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Autotuning

About Auto Tuning

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Auto tuning is a great way to improve an outdated car or an underperforming car.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.

Tips on how to buy Auto Tuning Kits

There are some things you have to think of before jacking up the car for tuning. Not that you cannot reverse all the changes you have made; in case you don’t like them. But that’s not cheap. Also, tuning the car changes the handling and performance of the car. If you are not prepared to deal with it, you might even wreck your car. Making alterations to the car without following the proper guidelines will end up being a costly business. Here are some buying the right auto tuning kit for your car.

  • Decide the look you want before buying – This one is kind of obvious because the styling of the car is about changing the look of the car. But when some people shop for body kits, they end up with a whole bunch of aftermarket parts that do not go well with each other. Therefore, decide on the look beforehand and make sure that all of the parts complement each other to complement the look.
  • Don’t forget to upgrade the breaks – Great power comes with great responsibilities. When you are driving a souped-up beast, it’s no joke that you need more stopping power as well. More stopping power enables you to bring a fast-moving car to a complete stop in less distance. When you have upgraded the engine performance, you will need more sophisticated brakes. Look for ventilated brakes that cool off faster than the factory-installed ones.
  • Consider what you do with the car and who uses it – If we are talking about a family car that everyone in the family uses, you should think about the consequences. Is there a hotheaded teenager that often takes the car for a spin? Or is the bright coloured sticker appropriate if you are driving in the car to work? Or do the modifications add complications to the car that not everybody who uses the car will be able to handle?
  • Upgrade the breathing ability of the car when you upgrade the engine – A tweaked engine with a turbocharger generates more heat than it did when it came out of the factory. You should add a provision to dissipate all this extra heat generated inside the hood. Adding better exhausts, mufflers, and air intakes is the solution.

Keep in mind that some modifications are an easy way to get traffic penalties. So, before making any changes to your car, you should make sure nothing you do to the car is against the law. You should also check the policies of your insurance provider regarding vehicle modifications. Also, some changes require you to update them on the vehicle registration. When you are carrying out a car tuning in Dubai, follow the federal guidelines to be safe in your car. When everything is done right, the sound of revving a tuned car is music to ears. Also, don’t forget to check out all the other amazing products in the car supplies category. Our product search engine is home to more than 500+ shops and brands offering premium quality hose clamps at affordable prices.

Question & Answer

Is car tuning safe?

It depends. It is safe within limits. When it comes to the basics of engine tuning, if you push the engine too hard, it can cause more stress on the engine parts. In the long run, this will cause the joints and bearings to wear out. Another thing to consider is the heat. When the engine power output increases, the factory-installed radiator might not be able to deal with the increased heat. These are some of the reasons why the powertrain warranty voids with engine tuning. The short answer is engine tuning is only safe as you do it. So, only a professional car tuner should do it.

How do they tune car engines?

Traditionally car engines tuning involved replacing the engine parts with aftermarket parts that offer better performance. These days the game has changed a lot. Even though engine tuning still requires the replacing of a few parts, most of it is about the programming of the onboard computer. The onboard diagnostic tool can tell us everything about the current configuration and performance of the car. Also, the problems with the car, if any. By manipulating the configurations of this computer, we can hugely increase the performance of the car.

Which car is best for tuning?

Car tuning is a lot like hacking. As soon as a new car model comes out, tuners spend their time and effort finding ways to improve the performance of the car. The cars that have high-performance hardware but are factory tuned to reduce the performance are the best cars for car tuning. Tuning these cars gives jumps in the performance graph. Cars like Honda Civic, Toyota Lancer, Mazda Miata, and Volkswagen Golf are the favourites of the tuners. After souping up, these models are often used in sports events like Nascar. Although all cars on the road can be tuned, these cars have the built that is better suited for them.

What is the best car tuning software?

Car tuning software is also called ECU tuning and remapping software or Flash programmers. If you are looking for car tuning software, you have options to choose from the free ones to those that cost thousands of dollars. This expensive software is usually an aftermarket one that comes with an array of features. Safety is an important aspect to consider when you tune the car. So, it is better to go for the aftermarket software that comes with safety features. Their safety nets prevent over-turning of the engine and offer great live tuning options. You can look for software like AEM infinity and Haltech Elite.