Stupid tuning modifications that actually make your car WORSE!
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Date: 2022-04-11
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Comments and reviews: 10
Sjoberghd
Pretty much spot on but, the only one I really disagree with is the catalytic converter. Decatting a car is a lot like modifying the intake on a car. On an NA car, simply removing the cat will most likely hurt performance as the loss in backpressure will result in a drop in low/mid range torque/power, but tuned properly you'll still lose some low end power but once you get up in the revs your peak power will improve because of the increased airflow, and with a proper tune you'll definitely see a difference. Where you really see a benefit to losing your cat, just like modifying your intake, is particularly with a turbocharger. With a turbo you'll lose a little spool low in the revs, but the peak power can be pretty significant if you have a proper tune, and for the most part that's where you're going to be spending your time anyway as turbo cars aren't really low end power monsters in the first place. At the end of the day removing your cat is really down to the car you have and what you want. For an NA car it'd definitely make sense to decat say an e90 M3 which makes all of its power up top and really isn't known for low end torque if you're going for peak performance, but for say, most muscle cars, maybe except a Modern Mustang with a Coyote and such, the loss in low end torque may not be ideal. Like I said for turbo cars it's a no brainer, excluding of course the fact that you may care about the environment or have to deal with sniffer tests, but then again, what car guy modifies their engine to make power and drink fuel like a 400 lb man buying a big gulp at the local 7-11 and doesn't know a guy, let alone cares more about emissions than sheer speed lol.
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Pretty much spot on but, the only one I really disagree with is the catalytic converter. Decatting a car is a lot like modifying the intake on a car. On an NA car, simply removing the cat will most likely hurt performance as the loss in backpressure will result in a drop in low/mid range torque/power, but tuned properly you'll still lose some low end power but once you get up in the revs your peak power will improve because of the increased airflow, and with a proper tune you'll definitely see a difference. Where you really see a benefit to losing your cat, just like modifying your intake, is particularly with a turbocharger. With a turbo you'll lose a little spool low in the revs, but the peak power can be pretty significant if you have a proper tune, and for the most part that's where you're going to be spending your time anyway as turbo cars aren't really low end power monsters in the first place. At the end of the day removing your cat is really down to the car you have and what you want. For an NA car it'd definitely make sense to decat say an e90 M3 which makes all of its power up top and really isn't known for low end torque if you're going for peak performance, but for say, most muscle cars, maybe except a Modern Mustang with a Coyote and such, the loss in low end torque may not be ideal. Like I said for turbo cars it's a no brainer, excluding of course the fact that you may care about the environment or have to deal with sniffer tests, but then again, what car guy modifies their engine to make power and drink fuel like a 400 lb man buying a big gulp at the local 7-11 and doesn't know a guy, let alone cares more about emissions than sheer speed lol.
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Nicholas
the only -gains- (not actually gains just more stable ignition) from spark plugs is plugs with cap installed. This will only effect cars that have been tuned to the cars max capability. It does not give you extra power but will give you a more precise timing on ignition as the capacitor stores a charge and when it gets signaled it releases and does not need any buildup to create the arc, Again no gain in power but a gain in precision of ignition especially when you are running a high rpm engine.
So not a useless modification but for the standard person tuning a street car well most likely not gonna see any difference.
and as for the spoiler yea I used to race in open circuits my spoiler cost me -alot- because i had it fitted and adjusted in a wind tunnel mostly to effect my mid turn aero (had a FWD hatchback so the rear was quite squirrely half way through the turn) i did see major stability gains after the process.
Again i know he is mostly just poking fun at the guys that just buy parts and thing there gonna get gains and my situation is a bit different as i was building a street legal race car so not really the same thing but for people coming to this vid that are new and thing these things never matter they can if you do it properly but open your wallet cause its gonna get pricey real quick.
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the only -gains- (not actually gains just more stable ignition) from spark plugs is plugs with cap installed. This will only effect cars that have been tuned to the cars max capability. It does not give you extra power but will give you a more precise timing on ignition as the capacitor stores a charge and when it gets signaled it releases and does not need any buildup to create the arc, Again no gain in power but a gain in precision of ignition especially when you are running a high rpm engine.
