Autotuning

Not everyone wants to drive a car as it comes from the factory. Some, feel it is a little too bland and want to spice it up a bit. If you are a motorhead, you might want to add a little more style and performance to your ride with auto-tuning also called car tuning.

Auto tuning has been there since the cars began to exist. People wanted to make their signature statement on their cars. For some, it was about the look and style of cars. For others, it was all about what is under the hood. Car tuning mainly refers to the modifications done to the car engine and transmission system in order to improve the performance of the car. But in broad terms, it includes body modification and customisation. While shopping for customisation parts for your car, you should have at least a basic idea about cars and tuning. This article will give you just that. Read on to find out more!

A beginner’s guide to car tuning and styling

Auto tuning is a great way to improve an outdated car or an underperforming car. Even though when you consider the cost of tuning alone, it can look like a lot of money, that’s mostly just sticker shock. Tuning will cost only a fraction of what it costs to buy a new car with better performance. You can also improve the look and feel of the car by tuning and styling it. However, there are some downsides to tuning. You can lose the warranty or increase the insurance cost, to state a few. If tuning the car without voiding the warranty is important for you, then you have to check the policies of your vehicle manufacturer. Nonetheless, here are the basics introduction to modifying your car.

Car engine tuning

When most cars come out of the factory, they are optimised for fuel efficiency rather than performance. For a lot of people, that’s what they want. But some like to add a bit more punch to it. Changing the car from a default manufacturing configuration to one that gives priority to power and speed over efficiency is what we call tuning. This includes swapping the manufacturing parts with aftermarket parts and tweaking the onboard computer settings. Tuning the car engine can void the manufacturer’s warranty on the car. We recommend you check with your manufacturer before making any modifications to your car engine.

Modern-day auto-tuning

These days, most of the tuning is done by modifying the onboard computers in the car. There is an array of sensors in the car that detects the amount of air entering the engine, measures the air pressure, and controls the opening and closing of the engine valves. There are also wheel speed sensors, steering wheel sensors, and many more. These are called Electronic Control Modules or ECMs for short. The Onboard Diagnostic System allows us to access and control these control modules. Today, a major portion of Auto-Tuning involves optimising the control modules.

Car tuning parts

There are five main parts involved in tuning a car. These are the air intake , exhaust , fuel injection, ignition, and fuel management. Like we breathe heavier when we are exerting more power, cars also need more oxygen to produce more power. That’s what the air intake does. While tuning, we also add a turbocharger or supercharger to the fuel injection. This makes use of the exhaust heat for efficient fuel burning. The fuel management is controlled by the ECU. Modifying this controller is called ECU tuning or mapping. Swapping the exhaust system usually means more noise, so you might want to check with your local laws before going for it. But if you are ready to pay a bit more, there are silent exhaust systems that give better performance.

Body kits

Unlike engine tuning, car customisation focuses on stylising the appearance of the car. This includes detailing the car, adding spoilers and fake air intakes, etc. Some jurisdictions require the owner to obtain permission from the authorities before making any modifications. You should check your local laws to avoid any legal complications. Another thing to consider is that body customisation can increase the insurance cost of the car. The exact clauses vary between companies, though. So, you will need to check with your insurance provider as well.

Care tune up

Although they sound similar, a complete car tune-up and car tuning are not the same. A car tune-up is minor maintenance of the car. A car tune-up involves replacing the spark plugs and their wires, changing the rotor and cap of the distributor, replacing the PCV valve, and replacing or cleaning the air filter and fuel filter. Sometimes we also change the fuel injectors. Usually, these are a default part of scheduled maintenance. And finally, the car is tested for performance on a road test. Testing the car at top acceleration will tell us how the performance is.