Car tuning

"Auto tuning" redirects here. For the principle of automatic correction, see Self-tuning.

A tuned Toyota Mark II.

Car tuning is a generalized term to refer to the act of improving the performance or appearance of a vehicle. For actual "tuning" in the sense of automobiles or vehicles, see engine tuning. As most vehicles leave the factory set up for average driver expectations and average conditions, tuning has become a way to personalize the characteristics of the vehicle to the owner's preference. For example, cars may be altered to provide better fuel economy, produce more power, or to provide better handling.

Car tuning is related to auto racing, although most performance cars never compete. Rather, they are built for the pleasure of owning and driving such a vehicle. Exterior modifications include changing the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle via side skirts, front and rear bumpers, spoilers, splitters, air vents and light weight wheels.

Origin

In the 1970s and 80s, many Japanese performance cars were never exported outside the Japanese domestic market. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, grey imports of Japanese performance cars, such as the Nissan Skyline, began to be privately imported into Western Europe and North America. In the United States, this was in direct contrast to the domestic car production around the same time, where there was a very small performance aftermarket for domestic compact and economy cars; the focus was instead on sporty cars such as the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette, or on classic muscle cars.

Because of their light weight and the increasing availability of low-cost tuning equipment, economy and compact cars exhibit high performance at a low cost in comparison to dedicated sports cars. As professional sporting and racing with such vehicles increased, so did recreational use of these vehicles. Drivers with little or no automotive, mechanical, or racing experience would modify their vehicles to emulate the more impressive versions of racing vehicles, with mixed results.

Areas of modification

The essence of modification of a tuner car is an attempt to extract the greatest possible performance—or the appearance of high performance—from the base motor vehicle through the addition, alteration or outright replacement of parts. Although this largely involves modifying the engine and management systems of the vehicle to increase the power output, additional changes are often required to allow the vehicle to handle this power, including stiffened suspension, widened tires, better brakes, improved steering and transmission modifications such as the installation of a short shifter. Although largely invisible from outside the vehicle, certain modifications such as low profile tires, altered suspension, and the addition of spoilers can change the overall appearance of the car.

Audio

Audio is a term used to describe the sound or video system fitted in the vehicle. A stock audio system refers to one that was specified by the manufacturer when the vehicle was built in the factory. A custom audio installation can involve anything from the upgrade of the radio to a full-blown customization based around the audio equipment. Events are held where entrants compete for the loudest, highest quality reception or most innovative sound systems.

A misconception in mainstream society is that enhanced audio systems play a major role in tuning. Modern tuners usually do not have elaborate sound systems. The focus of tuning is performance based.

Interior

All cars competing in each class must adhere to a strict set of regulations. As in some well known racing events, like NASCAR and NHRA, sanctioned events often require a minimum vehicle weight. In such cases the interior is stripped and lead weights or similar are added to meet that requirement.

Along with weight requirements, safety requirements are present . Requirements differ for different classes. Roll cages, fire extinguishers, reinforced bucket seats, seat harnesses, and the like are some of the required safety modifications. Roll cages may be difficult to install when the original equipment interior is present.

A common misconception is that a tuner will install such equipment as flashy lights, TV screens and similar items to enhance the appearance of their car. In reality, though, improved performance is the fundamental goal of tuning. Because form often follows function, performance modifications may often improve the appearance of tuner cars.

Engine tuning

Main article: Engine tuning

Engine tuning is a significant element of car tuning. An experienced engine tuner can improve the output of stock motors with the simple adjustment of values in the vehicle's engine control or powertrain control module.

Although installing a supercharger or turbo may be mistaken for tuning, this is incorrect. Tuning is necessary after installation, but the two are only interrelated in that sense, no further. Installing a forced induction system to a vehicle is more related to the act of bolting on.

Some tuners will install devices which modify communications to the Engine Control Unit in order to obtain more power. Such devices provide the stock ECU with inaccurate data from sensors to modify engine output. This is often an inexpensive way to modify an OEM computer system used to tune lightly modified vehicles. This method is known as piggy-backing, or using the stock engine management along with a chip to provide the "inaccurate" data to fool the ECU into providing the correct amount of fuel and spark timing.