So not a useless modification but for the standard person tuning a street car well most likely not gonna see any difference.
and as for the spoiler yea I used to race in open circuits my spoiler cost me -alot- because i had it fitted and adjusted in a wind tunnel mostly to effect my mid turn aero (had a FWD hatchback so the rear was quite squirrely half way through the turn) i did see major stability gains after the process.
Again i know he is mostly just poking fun at the guys that just buy parts and thing there gonna get gains and my situation is a bit different as i was building a street legal race car so not really the same thing but for people coming to this vid that are new and thing these things never matter they can if you do it properly but open your wallet cause its gonna get pricey real quick.
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Blake
Finally a guy that knows how the shit actually works. You forgot the Intake Plenum swaps! LOL Also you may want to do more research on the cats. Removing the cats doesn't lower backpressure because now days there is no back pressure on the engine. they design the exhaust to actually scavenge, thus there is a vacuum at the exhaust valve. Removing the cats changes the flow of the exhaust gasses actually creating a backpressure! Removing the cats also causes the ECU's fuel map to change, it may make more power by running a little richer, but you are destroying the engine. The computer knows the cat is not performing efficiently and goes into a default mode putting more fuel into the engine. The richer running engine washes the oil off of the cylinder walls causing more friction and in turn destroying the rings and diminishing the life of the engine!
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Finally a guy that knows how the shit actually works. You forgot the Intake Plenum swaps! LOL Also you may want to do more research on the cats. Removing the cats doesn't lower backpressure because now days there is no back pressure on the engine. they design the exhaust to actually scavenge, thus there is a vacuum at the exhaust valve. Removing the cats changes the flow of the exhaust gasses actually creating a backpressure! Removing the cats also causes the ECU's fuel map to change, it may make more power by running a little richer, but you are destroying the engine. The computer knows the cat is not performing efficiently and goes into a default mode putting more fuel into the engine. The richer running engine washes the oil off of the cylinder walls causing more friction and in turn destroying the rings and diminishing the life of the engine!
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Link
Mat I-m sorry to call you out Mechanic 25 years here and there is a difference for spark plugs and there is a difference with the K&n air filters i-ve done my own personal testing with both and also consulted with NGK and Bosch about there-s spark plugs your statements are incorrect regarding at least these two sorry my friend also your statement on catalytic converter-s turbo cars do not need back pressure if you remove the catalytic converter all you have to do is add a O2 extender to the downstream oxygen sensor to prevent check engine light not necessarily recommended for smaller four-cylinder vehicles V-8-s there-s definitely going to be minimized game turbo cars definitely a gain come on Matt do you research
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Mat I-m sorry to call you out Mechanic 25 years here and there is a difference for spark plugs and there is a difference with the K&n air filters i-ve done my own personal testing with both and also consulted with NGK and Bosch about there-s spark plugs your statements are incorrect regarding at least these two sorry my friend also your statement on catalytic converter-s turbo cars do not need back pressure if you remove the catalytic converter all you have to do is add a O2 extender to the downstream oxygen sensor to prevent check engine light not necessarily recommended for smaller four-cylinder vehicles V-8-s there-s definitely going to be minimized game turbo cars definitely a gain come on Matt do you research
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kooooons
I have some objections: 1. roadcars' camber is usually around -0. 5 to -1. 5 degrees. Only very sporty cars might go up to -4 degrees. But all cars will roll more than 4 degrees, when cornering hard. The contact patch argument doesn't make a lot of sense. 2. Cars are not set up for minimum octane, but for a range. They have knock sensors and change ignition timing, if knocking occurs. So to some point better octane will give you more power. But if the fuel has more octane, than your car is set up to, it won't change anything. But today's performance cars should be able to handle up to 102 ROZ (95 RON) from the factory.
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I have some objections: 1. roadcars' camber is usually around -0. 5 to -1. 5 degrees. Only very sporty cars might go up to -4 degrees. But all cars will roll more than 4 degrees, when cornering hard. The contact patch argument doesn't make a lot of sense. 2. Cars are not set up for minimum octane, but for a range. They have knock sensors and change ignition timing, if knocking occurs. So to some point better octane will give you more power. But if the fuel has more octane, than your car is set up to, it won't change anything. But today's performance cars should be able to handle up to 102 ROZ (95 RON) from the factory.
