There was a time where men with big engines modified their cars to get that little bit extra in terms of performance – that little bit extra that would give them the edge. That was back in the day, and you needed quite a bit of car know-how and muscle to gain notable results. Nowadays things have changed.
Cars come in a greater variety than ever before; cars are now controlled by an ECU, or electronic (sometimes ‘engine’) control unit, which means you don’t have to be a man or possess any measure of vehicle savvy to get more from Sally, Sarah or Betsy – whatever it is you named your car.
Performance chip tuning allows you to have the performance settings for your vehicle adjusted for more power, greater fuel economy or simply a smoother, comfortable ride. But there are two things you should know which they don’t necessarily tell you on those websites glossed over with all the sales talk…
Good or Bad for the Engine?
The short and very honest answer is that it may be a little bad for your engine. That’s to say it may lower the life expectancy of your engine a little bit; since some parts of the engine need to work harder, wear and tear on them will be greater. It’s logical. That being said, it doesn’t mean that the lifespan of your engine should diminish noticeably.
Every engine has its ‘safe’ limits, referring to operational parameters. If any changes stay within these limits, your engine should be able to do the job it has been built to do for a long time.
Knowledge of these limits specific to your engine is therefore one of the biggest requirements when tuning your chip for performance. And that’s why you should get in touch with a knowledgeable professional who knows your engine inside and out.
What About Engine Warranties?
Since you are modifying your car from its original factory specs to specifications that might not be approved by the manufacturer, chances are that you may be voiding warranties you have on the vehicle or specific engine parts.
And even though some ‘experts’ may claim their modifications to be undetectable, just remember that auto manufacturers possess the diagnostic equipment and skill to determine whether an engine’s software has been modified.
Again, this emphasizes the need for skilled hands to perform the modification, or to restore the vehicle’s ECU back to its original state – not so much to prevent the modification from being detected, but to ensure that your engine lives a long and very happy life.
If you want more power under your seat; if you want better fuel economy; if you want a more pleasurable ride than your vehicle is currently providing you with, performance chip tuning is your solution. Just make sure that the hands that fiddle with your vehicle’s computer system are both skilled in their trade and backed by intimate knowledge about your vehicle’s engine.
