Introduction:
10-15 years ago when we’re talking about diesel cars, you might think of slow, noisy and dirty cars. But in the last small 10 years, the engine builders have improved the diesel engines using new techniques.

Nowadays diesel cars are much quieter, cleaner, more efficient and got a good performance which can compete with their same engine size gasoline brothers.

Why choose a dieselcar? Of course, the fuel is cheaper and because the the diesel engine has less moving parts, it means that there is a reduction in the wearout of some parts. A diesel engine is much stronger and built for more mileage. That results to lower maintenance bills. Also, running on diesel puts less global-warming pollution into the air.

Another plus is that you can easily chiptune a diesel car for less money instead of buying a fast gasoline alternate.

How does chiptuning work?
If your diesel has an electronic injection management/ECU (Electronic Computer Unit), you can chiptune the car. All the information from the engine goes to the management. With this information, the computer will regulate the turbo and the injection.

The computer uses a program to measure and regulate the whole engine. The program will set the amount and the timing of the fuel injection. With chiptuning, the factory settings will be changed/rewritten.

With chiptuning, the engine gets a faster response, a performance boost of 20-40% in horsepower and a remarkably higher torque for a turbocharged engine. But of course, as with many other things, it also has its limits. Engine builders have left a safety margin for such power increasements that it is possible for the engines to have these power increasements. Don’t exceed those limits and nothing will happen–which will shorten your engine’s life. Engine failures are also rare, if you drive normal, which means not driving for hours at top speed or accelerating with the maximum torque. A good chiptuner has a safety reprogrammed software.

Most people will think the fuel consumption will increase because the car’s performance is higher but under normal circumstances, the fuel consumption will decrease. By a higher turbo boost at the same speed of acceleration, the engine doesn’t have to work that much for the output of the same power when you haven’t chiptuned the car.

Different types of chiptuning:
1. Chiptuning
The software will be rewritten by replacing the original chiprom with a reprogrammed one. The new program will be optimalized and adjusted.

2. On Board Diagnosis Tuning
With OBD tuning, a diagnosis equipment will be used to download the factory program/settings and will be reprogrammed by flashing the chip. Factory settings can be put back when the results don’t meet your requirements.

3. Powerbox Tuning
A powerbox is an equipment which will be inserted between wiring of the engine management computer and the fuel pump or engine. The box will send out false signals/information to the management computer to regulate the injection time and the turbo, and the engine will react in a different way. Powerboxes can be used in a different car with the same engine and builtyear.

Well, there are pros and cons between the different types of chiptuning. The most important thing is that you won’t get any problems with your factory warranty, because you have messed with the engine. Replacing the chip will leave traces for your dealer to find out that something is done with the computer. But OBD and Powerbox can do it more discreetly, all you have to do is to reflash the chip or pull out the box when you go back to the dealer for maintenance.

I would say try it, and you would never want the standard program anymore.