# Car tuning with a Computer

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-tuning-with-a-computer/23413>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [December 14, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-tuning-with-a-computer/23413 "2008-12-14T22:08:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![divealott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@divealott](https://community.cartalk.com/u/divealott)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-tuning-with-a-computer/23413/1 "2008-12-14T22:08:56Z")

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I’m trying to tune my car. A friend told me about this great site that made a car tuning program that hooks up to your lap top so you can do it yourself. Has anyone heard anything about this? Here’s the link [http://ppo2performance.com/docs/](http://ppo2performance.com/docs/) Thanks

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**Author:** ![rripstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/65b543/32.png) [@rripstop](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rripstop)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-tuning-with-a-computer/23413/2 "2008-12-14T22:30:26Z")

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Sure you can tune it yourself. The catch is you have to get a tunable EMS(engine management system) or a tunable piggyback box to alter the stock computer input/output. That alone will cost a bundle. This kind of tuning is only really useful if you really customize your car with significant engine changes that the stock EMS can’t handle the changes. With a stock or lightly mod-ed car(exhaust-intake) your wasting your money, especially if you have to meet emissions.

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**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-tuning-with-a-computer/23413/3 "2008-12-14T22:38:17Z")

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Two posts on the same subject and also providing a link. No vested interest in this is there?

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**Author:** ![hallkbrdz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/46a35a/32.png) [@hallkbrdz](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hallkbrdz)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-tuning-with-a-computer/23413/4 "2008-12-15T02:25:09Z")

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While you may not be able to get a lot more power out, depending on the make you may be able to do things like alter the idle speed, change how the car locks, and do diagnostic work to find bad coilpacks, etc.

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, go for it. For a few hundred bucks you can save a bundle diagnosing problems and doing the work yourself. And if you want to change something, you can see directly how the ECU responds to the changes (for good or bad).

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**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-tuning-with-a-computer/23413/5 "2008-12-15T04:00:40Z")

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What kind of car do you own? It may be a fruitful effort or not worth it dependent on if supercharged/turbocharged or not.