Looking around on the net for other boxes – This one looks intriguing. It claims to work differently from the other boxes. Supposedly it monitors your driving style and it does nothing when driving normally (presumably when cruising/maintaining speed or at moderate acceleration only), letting the car run as per factory settings to minimise potential DPF issues, but put your foot down and it will kick in with “infinitely variable fuel mapping” and give you 231PS and 483Nm max for the GTD. Sounds like it acts far more like a remap than a box.
Reading between the lines, this system implies that other boxes just overfuel at any given throttle pedal travel by increased rail pressure (and boost pressure too, for the dual channel systems) all the time - either crudely (box of resistors £60 ebay job) or by more sophisticated means (the £200+ boxes).
The fact that they fall back on the factory settings for low load driving suggests to me that over the longer term, they don’t think constant common-rail pressure overload is good/advantageous for your car or offers any true mpg gains – which seems more plausible than the claims of higher mpg for the other box sites. The fact that you can stick this on another car that has the same harness connections without reprogramming also seems to add plausibility to its “learning” function and constant monitoring for changes in fuelling demands to act.
Or it could all just be more patter from another business vying for your cash.
I’m giving this one some serious thought seeing as though my TDI-tuning box seems to have had its wings clipped with the “tweaks”. I do like the idea of this box only intervening to provide more power when you want it, but otherwise leaving the car alone. It’s pricier, but comes with a 1 year powertrain warranty and a 5 year product warranty. No messing about with multiple maps of varying rail pressure/boost pressure increase either – 1 map does everything. It’s £375, but comes down to £300 with the discount code “7500”.
http://www.dieseltuning.co.uk/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=128_111_518&product_id=1848
Their product patter:-
Spider® - Advanced design now alIows a pIug in tuning system so advanced, it can actuaIly mould to your driving style.
The Spider® dieseI performance system is the Iatest phase in dieseI tuning technoIogy. No other system on the market is as unique as the Spider®. Superb eIectronic cased in a newly designed Carbon Fiber effect high impact enclosure, complete with originaI equipment connection harness with features the competition can onIy imagine. The Spider® is the onIy plug in tuning system in the worId which uses Adaptivscan™ mapping software to constantIy change its infinitley variable fuel mapping™ to suit the current appIication. At a computation rate of 20,000 per second, the Spider® can compute and adjust its fueI mapping to a Ievel so precise, and can deIiver performance at a level of quaIity so high, it can compete with "Iive mapping" whiIst remaining removabIe and transferabIe to your next car. InstaIlation of the system is performed using an originaI equipment connection harness which simpIy plugs into existing connectors on your cars Ioom. The Spider® is then stored within the engine bay of the vehicIe, but can be removed for servicing and warranty issues which instantIy reverts the car back to standard without Ieaving a trace.
•Adaptiv-SCAN™ Fuel Delivery Software
•Automatic Calibration
•Automatic Voltage Control
•Automotive Quality Components
•Cold Start Delay
•Customer Adjustability
•DPF and FAP compatible
•Driver Characteristic Monitoring™ (New)
•Engine and Drivetrain Warranty Included
•Infinitely Variable Fuel Mapping™ (New)
•LED Function Display
•Robotic Made Circuitry
•Rpm & Load Detection
•Sports mode
•Chip Exchange™ For easy transfer between cars (New)
•VSPP™ (Voltage Spike & Polarity Protection)
Spider® - Adaptiv-SCAN™ Fuel Delivery Software.
Here at Spider® we are very proud of our AdaptivScan™ software.
Not only does it give you the most accurate adjustments to your car's fueIling, but it also has the unique abilty to adapt to suit how you drive your car, constantly. AIl the time the Spider® is installed, it is monitoring and adjusting to suit how you are driving at a rate of 20,000 times per second. So where ordinary "tuning boxes" increase fuelIing on a percentage value, the Spider® will increase the fuelling only when it is demanded and at a rate which is dependent on how you are driving. So, no black smoke beIlowing from the rear of your car like the "tuning box", just clean, crisp and precise performance tuning.
If you like to drive your car hard, then you wiIl not have to wait for the Spider® to adjust, Power on demand™ will kick in maximum power within 0.1 seconds. Monitoring the Ioad value of the car's engine allows the Spider® to know exactly when you want max Power.
Spider® - Automatic Calibration.
Automatic Calibration is a programming feature of the Spider®.
On first instaIlation, the engine is started and left on idle for 60 seconds. During this time the Spider® wiIl monitor and automatically caIibrate itself to suit your individual engine for a complete custom instaIlation. This means that the unit is now programmed for your car aIone. The caIibration procedure only has to be done the very first time you fit to your car. You can then remove the Spider® and refit it without the need to perform the procedure again.
Should you transfer the unit to your next car, the Spider® will automatically perform the calibration procedure again.