When you “tune” a car, what exactly is it changing?

Question

TIA

In: 639

Answer 1

“tuning” can refer to a lot of different things.

Traditionally it’s about modifying parts in the engine so that it creates more power, like putting in a cold air intake or adjusting how much fuel gets used in each piston.

In the modern day you can do stuff like swapping out the computer in your car that controls the engine for a modified computer that adjusts the engine for more power automatically and, potentially, allows you to do stuff like accelerate the engine to higher RPMs before it limits you.