Today’s car and light truck engines are fully electronically controlled. That makes it very easy to enhance the performance of the engine through “Chip-Tuning”. This refers to modifying the programming of the computer chips which control the engine management. Chip tuning can be used for both gasoline and diesel engines that are equipped with an electronic motor management.

Other standalone engine management systems are available. These systems replace the factory computer with one that is user programmable. Using such a device a tuner can control all running aspects of an engine; reducing knock, correcting air fuel ratios, and advancing or retarding timing to obtain efficient power levels for their setup.

Suspension tuning

Suspension tuning involves modifying the springs, shock absorbers, swaybars, and other related components of a vehicle. Shorter springs offer greater stiffness and a lower center of gravity at the cost of proper suspension geometry. Stiffer shock absorbers improve the dynamic weight shifting during cornering and normally have shorter internals to stop them from bottoming out when shorter springs are used. Stiffer sway bars reduce body roll during cornering, thus improving the grip that the tires have on the surface by reducing suspension geometry changes caused by roll; this also improves handling response due to faster weight shifting (similar to stiffer springs.) The danger with overly stiff swaybars is the lifing of the inner wheel, which reduces its traction. Loss of traction less likely with softer bars. Other components that are sometimes added are strut bars, which improve the body stiffness and help better maintain the proper suspension geometry during cornering. On some cars certain braces, anti-roll bars, etc., can be retrofitted to base model cars from sports models.

For offroad vehicles, the emphasis is on lengthening the suspension travel and installing larger tires to increase ground clearance.

These suspension modifications are in contrast to Lowriders with hydraulic or pneumatic suspensions. Lowriders use another type of suspension tuning in which the height of each individual wheel can be rapidly adjusted by a system of rams which, in some cases, makes it possible to "bounce" the wheels completely clear of the ground.

Body tuning

Body tuning involves adding or modifying spoilers and a body kit in order to improve the aerodynamic performance of a vehicle. Through the generation of downforce, cornering speeds and tire adhesion can be improved, often at the expense of increased drag. To lighten the vehicle, bodywork components such as hoods and rear view mirrors may be replaced with lighter weight components.

Often, body modifications are done mainly to improve a vehicle's appearance, as in the case of non-functioning scoops, spoilers, wide arches or other aesthetic modification. Aftermarket spoilers or body kits rarely improve a car's performance. The majority, in fact, add weight and increase the drag coefficient of the vehicle, thus reducing its overall performance.

Increasing the wheel track width through spacers and wide body kits enhance the cars cornering ability. Lowering the center of gravity via suspension modifications is another aim of body tuning. Often, suspension tuners unfamiliar with spring dynamics will cut stock springs, producing a soft, bouncy ride. It is also common to lower the car too far beyond the optimal center of gravity purely for appearance.

Competition cars may have light weight windows, or the windows may be completely removed, as auto glass adds significant weight. Plastic windows are much more vulnerable to scratches which reduces service life.

Tires

Tires have large effects on a car's behavior and are replaced periodically, therefore tire selection is a very cost effective way to personalize an automobile. Choices include tires for various weather and road conditions, different sizes and various compromises between cost, grip, service life, rolling resistance, handling and ride comfort.

Detuning

Detuning refers to returning a modified car to its original factory status. The term detuning can also refer to the reduction of performance in a particular area of tuning. For example, a car may be "detuned" to allow increased traction where the track grip is not sufficient to handle the increased power of the tuned engine.

