When car or truck lovers start talking about their vehicles and vehicle modifications, you can bet it certainly won't be a long time before the topic of chipping shows up. So what on earth precisely is it? Chipping, or chip tuning, is a method of enhancing engine performance. Performance often means additional power, higher torque, superior gas mileage, or reduced emissions.

More specifically, the phrase describes modifying or changing the EPROM chip in a car or truck's engine control unit (ECU). The chip stores the software programmes or maps that handle the way the engine is managed. Changing or reprogramming the chip is an effective technique to improve engine performance.

The phrase chipping is a bit out of date because easily-removed EPROM chips aren't used in the engine control units of recent motor vehicles. Instead, the maps are built right into the ECU and can be transformed through the car or truck's On Board Diagnostic port, without having to play around with actual physical chips.

However the term continues to be utilized to refer to ECU tuning generally, so you shouldn't be confused by the lingo. No matter if you call it chipping, chip tuning, ECU tuning, or ECU remapping, the idea is the same - you are tuning the engine by some electronic means.

You could be asking why you would have to chip or remap the ECU from the outset. It's because the majority of cars and trucks sold to the public have been tuned to cap engine performance, not to optimise it. At times engine de-tuning is done to make the vehicle comply with emissions regulations. It may even be carried out to protect the engine from deterioration when it operates in severe climate conditions.

The point is that your vehicle may well be capable of a whole lot more than you know. Remapping the ECU can safely release formidable levels of supplemental torque and power from the engine without overloading the vehicle. When you've already made alterations to the car that affect the combustion system, such as engine, intake, or exhaust modifications, it's a wise idea to remap the ECU to be aware of the alterations. Otherwise, you may not see the full gains in power and performance that you expect.

dangers to chipping your car or truck? Well, even before you consider doing it, you have to make sure the engine along with vehicle components are in good functioning order. Attempting to boost overall performance on a poorly maintained car may be disastrous. Not to mention, any time someone physically handles the ECU and the EPROM chip, there's the risk of harming the delicate devices.

Even with modern cars, where the engine control unit isn't even touched in the remapping process, there are dangers if things aren't done correctly. An erroneously tuned chip or ECU can adversely affect performance and drivability, and can even stress the vehicle into an early breakdown. Nevertheless you can avoid such potential issues by picking a trustworthy business to work on the car or truck.

More than enough about risk - let's discuss the pros! After chipping or ECU remapping, the vehicle has greater BHP and additional torque. The engine produces extra torque within the lower RPMs, for quicker throttle response and greater acceleration. Gear changes are smoother and speedier, power delivery is more even throughout the entire range, and flat spots are removed. Since fuel is burned more efficiently, it's likely you'll see diminished fuel consumption with normal driving.

Overall the vehicle is calmer, easier to drive, plus more responsive to your commands. The normal ECU remap costs a couple of hundred pounds, however the upgrade in performance can be significant, specifically in turbo diesel cars and trucks. It's nearly like driving a whole new car, but without the monthly loan repayments.

If you love cars, there's no end to the ways you can customise your vehicle - renovate the body, alter the tyres, fix up the interior, and much more. But car fanatics often get the most pleasure from modifying a car to increase engine output. Short of purchasing a costly, high-performance automobile, chipping is the best way of getting extra power and enhanced drivability out of your car.