WHAT IS CHIP TUNING

Chip tuning is a concept that denotes the correction of the program of the vehicle engine control unit in order to change the standard characteristics of the engine and units.

Chip tuning that increases power carries along certain risks: loss of warranty, reduced resource of the engine, gearbox and other units. After chip tuning is performed, more frequent regulated maintenance and replacement of technical fluids are required.

The main purpose of chip tuning is to increase the power of the car. Also, people often resort to chip tuning due to the high cost of fuel to reduce it`s consumption. Chip tuning can be applied to a standard factory-assembled vehicle without upgraded structures and system elements. In this case, the power of the car will be limited by the capabilities and resource of serial parts. The increase in torque power depends entirely on the engine model, it`s design features and necessary elements of the control system, such as a fuel pump, injectors, etc.

There is a huge number of offers on the market for mechanical tuning of the engine and transmission - parts and components with improved characteristics, resource, performance to eliminate weak design moments and obtain maximum vehicle power. When using mechanical tuning, chip tuning is required to correct the control unit program and change the operating mode, parameters or assembly of mechanical / electronic components. This, for example, can be replacing injectors with those that have higher performance or installing a more powerful turbocharger, switching to another type of fuel, etc. Chip tuning is necessary when installing gas equipment, since the optimal ignition timing for gas fuel differs significantly from gasoline fuel. Correction of the ignition timing is possible only when changing the calibrations of the engine management program.

One of the areas of chip tuning is to correct factory errors in programs made by a number of manufacturers, especially in the segment of inexpensive cars. Most manufacturers install control programs with average indicators and do not take into account the characteristics of the fuel, climatic features, etc., as well as in connection with the breakdown of oxygen sensors and the destruction of catalytic converters.

The key point of chip tuning is editing of controller programs. Most of the chip tuning companies send read files to other companies that specialize in editing. The result of chip tuning depends on the qualification and experience of the specialist editing the program, who, in turn, must understand the operation of the engine, its reserves and weaknesses. Special software is usually used for editing to find and display calibration data tables in a graphical form. Simultaneously with editing, the checksums of the program are recalculated, which are used to control its integrity. Software of this level is extremely expensive and requires constant updates and enhancements. Most companies offer pre-purchased, "proven" firmware without the necessary knowledge and skills, without having the material and technical base for editing and analysing firmware purchased from another company. Often, such companies do not even have the proper hardware to read and write the controller program. This approach is not acceptable for chip tuning!

Chip tuning to increase the power of turbocharged and naturally aspirated engines is very different, since different reserves are used. When setting the modes of the naturally aspirated engine, the ignition and fuel supply characteristics are adjusted, due to which it is possible to achieve an increase in torque and power in the range of 8-15%. In turbocharged engines, the increase in power is mainly achieved by increasing the air boost and it can achieve 30-40% of the initial value. After correcting the program to increase the power, as follows, fuel consumption decreases, contrary to the opinion that has developed thanks to the activities of illiterate specialists.

The result of the chip tuning depends on the effectiveness of the factory control program. If the manufacturer has included in the standard program the high efficiency of the engine and units, the output of power, then the additional chip tuning will not give a special result, or, in case of incorrect actions, will lead to engine wear out and an increase in fuel consumption. If the manufacturer has not included in the program all the possibilities that the engine can reveal, then the chip tuning will give a tangible increase in power.

Chip tuning of engines in different brands and models can give completely different results, depending on the manufacturer's policy towards the power characteristics of the car. If the result of the chip tuning does not suit you, then it is necessary to touch on the technical units of the engine and perform mechanical actions on the parts and assemblies of the engine.