Many modern cars have a programmable Engine Control Unit (ECU) associated with it. Most of these units are programmed by the dealer prior to buying the car, but some people need to use these programmable units when upgrading their cars. The Dodge Stratus ECU is the type of unit associated with the Dodge Stratus, but which parameters can be mapped out by the user?
Why Take Control?
Taking this much control over the control unit is not advisable for those who are not completely educated on how it all works. However, some people require a programmable control unit in order to do what they want to do with the vehicle. Just some of the uses include:
- Adding turbochargers or altering exhaust systems. The Dodge Stratus ECU must be altered in order to work with these new systems.
- If an individual wants to increase the power going to the car then more fuel needs to be injected into the cylinders. And this can only be done by programming the unit via a fuel map spreadsheet and a laptop.
- Additional reasons why one might need to program their control unit is to change the way the engine and the transmission works.
The point is that having the ability to program the control unit will give the user more control over how their Dodge Stratus works.
What Can be Controlled?
As already mentioned, the fuel injection system can be controlled and the amount of power flowing through the vehicle can also be controlled, but there are a number of other parameters that can be controlled by the use of a programmable Dodge Stratus ECU.
- The point within the engine cycle in which the spark plug should fire for each individual cylinder can be controlled. This is known as ignition timing. The latest models will also allow the individual trim on each cylinder to be controlled, for optimization purposes.
- The RPM limit can be altered via a programmable unit. This may allow for a smoother transition as the vehicle speeds up, but overall it defines the maximum limits that the RPM is allowed to reach. This can increase the overall performance of a vehicle; which is especially useful when it comes to motor sports.
- The difficulty of starting a car in winter can be avoided since the water temperature can be controlled. In other words, it can call for additional fuel to be injected during the cold weather or it can initiate cylinder cooling if the engine begins to overheat.
- Depending on one's needs, acceleration enrichment can also be applied to the vehicle. This is an option by which the ECU is told to apply only a certain amount of fuel when the throttle is pushed down. This can be used to increase power and fuel economy.
- If an increase or decrease in fuel pressure occurs then it can seriously impact the performance of the car. But if the Dodge Stratus ECU is programmed then it can increase the injector fire time to compensate for this.