GPF / OPF Off — Petrol Particulate Filter Delete in Software

What is a GPF / OPF?

The GPF (Gasoline Particulate Filter), also called an OPF (Otto-Partikelfilter), is a honeycomb ceramic filter fitted in the exhaust of modern direct-injection petrol engines. It is the petrol equivalent of the diesel DPF. Direct injection burns very efficiently but produces fine soot particles, and since the Euro 6d standard (from roughly 2018) petrol cars have carried a GPF/OPF to trap those particulates and keep particle-number emissions inside the legal limit.

Like a DPF, the filter gradually fills with soot and must be cleaned by regeneration — the ECU raises exhaust temperature so the trapped soot burns off. The unit is a mandatory emissions device: it is monitored by pressure and temperature sensors and its state is reported to the on-board diagnostics.

How does GPF / OPF Off work in the ECU?

GPF / OPF Off is a software change written into the engine control unit. It is only relevant once the filter has been physically removed or gutted; the calibration then tells the ECU to stop managing a filter that is no longer there.

• Regeneration: the periodic soot-burn cycles are disabled, so the ECU no longer enriches the mixture or raises exhaust temperature to clean a filter.
• Monitoring: the differential-pressure and temperature checks around the filter are switched off so an empty housing does not trigger a fault.
• Fault codes: the diagnostic trouble codes and dashboard warnings tied to GPF back-pressure, load and efficiency are suppressed.
• Fuelling: any fuel and timing corrections that existed purely to protect or regenerate the filter are removed.

Done properly, the engine runs cleanly with no stored particulate-filter faults and no aborted regeneration attempts.

Effect on the vehicle

The everyday benefit is mostly the removal of filter-related problems rather than big headline power. A GPF/OPF is far less restrictive than a diesel DPF, so freeing the exhaust gives only a small flow improvement — you may notice a marginally freer top end and a slightly sharper exhaust note, not a transformation.

The real gains are practical: no more regeneration cycles interrupting short journeys, no fuel wasted heating the exhaust to burn soot, no risk of a blocked or cracked filter, and a lighter exhaust. On the other side of the ledger, deleting the GPF/OPF means the car emits far more particulate matter — the exact pollution the filter was fitted to capture. It has no effect on the engine's mechanical reliability either way.

Who is it for?

GPF / OPF Off applies to modern direct-injection petrol engines built to Euro 6d and later — the turbo TSI, TFSI, EcoBoost, PureTech, GDI and similar families that left the factory with a petrol particulate filter. It has nothing to do with diesels (which use a DPF) or with older port-injection petrols that never had one.

In practice the legitimate cases are narrow: motorsport and off-road vehicles, track cars, competition builds, or cars being prepared for export to a region without particulate rules. It is also chosen where an original filter has failed and a like-for-like road-legal replacement is not the goal — for example a dedicated race car.

Important legal and emissions notes

This is the part that matters most. The GPF/OPF is a mandatory emissions-control device. Removing it and switching it off in software makes a car illegal for road use in most countries, including throughout the EU and UK. It will typically fail a periodic technical inspection, and tampering with emissions equipment can bring fines, a failed roadworthiness test or invalidated insurance.

• Road use: not permitted where particulate-emission rules apply — the vast majority of markets.
• Legitimate use: motorsport, off-road, closed-course, export, or strictly where local law allows.
• Warranty: removing an emissions component will void the relevant parts of a manufacturer warranty.

RemapTune supplies this solution on that clear understanding. We do not encourage illegal road use — check the rules that apply where you are before proceeding.

See if it fits your car

GPF/OPF fitment, sensor layout and monitoring strategy vary a lot between engine families and model years, so the calibration has to match your exact ECU. A generic file is the wrong approach for an emissions delete.

Upload your original ECU read to RemapTune. The system identifies your ECU, confirms whether a GPF/OPF Off solution is available for your specific file, and lists it alongside the other compatible options — so you can see exactly what applies to your vehicle before you decide.

Frequently asked questions