Previously the exclusive domain of gearheads in grease-stained overalls, or jocks wanting to impress the popular girl at school; car tuning has taken on a life of its own! It is like the question of, How much do you bench? has been replaced by, How fast can you get from 0-to-60? And with mainstream media gladly latching onto every aspect of this high-octane subculture, C5 Corvette parts show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
But at the end of 2008, when one of the aftermarket companies, Trust (trading as GReddy in the States), that helped pioneer the whole tuner culture in Japan announced it would be closing its doors for good, it sent a collective chill up the spines of boy-racers solar system wide! If Trust went out of business due to the global financial crisis, then what did that mean for the future of the worldwide automotive enhancement industry.
But it seems the gods of NOS took pity on their loyal subjects, fuel-injecting new life into the underground racing culture in the form of Vin Diesel. Or, maybe it did not exactly play out that way. But despite all evidence of any contrary, the underground racing circuit was, and still is, a massive influence on why Japanese performance vehicles are still in such high demand. But while the vehicular tuner revolution is still in full swing, and probably doing burnouts on your girlfriends lawn right now, it is the financial burden of actually participating in the culture that is got most budding Vin Diesels thinking twice.
With the introduction of onboard computers, most of a vehicles functions started being wired into a centralized mainframe. So, modifying any of its components would require one to not only know how to engineer the car, but also reverse-engineer its onboard technology before reengineering it all back together, with its new performance upgrades intact.
Should one persevere, the automobiles onboard computer would be the main thing deserving of special attention. Its electronic control unit (ECU) / onboard computer serves to integrate most, if not all, of any electronics incorporated into the vehicles design. So, making any engine enhancements before knowing how to reprogram the ECU might be a recipe for disaster unless ones intention is to actually cross the finish line in a ball of flames.
So not only does ones car need performance tuning, they also need a performance-tuned ECU capable of understanding and incorporating the new enhancements into its standard functioning protocols. Otherwise, it might become confused when trying to analyse and interpret any changes in the torque data it is receiving. Which could result in malfunctions like the vehicle refusing to idle, or not even start up in the first place.
And since engine performance tuning allows a vehicle to accelerate faster than it used to, special attention should be paid to any additional stress being placed on the braking and suspension systems. By this point, a person may be feeling a little disheartened at the prospect of all the complications that may arise from a poorly-tuned vehicle, but they can take some consolation in knowing one need not start the process under the hood.
For the time-being, leave terms like supercharger, short-shift, torque, and torsion on your local mechanics garage floor. Where, soon enough, they are bound to be picked up by someone more advanced in such matters anyway. Instead focus on things like getting a spoiler fitted to give your vehicle that sporty-looking edge. Or, perhaps, bucket-seats and a new body kit with a decent paint job would be all that is required to have one looking at their old rust bucket as if it was a Ferrari Enzo! As with all things, remember, baby steps.
But at the end of 2008, when one of the aftermarket companies, Trust (trading as GReddy in the States), that helped pioneer the whole tuner culture in Japan announced it would be closing its doors for good, it sent a collective chill up the spines of boy-racers solar system wide! If Trust went out of business due to the global financial crisis, then what did that mean for the future of the worldwide automotive enhancement industry.
But it seems the gods of NOS took pity on their loyal subjects, fuel-injecting new life into the underground racing culture in the form of Vin Diesel. Or, maybe it did not exactly play out that way. But despite all evidence of any contrary, the underground racing circuit was, and still is, a massive influence on why Japanese performance vehicles are still in such high demand. But while the vehicular tuner revolution is still in full swing, and probably doing burnouts on your girlfriends lawn right now, it is the financial burden of actually participating in the culture that is got most budding Vin Diesels thinking twice.
With the introduction of onboard computers, most of a vehicles functions started being wired into a centralized mainframe. So, modifying any of its components would require one to not only know how to engineer the car, but also reverse-engineer its onboard technology before reengineering it all back together, with its new performance upgrades intact.
Should one persevere, the automobiles onboard computer would be the main thing deserving of special attention. Its electronic control unit (ECU) / onboard computer serves to integrate most, if not all, of any electronics incorporated into the vehicles design. So, making any engine enhancements before knowing how to reprogram the ECU might be a recipe for disaster unless ones intention is to actually cross the finish line in a ball of flames.
So not only does ones car need performance tuning, they also need a performance-tuned ECU capable of understanding and incorporating the new enhancements into its standard functioning protocols. Otherwise, it might become confused when trying to analyse and interpret any changes in the torque data it is receiving. Which could result in malfunctions like the vehicle refusing to idle, or not even start up in the first place.
And since engine performance tuning allows a vehicle to accelerate faster than it used to, special attention should be paid to any additional stress being placed on the braking and suspension systems. By this point, a person may be feeling a little disheartened at the prospect of all the complications that may arise from a poorly-tuned vehicle, but they can take some consolation in knowing one need not start the process under the hood.
For the time-being, leave terms like supercharger, short-shift, torque, and torsion on your local mechanics garage floor. Where, soon enough, they are bound to be picked up by someone more advanced in such matters anyway. Instead focus on things like getting a spoiler fitted to give your vehicle that sporty-looking edge. Or, perhaps, bucket-seats and a new body kit with a decent paint job would be all that is required to have one looking at their old rust bucket as if it was a Ferrari Enzo! As with all things, remember, baby steps.
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