Anecdotal evidence states that chip tuning is the lot of young people, that are ready to increase the capacity for “street racing”, regardless of the fuel economy and engine life.
What is chip tuning
In the mid-90s in Europe, a new type of engine tuning appeared, and it required no intervention in its mechanical parts. This option of engine modification is called chip tuning.
Improved engine performance without mechanical alterations became possible thanks to the emergence of electronic engine control units (ECU).
ECU is a kind of computer that controls the operation of the engine. As any other computer it has a computer memory chip, which gets at the factory specific program with special engine control parameters.
Chip-tuning by means of special programs – controllers allows you to change the factory settings pledged to improve engine performance and unleash its potential.
Most tuning studios do not modify read-in files; they sent that files to the company, which specializes in their tuning. On how well professional involved in program modification understands the work of the engine, how well he knows its weaknesses and reserves, depends the result of chip-tuning.
For modifying the controller program special software is commonly used, which allows you to find and present graphically the calibration data table.
‘Re-chipping’ gives you the opportunity to correct: the work of systems responsible for the toxicity of the engine, the fuel supply to the cylinders, the ignition and setting the rev limiter.
Thus, one can achieve a gain of torque and power in the motor mode setting atmospheric ranging from 5-10%. For the turbo engine, you can change the boost work settings, the difference may be 20-30% of the initial value.
Due to the chip tuning car gets an additional supply of power, which allows the driver to change gears less often and feel more comfortable when overtaking. In cars with automatic transmission it improves the smoothness of gear changes.
With proper chip tuning exactly “air valves” are covered, i.e. fuel card is correcting to the direction of reducing the amount of injected fuel, and the power is increased by increasing the efficiency of combustion. This confirms the decrease in consumption after chipping in contrasted with increased power and torque.
Although quite often in the first weeks after chip tuning owners notice an increased consumption. But this is due to the fact that in the early days drivers want to test new features of the engine. As soon as the “racings” are over, consumption usually falls below the usual standards.
The increase in engine power does not mean an increase in fuel consumption. The motor becomes easier to disperse the car with all rates, and therefore there is no need at ‘ringing cranking’.
