Tuning Boxes, My Experience And Fitting Them

[jdsheff]

I always come onto this forum asking for advice but never putting any input on this forum and to help others. Now its my turn! Im here to help and give limited advice on my findings regarding tuning boxes with today's technology and how to fit them.

Please bear with me regarding this long post. This is for the haters, the doubters and weather a tuning box is for you.

Picture heavy

Since buying my MK2 Ford Focus TDCI 115BHP (November 2014) it was just a 'ok' drive but wasn't what I wanted. So I was regretting buying this vehicle because it lacked everything in the drivability and performance. Also setting off on the roundabouts, I hated it!

Firstly what was mentioned is to blank the EGR off with a £3 stainless steel plate. Once I did that, my word was the car picking up alot better. I thought the drivability was much better and I didn't dread going into a roundabout without cutting someone up!

This is my daily driver so I wasnt going to start upgrading the hell out of it. A baby on the way and a 20,000 mile annual commute makes me needing to keep this reliable.

Now although the car does have some pull, this still seriously lacked performance. So I looked into remaps, custom remaps and tuning boxes. They all varied from £89-£500.

Iv had all of them during my driving life and varied in quality.

Now I know a remap maybe much better for what I wanted (iv had petrol turbo previously) but I also had a tuning box before. This was on a Volkwagon PD engine.

The car in question was a VW Bora 1.9TDI (115bhp). The tuning box pushed up the bhp to around 135bhp.

Once chipped these go like a rocket BUT it produced a massive smoke screen! My other 'remapped' Magane smoked aswell even tho it went back 3 times for different things regarding the custom map, but still produced smoke with good power gains.

Now roll on 10 years from my first tuning box to todays technology. Full of microchips, processors and other things I not had before.

I started looking into these boxes as I want to remove it if/when warranty work was needed, the fact its a daily family car so I wasn't going to spend the earth on £100 per 10bhp horses.

Loads of places claim this, claim that and too many to choose from. Only 1 stood out from hours and hours of constant reading reviews and people's extensive experience.

The Synergy 2b 2 channel box from tuning diesels. http://www.tuning-diesels.co.uk/our-range/synergy-ronbox-2b/

Alot of praise seems to go their way regarding what has been achieved and reliability over the years of the production. Also made in Britain is a big plus!

When reading more into it you can infact alter the settings to your satisfaction which is more of interest aswell since you cant do this with a remap.

The other side of things, it also connects to the map sensor to alter boost (4-5psi the most on maximum setting) from the turbo. It does make sense as when the fuel is there, you can infact up the boost to match which creates more performance. More boost without fuel just decreases the power and has a reverse effect. This is the good thing with diesel engines as from a petrol which needs the correct air/fuel ratio. A 1 channel tuning box seems to run out of puff after 3000rpm aswell in my experience.

I had spoken to the owner 'Ron' about all my needs, questions, requirements and he couldn't of been more helpful knowing the knowledge he has. No sales team, no fancy overheads and no advertising to pay for. Just the Chap who created these. You just need to visit the website to notice this lol.

Now he has created a button/switch which plugs directly into the box and can select 3 options. Eco, power or off which are illuminated with different colours to which you have selected. No other wiring is needed and the box creates its little signal/voltage to power this button. You can't do that with a remap either. When time and alittle more money comes my way, il give this a shot.

I ignored all the crap you get with 'danger to fuel pump, danger to injectors' lark. You bring me concrete evidence and il shut up....

Iv had a tuning box before and didnt kill the engine after 113,000 miles before I sold her. That was with a nitrous oxide kit fitted aswell (wizards of Nos) on original clutch, injectors, pump etc aswell. So in my book, what aload of crap from scare mongers!!!

The remap on the megane however made the clutch slip now and again. I couldnt back the power down like I could with one of these boxes. Some other expensive boxes have jumper settings to alter power, this had a proper dial which you would expect from good quality British made device. The other thing is, once iv had enough of the car I can have the box reprogrammed for the next one. What more could I want? Too many pro's than con's regarding this box and its putting my previous remapped cars to shame.

So what the hell, I dived in and bought the box. 3 to chose from but chosen the 2b box. I had a Synergy 1 channel box before. Although these are good and NEVER made my car smoke, im after more performance than economy. So Ron said if I chopped this Synergy 1 box in, he will do me a upgrade for an additional cost.

