High-Performance Basics to Improve Your Vehicle

When you’re trying to improve the performance of a vehicle, there are several things you should focus on to make sure that you get the most for your effort. Performance gains don’t just come from large engines. To get the most out of your vehicle, you can use a Superchips programmer, an upgraded ring and pinion gear set, or a clean-flowing intake system. Each of these upgrades can be accomplished individually or together, depending on your ultimate goals for the vehicle. A taller gear ratio can produce a lot of torque, which improves acceleration and throttle response. An improved intake system will produce more power across the engine’s RPM band. A programmer will let you fine-tune several engine metrics to optimize its efficiency.

Electronic tuning

A powerful engine is useless if it’s not running at peak efficiency. You can use an electronic programmer, such as the ones made by Superchips, to adjust the air/fuel mixture, idle, timing, and rate of spark. Each of these metrics can alter an engine’s performance, and all settings must work together to produce favorable results. Most programmers will allow you to manually adjust each setting, or to download pre-configured tuner files with each setting matched to the others to produce a specific type of performance gain. Usually, tuner files are made for specific vehicle makes and models, but sometimes a tuner file can work with any engine type.

Ring and pinion gears

In addition to a Superchips programmer, a set of ring and pinion gears can significantly improve the performance of your vehicle. Lower gear ratios can increase the amount of torque response your vehicle transfers to the rear wheels, giving you quick acceleration and more power at lower RPMs. This can be useful for towing, off-roading, and quick-speed applications. If you need more power at the upper end of the engine’s RPM band, taller gears will help distribute the engine’s power at higher speeds.

Upgraded intake system

A clean-flowing intake system is vital to the optimal performance of your vehicle. Upgraded intake systems are usually made of aluminum to save weight and keep the flowing air cooler. Cool air helps provide an additional charge during combustion, which improves efficiency. Many cold-air intake systems can work with a Superchips electronic programmer to optimize the air/fuel mixture through the fuel injection system, but some intake systems are simply an aluminum manifold that is either single- or dual-plane for increased flow of fuel and air into the cylinder heads.