Chip tuning a car engine, consider the pros and cons of such tuning. Variants and varieties of such revision, as well as the cost of equipment and work at special service stations.
The content of the article:
- Unit power
- Ways to increase power
- Variety of firmware
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Firmware cost
Every driver wants the engine under the hood of his car to be more powerful and work perfectly. After all, these are the main characteristics for a car and the acceleration of the car will depend on it.
Often the first question is how to increase engine power and what methods exist for this. It is clear that the originally designed powerful engine will be the best, but there are still options for chip tuning of the unit.
Where is the engine power buried?
As already mentioned, the engine power will primarily depend on its volume. When the engine is running, it converts heat energy into kinetic energy to drive the machine. From the lessons of mechanics, it is worth remembering that kinetic energy appears as a result of the combustion of fuel and air in the engine.
Therefore, increasing the engine power, it is worth remembering that the fuel consumption will proportionally increase, followed by the cost of refueling the car.
Types of increasing engine power
Many car manufacturers impose restrictions on engine operation in order to comply with environmental and technical regulations as much as possible. Such restrictions can be both technical and software.
But still, despite such standard engines, some motorists try to get around them, each time modifying the engine to increase power. The most common way is to make changes to the cylinder block, both large and small.
The second way is to change and tune the fuel system, resulting in more fuel delivery and better combustion. The third method includes changes in the exhaust system, which also affects the engine power a lot.
The fourth way is the reprogramming of the control unit or, in another way, chip tuning. This method most often can both increase fuel consumption and increase power, and make the car more economical, reduce consumption and tune the fuel system as much as possible.
Chip tuning and classification of firmware
Chip tuning is considered the most popular, since, in fact, apart from changing the software, there is nothing to change in the car engine. The essence of the method is to develop new software taking into account the entire system and the characteristics of a particular car model.
After the development of such a program, the process of its implementation and installation in the control unit follows. Taking into account the development of computer technology, chip tuning of the engine is also rapidly developing and gaining popularity.
As for the type of firmware, first of all, they are divided into those that are designed to save fuel and those that are designed to increase engine power.
Also the most common firmware:
- "A" for non-standard equipment in the car;
- "B" stands for Butan, for working with liquefied gas as fuel;
- "C" Cam - when the engine has a non-standard camshaft, as manufacturers sometimes produce rare models.
- "D" - class of firmware to increase power, or as the speakers say;
- "E" - to save fuel, reduce consumption.
In order to determine whether your car is subject to such a chip tuning, it is not necessary to be an expert, it is enough to understand whether the engine is controlled by an on-board computer or not. Most often, such cars have a control unit with software. If there is such a thing, then the car is subject to chip tuning. In the case when this is not the case, then an increase in power can only be achieved mechanically.
Pros and cons of chip tuning
Do not forget that chip tuning can influence both positively and negatively. First of all, it depends on your riding style. If you rationally use the engine after chip tuning and drive carefully, then in this case there will be no load on the parts, the engine will work as before, but at the right time you can press the gas pedal and get additional power.
On the negative side, if there is no understanding of what the driving style should be, then the engine will not last long, there will be a heavy load on the parts of the piston group, the crank mechanism, and the wear of your car will be very rapid. This will lead to frequent engine breakdowns, car repairs and financial costs.
If you have never had to deal with the flashing of various equipment, then it is better to contact specialized firms, they will flash you as efficiently as possible and select the necessary firmware for your car model.
Such a firmware company should be selected carefully and according to the reviews of those who have already gone through a similar procedure, since the wrong firmware can completely kill the car and you will have to walk home. It may also be that after a while the program will require a second replacement, and this is again a waste of time and money.
It is worth not forgetting that such a chip tuning can take from one hour to a couple of days in time, everything will depend on the make, model and individual parameters of your car.
The price of firmware and work on chip tuning
In most cases, the firmware itself can be downloaded from the internet these days. But it is worth remembering that high-quality firmware costs money accordingly. Therefore, first of all, the financial costs will go to the firmware itself, its price will depend on the make and model of your car.
For example, firmware for Mercedes Vito or BMW starts from $ 10 to $ 100, for Audi it can start from $ 50 for the firmware itself. Do not forget that you need equipment in the form of a computer or laptop for flashing, as well as special software for integrating the firmware itself into the control unit.
The cost of software for chip tuning will also cost money, the price starts from $ 20 per disk with the program. A special cable for connecting to a car will also cost about $ 20. Sometimes on the Internet there is a special kit for a specific car model, where all the necessary things for chip tuning and instructions are already collected, the cost of the kit is about $ 350.
If there is no desire to search and debrief, it is best to contact specialized firms that are engaged in chip tuning. The average price for a chip tuning starts at $ 250 for a Mercedes Vito, for a BMW 5-Series E39 from $ 300.