Bought on a monday, came the Thursday.

Packaging was fine and nice to see Ron using static bags with the delivery.

Outer case is hard aluminium, looks very well made with proper 'oem' connectors which is always a good thing.

Rated ip57 I think for water and dust resistance or something but not too bothered as it's under the bonnet. Iv never heard these boxes put cars into limp mode but other boxes which cost nearly double have which it claims is right for the car. If it was for the right car, it shouldn't do it and is exceeding the tolerances!

Nice to see he's left good length of cabling!

Now I will show you how it was setup on my vehicle.

This could be a useful guide for people who are interested in buying a tuning box but dont know where the plugs actually go.

I take no responsibility for the actions you take on your own vehicle regarding tuning boxes and other forms of performance enhancing equipment!

Firstly ensuring the ignition is off and all doors closed.

Pop the bonnet and remove engine cover.

Iv already located where my box will be sitting, so a good clean with a multi purpose cleaner, dried I then stuck down one part of the velcro ontop of the fuse box which came supplied with the unit.

Other bit was stuck on the tuning box.

I fix the tuning box down first to save the box dangling around the engine bay and knowing the length of cable I have to play with.

Firstly was getting this box plugged into the fuel rail.

Located straight infront of you slightly to the right is a red plug.

Detach this red plug and put it into one end of the tuning box supplied cable. It will only go in one way and should hear a 'click' when its made a connection.

Now with the other end of the tuning box cable, attach this to the fuel rail. In my circumstances this was the blue coloured end. Again when attaching this you should hear a 'click' when the connection is made.

You will notice theres alittle holding clip running along the inseam behind the grill. I pushed the tuning box cable into this which works fantastic to give a untampered look.

Pushed into the clip.

Thats one side done. Took 2 minutes to do that. Obviously with me doing a write up, its taken alittle longer.

Next was the map sensor side of things.

Locate this first.

This is the sensor located on top of the engine block just beside the oil filler cap as pictured.

Theirs alittle clip you push to make the the connection release.

Once off, its good to see the exact same oem connectors are used.

I plugged one end into the original connectors and the tuning box end going into the map sensor itself.

Now Ron includes cable ties but I found these alittle too small to work with and fiddly. So I went to the hardware shop (next door to work) and got bigger ones.

I then followed the cabling going to the rear of the engine and across to the map sensor.

So tied up in 2 places on the fuel rail side of things.

Then tied up 2 places on the map sensor side of things.

Everything looks nice and tidy.

So popped the engine cover back on and looked at the setting on the box.

Im under the assumption the boost pressure is upped alittle on the first half of the settings. Maybe 2-3psi So I went all out and turned the dial to number 10.

Il give this a shot instead of going to number 5 as I wanted all out performance anyways.

So I started her up.

Sound sweet just like before. No engine lights!

I took it out for a spin.... My god what have I done!

This is how the car should of been. This machine really does fly, part throttle feels like full power. No need to put my foot all the way down. So much more responsive. 10,000 miles done and still going strong. I will only use the power when its needed but I will definitely look into getting the switch as I do motorway runs everyday and could benefit from a lower setting while cruising @ 70mph.

So to sum it up.

Would I recommend this unit? Hell yes!

Was it easy to fit? Yes took more time finding a place to seat the box than fit the connections.

Can the box be reprogrammed for next car? Yes

Switchable settings? Yes, even better with a switch on the move

Cheaper than other boxes? Yes

Is it reliable? Yes

Any downsides to this unit? None

Remap or Synergy tuning box? In my situation, tuning box.

Please understand this is my personal experience and my opinion only. Theres a love hate relationship with tuning boxes they still haven't failed me yet. The only time I will get a remap is when I own a petrol turbocharged engine again.

Thanks for reading guys.

Kind regards.

[jeebowhite]

A good writeup there fella, well done! I have turned it into an official guide for you!

What was the overall cost then? for parts and advising the insurance!

[jdsheff]

Hello jeebowhite,

Thankyou very much for turning it into a official guide. Think it is well needed. Im sure it will help alot of people out when deciding if this is the right route for them or not.

The Unit cost £189. Then theres the additional switch which can be used on the move. This is another additional cost of £20 which is well worth the rewards in my eyes.

