Gentlemen, Hack Your Engines!

Les Gasser writes "Ahh, drag racing! If you've never experienced the scent of nitro or the flashing flames of a top fueler running 320MPH+ in 4+ seconds in a standing-start quarter mile run at dusk, you're missing world-class performance art. (See 'High Performance' for the classic on drag racing history and culture). Now the NYTimes (registration needed) has 'Gentlemen, Start Hacking Your Engines,' an article on 're-engineering' engine control computers for maximum performance, combining the drag racing and tech-geek traditions." Having learned everything I know about racing from Gran Turismo, I'm amazed to learn there's more than just buying a "racing chip".

Comments

Formula One

[MosesJones]

For real computing in Cars then look at Formula one. Launch Control, Engine Control, Automatic and Semi Automatic gearboxes, traction control etc etc etc.

These are cars that can be remotely re-tuned during a race. From a tech perspective its amazing.

However it ruins what should be a battle of man and machine and enables the big spenders to kill the little guys everytime. Computing is great for some things, but it too often reduces the skill required in sports like Motor Racing, making it a battle of programmers rather than drivers.

Fully automated remote racing with large cars might be quite cool, but what makes it really interesting is that people can make mistakes, and even better take risks that a computer wouldn't think are smart.

Engine control systems

[Barbar Kenan]

Intensive electronic engine control is a very common thing in racing for 20 years now. What was seen in Fast and Furious is major BS. If you wanna see serious electronic action look into Formula 1. They have all kinds of goodies for decades now. Dynamic fuel mapping, traction control, launch control, braking assistance (this particular one is very cool, the system monitors the dynamic conditions of the car and slows any one of the four wheels without even asking the driver) etc...
Another interesting bit is Mitsubishi Carisma Evo 7.
As far as dragsters go, they are way behind. Nothing special nor innovative.
One last note in the last few years prices of engine management systems went down a lot. You can buy a very good one for couple thousand but as long as you dont have the right tools, you cant tune the car perfectly. and never forget the intake and exhaust systems in your street cars are build to the specs written by suits hence very performance limiting.
Any geek out there who wants to make there car go fast follow the common wisdom:
1. Buy a fast car.
2. Cant afford it and stuck with that peoples carier? First make it corner faster (get good springs and dampers) Fast and Furious style car dragging on the asphalt dont qualify.
3. If you want it to go fast make it lighter (look: Collin Bruce Chapman)
4. Make it stop fast (you might need them)
5. You exhaust system is design to be on the very safe side of noise regulations and fuel economy fix it.
6. You intake design sucks too (dont forget the cylinder head lots of power in there)
7. By now you spent as much as you spent on the original car.
8. Not satisfied get real engine management system. Remember eletromotive, haltec, motec.

Or the alternative and more appropriate road for the ones with tools, garage and time: Locost, some sort of open source sportscar project and it can go very fast.

Peace

I feel gypped

[caveat]

While 330.88 MPH, 4.477sec, 8,000+hp fire-breathing nitromethane-burning supercharged fire-breathing Top Fuel dragsters are indeed performance art, and I'd love to see how they manage the engines on those beasts...this article was about a bunch of Civic prettyboys and their 220-300hp engines...sort of like talking about ASCI White, and then pulling out an Ars Tech God Box - nice piece of machinery, but nothing at all like what was mentioned.
It doesn't even really talk about the engine management packages or technology that much (the shining example is a fscking Palm program that adjusts your nitro boost on the fly); mostly just about how these kids are making their cars run in the mid-10s, at a piddling 120mph, with the likes of Real sports cars - the closing line is "This is about getting into something I built and whipping a 350Z. That's the best feeling in the world." Admirable perhaps, but not really a hugely tech-involved story.
I've been looking at MoTec ECUs for my 240SX, now there's some high-tech car stuff - the features and what it can do would make a car-savvy geek twitch and drool..basically full control over every electronic feature in the engine, with optional realtime telemetry. Notice the record-setting Civic uses MoTec, but they don't even mention it in the article; I guess Viper's ultra-l33t nitro Palm app ("Instead of using your PC, now you can sit in your car and change your whole system. The Palm Pilot has all your engine configurations. You can set it to full race mode in seconds.") is more technologically interesting than Ferrari's F1 engine management systems (and the ECU for virtually every other racewinning car out there).