Abarth 595 180hp Competizione - Custom ECU Remap with Dyno Test

Rumbling through the heart of many motor enthusiasts is the unmistakable growl of the Abarth 595 COMPETIZIONE, a symbol of vigorous spirit and impeccable engineering in the compact sports car domain, as we know very well here at Bluespark HQ, having tuned hundreds of these now.

These awesome, plucky little hot-hatches are always good fun to work with, and it’s always amazing to see them transform after a bit of tweaking. In this latest tuning and dyno testing, we take this 1.4 T-Jet Competizione and custom tune it, adjusting the software with our remapping tools and fine tuning the results with the rolling road dyno testing.

Firstly, we take the 595 at a completely stock level, no level of tune applied. We get it strapped up on to the rollers, and take it for the first set of tests to establish what the factory mapping is producing. No big surprises with this one, a pretty standard stock dyno graph can be seen below as power results are showing pretty bang on the mark at 181hp. Torque showing slightly higher than what is claimed, producing 272Nm instead of the 250Nm, but not particularly unusual to see strong stock figures here, as they often push higher torque figures than Abarth claim.

Once we are happy that we have everything logged and the stock figures are dialled in, it’s time to connect to the ECU. We use our Autotuner system to connect directly on to the ECU here, allowing us to tap straight into the software. As is explained in the full dyno testing video at the bottom of this page, the process of this custom tune is very much a hands-on, ‘fine tweaking’ procedure. We make several alterations to the software, adjusting the exact parameters we need to and configuring the software files to give us that increased power and torque.

Once we are happy with our alterations, we take the 595 for further dyno testing, allowing us to monitor the engine responses in real time, data logging the entirety of the test. Once the first few tuned runs are complete, the data is analysed and conclusions can be made as to where further adjustments and alterations can be made. Again, we configure this directly within the ECU, changing the exact parameters which are necessary to reach the requirements.

After these adjustments, there are further tests and the Abarth is once again taken for more tuned runs. The data is logged and gains are recorded. This process is repeated several times, as we will constantly analyse and fine tune, right down to the final requirements, until we are happy that we are getting the very best results from this remap.

The final tuned dyno run is displayed in the YouTube video, where we have finally finished altering everything, giving us the complete results. Dyno testing before and after shows healthy gains across the rev range, with a significant increase in power and torque, really transforming how the Abarth feels to drive.

Peak power was increased, we were able to lift it from 181hp at stock, up to 209hp after the custom tune. Taking a look at the dyno graph below you can see how the curve changes (dotted red and blue lines), bringing that power in right down from those lower revs, and showing improvements across the whole rev range. Second and third gear will see some significant improvements and any turbo lag will have been removed.

Torque also saw some great improvements. At stock the engine produced 272Nm, and now 315Nm after the remap. Again, taking a look at the graph (solid lines), you can really see the difference in that curve, seeing those gains come in all the way down at 2000rpm and holding those right throughout the revs.

Check out the full dyno test here, across on our YouTube channel: