If you ask which Stage 1 diesel map matters most on an MD1 ECU, the question is set up wrong. The maps work as a data flow — driver wish feeds torque limits, torque feeds conversion, conversion feeds rail pressure, and so on. There is no “most important” map. There is a sequence that has to be touched in order. Below is the full list as Thomas Pirowski called it out at our May 2026 Open Q&A, with the role each map plays in the chain.
This is the text summary. Members at our 19 May 2026 Open Q&A got the live walk-through of how these maps interact. The full diesel calibration method — torque modelling, combustion physics, ECU protection layers — lives in Diesel Practice →. Register free for our next Open Q&A → — live with Thomas, agenda forming.
The question — from Q&A live 2026-05-19
Mario asked:
“Can you list all the calibration maps needed for a perfect stage 1 diesel MD1 tuning in order of their importance, that you do when selling a stage 1 map to a customer?”
The reframing — “in order of the data flow, not importance” — is the answer’s starting point.
Thomas’s answer — there are no less and more important maps
“There are no less and more important maps, Mario — they are just working together as a data flow.” (~33:54–33:59)
A Stage 1 file is a chain: change one term and the next term has to follow. The order below is the order Thomas typed the list out live — the order of the data flow.
The map list — in data-flow order
1. Driver Wish (DW)
“You need the driver switch.” (~34:06)
The map that converts pedal position into requested torque (DAMOS folder AccPed_DrvDemDes, map ID AccPed_trqEng on EDC16/EDC17/MD1). The first lever in the chain — the new torque request starts here.
2. Torque Limits + Torque Monitoring
“Then you need just the torque limits — sometimes TQ. TQ monitoring.” (~34:08–34:15)
The protection layer that compares requested torque against allowed torque. The hard ceiling lives in EngPrt_trqLim (folder EngPrt_PrtLim). Monitoring on EDC17/MD1 sits under the MoF* umbrella — key-on shadow MoFDrDem_rTrqEng (folder MoFDrDem_Co) and runtime losses MoFLos_trqEngLos / MoFLos_rTrqEngLos (folder MoFLos_Co); which layers are present varies per bin. Stage 1 raises requested torque, so the limits and the monitoring values need to track the new request.
3. Conversion — VE for gasoline, TQ-IQ for diesel
“Then you will need the conversion. This depends on the diesel or gasoline. Conversion table — it is just a volumetric efficiency for gasoline or just TQ-IQ for diesel.” (~34:16–34:34)
The bridge between the torque request (in Nm) and the fuel quantity the ECU has to inject (in mg/stroke). On diesel this is the torque-to-injection-quantity map — PhyMod_trq2qBas (folder PhyMod_GenCur) on older Bosch DAMOS generations, FMTC_trq2qBas (folder FMTC_q2trq) on newer ones; the folder→map pairs don’t mix. On gasoline it is volumetric efficiency. Stage 1 fuel changes flow through this conversion before reaching the injector.
4. Rail Pressure + Duration
“Then you need for sure the rail pressure — together with duration.” (~34:35–34:43)
The pair that determines how much fuel actually goes into the cylinder. Rail pressure sets the pressure behind the injector — Rail_pSetPointBas (folder Rail_SetPoint), capped by Rail_pSetPointMax. Duration sets how long the injector stays open — InjVlv_tiET (folder InjVlv_GetET). They get changed together.
5. Set-up maps — proper pressure
“Then you need the set up maps — to be properly calibrated. This will be just the proper pressure.” (~34:47–34:56)
The set-up maps that have to be recalibrated around the new request — the example called out in the list is the proper pressure.
6. VNT (Variable Nozzle Turbo, also written VGT)
“Then it will be just VNT — very important. So I put here VNT or VGT — yeah, this is the same. Variable nozzle turbo or variable [geometry turbo].” (~34:59–35:14)
Very important on the diesel side — the variable-nozzle-turbo control. The vane position map is PCR_rCtlBas (folder PCR_CtlValCalcMdl). VNT and VGT are the same map family under the English and German-derived names.
7. Pre-injection
“Then we have the pre-injection. Pre-injection.” (~35:18–35:25)
The small injection events that precede the main event — InjCrv_qPiI1Bas (folder InjCrv_PiI1). Stage 1 changes the main-event fuel, and pre-injection has to follow it.
8. Start of Injection (SOI)
“Start of injection.” (~35:26)
The crank angle at which main injection begins — InjCrv_phiMI1Bas (folder InjCrv_MI1). The degrees-versus-percent question for SOI has its own KB topic.
9. Rail Pressure (optimization pass)
“And the rail pressure finally modified. So this is just the optimization.” (~35:26–35:34)
A second, final pass on rail pressure after pre-injection and SOI are set — in the list this came with one word: optimization.
10. Sometimes — torque limit by gear, thermal maps
“And I think that’s all. Sometimes in some ECUs there are some specific maps like, for example, the torque limit by gear, or some thermal maps.” (~35:37–35:53)
Platform-specific extras. Some ECUs carry a torque limit by gear — on Bosch diesel the gearbox-protection family is Gearbx_trqDrive (folder Gearbx_TrqLim). Some carry thermal maps (no stable DAMOS ID across applications). Check whether the file has them before calling the Stage 1 complete.
Map count — what to expect
“Usually it will be between 30 to maximally 50 60 — maybe in Mercedes up to 100 maps — because there are copies of it.” (~36:01–36:12)
The list above describes map families, not individual maps. Each family typically ships with multiple copies — the synchronous-percent-edit pattern documented across the Knowledge Base. A typical MD1 Stage 1 file touches 30–60 individual map entries. Mercedes platforms can go up to 100 because of how many copies the file ships per family.
Maps referenced in this guide
| Step | Concept | DAMOS Folder | Map ID | ECU | Deep dive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Driver wish | AccPed_DrvDemDes |
AccPed_trqEng |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | KB-08 |
| 2 | Engine torque limit | EngPrt_PrtLim |
EngPrt_trqLim |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | — |
| 2 | Torque monitoring — key-on shadow (Layer 1) | MoFDrDem_Co |
MoFDrDem_rTrqEng |
EDC17 (variant-dependent), similar on MD1; not on EDC16 | KB-08 |
| 2 | Torque monitoring — runtime losses (Layer 2) | MoFLos_Co |
MoFLos_trqEngLos / MoFLos_rTrqEngLos |
EDC17 (variant-dependent), similar on MD1; not on EDC16 | KB-08 |
| 3 | Torque-to-fuel conversion (TQ-IQ) | PhyMod_GenCur (gen 1) / FMTC_q2trq (gen 2) |
PhyMod_trq2qBas / FMTC_trq2qBas |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | Blog #6 |
| 4, 9 | Rail pressure setpoint + max | Rail_SetPoint / Rail_SetPointAddCor |
Rail_pSetPointBas / Rail_pSetPointMax |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | KB-05 |
| 4 | Injection duration (ET) | InjVlv_GetET |
InjVlv_tiET |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | — |
| 6 | VNT/VGT vane position | PCR_CtlValCalcMdl |
PCR_rCtlBas |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | Blog #6 |
| 7 | Pre-injection 1 quantity | InjCrv_PiI1 |
InjCrv_qPiI1Bas |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | KB-01 |
| 8 | Main injection SOI | InjCrv_MI1 |
InjCrv_phiMI1Bas |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | KB-07 |
| 10 | Gearbox torque limit | Gearbx_TrqLim |
Gearbx_trqDrive |
EDC16, EDC17, MD1 | — |
Step 5 (set-up pressure) and the thermal maps in step 10 are listed without IDs on purpose — no single stable DAMOS ID to point to (see the boost-control breakdown in Blog #6 for the PCR_* family).
The takeaway
There is no priority order if “priority” means “which one to edit first if you only have time for a few”. The chain works end to end — Driver Wish → Torque Limits → Conversion → Rail Pressure / Duration → Set-up pressure → VNT → Pre-injection → SOI → Rail Pressure optimization → platform-specific limits. All of these structures should be taken into consideration if you think about the perfect Stage 1 file.
The full diesel calibration workflow — including the math for each conversion step, the protection-layer logic, and how to spot a missing step in a customer’s broken Stage 1 file — is the body of the Diesel Practice course →.
Doing an MD1 Stage 1 right now? Post which of the ten families your DAMOS actually shows — especially if your file carries the torque limit by gear or the thermal maps from step 10.