Below is a large amount of information regarding the process, but in short, pricing in GBP (Great British Pounds) is as follows:

Visiting my premises - Full custom remap: £300.

Why cheaper than elsewhere? I don't have a fancy coffee machine and a waiting area with swanky leather seats, you won't get a printoff afterwards with two squiggly lines on it - and more importantly, VersaTuner allows me to work on your car without the need for purchasing an individual software license. This saves hundreds of pounds over similar systems used by other UK remappers / tuners, and I pass these savings onto you. I am so confident that you will feel immediate improvements on your test drive, and if you don't love these changes I will return your car back to standard, and there will be no charge.

Remote service - VersaTuner Lite software and full custom map / tune: £400.

If you already have VersaTuner software - Full custom map / tune: £200.

The remote service can be carried out anywhere in the world providing you have an internet connection and a Windows-based laptop. If you are in the UK, I have a spare connection cable available to borrow if required. This requires a £60 deposit, with £50 returned when cable gets back to me safely.

I offer a very personal service, and never take on more work than I can turn around within 48 hours maximum. I have no problems admitting it was a bit scary the first time I connected to my car and flashed the ECU, so if you are new to tuning, or VersaTuner, or both, I am very happy to 'hand-hold' and can even assist you via video call or similar if you like.

Please have a read over the below information, then feel free to get in touch by phone, email or using this enquiry form (click to open in a new window) if you have any questions.

Alternatively, if you would like to go ahead right away, payment can be made using the links below. If you would prefer to use a different method, please contact me to discuss.

In-person mapping service (visiting my premises only): Click Here

Remote Tuning service including VersaTuner Lite software (any location): Click Here

Remote Tuning service only (any location), requires you to already have VersaTuner Lite or above: Click Here

After making payment please fill out my Options / Information Form (click to open in a new window), and I will be in touch with you shortly afterwards. Thank you!

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Remapping or tuning of cars is one of those things which is often misunderstood. Done correctly, the car will produce more power and torque through the entire rev range, and it is perfectly safe. It can even improve fuel economy - when you're not taking advantage of the improved performance, of course!

Having spent over 300 hours, completed more than 125 map revisions and carried out over 350 full throttle runs from low rpm all the way to the limiter (!) while developing VersaTuner's off-the-shelf (OTS) tunes for the 1.5L ND, I decided that using this knowledge to offer services to other owners would be a great thing to do. I work with ND1 and ND2 platforms of both engine sizes.

The grey area of tuning often comes with inflated numbers and manipulated graphs, but I will always be honest with you about what can be expected from any work. I would rather not have a customer at all than a less-than-delighted one, and only ever include features or adjustments in customer's tunes which I have tested and developed on my own car first.

(My car on the dyno... again... at Clarkson's Autos in Westhoughton.)

With the SkyActiv-G engine found in the MX-5 Mk4 / ND, which is naturally aspirated (no turbo or supercharger), the main power gain comes from changing the position at which the spark plugs fire relative to where the engine is during the combustion stroke. Just a handful of degrees adjustment can produce some remarkable results! We are able to do this due to the higher quality fuel we have access to.

Mazda needed to make the car compatible with all manner of fuel grades and qualities, so there is some performance left 'on the table'. By adjusting ignition timing advance to make the fuel burn at a more optimal position in the combustion stroke, it produces a higher force on the piston, giving more engine torque (this is what actually drives the engine round and thus the car forward, horse power is calculated from torque and engine speed). There are also a bunch of torque limiters throughout the map which need to be removed to allow the engine to take advantage of its new calibration.

The OTS tune I provided to VersaTuner is a 'no frills' version to give the user a taster of what is possible from the software, and although it does offer maximum power and torque, a custom tune gives access to hundreds of other calibration tables.

As well as increased power at full throttle, should you choose to have me carry out a custom remap on your car you will have access to the following adjustments:

