Discussions on car tuning have been on full throttle in recent years. From its humble beginnings in the Land of the Rising Sun, to countless internet blogs created, and movies made, in honour of the latest advances in this fast-moving, constantly evolving subculture. Where everyones willing to live life a quarter mile at a time with C5 Corvette parts. So, do not blink, or it might all be gone in 60 seconds!
A decade ago, though, things were not looking quite so optimistic. Speed-junkies the world over caught wind of the fact that one of Japans leading names in the automotive enhancement industry, Trust, was going out of business for good. It seems Japanese sports cars had become a luxury. And too impractical with all the turmoil brewing in the global economy. Plus, with environmental affairs making headlines, many prominent public figures got behind the push to go green. Hybrid cars some even solar-powered were finally being allowed onto public highways, to the utter dismay, and even disgust, of petrolheads everywhere.
Eventually, the dust settled and everyone realized the notions of far-reaching cataclysmic consequences were really just an indication of the financial climate in Japan at the time. An event more local than international in nature. So once gearheads worldwide had gotten through their mourning period, and were finally able to lay the iconic Trust to rest after all, Trust still exists. Just in the guise of GReddy, Stateside everyone was able to get back to the drawing board and start planning their next vehicle modifications. Only difference being, it started coming with a more exorbitant price tag.
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.
The automobiles ECU (Electronic Control Unit) being the main obstacle to the ride being easily pimped out. As an example of just how much influence gets exerted by an ECU, in automatic transmissions, the ECU can even be adjusted so that the transmission shifts faster in short, the ECU is capable of modifying the vehicles gear ratios.
One might start by getting their control unit performance-tuned. Which implies reprogramming it to incorporate any mechanical enhancements that have been made. While not necessarily a necessity for ensuring the smooth running of your engine, not applying due diligence to the ECU could invite a whole host of seemingly random (not to mention, annoying) little malfunctions. Which, if not promptly tended to, could open one up to even bigger problems down the road.
Being capable of greater rates of acceleration than a vehicles been designed for, is bound to place more strain on the smooth functioning of the suspension and braking mechanisms. Which is yet another factor to be taken into consideration when hopping onto the tuner car bandwagon. Of course, the simpler and potentially safer approach to vehicle modification would be to simply start with the exterior.
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.
A decade ago, though, things were not looking quite so optimistic. Speed-junkies the world over caught wind of the fact that one of Japans leading names in the automotive enhancement industry, Trust, was going out of business for good. It seems Japanese sports cars had become a luxury. And too impractical with all the turmoil brewing in the global economy. Plus, with environmental affairs making headlines, many prominent public figures got behind the push to go green. Hybrid cars some even solar-powered were finally being allowed onto public highways, to the utter dismay, and even disgust, of petrolheads everywhere.
Eventually, the dust settled and everyone realized the notions of far-reaching cataclysmic consequences were really just an indication of the financial climate in Japan at the time. An event more local than international in nature. So once gearheads worldwide had gotten through their mourning period, and were finally able to lay the iconic Trust to rest after all, Trust still exists. Just in the guise of GReddy, Stateside everyone was able to get back to the drawing board and start planning their next vehicle modifications. Only difference being, it started coming with a more exorbitant price tag.
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.
The automobiles ECU (Electronic Control Unit) being the main obstacle to the ride being easily pimped out. As an example of just how much influence gets exerted by an ECU, in automatic transmissions, the ECU can even be adjusted so that the transmission shifts faster in short, the ECU is capable of modifying the vehicles gear ratios.
One might start by getting their control unit performance-tuned. Which implies reprogramming it to incorporate any mechanical enhancements that have been made. While not necessarily a necessity for ensuring the smooth running of your engine, not applying due diligence to the ECU could invite a whole host of seemingly random (not to mention, annoying) little malfunctions. Which, if not promptly tended to, could open one up to even bigger problems down the road.
Being capable of greater rates of acceleration than a vehicles been designed for, is bound to place more strain on the smooth functioning of the suspension and braking mechanisms. Which is yet another factor to be taken into consideration when hopping onto the tuner car bandwagon. Of course, the simpler and potentially safer approach to vehicle modification would be to simply start with the exterior.
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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