Computer Chip Upgrade

In the good old days, car buffs could fiddle with their carburetors, make a few adjustments and end up with improved performance. The power increases focused on the enthusiast's particular application, ranging from outrunning the other guy's Camaro or heavy-duty hauling for a functional pick-up truck.

Horsing Around
Carburetors have evolved into fuel injection, and eventually everything under the hood has become computer controlled. In the evolution of "fiddling," the aftermarket industry came up with computer chip upgrades, which were originally pretty intimidating to anyone without a degree in computer science. Evolution finally produced a 21st-century version of "fiddling with the carburetor" in the form of computer modules, designed for 1996 and newer vehicles, that even the computer-phobic can install.


But, "Why bother—" you may ask. The answer depends on your driving style. Auto manufacturers basically program vehicle computers to suit who they consider "average drivers." For performance enthusiasts or light truck owners who actually use their trucks like trucks rather than station wagons, the "average driver" designation and subsequently tuned vehicle does not meet their needs.


Performance enthusiasm is not limited to sport compact speed freaks. Commuters who battle death-defying freeway on-ramps five days a week and those who maneuver up and down steep grades just to get to the grocery store can also be candidates for a little computer module fine-tuning.

How Upgrades Work
There are a number of computer upgrade companies—Hypertech, Superchips, Kenne Bell Performance Products, JET Performance, to name just a few. There are variations in product from company to company, but here's how computer upgrades generally, work: The tuner or programmer module can be connected to your 1996 and newer vehicle's ALDA connector, which is the plug that mechanics use for diagnostics. The tuner reads the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to determine how the vehicle's computer is programmed. Tuner, or module, manufacturers have a range of options. For instance, Hypertech's Power Programmer III gives you the option of tuning for various octanes of fuel, ranging from 87 regular to 92 premium. From that point, the module takes over, recalibrating the computer's parameters, or, in the old terminology, re-tuning the vehicle.