- Improved throttle response in neutral, useful for rev-matching on down shifts which protects our gearboxes.
- More sporty rev limiter behaviour; more abrupt than the standard 'engine is slowly dying' sensation.
- Reduced exhaust noise on cold start.
- Smoother and less jerky throttle response, especially in low gears at low speed.
- Improved in-gear throttle response under acceleration, which can be calibrated on a per-gear basis (eg. I can program in less foot movement required to carry out a 6th gear motorway overtake - but all other gears remain the same as normal).
- Updates to the map / tune which take into account future upgrades such as induction kits, free-flowing exhausts, de-catted manifolds / headers, etc.
- General smoothing of all tables to remove 'peaks and troughs', making the car smoother and quicker through the revs.
- Adjustments for gear ratio or differential ratio changes, to ensure the speedo and dashboard gear readings are correct, plus allowing continued seamless use of cruise control.
- Reduction in power in reverse gear (I have quite a long reverse down a bumpy and winding track to my house, and find this really useful!).
- Tuning for ethanol-based fuels, such as e85, or other blends between pure ethanol and regular petrol / gasoline. The ECU has the capacity to allow a little bit of 'flex' fuelling, but the specifics are a touch too complex and long-winded for this list, so please contact me to discuss if you would like to explore this option.
- Further raising of rev limiters and adjustment of intake and exhaust cam timing in case of hardware changes (cams / lifters / valve springs).
- Raising of EGT fuel enrichment correction if using an exhaust system with one or both catalytic converters removed.
- Pops / bangs / crackles / burbles / etc... I really prefer not to add these, as it hurts the driveability of the car significantly and cause exhaust system damage, but I can accommodate if necessary.
- Any feedback you make will be taken into account throughout and the tune / map can be tailored to your requirements, preferences and driving style.

"What sort power increase will my car achieve?". That is quite a tricky question to answer since the ECUs on these cars are extremely clever - they learn in real time and adjust various parameters on the fly, even taking into consideration how you drive and which fuel you use. Each variant of the car even responds differently, as in some cases (specifically the 2.0L ND1) the standard calibration is very conservative, but as a rough guide you will see the following gains to peak performance. All of these figures are when using 99 RON fuel (European grade; equivalent to 94 RON in the USA, for example), such as Tesco Momentum or Shell V-Power. Ethanol-based fuels can see a further increase, and even if you don't have such a high grade of fuel avauilable where you are, I can still make significant smoothness improvements which will make the car quicker on the road:

- ND1 and ND2 1.5L: 10-12bhp and 8-10lbs/ft torque (see dyno graphs below - note that this is just a peak figure and the 'area under the curve' is vastly different as you can see!). Rev limit will be opened up to 7700 in all gears (standard is 7500 in 1st and 2nd, 7200 in 3rd and above).

- ND1 2.0L: Approximately 12-15bhp and 6-8lbs/ft torque. Rev limit opened up to 7300 in all gears (standard is 6900 in 1st and 2nd, 6600 in 3rd and above). Mazda left a lot on the table with this car, especially towards the rev limiter, so we can take advantage of this and make your car feel totally different when pressing on.

- ND2 2.0L: Approximately 6-8bhp and 4-5lbs/ft torque. Rev limit opened up to 7600 in all gears (standard is 7500 in 1st and 2nd, 7200 in 3rd and above). This model was extremely well optimised from the factory so there isn't a huge gain in power here, but driveability, smoothness and willingness to rev can be improved in the same way as the other variants.

Owners of all versions of the car usually report back to me that the car 'feels' faster than the numbers would dictate. This is testament to the flexibility and torque profile of the SkyActiv engine, but also hopefully helps illustrate how the smoothness and power delivery of my maps / tunes improve enjoyment in the real world, as well as on the dyno.

 

Visiting me to have this service carried out.

A custom remap takes around 2-3 hours in total from start to finish. "That sounds like a long time?" I hear you think. It is - but to get a great result takes time, and the devil is in the detail, as they say. The squiggly line you see from a dyno plot is less than 1% of what makes the car a pleasure to drive. Much of the time is spent chatting to figure out exactly what you want the car to feel like, and then tweaking the 'driveability' (part throttle) parts of the map to your tastes.

To start the custom tune / mapping process, I first need to upload some data to your car (this takes around 45 minutes), and while that computery stuff works its magic I will talk to you about how you use the car, which of the above options you would like to try, and so on. We will then head out for some road testing to take some data logs and see how the car is performing on the standard map. After this, we can make some adjustments to the first tune / map revision, upload ('flash') this to your car, and carry out further road testing.

The data taken during the road testing will tell us if any further tweaks need to be made to the map to ensure it is working in perfect harmony with your car. On top of that, you may feel that the car needs a bit more throttle response while pulling away in 1st gear, or there's a slight lurch coming on and off the throttle around 30mph in 4th gear, etc - we can make further adjustments to smooth all that out. If you feel everything is already feeling lovely, then great! But we will continue to tweak until you are completely happy with the result.

Total cost for an in-person custom tune / map is £300, and I welcome you to ask as many (or as few!) questions as you like along the way. Having been in your position before and leaving a car with someone for half a day, then getting the keys back with no idea what's really happened behind the scenes, I am really passionate about passing on knowledge and letting you know what each adjustment does and why it has been carried out - though if you aren't interested in this, no problem!

I can be available any day (including weekends) and will work around your schedule. Please get in touch by phone, email or using this enquiry form (click to open in a new window) and we can discuss further.

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Remote tuning services - full custom tuning anywhere in the world, using the powerful VersaTuner 'Lite' software package.

