The Fast Rise And Furious Demise Of The Car Tuning Industry With C5 Corvette Parts

By Diane Bell


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!

That is why in 2008 when news hit that one of the industry leaders in aftermarket performance enhancement had gone bust, tremors from the seismic waves were felt far and wide. The thought that a major Japanese purveyor of automotive excellence was able to get swallowed up by the economic blackhole of the time, got more than a few engines revving, as everyone pondered the possible global ramifications of this event.

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.

Gone are the days of having automobiles tuned to perfection by above-average mechanics, simply out to make a name for themselves. These days, a person also needs to get an electrician in on the act, or risk losing themselves (and their minds!) in the maze of electronics found under the hood of the average production vehicle.

The technology in this example would be the vehicles ECU, or electronic control unit a fancy way of saying onboard computer. Should it malfunction, not only might it result in an automobile stalling to a halt in the middle of traffic on a busy freeway, but one might not even be able to roll down a window since most windows also function electronically these days.

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.

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.

So, unless a person is actually planning on racing for pink slips (another racers cars paperwork), one would be wise to start slow; start simple. A generic tune-up could do wonders to improve ones gas mileage and overall vehicle performance. Replace the air filter. Change the spark plugs. Sometimes it is the littlest things that make the biggest difference. But if after all that, one still wants to get a little more oomph out of their vehicle then, and only then, might it finally be time to graduate to the big leagues can you say, SUPERCHARGER, beee-yaaach??




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment