S.e.m.a...?

[godspeed]

it was mentioned on the latest tekzilla

not only yeah but hell yeah!!


I love hearing about all types of tech.

[fishtoprecords]

Well, its about hot rods and customer cars. Sort of a Systm for cars and trucks. They have amazing stuff there.

Some of it is high tech, but the computer geeks and the car geeks haven't connected.

[godspeed]

yeppers

[scoobydiesel]

I think they could do a show on it, they have enough tech in cars now adays...and most people like cars and what not anyways so why not :-p

[FredBrown]

URGENT - SEND PATRICK TO SEMA!

Well, maybe not urgent, but I've been reading for years about being able to buy a "chip" for your vehicle that will increase engine power, gas milage and your attractiveness to the opposite sex. What's the current status of these wonder accessories, and if they're so great, why don't cars and trucks come with them straight from the factory?:confused:

[Dark_Shroud]

It's not even a matter of a "chip," though on some cars depending on the car's computer these do help. In many cases it's just a matter of removing the rev limit. I don't know where you're from or where you drive. But here in the Chicagoland area we need cars rev limited just to keep people from killing others while driving.

[fishtoprecords]

why don't cars and trucks come with them straight from the factory?
Because the emissions systems are cars have to work for 100K miles or the Feds get upset. Cars are systems, you can have more of one thing if you are willing to give up other stuff.

The NASCAR guys get 700+ HP out of motors that will run WFO for three hours. They will not run three years without being tuned up.

[FredBrown]

It's not even a matter of a "chip," though on some cars depending on the car's computer these do help. In many cases it's just a matter of removing the rev limit. I don't know where you're from or where you drive. But here in the Chicagoland area we need cars rev limited just to keep people from killing others while driving.

Hehe, I sometimes drive on I-55 between Chicago & St. Louis, and if you're not doing 85 or better, people will drive right over the top of you. :D

[FredBrown]

Because the emissions systems are cars have to work for 100K miles or the Feds get upset. Cars are systems, you can have more of one thing if you are willing to give up other stuff.

The NASCAR guys get 700+ HP out of motors that will run WFO for three hours. They will not run three years without being tuned up.

Now that makes sense, especially from the power aspect. OTOH, shouldn't it be possible to squeeze a couple MPG without affecting engine life?

[juniper-monkeys]

What's the current status of these wonder accessories, and if they're so great, why don't cars and trucks come with them straight from the factory?:confused:

Basically, the "chipping" a car involves reprogramming the ECU to change the air-fuel ratio at a given RPM, changing boost limits on turbocharged engines, and so forth. The status is that they're available for many cars - turbocharged engines like VW's 1.8/2.0 Ts, DSMs, and so forth get great results, with people posting dyno sheets showing 40hp increases in some cases.

Cars don't come from the factory pre-monkeyed with for many reasons. Reducing stress on the parts is a big one (ECU tuning will void the warranty, 'natch), as is emissions compliance. Carmakers will also detune their cars to avoid competing with themselves - an example of this is BMW keeping their 335i's twin-turbo 3.0 liter in a conservative state of tune so that it is doesn't play in the M3's ballpark. VW also kept the old Mk4 GTI 1.8T's power low so that it wouldn't compete with the VR6 and Audi's TT. By the same token, carmakers don't radically tune for MPGs because the way to do so is leaning out the air-fuel mixture, which can lead to engine damage if done too much.

But um... yeah, Tekzilla + SEMA would be cool.

[fishtoprecords]

OTOH, shouldn't it be possible to squeeze a couple MPG without affecting engine life?

If you were a PHB at a car company, and you could get a couple of MPG more out of your drivelines with a couple of code changes, do you seriously think they would tell the engineers to not do it?

I would bet serious money that an engineer who could deliver two MPG with a code change would get a $100,000 bonus on the spot.

[Snowman]

They should definitely go to SEMA!!! Im very much into Tech and Cars. I would love to see whats new out there

My custom air ride S-10 has a Carputer running Win XP and centrefuse with a 7" touchscreen in the dash.

[Tritium]

Rev3 should send Pat to SEMA, but NOT for Tekzilla. Look at all the episodes of Systm that haveto do with modifying your car. Sema is the CES of the life hacker's garage. Life hacking is not limited to computers and gadgets, we hack everything; cars, houses, lawn mowers, and toasters (do you really think that someone isnt hacking a replica cylon toaster?)

[frankitank]

yes, a report from sema and what tech gadgets are coming integrated into our automobiles would be good. I'll bet you'll see integrated mobile wifi at the least.