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autos
Using higher octane rated petrol is not a myth, for sure on petrol vag engines, the ignition timing advance (it isn't retarded to produce more power, you advance it, as you want to compress the air + fuel, not air alone. Its 3asy enough to measure with a reasonable consistency if you use same dyno / same day & conditions etc. APR have run multiple stock and modified ecu tests with various fuel types. For a diesel engine, a cetane booster won't do anything to increase power, but it will reduce smoke emission as it provides a smoother flame front. Useful for helping to reduce the load on a dpf if you've remapped it.
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Using higher octane rated petrol is not a myth, for sure on petrol vag engines, the ignition timing advance (it isn't retarded to produce more power, you advance it, as you want to compress the air + fuel, not air alone. Its 3asy enough to measure with a reasonable consistency if you use same dyno / same day & conditions etc. APR have run multiple stock and modified ecu tests with various fuel types. For a diesel engine, a cetane booster won't do anything to increase power, but it will reduce smoke emission as it provides a smoother flame front. Useful for helping to reduce the load on a dpf if you've remapped it.
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AutomotiveL3
I have not done any of these Mod's, as I have been a qualified Mechanic for forty years, and have common sense. However I did once have a customer, who had brought a new VW Golf 1. 4 Mk IV for his son. The Son put the Anniversary GTi alloys on his car and the track rods bent (like 'esses'. Customer was apoplectic, as he wanted repair under warranty. Volkswagen have a manual that shows all the acceptable mod's for their models, and changing wheel size and diameter, was verboten, The GTi has different steering rack with less TOOT.
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I have not done any of these Mod's, as I have been a qualified Mechanic for forty years, and have common sense. However I did once have a customer, who had brought a new VW Golf 1. 4 Mk IV for his son. The Son put the Anniversary GTi alloys on his car and the track rods bent (like 'esses'. Customer was apoplectic, as he wanted repair under warranty. Volkswagen have a manual that shows all the acceptable mod's for their models, and changing wheel size and diameter, was verboten, The GTi has different steering rack with less TOOT.
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Billy
Other issues with tunes (especially for turbo motors) is that the tuners remove overboost protection and don't allow the ECU to pull ignition timing. In other words, the engines can't protect themselves. For short pulls on the street, like from one stop light to the next, it's probably ok, but I've seen guys take their cars to tracks and end up blowing the motors because of ring land failure and/or head gasket blowouts.
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Other issues with tunes (especially for turbo motors) is that the tuners remove overboost protection and don't allow the ECU to pull ignition timing. In other words, the engines can't protect themselves. For short pulls on the street, like from one stop light to the next, it's probably ok, but I've seen guys take their cars to tracks and end up blowing the motors because of ring land failure and/or head gasket blowouts.
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Matt
Blokes a condescending prick, hasn't got a clue. -adjusting suspension isn't going to make your car faster. the engineers do maths to work it out, both you and I don't understand- Right then why are you making a video telling us that it won't work! If you ain't an engineer why are you making a video telling us about the engineering mistakes which tuners make, by the sounds of they know more about it than you! rant over
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Blokes a condescending prick, hasn't got a clue. -adjusting suspension isn't going to make your car faster. the engineers do maths to work it out, both you and I don't understand- Right then why are you making a video telling us that it won't work! If you ain't an engineer why are you making a video telling us about the engineering mistakes which tuners make, by the sounds of they know more about it than you! rant over
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Carlo
Mods - assuming they're reversible - are a good dealing point for buyers. You can tell the seller: Oh, unfortunately I'll have to spend money to remove all those things, so we should agree on a lower price.
Anyway, dangerous cars are deadly weapons in the hands of idiots. BUT, they're also a slight help to Darwinian selection to skeem an - unfortunately small - quota of deficient DNA off the human genre.
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Mods - assuming they're reversible - are a good dealing point for buyers. You can tell the seller: Oh, unfortunately I'll have to spend money to remove all those things, so we should agree on a lower price.
Anyway, dangerous cars are deadly weapons in the hands of idiots. BUT, they're also a slight help to Darwinian selection to skeem an - unfortunately small - quota of deficient DNA off the human genre.
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