Also £1.20 for the bigger cable ties :-)

I did have the Synergy 1 channel box and worked fine At a cosy of around £89-£99. But once I sampled power, I wanted more but within safe working parameters. I think these boxes are insurance registered? But they have been in magazines and on forums longer than most. No change to insurance as they can be tuned as 'eco' for fuel saving reasons. So a win win for me lol.

[jeebowhite]

Lucky so and so, I told Adrian flux I wanted to install a tuning box to make it more economical told them the most it could add was 20 ponies they wanted an extra 250 lol

[jdsheff]

You know what, I only had 4 ncb on my Bora and with it fitted with nitrous oxide, the insurance came down from £800 per year to £666. Its abit of a joke really. If this was a concern for insurance purposes maybe a bluefin and not saying too much to the insurance company would be the only way. Obviously thats down to the driver what he/she decides. I would of thought a bluefin is more of a generic type of tune personally.

Il tell you what, iv sent the box back for Ron to amend afew things regarding the tune of the box and has worked wonders! This box is actually specific to my vehicle now. As I was only boosting 12.3psi Standard boost which is 5psi lower than other ford engines, he has upped the boost to be slightly over what a normal ford should be. And the pull is fantastic.

I also asked him if I uprated the intercooler and/or turbocharger could he tune the box again? He can do the retune again for the new modifications. Not sure if your going to get a tuning box like this in my eyes. Its been brill!

[jeebowhite]

Bleedin heck that is a good deal but the dropping of insurance fitting nos... Wtaf!!!

[Hassen]

Very nice write up and definitely a good idea to have it as a guide.

I have had both in the past and personally prefer the remap which had no spikes in power. The tuning box is a good option as well for anyone wanting a removable solution.

The power is definitely addictive! And well worth fitting the blanking plate as well. Such a cheap but effective mod :)

[jdsheff]

Bleedin heck that is a good deal but the dropping of insurance fitting nos... Wtaf!!!

Yep, I remember it clear as day! I phoned up Adrain flux before hand and got it fitted within the ssme month. Because of the devils number 666 I remember laughing at the broker lol. And did ask them why it brought it down and they said 'because you have/are spending alot of money on your vehicle we know your going to look after it'. Took the words right out of my mouth! When I sold it still felt like a new car.

[jdsheff]

Very nice write up and definitely a good idea to have it as a guide.

I have had both in the past and personally prefer the remap which had no spikes in power. The tuning box is a good option as well for anyone wanting a removable solution.

The power is definitely addictive! And well worth fitting the blanking plate as well. Such a cheap but effective mod :)

I do personally like a remap myself as the power delivery is much smoother. But from 2 vehicles suffering from clutch slip put me off while I have a family to concider and work commitments. With this box I can dial it down if/when that happens. Happy days lol.

Also the half throttle response is amazing! Just to think them pedal boxes create the same feeling is in my book a ripoff. They dont create anything apart from better throttle response which you can already do with a box and remap.

Also intake temperature hasn't altered much either according to the digital readouts. Maybe 2c difference when booting it. Still no smoke either.

I would also purchase one of these and download the Torque app on your mobile. Or use a diagnosis tool which can read live data.

When my box wasnt working as good as it should be, we found the problem straight away. My boost pressure was really low compared to other fords and diesel engines.

So Ron worked his magic around the boost pressure and works flawlessly now. So in my opinion get one of these bluetooth adapters, tell Ron your boost pressure and he will adjust it within the safe limit parameters so you can be assured you know what your getting.

[Hassen]

Highly recommend having Torque app and the bluetooth module. Really handy tool.

Looks like you are on to a winner with that tuning box and that company. My old tuning box was from a company called Racehip and it didn't offer as much flexibility as yours as it didn't come with any instructions but had similar dials to yours. I had to go and dig up info online to find out how to get the best out of it, which was very tedious. It was very flexible to use in the end though. No remote control for it while driving though, which is quite a nice touch in yours. And yea, I myself have a family and child/kids, so reliability is very important to me too :)

[jeebowhite]

Couldnt agree more, I have guides and threads up here on how to diagnose issues on your car, the different ways and different tools for as close to free as possible, and torque is fantastic, restricted yes, but fantastic especially as its so portable!

I think this guy seems good, and as a lone wolf, he seems to know his stuff and seems to be worth a challenge! I was looking at cheaper units, I dont want to max power my car, its clocking on for 124k now, I would like more oomph when I need it and a bit more economy when I dont, and I was looking at the likes of TDUK and the likes where you can get their first gen for about £80. Having read this though, I am tempted to change my mind...

