Getting More Power from Your Diesel With Vector Tuning Box
Here’s some good news for people who own diesel-powered vehicles who are looking for additional power. A compact plug and play ‘piggy back’ box is now available in Malaysia from Vector, Germany, that fits almost all common-rail diesel engines using the Bosch or Siemens fuel-injection system. Imported by Techlution Enterprise in Shah Alam, the unit takes about 10 minutes to install, and provides instant gratification for power seekers.
Power input is increased by changing the quantity of fuel injected and the ignition timing, very similar to the systems made for petrol fuel-injected cars, by altering the control of the magnetic valves, and injection quantity is corrected dependent on the vehicle speed. Vector have come out with a simple to install and use add-on that is trouble-free and can be fine-tuned by the user using simple toggle switches inside the unit. Installation is via a wire loom that is fitted in line with the standard engine wiring harness. The loom comes with compatible plugs, so there is no cutting or splicing of wires necessary.
In contrast to boxes in the low-price range, there is no change made to the supercharge pressure, nor is the engine temperature “distorted”. The Vector unit work
exclusively via microprocessors, i.e. they are capable of “learning”, and it can adapt to the driver’s individual driving style.
In addition, the Vector unit possesses the so-called “jumper technique”, which means that the vehicle owner can change the output of the box himself/herself in a matter of seconds. For system-related reasons, however, the additional output that can be used is limited to 20-25%. An increase in excess of this can lead to the engine becoming over-greased and – in the worst case scenario – to the pistons melting.
We fitted one unit to a ford Ranger, and found the acceleration to be more responsive; fuel consumption, in theory is supposed to be better, and if driven in the same manner as before the conversion, there is a 10 percent improvement; however, with the new-found power and torque improvements, I tend to drive the vehicle harder, and as a result, there are times when fuel consumption suffers a little, but I think the power is worth it.
With the Vector in place, the engine actually demands more air to burn the fuel more efficiently, and changing a new air filter helped a lot. Vector recommends the fitment of a sports type air cleaner, but since the Ranger we have put the unit on is often off-road, it was decided to stay with the standard air cleaner. In terms of smoke during acceleration, there was a little bit of ‘blow-out’ in the first five minutes under hard acceleration, but after a while, it cleared up and there is no more smoke.
The Ranger has a speed cut at 160 km/h, and although in theory, there should be an increase in top speed by about 5 to 15 km/h, this did not happen, as the speed cut is not deactivated. However the acceleration time has been shortened by a considerable amount. Mid-range acceleration improvement is better, and that makes overtaking a whole lot easier.
According to Derek Tham, the importer, there is a 12-month warranty on the Vector unit, and interested parties can contact him at asia@vector-tuning.com or at 0351249823 (tel/Fax and mobile +60122118381.
