Auckland’s Eastern Automotive Performance Centre offers a drive-in/drive-out dyno tuning service which can transform the way your modern turbo-diesel ute or SUVs performs. Mark Baker explains how.

There’s no denying the near-perfect fit between Kiwi hard-working, hard playing lifestyles and the diesel double-cab (DDC) utes and SUVs that now dominate new vehicle sales stats month after month.

But what if we told you that the shiny turbodiesel double-cab or SUV sitting in your driveway is likely to be quite different from the next one that rolled out of the dealership? That its power and torque figures will be different, and its fuel economy will certainly not match up to ‘official’ figures?

There’s a growing drive among owners of these vehicles to optimise their performance, and the ability of tuners to improve modern computer-controlled engines using little more than the dyno, the car’s existing diagnostic port and a laptop make the job quick and effective.

From carbs to computers

Paul Manuell has been a leading figure in the tuning industry for more than 20 years. A passionate race driver (NZ V8 champion in 2001) and race preparation guru, he got into the tuning business to supply performance parts to the racing community and then very quickly also to owners of fast road cars, starting with the Holden brand and expanding from there. The company’s team of certified and experienced automotive engineers also carries out fleet servicing for major corporates.

In addition to optimising the performance of quick road cars, EAPC is now maximising the performance of a wide range of utes and four wheel drives for private and business use, offering a drive-in, drive-out dyno tuning service to owners of diesel double-cab utes and four wheel drives,

“Factory settings can always be improved on. Production tolerances are much better than they were in the old days but each vehicle is individual and different and we treat it as such.”

Net improvement

Power figures are the language spoken by tuners and owners alike, but as any 4WD owner knows, it’s the torque and the delivery of that torque that matter – at the traffic lights or out in the forest. Paul says a drive-in, drive-out dyno tuning session without changing any hardware can net a torque improvement of 30 per cent “right where you need it most”.

In the case of most diesel double cab utes with turbo engines, that means taking a stock output of around 500Nm to a very useful 650 Nm, all without changing any hardware.

The owner drives away with a ‘sleeper’ vehicle that is delivering the ‘holy grail’ of tuning: more power, more torque and up to 15 per cent better fuel economy. Because the improvement is gained by optimising factory settings, the everyday driving characteristics of the vehicle are not compromised.

“We have just done a fleet of seven  DDC utes that are used for real hard graft, towing tank trailers to refuel heavy machinery on site and such; all seven of the drivers are absolutely ecstatic – power and torque and improved fuel economy in one hit!”

For those who seek more, EAPC offers hardware and software to meet every need including exhausts, intercoolers, oil coolers, brake and suspension upgrades and much more.

How it works

EAPC first discusses the owner’s desired improvements and their intended purpose – towing, off road, on road or a blend of these uses.

The vehicle is set up on the EAPC rolling road dyno and run up to give a baseline performance profile. A massive fan is used to keep cooling air running into the vehicle’s radiator during the session.

The technician then accesses the vehicle’s factory ECU, making customised calibration changes in the same way a manufacturer does. Fuel pressure and delivery, turbo boost pressure and torque delivery management are brought to their ideal levels.

Further run-ups bring the tune closer and closer to the ideal, then a real-world test drive confirms the outcome of the rolling-road tuning session.

To read the full story in the February 2019 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (January 21) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.