• - Scotland’s number-one VAG-group and BMW automotive software development centre celebrates a decade of success
• - Famous for its state-of-the-art calibrations development team catering to their local marketplace and a plethora of premium tuning brands around the world
• - Home to comprehensive workshop and web shop facilities, making it the ‘one-stop-shop’ for upgrading your German performance car
• - APR master hardware/software distributor that now acts as ‘APR Scotland’ with a growing sub-dealer network

DEVELOPING A PASSION

It’s been widely regarded to be Scotland’s leading automotive software development centre for many years now, but just how has Glasgow-based Ecotune created such a well-respected status amongst its loyal customers and what exactly goes on behind the doors of its cutting-edge headquarters?

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2019, Ecotune’s humble beginnings revolve around founder and Calibrations Engineer, Stan Ward, deciding to take his long-lived passion for getting the absolute optimum performance out of modern-day cars’ engines and develop it into his own incredibly successful business.

Ecotune began primarily as a BMW-specialist tuning centre focusing on the modern common-rail diesel platform and found enormous growth and success in this marketplace. This led to the recruitment of additional enthusiast team members facilitating space to study other platforms with a view to bringing the same passion for the best possible tuning product to other European marques.

What followed was the spawning of a long-term partnership with world-leading VAG-group performance tuner, APR in Alabama, and the growth of ‘APR Scotland’ which in recent years has been revered as the most popular VAG-group tuning brand throughout the UK.

With APR meeting and exceeding the expectations of the Stage 1 and Stage 2 customer, owner and Calibrations Engineer Stan soon focused his attentions into the Stage 3 marketplace in the interests of demonstrating Ecotune’s performance capabilities at the more extreme end of tuning. It’s no surprise, then, that it has since produced the quickest TFSI-powered S3 and (Gen III)-TSI powered Golf in the country, to name just two record-breaking vehicles to emerge from the Ecotune stable.

Ecotune’s current Hillington-based premises is home to a clinical performance-focused workshop facility; an environment where the technicians can complete customer builds to a standard that exceeds the needs of more spirited drivers and also ensures that the calibrations team have professionally installed and tested hardware packages to build upon when the time comes for an ECU calibration. The Ecotune workshop has become synonymous for performance engine builds in the VAG-group TFSI/TSI realm, catering both locally and shipping performance engines to other enthusiast workshops in the UK and abroad whilst offering above-dealer specification performance servicing and maintenance on cars owned by its loyal customer base.

Ecotune has grown into the retail of performance parts with many enthusiasts making the firm their local stop to indulge in the purchase of the latest upgrades for their pride and joys. With Ecotune's strong relationship with most leading performance hardware manufacturers, it’s grown to enjoy ‘master distributor’ status on many brands, serving both trade and the enthusiast end-user; its thriving online shop manned to engage in chat with visitors to help guide them to the best possible products for their tuning goals and by a sales team who themselves have a deep-rooted passion for the same.

No calibrations development centre would be complete without a dynamometer cell and it’s here that Stan and his calibrations team have created a facility that truly sets Ecotune apart. With Scotland’s only belt-linked chassis dynamometer, two- and four-wheel-drive cars can be run with all road wheels in operation, creating a true road simulator which aids enormously in the development of the best possible road- and track-going engine management calibrations to offer to their customers and partnering tuning centres across the globe.

MORE THAN JUST CALIBRATION

Whilst the heart of Ecotune is still undoubtedly the fully bespoke engine and gearbox computer calibrations that are developed by Stan Ward and his talented calibrations team, this really is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to improving performance here these days.

Becoming something of a ‘one-stop-shop’ for high-performance car owners, those looking for safe, useable extra performance can now be sure to find what they’re looking for with the assistance of the knowledgeable and helpful staff.

To get the most out of any calibration, it goes without saying the vehicle in question must be in the healthiest condition possible. This, combined with the fact that many owners wish to apply some hardware upgrades to complement their tune, means that it was inevitable for Ecotune to eventually introduce its very own in-house workshop several years back.

Boasting three below-ground rotary lifts, engineering-spec tooling and a team of experienced technicians, the workshop is the place where everything from servicing work to full Stage 3 transformations take place.

Only adding to Ecotune’s ‘everything-under-one-roof’ level of service is the vast web shop that’s now live on the firm’s website (www.ecotune-scotland.co.uk), meaning parts from acclaimed companies such as Forge Motorsport, Akrapovic, Milltek, Racingline and Eventuri can be ordered to be posted or fitted in the workshop upon the customer’s arrival.