Styles of modification

Modified cars can be significantly different from their stock counterparts. A common factor among owners/modifiers is to emulate the visual and/or performance characteristics of establshed styles and design principles. Sometimes these similarities are unintentional. Some of the many different styles and visual influences to car modification are:

• Rat style: The characteristics of the rat rod style of hot rod and custom cars, imitating the "unfinished" appearance of some hot rods in the 40s, 50s and 60s.
• Hot rod style largely consists of period specific vehicles, components and finishes to reproduce characteristics of early hot rods from the 1930s and 1940s. This style may also include the associated styles of Street Rods and Custom cars.
• Modern styles include the recently established modification styles such as the Import scene, Lowriders, European(Euro-style), DUB, Cal Look; most of which are largely visually oriented.
• Cultural/media styles: The characteristics specific to cultures, stereotypes and media, such as Boy racers and film specific cars. The Fast and the Furious (film series) provides an often emulated modification style.
• Production car styles, in which he characteristics of current-model and luxury cars, Sports cars, Supercars and Muscle cars are emulated, largely with the intent of improving or updating a vehicles appearance and/or technology to current market preferences.
• Purpose built or racing car styles such as Touring car racing, Rallying, Drifting (motorsport) and Drag racing.

Terms

"Streeted" or "Tuner Cars" are typically Japanese vehicles, such as a Honda Civic, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Supra, Nissan 180SX and Nissan 240SX, Mazda Protegé that have been lightly or heavily modified. In response to highly tuned and customized vehicles and the rise of rallying in the late 90's to early 2000's, Mitsubishi and Subaru released the Lancer Evolution and Impreza WRX STi respectively and are most commonly modified with more expensive components due to their already impressive specs. The most popular modifications include suspension upgrades, exhaust systems, and turbos.

Legal requirements

Many countries or municipalities have legal requirements which govern vehicle modifications. For example, all vehicles in Victoria, Australia, must conform to construction standards to ensure vehicle safety. There are also restrictions for P Plate drivers which can prevent young drivers from driving modified vehicles.

In the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands it is illegal for any car to have blue lights which are reserved for emergency vehicles.

In Scotland, Germany and Denmark, it is illegal for any car to have neon underlights on a car which may distract other drivers. In the Netherlands neon lights are allowed under the car, but only when the car is on display. The lights have to be switched off if the car is on a public road. There is some misunderstanding amongst police officers in the U.K as to the legality of under body neons^{[citation needed]}.

Recently, Belgium issued a new law which requires that bodykit parts need to be approved for safety.

In the United States, many of the laws governing car modification are determined at state level. These should be reviewed before any modifications are undertaken.

Sanctioning organizations

Many organizations involved in competitive motorsports establish safety guidelines that far exceed legal requirements placed on street legal vehicles. The NHRA, IHRA and SOLO programs all require that vehicles pass inspection to ensure that all regulations are being complied with.

Clubs

A big part of car modifications are car clubs or groups. These car clubs are composed of many different types of car enthusiast, making up the culture of the car "scene." Usually these car clubs will meet weekly at a specific location and at a specific time. These meets are usually pretty friendly and open to any car enthusiast. Sometimes these meets attract the attention of the local police force but as long as the people at the meet do not do anything they are not supposed to the police will leave everyone alone. Most of these car clubs are composed of just a few friends who have modified their cars to the way they like them and some clubs go out and beyond to try and get sponsorships from large aftermarket companies to support their car tuning. Clubs often attend national shows throughout the country. There are thought to be over 100 car clubs in the UK and probably more than double that amount in the United States where the popular film "The Fast and the Furious" have impacted the car "scene" the most.

Popular culture

It is important to note the significance that car tuning has had on popular culture. Today modified cars can be seen in many different places around the world, each car being more and more unique to the other. Whether Japanese, American or European, car tuning can be seen through all walks of life, rich or poor, any car enthusiast will modify their car to their liking. Speed tuned cars feature in various movies and in songs such as Hot Rod Lincoln. Tuned cars and custom cars are depicted in film, such as those featured in The Fast and the Furious (film series). Today many film and music artist have incorporated modified cars in their media, depicting fast, tuned cars in a movie or TV commercial or a tuned car in a music video.

See also

• Aftermarket (automotive)
• Air-fuel ratio meter
• Automotive restoration
• Chrome plating
• Custom car
• Green tuning
• Hondata
• Import scene
• SEMA
• Shift kit
• Uberdata
• Veilside
• VIP style
• Virtual tuning