[MONDEO TXS 2.2]

Ron, also known as Roveron, has been supplying these boxes for years, he's not new to the tuning box scene, probably the best available.

[jdsheff]

Highly recommend having Torque app and the bluetooth module. Really handy tool.

Looks like you are on to a winner with that tuning box and that company. My old tuning box was from a company called Racehip and it didn't offer as much flexibility as yours as it didn't come with any instructions but had similar dials to yours. I had to go and dig up info online to find out how to get the best out of it, which was very tedious. It was very flexible to use in the end though. No remote control for it while driving though, which is quite a nice touch in yours. And yea, I myself have a family and child/kids, so reliability is very important to me too :)

Yes that torque app is good. If it wasnt for the app, I dont know if other companies could offer the flexibility of retuning it to my specific tuning needs. Top work in my eyes! The option of been able to dial it up and down is good. I haven't bought the switch as yet but as soon as I do, I will let everyone know. Remapping the car on the move with a flick of a switch for power, economy or to turn it off sounds like a plan. Edited May 7, 2015 by jdsheff

[jdsheff]

Couldnt agree more, I have guides and threads up here on how to diagnose issues on your car, the different ways and different tools for as close to free as possible, and torque is fantastic, restricted yes, but fantastic especially as its so portable!

I think this guy seems good, and as a lone wolf, he seems to know his stuff and seems to be worth a challenge! I was looking at cheaper units, I dont want to max power my car, its clocking on for 124k now, I would like more oomph when I need it and a bit more economy when I dont, and I was looking at the likes of TDUK and the likes where you can get their first gen for about £80. Having read this though, I am tempted to change my mind...

With so many miles doesnt really mean much sometimes. You have to understand how the car has lived in my eyes. If its mostly motorway miles, then it will be fine and had a essy life. If its more of a city car, then play with the dials until your happy. the lower settings wss very nice for smooth power delivery. Higher settings came in one big lump of power lol. Just remember its not a remap. If you dont like it or want it, you have 30 days to return it. cant grumble at that for peace of mind. Also he refunded me postage when I sent it back for a retune. Top Bloke

[jdsheff]

Ron, also known as Roveron, has been supplying these boxes for years, he's not new to the tuning box scene, probably the best available.

Thats right. Its Roverron who created the best tuning modules for the Rover and MG scene.

I was looking into cheap boxes and DTUK boxes but could justify the price of them. I think the technology is there but may have to pay alot of overheads for the real reason why they cost so much.

But for the price of a well respected tuning box from Synergy was no brainer. I did my research and it paid off. Im sure iv seen people using these on Porche cayanne diesels. They must be trusted on £60k worth of car lol. Also understand that if it was outside the parameters, it would go into limp mode which these boxes dont. Just weigh up the pros and cons from DTUK and Synergy. But in my experience, you can have it retuned for other mods you have done.

[Dave_TDCI]

Having had a remap on my previous Focus I've been debating between a remap for my Mondeo or a tuning box for a while now and i think this write up has just made up my mind for me :) What really appeals to me is being able to remove the box at a moments notice and also being able to adjust to settings yourself. I did a good bit of research about tuning boxes and this Ron fella has cropped up a few times as a guy who knows what he's doing and genuine. I'm sure there are many tuning boxes out there that aren't much more than a few resistors so knowing who you are buying from is important.

In regards to the tuning box from Ron are they specifically modified to suit each car or does a make or model fall under a certain tuning box such as Ronbox 2A or 3C?

[jdsheff]

Hi Dave,

Maybe the best thing to do is get in contact with him. Obviously the boxes are tuned to the car. The 1 channel which iv had before was nice but could be more of a generic type. But he can alter this to what ever you want within tolerances. There was alittle spike and he eliminated this.

The other boxes could be more to do with the type of car. Like PD (pump deuce) engines on German cars and some other types from Vauxhall which arnt common rail fuel.

I didnt look into the maf 2 channel box as this wouldn't apply unless your mass airflow meter has gone and this compensates it. So I looked into the 2 channel with the map sensor because its boost pressure aswell as fuel and so can be fine tuned to your vehicle. The best thing I could advise is get the bluetooth odb adapter and the Torque app on your phone. Measure your maximum boost which is currently on your standard car and inform him so he can put the boost pressure to the safe limits. Beyond safe limits regarding boost wont put the car into limp mode, its just your intake temps would go up and should proceed with caution. Obviously this is where a uprated intercooler would help if you wanted to go beyond safe limits.