But no look around Ecotune would be complete without putting the acclaimed calibration nerve centre under the spotlight. The firm’s boundless research and development on various marques means that unparalleled engine management calibrations for over 40 leading tuning centres throughout the UK, Europe and beyond are now produced here. This in-turn called for a very unique dynamometer that could provide genuine road simulation where required; allowing proprietary functions such as traction and stability systems to remain fully functional during testing.

Welcome, then, to Ecotune’s bespoke, switchable belt-linkage dyno. Rated up to a whopping 1200whp per axle and also utilising twin 7500lb Frenelsa Eddy retarders and a 15kW external cold air feed fan, it undoubtedly acts as one of the most accurate and controllable rolling road systems in Scotland and beyond.

As well as applying some of the finest bespoke calibrations using this state-of-the-art equipment and unrivalled knowledge, Ecotune also proudly offers software solutions from US-based APR when it comes to selected VAG-group vehicles, recently gaining the title ‘APR Scotland’. This means Ecotune has exclusive rights to APR products in Scotland, with full access to the firm’s extensive products catalogue and meaning Scottish customers needn’t travel hundreds of miles to benefit from what is undoubtedly one of the best firms on the market.

MAKING A MARK

With such an impressive pool of resources and talent in one place when it comes to improving a car’s performance, it’s little wonder that Ecotune has helped to produce some of the UK’s most formidable road, track, drag and race machinery in its decade-long history.

Of particular note are cars such as Liam Bryce’s Audi S3 8P – the very fastest road-legal version of this particular model in the country that can lay down deep 10-second quarter mile times whilst retaining street tyres and a full interior thanks to its BorgWarner EFR turbocharger, uprated fuelling system and, of course, fully bespoke Ecotune calibration (the Ecotune-built engine installed hasn’t missed a beat in the four years since its assembly, either).

Then there’s Ecotune’s very own 991.2 Porsche 911 Turbo S – a car which recently took Crail Raceway’s ‘Fastest Ever German Car’ accolade thanks to its comprehensive breathing modifications and tailored tune by owner Stan Ward, netting a 9.96-second quarter mile time.

Gordon Guthrie’s Mk7 VW Golf R, complete with its Ecotune ‘Stage 3’ package, has become the fastest British DQ250 DSG gearbox-equipped vehicle of its kind with a recent drag strip time of 10.64 seconds @ 131.2mph on 99 RON fuel (the car has also performed a Dragy GPS time of 10.58 seconds @ 129.79mph/0-60mph in 2.8 seconds).

Other quarter-mile highlights:

- Paul Cameron – APR Stage 2 Audi TT RS 8S – 10.02 seconds (UK stock turbo record)

- Paul Browne – APR Stage 2 Audi RS 7 – 10.1 seconds (stock turbo world record at Santa Pod)

- James Scott – Turbo Technics V4 Mk7 VW Golf R – 10.69 seconds (Dragy GPS time with 99 RON fuel)

- Kraig Atkinson – Stage 1+ (DPF-equipped) BMW 335d xDrive – 11.7 seconds (UK record)

WORDS FROM THE FOUNDER

Stan Ward, Ecotune’s founder and Calibrations Engineer, shares his thoughts on what has made his company such an ever-expanding success.

“My primary role is engine management calibration development for the benefit of Ecotune customers and our network of tuning partners. It has always been important to me to provide a more powerful and enjoyable driving experience for all our customers whilst adopting a responsible approach to tuning. After all, not all customers are out there to break records and by majority, most clients are looking for a responsible, reliable upgrade in-line with our ‘performance without the compromise’ mantra. I’ve been doing this now for 13 years, with Ecotune itself currently carrying out its 10^th birthday celebrations.

“Most of the staff have been with us like family since the beginning with a prerequisite to employment an insatiable passion for this line of work. The company has now grown to the extent that it supplies bespoke engine management calibrations not just for Ecotune, but for over 40 other high-profile ECU tuning companies throughout the world.

“We’re pushing out the walls at our current location and planning to make more space. As the business grows, we need to expand in all areas to supply a larger customer base whilst retaining our excellent level of service and not losing sight of our own aspirations of where we want to be as a company. The future of Ecotune is bright, and it’s bigger.

“We’ve invested over 500 dyno hours into SIMOS 18 [modern-day TSI ECU] Stage 3 tuning – that equates to nearly 800 actual hours of research and development on the MQB EA888 engine – by making micro-adjustments using comprehensive data logs, we were able to extract the most efficient power possible from this platform.

“By identifying the areas for improvement and the limitations of the factory system we can balance power and reliability to ensure our responsibility to provide the customer a reliable long-term performance solution is met.”

CONTACT

Ecotune Ltd

10 Dalziel Rd

Glasgow

G52 4NN

www.ecotune-scotland.co.uk

info@ecotune-scotland.co.uk

0141 882 4669