I am an authorised VersaTuner software reseller, which means I can supply you with the required program to tune / map your car at home. The process is straightforward, no more difficult than clicking a few buttons in the correct order. I'm happy to offer as much support as you need during this process - I understand it can be slightly scary connecting into the ECU of your pride and joy, and have no problem admitting I was nervous the first few times! If you'd like email support, no problem. Video chat? That's fine too - whatever it takes for you to feel comfortable and happy with what we are doing.

To carry out remote tuning, you will need a Windows-based laptop computer or tablet, and also a cable allowing connection between the USB port on you computer and the OBD2 diagnostic port on your car. I recommend the OBDLink SX (red in colour), which should be available to purchase in almost all countries. If you are based in the UK, I have a spare cable which you are welcome to borrow if you like. I ask for a £60 deposit, £50 of which is refunded once the cable arrives back with me safely. If you wish to use this service, it is best to make payment for the cable deposit separately so we can both keep track of things more easily.

Once you have VersaTuner set up on your car, I can then build a map / tune for you, send the file by email, and you upload it to your ECU. Easy! To further optimise the configuration to your exact vehicle and preferences, I then ask you to send over data logs from real-life driving - these are analysed by me, settings adjusted, and revised files sent over to you until we are both happy with the result. Don't worry if it sounds complicated at this stage, I provide full instructions to guide you through and am always on hand by email / phone to help if you need.

Option 1: Software only (VersaTuner Lite): £210
(Other 'higher' versions of VersaTuner available on request).

This allows you to have access to all of the pre-built tunes included with VersaTuner, carry out datalogging, and read / clear fault codes from the engine. It also gives you the capability to flash on custom tunes from all authorised VersaTuner E-Tuning Partners, including myself.

 

Option 2: VersaTuner Lite software and CleaR Motorsport custom tune / map, purchased together at the same time: £400.

In addition to VersaTuner Lite software, you will receive a custom tune for your ND which has been developed based on my experience with the platform. Any of the 'options' listed above can be added - I will send you a checklist for you to fill out after purchase. After your custom tune file has been produced, emailed over, and loaded onto your car, I will ask you to take and send back some datalogs so I can check that the calibration is working exactly as intended. Full instructions for this are provided. The cost of this service includes at least three further revisions of the tune / map (or more if I feel it's necessary - no extra charge). Often these revisions aren't required, but I like to ensure we have the option to continue making changes until you are 100% happy. Similarly, if you wish to 'save' some of these revisions because you know you'll make a hardware change to the car in the near future, that's fine too - just let me know your intentions and I can figure out the best route for this.

Option 3: If you already have VersaTuner but would like to try my custom map / tune on your ND, then no problem at all. I can provide a remote tuning service for £200. This includes your initial file, built from my options list, plus at least three datalog reviews and further revisions of the calibration to ensure it suits you and your car perfectly - these aren't usually required on a relatively standard car, but having the option ensures we will always end up with a result all three of us (you, me and your car!) are happy with. If you have a ton of modifications, we may need more revisions to get the tune / map really dialled in - that's fine too. As Option 2, after puchase I will send you a checklist so you can select which 'options' you would like to include in your tune / map, then your file will be created and emailed over for you to flash onto your car. Along with the first file, I also provide a set of datalogging instructions in PDF format, and some settings files for Versatuner.

Option 4: Further tune updates in addition to the revisions included with your initial custom tune can be accommodated, no problem. I charge these on an hourly basis at £60 per hour. I have been through a lot of different variations in hardware spec on my own car, so we can usually go right to (or very close to) the optimal setting straight away. For example, if you get one of my custom tunes / maps now and then three months down the line decide to change to a decat manifold / catless header, I can produce an updated file for you and email it over. I have direct experience of the changes required for this on my own car, so it would not be a huge job and you'd probably be looking at no more than £60, including a datalog review and small tweak / update of the calibration.

Turnaround times for all of the above services are provided within a maximum of 48 hours, more often within 24 hours. I have been on the receiving end of a 'remote tuner suddenly goes quiet' situation before, so know how frustrating it is to be hanging on waiting for a response! If, for any reason, I will not be able to respond as quickly as usual (such as a holiday) I'll let you know right from the start of the process.

If you are interested in the above services, or would like more information, please feel free to get in touch by phone, email or using this enquiry form (click to open in a new window). For custom tuning / mapping, I work on a very 'personal' basis and only take on a handful of clients at any one time. Due to this, as mentioned above, I never let my response / turnaround times get past 48 hours. This is to ensure you receive my focused attention from first contact to final map / tune, with no frustrating delays.

I look forward to working with you and making your '5 even more fun!

 

Above: 'Development work' at Anglesey Circuit, June 2023.