Check it out, it’s Brenton Brown, one of the most prominent tuners in the business. Known as the Exotic Car Doc, Brenton is an experienced exotic vehicle technician and the leading performance guru in the country. He is also the founder and president of Forza Tuning and Performance in Clearwater, Florida. Located near the communities of Tampa, Tampa Bay, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Orlando, Florida, Forza serves the continental United States via enclosed vehicle transport.
FAQ Tuning
In today’s video, Brenton is talking tuning. Some might argue that tuning (ECU calibration) is only required for extremely modified vehicles, the truth is that almost any exotic or high-performance vehicle – from a Dodge Challenger Hellcat to a Lamborghini Huracan – can benefit from expert tweaking of the ECU (and other control systems).
The first question asks if a vehicle may be tuned to a person’s personal preferences. Humility prevents Brenton from stating that, in his skilled hands, almost any exotic or high-performance vehicle can indeed be personally tuned. Taking such factors into account as driving style, geographic location, fuel type, fuel quality, degree of modification and vehicle type; Brenton can systematically calibrate the ECU and other controllers to achieve optimum fuel efficiency and maximum performance. Simply stated; vehicles in any state of modification can benefit from expert tuning at the hands of the Exotic Car Doc and be tuned to suit your personal needs.
ECU Calibration From An Expert
Of course, there are situations when expert ECU tuning is merely suggested, and others where tuning is required. Any vehicle which has undergone a significant performance enhancement will require calibration of the ECU. From twin turbo and supercharger kits, to performance exhaust and cold air intake kits, dramatic changes in air intake and exhaust demand changes to the stock ECU calibration.
Frequently, when modifications have been performed on a particular vehicle, a skilled tuner will need to be in place (with specialized tuning equipment) before a restart can be realized. Idle air control, throttle position, engine RPM and valve timing settings may need calibration before the engine will run and idle without manual assistance.
Once the engine will run smoothly and idle, the expert tuner should undertake light acceleration and heavy acceleration calibration, along with wide open throttle calibration. These calibrations can typically be performed on the street or on a dynamometer.
Such calibration looks simple and easy in the expert hands of Brenton Brown but demands experienced vision and hearing, as well as feel and smell. Tuning skills are born of experience and knowledge. These skills and their scope of effect should not be underestimated.