Obviously there are drop down menus on his site, click on one and im sure it would give you adequate information.

Regards.

[mondeo161]

Hi Guys. A newbie here.

My son wants to fit an EGR blanking plate to his 2010 Focus Titanium 1.6 TDCi 110hp.

My question is would he have to have the software altered to account for the blanking plate and would he get an error code?

[jdsheff]

Hi mondeo161,

Im not too sure on the 1.6 model. Iv only had experience with the 1.8. As far as I know there is a fault on my car regarding the egv valve and when I delete it, it comes back. But no lights on the dash which is always good. Iv heard on some models, a engine light comes up. But its up to you if you wanna live with it and remove it when you want or dont fit one at all. But in my experience, the car feels much much better when its blanked off.

[jeebowhite]

There's no errors on the 1.6 to my knowledge

[Hassen]

I installed the blanking plate with the help of Lenny on my 2010 Focus 1.6tdci 110 bhp a while u ago. No lights came on the dashboard.

Just remember to get a high quality plate and check out the guide from Lenny for fitting. It's quite tricky if you don't know the sequence of events. Also, have all tools at hand and some duck tape for the final bit where you drop the plate in place. It makes the task a lot easier.

It's a nice little mod that gets rid of the turbo lag in 1st and increases low end torque a little bit. Makes the car much easier to drive as a result. Happy modding

[Dave_TDCI]

I also installed a blanking plate on my previous 1.6 TDCI Focus using Lenny's guide and no warning lights came on on the dash.

Jdsheff I contacted Roverron about getting a synergy box for my Mondeo. I said I wanted to increase low down torque more than anything else and he suggested I go with the Synergy 1 box. I asked him about the same one as you have and he said because my car is fitted with a dpf I won't notice hardly any difference between the Synergy 1 and the Synergy 2 box you got in regards to low down torque, in my case the synergy 2 would only increase power over 3000rpm. I think you said you have a 1.8 TDCI which doesn't have a dpf so you would get the full advantage of the Synergy 2 with map sensor as well.

The box was shipped on Wednesday so I'm expecting it to arrive soon :)

[jdsheff]

Hi Dave,

With regards to the Synergy 2 box, yes I do take full advantage with me not having a DPF. The fact that Ron has told you to go for the Synergy 1 box is good. He's not there the rip you or other people off! He's been honest and told you to get whats best for your application.

I did have the Synergy 1 box and it flew! Really nice drive and enjoyed it to bits. I wanted more so upgraded to the Synergy 2 box.

Setting 8 on the Synergy 1 box will be best for you. The throttle response is amazing and all the power low down. It says on the box 'High torque, low bhp'. This setting was my wife's favourite As she found it easier to drive and ninot having to put the foot to the floor. You bearly touchvit and wants to shift.

I preferred setting 9 as this had more pull after 3,000rpm.

In all honesty these boxes have exceeded my expectations. Other boxes which you can buy dont have half the choice or settings. Plus the before or aftercare is fantastic. If is was you, stop wondering 'what if' and get one!!!! If you dont like it, return it. Whats there to loose. I would also ask him if he can make you up a extra extendable cable for both ends of the common rail plugs. Only reason is, iv heard the plug is behind the engine and would need more time spent finding it. And if you needed to detach the box for any reason, it will be a pain doing it again.

Kind regards

[Dave_TDCI]

Well I have the box ordered anyway so really looking forward to it arriving...hopefully will be here tomorrow or Tuesday I'm guessing. Was free p&p aswell which is an added bonus. As you said about Ron being an honest guy I agree with you. When I originally contacted him I was asking about the Synergy 2 the same as yours but he recommend the Synergy 1 to me for greater low down torque which was almost half the price, he could of let on the 2 would have been better for me and screwed me but he didn't in fairness to him. I get the impression he's a fella that's more doing it for the love of cars than he is to make money from it. I've been looking in to tuning boxes for the last few months and this particular box seems to be reasonably priced and definitely has more settings that most of the others.

[MONDEO TXS 2.2]

Ron's been trading for donkeys years - totally top guy & knows his stuff.