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Common car tuning methods you must know about

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Lily Carter
Common car tuning methods you must know about

Ever since the mass production of cars brought motoring to the general public, there has been the need to personalize our machines. Henry Ford may have famously said "You can have any colour you want, as long as it's black" but people soon realised that once the car left the factory, any number of modifications could be carried out to improve its looks and performance. Until relatively recently, tuning your car was the preserve of specialist mechanics and involved expensive upgrading and changing engine parts which were often irreversible, even if you were not happy with the results.


Since then, the almost universal use of Electronic Control Units (ECUs) in modern cars has opened up new and exciting possibilities for car tuning in Essex and beyond.

 

The ECU functions like the operating system of your car, controlling such things as the air and fuel mix, and the ignition timing. The standard settings on a car ECU will always be somewhat detuned for various reasons, including differing emission regulations in different markets, or keeping a car within certain insurance bands.

 

The standard ECU setting is, of course, fine for most users, but it offers a lot of possibilities for those who wish to get the most from their cars. It is not just a performance boost that these modifications can deliver; extra torque can greatly improve a car's towing ability for example, if you regularly pull a trailer or a caravan, then it could be worth thinking about. There are fuel efficiency benefits to be had as well, although this varies from car to car.


Car tuning in Essex – the choices

There are many different engine remapping services available on the market, all with different claims about what they can achieve. Much will depend on the type of car you own. Turbo-engined cars can generally expect more of a boost in performance than comparable standard cars.

 

The age of the car will also play a factor, with newer cars primarily offering more possibilities, but bear in mind that if your car is still under the manufacturer's warranty, this will invalidate it.

 

A remap is performed by plugging a laptop into the vehicle's OBD port, the one that is used for diagnostics, and overwriting the settings with new ones. This should always be done by specialist garages or diagnostic centres, as remapping must be carried out correctly so as not to put undue strain on existing car parts.

 

You can have all the extra power in the world, but if the car's other parts cannot handle it, then it is useless and often dangerous.

 

A smart alternative to the engine remap is the tuning box. These plug-and-play devices intercept the signals from the ECU controlling a range of settings, not only power output. Some can be changed on the go through Bluetooth apps or switches fitted inside the car, offering multi-map possibilities. These offer a lot more flexibility than an engine remap and give the driver more control. You can switch between a fuel-efficient mode and a performance-boosting mode, for example.

 

A tuning box doesn't change any of the settings of the car and can be removed as easily as it is installed, which is an advantage when re-sale time comes around as any potential new owner may not share your enthusiasm for performance. An added bonus with some tuning boxes is that they can also work as an immobiliser in the case of theft, you can suppress throttle output remotely.


Car tuning in Essex - the Conclusions

Both ECU remapping and tuning boxes make cost-effective tuning more accessible and hassle-free. A driver can personalise their car to suit their style of driving. Different remaps offer different benefits. A remap will change the settings of the ECU in a particular way, while a tuning box simply sits between the ECU and the engine.

 

If you want to change a remap back to the stock settings, it will have to go back to the garage. Some research about what you can expect from your particular make and model of vehicle is always a good idea, so speak to specialists about your plans. Always check the implications it will have on your insurance and any warranties you may have.

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Lily Carter
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