"learning" engine control unit?

[jklad]

I noticed after having done about 2500km in my new JK Petrol that engine performance suddenly got a lot better, as in more punchy torque and much more willing to rev out. I naturally assumed it was simply the drivetrain "running in" and the tight engine & trans loosening up a little.

I read recently that this is actually attributed to the ECU computer "learning" my driving style and positively compensating for it. I know this is a feature of some automatic gearboxes (mine's a manual anyway) but didn't think the Wrangler's ECU computer analysed my driving style in the same way and adjusted it's look-up charts accordingly; I thought you'd need to get a performance chip installed to achieve this.

Is any of this true, or is it simply a case of the vehicle getting run in as I originally assumed?

[davidd]

most modern ecu's can learn driving style. and no in 2500 km it has not loosened up yet mate.

[BrisNut]

Possibly just running in, I've noticed some improvement down low in the rpm range in the last 400km or so, I just made it to 2100km. I also noticed it seemed to benefit from using 5th more around town and lugging the engine a litle more down low rather than revving it hard. I was caught in the old habit of 4th gear for 60kph for a while when 5th is actually the 1:1 gear to use, personally I would have prefered to have 2 overdrive gears.
Otherwise, well, last thing I want is my car psychoanalysing me now, how does it handle learning different personalities driving?

[jklad]

Have some new info on my question.

I actually posted this question on a US site as well (figuring there's so many more jeeps over there I'd maybe get more responses) and the common answer was thet the ECU computer has a "run in" mode which slightly reduces power and discourages easy revving for the first 1500 miles (about 2500km I guess), before switching to normal operating mode, which would explain the sudden increase in power and freedom in revving. Other new cars I've had in the past slowly and gradually loosened up and gained power and performance over 10000-15000km, so this explanation seems plausable.

Still, the fact that I find it coasts easier and slows down less to a stop now than it did when new (where it felt like you had the brakes on when you reduced power approaching lights) tells me the drivetrain's gradually loosening up too.