Stage 1
A calibration for a standard vehicle: standard turbo, intercooler, intake, exhaust and emissions equipment. Changes usually involve fuelling, boost targets and torque limiters. It is the most common choice for daily drivers, vans and tow vehicles, and it relies entirely on the vehicle being healthy.
Stage 2
A calibration that depends on supporting hardware, which varies by platform. It places greater demands on the clutch, gearbox and cooling, so condition checks are more extensive. On road vehicles, Stage 2 must keep the DPF, EGR and SCR systems in place.
Side by side
Hardware
Stage 1: standard. Stage 2: supporting modifications.
Condition checks
Both need them; Stage 2 needs a closer look at the whole drivetrain.
Gearbox
Either may raise gearbox torque-limit questions on automatics; Stage 2 more often.
Insurance
Both must be declared. Stage 2 may be harder to insure.
Reversibility
Software can usually be restored; hardware changes need refitting the original parts.
Choosing
If you want better drivability on a standard vehicle, Stage 1 is the usual starting point. Stage 2 makes sense only where the hardware, condition and your goals justify it. Sometimes the right answer is neither — fix a fault first.
Using this guide
This guide is general and educational. Vehicles differ in their engines, control units, software and emissions equipment, and manufacturers' handbooks sometimes give specific instructions that take priority over general advice. If anything here conflicts with your handbook or a warning on your dashboard, follow the handbook and get the vehicle checked.
We do not use customer stories or invented figures in our guides. Where something depends on the individual vehicle, we say so.
How we approach a Stage 1 or Stage 2 remap
We start with suitability rather than a sales pitch. Before any calibration is written to a control unit we want to know the vehicle is healthy: existing fault codes, boost or fuelling problems, a slipping clutch, a worn gearbox or a blocked DPF all need to be dealt with first, because tuning is not a substitute for repair and can make an existing weakness more obvious.
Where the vehicle is supported we explain what the proposed calibration is intended to change, what checks are needed and what the agreed scope of work includes. We do not publish universal power, torque or fuel-economy figures, because results depend on the individual vehicle, its condition, its software and how it is driven. If a remap is not the right answer for your vehicle, we will tell you.
What to send us before booking a Stage 1 or Stage 2 remap
The quickest way to get useful advice is to send the registration and a short description by WhatsApp or through the quote form. Support and suitability vary by engine, gearbox, control unit and software version, so a registration lets us check the right information instead of guessing. Any estimate given remotely is provisional until the vehicle has been seen and the required checks are complete.
- 01Vehicle registration and approximate mileage
- 02Make, model and engine size, if known
- 03Any warning lights, messages, symptoms or fault codes
- 04Existing remaps, tuning boxes or hardware modifications
- 05How the vehicle is used — commuting, towing, short trips or heavy loads
- 06Whether the vehicle is currently in limp mode or will not start
Visiting the workshop for a Stage 1 or Stage 2 remap
All work is carried out at our single workshop at Unit 2, Lancaster Works, Kingsbridge Road, Manchester M9 5SP. We do not run a mobile remapping service and we have no other branches, so every a Stage 1 or Stage 2 remap enquiry is booked into the same Manchester workshop. Visits are by arrangement: please call or WhatsApp before travelling so we can confirm the vehicle, the time and what the visit will involve.
Access is through the black gate. Call when you arrive so we can let you in, then keep left towards the rear of the site. We are open Monday to Friday 8am–6pm and Saturday 8am–1pm, and closed on Sunday. If the vehicle is in limp mode, showing a serious warning or will not start, tell us before setting off so we can talk about whether it is sensible to drive it or whether transport should be arranged.