Engine remapping, chip boxes...?

[benlovesgoddess]

Hello all!
Great to find this site, wish I had done 10 years ago when I started working out my mpg...
Anyway! I have a Hyundai i20 1.1 crdi blue drive, I would love to get its mpg figure at least close to the one claimed.....has anyone here had their engine remapped to get better mpg? Did it work? Do I risk invalidating my warranty and losing the remaining 4 and a half years at discovery upon my first service...? I was initially looking at a plug in and removable chip box, but other internet forums rubbished them in favour of a full engine remap.
Cheers, Ben

[Draigflag]

Hi there, I have a plug in remap on my car, gave an extra 35 HP and has improved economy too. I prefer the piggy back box as it's easy to remove should you wish to claim anything on warranty. It can be a grey area though, some garages dont mind upgrades, others will try and say your warranty on engine and transmission is void, but to be honest, trying to prove a fault was caused by a remap would be difficult! Most places understand this is a popular upgrade now, but you could always ring a few up and ask thier opinion.

They are very reliable, I have done 35,000 miles with mine and had no related problems. Im assuming you are targeting around 88 MPG?

[benlovesgoddess]

Thanks! Yes, I not unreasonably expected to hit that 88 (I had a '93 1.9 ZX diesel that averaged mid 70s, hitting 80 mpg once!) - best I've had from the Hyundai is 77 and averaged 61. You'd think such a small engine would at least reach 80 to the gallon. Much as i'd love the promised extra mpg from a box or a remap, the i20 was bought for the mpg and warranty (my last car was a Rover, it has left me with trust issues), any fault or dealer hassle wouldn't be worth it. I'll need to investigate further. Anyway, what a beautiful day!

[Draigflag]

Just a theory, but possibly as the engine is quite small, you have to work it harder than a large engine, thus reducing fuel consumption. High figures can be acheived though, take a look at the MPG 2013 Marathon results, most cars got between 60 and 108 MPG using hypermiling techniques.

[benlovesgoddess]

Thanks, yes, I thought the same, but looking at the figures my i20 at 74 has a half dozen more horses than the ZX, and torque is listed at 112 lb-ft compared to 89 lb-ft for the Citroen (though I'll admit I don't fully understand the change between high and low torque...if that has a bearing on it). The Hyundai sits just below 2,000 rpm at 56 mph, which I'm pretty sure is the same as in the ZX. I'm aware my super economical ZX was above average - I had another with the same engine which averaged nearly 20 mpg less. The big difference between the 2 cars is route and load, with the ZX I almost never hit a hill, and generally just carried myself. The i20 is up and down hills all day, and carries me and the missus to work and back. I'll have to check out the MPG marathon.

[Draigflag]

Make the most of those hills, I live in Wales and you can save a lot of fuel by putting the car in neutral and using gravity! Give it a go if its safe and see what happens.

[benlovesgoddess]

Ha ha ha! Yes, maybe....I try and coast down them without touching the throttle, but still in gear....problem is, I'd gladly give it a go, but doubt my good lady would be impressed