Rermapping or chipping Pajero

[JEWIENEWIE]

Morning crew,
just chasing a bit of info. Have a 2012 Pajero 3.2l which i use to pull a Jayco Penguin outback camper. I drag this thing through some pretty soft sand and at times and due to the heavy towball weight, could use a little more power especially when she is fully loaded. Had a mate mention the possibility of having the pajero re mapped or chipped. He is saying I could get some better down low power and better fuel consumption if it is tuned up right. Me not knowing much about this so I am doing a bit of research. Tells me cost would be around $1k mark and just seeing if the outcomes would justify the cost. Anyone have any feedback/Knowledge they could give me on this.??
Cheers,
JN

[Dirtyfuzz]

A lot of guys at work have remapped their colorados for towing vans to gain power and economy with good results, I have a bt50 and has enough power to tow the 3.2t boat with no issues so probably wouldn’t bother


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[PixieAU]

From my research, remapping is preferable over chipping for a number of reasons.

But check out this site https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/index.php as it's one of the best sources of Pajero information on the web. Pretty sure you'll find some opinions there.

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[Cox76y]

I had an NS pajero that I used to tow a very similar rig to yours. Mine was probably a little heavier van. I had a set of polyair air bags in the back. A torque convertor lock up switch and an EGR blanking plate. I used to let my tyres down really low for towing on the beach. Sometimes as low as 8psi on the car and 10psi on the van. I never had a problem towing on the beach however it was always a flat beach, no sandhills. My research into mapping and chipping led me to believe that mapping is the best option with the only downside being that you cannot take it to another vehicle like you can with a chip.
I think that before I went to the effort and expense of mapping I would be upgrading the exhaust first as big benefits can be gained before the remap..
regards
JC

[GBC]

Assuming it's an auto, towing in soft sand in high range will cook the box before the motor. More power will exacerbate that. Low range high gear will allow the TC to lock up and keep the box cool. I tow 2T across Fraser a bit (woralie Rd) and leave it (ranger) in low range the whole way. ZF boxes will use all gears in low range though, yours will be aisin like a toyota? Might not get to the OD gears in low range. Anyway, be careful what you wish for with more power and towing in soft stuff. Up the beach, any idiot can do.

[JEWIENEWIE]

Thanks for the advice guys. Cox76y, I have spoken to a recommended fella to me regarding this and he said it is not a quick fix to gain more power. Said to me like you have stated, no point in doing the mapping/chipping unless you upgrade the exhaust system and have the EGR cleaned out as the motor needs to breath better to get the best result so up goes the costs.Have already had a set of bags fitted to the rear.
GBC, have done a fair bit of soft sand driving and yes Tyre pressure is an important part. Too many people wait until they are stuck then let the air out......sometimes to little to late when pulling a heavy load. I used to have a 4.5litre petrol troopy when i didn't have to pay for fuel so getting stuck pulling stuff on the beach was never an issue but now i am paying for fuel, got the Pajero which overall i am happy with, but just need to adjust how i drive it compared to the troopy while under load in the soft stuff. ! Think I will just leave it for now and either get another set of maxtracks or invest in a winch for piece of mind !
JN

[TheGurn]

I spent more than quite a few dollars over the years trying to squeeze a few more horsepower from my motors, but I never had a really noticeable win for the cash outlayed... until I got sick of mucking around and dropped a v8 and 5 speed in my old hilux and supercharged (not turbo'd) my prado.
Now I have power to spare but geez it costs an arm and a leg to get it with all the add-ons and necessary upgrades as well.
Would I do it again?
Probably not. Had to sell my last kid to afford the supercharger and tranny upgrades. But both cars are unstoppable now.
For the amount they charge, I wouldn't be bothered with minor upgrades. Not worth it for the small gain in my experience.

Cheers
Gurn

[JEWIENEWIE]

I just walked up to the mechanic that does all my work vehicles to talk about this. He seemed very positive and said they did a remap on one of the other mechanics Pajero and got great results. I spoke the guy who owns the vehicle and he reckons the increase in power is very noticeable, especially under load.Told me they get it done in the uk as they do a better job and can either tune it for better fuel economy or better performance power wise. He pulls a race care behind his Pajero and was blown away at the ease it would pull up the range he travels. Cost is $950 and if i am not happy with it or i can not notice any difference, he will take it out and refund. Was not going to worry about but know........very indecisive which is not normally me !!

[TheGurn]

Sounds like you've got nothing to lose. Go for it.
Check if they did anything else as well tho. Cams... exhaust... headers..
The devil might be in the details.

Good luck. Really hope it works for you.

Cheers
Gurn

[JEWIENEWIE]

Yeah i inquired about the add on thing. Told me it doesn't really matter what you have already got added on and no need to add anything else as long as your system is clean. telling me the pajeros have an adequate exhaust system as they are and they give all the details to the company who does the remapping and they sort it out to suit. They will however inspect the manifold to see how much crap is in there if any but mentioned as i send him so much work through my company i work for, will sort that out if needed as a nice gesture.....so he should, i send him a heap of work vehciles for servicing etc...will let you know how it goes if i proceed...