How to Create a Stage 1 Diesel Remap (EDC17 Example)

Prerequisites

Before attempting to create your own Stage 1 remap, you should have:

• WinOLS installed and licensed (even a demo version allows file viewing)
• A Damos file or mappack for your specific EDC17 variant (essential — manual map finding on EDC17 is extremely time-consuming without one)
• The original ECU file — a verified clean read from the target vehicle
• Checksum correction capability — WinOLS plugin or CHKSuite
• Understanding of the torque model — if you haven’t read our torque model guide, do so first

Important: This guide is educational. Creating custom calibrations requires experience and carries risk. For production vehicles, we strongly recommend using a professional file service rather than learning on customer cars.

Understanding What Stage 1 Means for EDC17

A Stage 1 calibration on EDC17 targets approximately 20-35% more power and 25-40% more torque with no hardware modifications. All changes are within the stock turbocharger’s flow capacity and the engine’s mechanical safety margins.

The key principle: increase fuel delivery while simultaneously increasing air supply (boost) to maintain a clean air-fuel ratio. All torque limiters must be raised to permit the additional output.

Step 1: Open and Identify Maps

1. Open your original EDC17 binary in WinOLS
2. Import your Damos or mappack (File → Import → Map Pack)
3. The map list panel should now show all identified maps, organised by function group

For this guide, we’ll reference maps by their Bosch nomenclature. Your mappack may use English descriptions instead — the concepts are identical.

Step 2: Modify the Driver’s Wish / Torque Demand

The first maps to modify are the torque demand maps. These define how much torque the ECU requests based on pedal position.

Maps to Modify

• MFWUDKG / Driver’s wish torque — the primary pedal-to-torque map
• Some EDC17 variants have multiple driver’s wish maps for different driving modes (Sport, Eco, etc.)

How to Modify

• Increase the torque values in the mid-to-high pedal range (50-100% pedal)
• At low pedal positions (0-20%), leave values near stock for smooth drivability
• Typical increase: 15-30% over stock values at full pedal
• Ensure the increase is progressive (smooth gradient) — sudden jumps create jerky throttle response

Example: If the stock driver’s wish at 100% pedal / 2500 RPM is 320 Nm, a Stage 1 value might be 400 Nm.

Step 3: Raise Torque Limiters

The torque limiters are safety ceilings. If your driver’s wish requests more torque than the limiters allow, the torque is clipped.

Maps to Modify

• Maximum torque / MDMAX — the absolute maximum engine torque per RPM point. This is the hard ceiling.
• Torque limitation maps — various maps that impose limits based on conditions (gear, temperature, etc.)

How to Modify

• Raise the maximum torque values to at least 10% above your new driver’s wish torque values
• This provides headroom so the limiter doesn’t clip your target torque during normal operation
• Don’t raise limiters excessively beyond what the tune needs — they exist for protection

Step 4: Modify the Smoke Limiter

The smoke limiter is crucial. It limits fuel injection based on available air mass. If you increase fuel without adjusting the smoke limiter, the ECU will restrict fuelling during turbo lag (when air mass is still building).

Maps to Modify

• Smoke limiter torque / air mass-based torque limit — limits torque as a function of measured air mass
• Some EDC17 variants have separate smoke limiters for different operating modes

How to Modify

• Increase the permissible torque at each air mass breakpoint by 15-25%
• Be conservative here. Too aggressive = black smoke under acceleration. This looks bad and wastes fuel.
• The goal is to allow slightly more fuel per unit of air than stock, not to eliminate the protection entirely
• Test and adjust — if you see excessive smoke during hard acceleration, the smoke limiter needs to be less aggressive

Step 5: Increase Injection Quantity

Now the actual fuel maps. The injection quantity maps define how much fuel is injected per stroke.

