What is chip tuning? — Toyota Sprinter Trueno, 1.6 liter, 1993

Chip tuning is an increase in engine power and torque by reprogramming the ECU control unit (ECU*). Its peculiarity is that a change in the characteristics of the motor (power, torque, maximum speed limit, maximum speed, etc.) is achieved without any intervention in the mechanics of the power unit. Chip tuning can be done on any car equipped with an ECU.
On a car with a naturally aspirated engine (not equipped with a supercharger), chip tuning gives an increase in power and torque, usually in the region of 5-10%. At first glance, the figure is not very impressive, if one takes into account the fact that the average power of modern cars is above the 100 hp mark. then an increase of 10 hp may not seem so small, at the same time, the “chip” of six- and eight-cylinder units in some cases can increase engine power by 20–30 hp. which in turn will significantly affect the dynamic characteristics. But even an increase in power is not the most important trump card that chip tuning gives on atmospheric engines - improving the responsiveness (reaction speed) of the car to the gas pedal and fuel efficiency in general is exactly the “bonus” that made this type of tuning the most popular.
Turbocharged engines initially have significantly higher power and torque characteristics than atmospheric units of equal volume, so if their program is adjusted, it is realistic to achieve an increase of more than 20% in strength and power.
Questions and answers
The resource of a chip-tuned engine is the main issue that worries car owners. Opponents of chip tuning argue that an increase in power in this way leads to an increase in loads on the parts of the piston group and the crank mechanism and, accordingly, to their more intense wear. You can agree or disagree with this. The fact is that a person spends most of the time behind the wheel in a normal driving style. It is the rapid starts from high revs and, as a result, sharp accelerations - those moments that can really significantly reduce the engine's engine life. Therefore, in practice, the motor resource largely depends on the driving style. If a non-chip car is driven by a person who knows only two possible pedal positions (on/off), then in this case the engine will obviously live less than a similar one with a modified program. The second frequently asked question is the resource of the turbine. Yes, the load on this unit does increase, but again, in the case of using high-quality oil and indispensable cooling of the engine before shutting down (it is necessary to leave the engine idling for 2–3 minutes after dynamic driving), the possibility of rapid wear of the turbocharger is minimal.
The third important issue is fuel consumption. On this occasion, the following can be said - after chip tuning, consumption increases only with constant dynamic driving. Of course, in order to accelerate the car faster, you will have to spend more fuel. At the same time, at a normal city driving pace, consumption in most cases even decreases due to increased fuel efficiency.