Feature: WERKT Winner | 37
Dom uses a battery charger during the upgrade process to ensure the engine management computer receives even power and doesn’t experience potentially damaging voltage fluctuations. Speaking of power, the Free Spirit rides on a Fiat Ducato 2.8 JTD cab-chassis, which when new produced a creditable 94 kW @ 3600 rpm and 300 Nm @ 1800 rpm, driving through a five-speed manual gearbox. The 2.8-litre turbodiesel is actually an Iveco unit with a single overhead camshaft, eight valves, common-rail fuel injection and was quite state-of-the-art in its day. Crucially, it’s electronically controlled and therefore able to take advantage of the WERKT upgrade. With a fully laden weight of 4.5 tonnes and a body with a big Luton peak to push along it’s easy to understand Noel’s desire for extra power, and improved fuel economy if possible. The Fiat has averaged 14-15 L/100 km with a best in the 13s and the worst in the 17s; time schedule, terrain and weather (wind) accounting for the variations.
How it WERKTs
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ERKT takes a different approach to the usual electronic engine upgrade, which involves replacing the engine’s management chip with an off-the-shelf solution. The upgrade is achieved though a two-step process that initially involves a consultation to determine you’re desired outcome – pure power or power/economy, for example – plus a reading of the vehicle’s engine computer software via a plug-in cable. This information is sent to head office in the UK, who then construct a custom solution for your vehicle. The second stage, which usually happens the following day, involves uploading the new software to effectively reprogram the operating