my ECU was remapped when the dealer fitted cruise control and they told me that they would have to do this again if ever the ECU was set to default settings.

Re-re-mapping it isnt as time consuming, as the file of your firmware (ECU) is saved normally on the pro's computer. So it takes very short time to revert it, or put it back on

[Stealth_i30]

Dazz I have had my car since brand new it's now got 58,000km on it. Haven't heard about problems with gearbox. Is it from abuse or too much power?

So has anyone on this forum with a auto i30 diesel used a tuning box? If so what and was it really worth it? Any issues?

[Dazzler]

Dazz I have had my car since brand new it's now got 58,000km on it. Haven't heard about problems with gearbox. Is it from abuse or too much power?

Well there was this one:- https://www.i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=9532.msg110057#msg110057

and this one...

https://www.i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=11510.msg128524#msg128524

[Stealth_i30]

Thanks for the links dazz

[Dazzler]

Thanks for the links dazz

Fairly rare as a % (thankfully) 

[ijet30]

I hear that www.chipit.com.au have a good chip for the i30