With the insurance question, consider this.....
if you make a simple mistake and crash and injure a passenger (or any third party really) who is a top mate or "loved one" and they end up in a wheel chair, the insurance company are going to try and find a way of not paying out the substantial claim that would no doubt be put forward for their injuries. If they get the ECU checked and you ain't told them - guess what...... you'll be paying for that payout from your pocket one way or another.
My insurance know about all of my mods and it costs me about £60 extra. If you can't afford an extra £10, 15 or 20 per month then you can't afford mods.
*pushes soapbox neatly away*