Car tuning
Most commonly this is higher engine performance and dynamic handling characteristics but cars may also be altered to provide better fuel economy, or smoother response.
The essence of modification of a tuner car is an attempt at a significant performance increase—or the appearance of high performance—from a stock 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 power output, additional changes are often required to allow the vehicle to handle such power, including stiffened suspension, widened tires, better brakes, and improved steering and transmission modifications.
Some tuners will have "gutted" interiors, or omit features that many ordinary drivers would find desirable or necessary, such as audio systems, air conditioning and soundproofing, in order to reduce vehicle weight.
In a typical engine set-up, there are various mechanical and electronic elements such as the intake manifold, spark plugs, and mass air flow sensor.
Mapping can either be performed by changing the software within the ECU (chip tuning via firmware modification), or by providing false data via plug-in hardware.
Suspension tuning involves modifying the springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, and other related components.
Shorter springs offer greater stiffness and a lower center of gravity at the possible cost of unwanted changes of suspension geometry.
Other components that are sometimes added are strut bars, which improve body stiffness and help better maintain proper suspension geometry during cornering.
Dating back to the 1940s, techniques such as chopping and channeling were a popular method of modifying a car's aerodynamics and styling.
Increasing the wheel track width through spacers and wide body kits, or lowering the center of gravity via suspension modifications, can enhance the car's cornering ability.
Plastic windows are much more vulnerable to scratches, which reduce service life.Tires have large effects on a car's behavior and are replaced periodically; therefore, tire selection is a 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 is the process returning a modified car to its original factory status, or reducing its performance in a particular area of tuning.
Modified cars can be significantly different from their stock counterparts, as a result a common factor among owners/modifiers is to emulate the visual and/or performance characteristics of established styles and design principles; though the similarities may not be intentional.
[citation needed] Various organizations involved in competitive motorsports such as the FIA, SFI, NHRA, and IHRA, amongst others, act as sanctioning bodies to establish safety guidelines for racing events, series, tracks, vehicles, and parts.