Maps to Modify

• Injection quantity / IQ maps — the primary fuel delivery maps
• These may be labelled as MFRSOLM, QKRAF, or similar depending on the Damos

How to Modify

• Increase values in the mid-to-high load range (where you want more power)
• Leave idle and very low load values stock (for smooth idle and low-speed driving)
• Typical increase: 10-20% over stock at full load points
• Ensure the increase follows the shape of the original map — maintain the same general contour, just scaled up

Step 6: Increase Rail Pressure

Higher fuel quantities need higher rail pressure for proper atomisation. Without increased rail pressure, the extra fuel won’t burn cleanly.

Maps to Modify

• Rail pressure target / PSOLL — desired common rail pressure as a function of RPM and injection quantity

How to Modify

• Increase rail pressure targets by 50-150 bar at mid-to-high load points
• Stock rail pressures typically range from 300 bar (idle) to 1600-1800 bar (full load)
• Stage 1 targets can be raised to 1800-2000 bar at full load (stay within the injector and pump specifications)
• Leave idle rail pressure at stock

Step 7: Increase Boost Pressure

More fuel needs more air. Boost pressure maps control the turbocharger’s target output.

Maps to Modify

• Boost pressure target / LDSOLL — target boost pressure (absolute or relative, depending on ECU variant)
• Boost pressure limiter / maximum boost — the safety ceiling for boost

How to Modify

• Increase boost targets proportionally with fuel increases
• Typical increase: 100-300 mbar over stock at mid-to-high RPM
• Stock variable-geometry turbochargers on diesel engines typically produce 1500-2200 mbar absolute at full load
• Stage 1 can typically push to 2000-2500 mbar, depending on the turbo’s capacity
• Raise the boost limiter above your new targets — otherwise the limiter clips the boost before reaching your target

Step 8: Verify Thermal Protections

Do not disable thermal protection. These maps exist to prevent engine damage.

Check that:

• EGT limiter thresholds are reasonable (typically 820-880°C — leave at stock or reduce slightly for safety)
• Coolant temperature derating is still active
• Oil temperature protection is unchanged
• Turbocharger speed limiting is still active

If your tune causes the engine to hit thermal limits during normal driving, the tune is too aggressive — reduce fuel and boost rather than raising temperature limits.

Step 9: What NOT to Touch

For a Stage 1 calibration, leave these alone:

• Injection timing — timing changes affect emissions, noise, and thermal stress. Leave at stock for Stage 1.
• Pilot injection — pilot injection timing and quantity affects combustion noise and cold start. Leave at stock.
• Component protection limiters — maximum cylinder pressure, maximum turbo speed, etc. These protect hardware.
• Cold start enrichment — cold start maps should remain stock for reliable starting.
• Idle maps — the engine should idle identically to stock.

Step 10: Correct Checksums and Flash

1. Save your modified file in WinOLS
2. Correct checksums: Use the WinOLS checksum plugin or CHKSuite
3. Verify: Reload the file and confirm all checksums are correct
4. Flash: Write the modified file to the ECU using your flashing tool

Testing and Validation

After flashing, thorough testing is essential:

1. Start the engine — should start normally with no warning lights
2. Idle check — idle should be smooth and identical to stock
3. Light driving — gentle acceleration, check for smooth power delivery
4. Progressive loading — gradually increase throttle, checking for:
   • Smooth torque delivery (no surging or hesitation)
   • No excessive smoke (light haze is acceptable during brief full-throttle pulls; sustained black smoke means the smoke limiter or fuel maps are too aggressive)
   • No unusual noises (knocking, excessive turbo whistle)
5. Datalogging — log boost pressure, EGT, rail pressure, and injection quantity during a full-throttle pull
6. Dyno (recommended) — measure actual wheel power and torque. Compare to stock baseline if available.

When to Use a Professional Instead

Creating your own Stage 1 calibration is an excellent learning exercise, but for production vehicles (customer cars, daily drivers), we strongly recommend using a professional file service:

• Professional calibrations are developed and validated on real vehicles
• Checksums are always correctly handled
• Files are matched to your exact ECU hardware and software version
• Revisions are available if fine-tuning is needed
• The risk of engine damage from incorrect parameters is eliminated

Request a custom Stage 1 calibration from our engineering team.