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Premium Performance on Regular Gas
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How to Ease the Pain at the Pump with Hypertech's Power Programmer
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By Jim McFarland |
You can add one more item to the list of life's certainties. Along with death and taxes, you can count on the price of gasoline to go up. It wasn't long ago that motorists waited in block-long lines at gas stations to buy high-priced petroleum during the Energy Crises of the recent past. This time around, gas is plentiful – as long as you're willing to pay the price. Serious racers will do whatever it takes to get to the track, regardless of cost. But that doesn't mean that they would rather send their money to Exxon than spend it on their race cars. Getting maximum performance for minimum cost is the name of the game.
Many enthusiasts upgrade the performance of their SUVs and trucks for towing by reprogramming the onboard computer. In the past, that meant using expensive premium unleaded gas and paying an extra 20 to 30 cents per gallon over the cost of regular. Now Hypertech, the worldwide leader in performance tuning for computer-controlled vehicles, has developed “Dual Fuel” tuning calibrations that deliver virtually the same power increases with regular gas as they do with premium. “The truth is that most trucks make exactly the same power on tuning optimized for regular as they do with optimized premium,” explained Mark Heffington , the founder and president of Hypertech. “For these vehicles, there is never a reason to use more expensive premium. And even if you do have a truck with slightly higher compression ratio and it does make a little more power with premium, is it worth the extra cost?” Hypertech's Power Programmer is the only tuning device that offers this powerful Dual Fuel feature. Some tuning companies claim to have tuning for regular gas, but when you read the fine print, you discover that the calibrations for regular gas make no more power than the stock tuning. In contrast, Hypertech's optimized power tuning for regular gas produces virtually the same power gains as the premium gasoline tuning as shown in the accompanying dyno charts. How is the possible? The answer lies in the nature of gasoline and the process of internal combustion Octane Defined
There are many misconceptions about octane. Some consumers believe that octane rating equates to more power and better mileage – a belief that is fostered by gasoline companies' ads that tout the benefits of premium while promoting the sale of a more profitable product. In fact, octane rating is a measurement of a gasoline's resistance to detonation – nothing else. Why care about detonation? Because unchecked detonation can damage or destroy an internal combustion engine. In normal combustion, the flame f ron t spreads smoothly from the spark plug across the combustion chamber. During detonation, however, the heat and pressure produced by the rising piston causes the air and fuel mixture in the cylinder to self-ignite. Instead of a smooth, progressive rise in cylinder pressure, detonation produces a shock wave that hammers internal components and produces a distinctive “knock” sound. The higher the octane number, the more resistant a fuel is to detonation. The octane rating posted on gas pumps is an average of the Research Octane Number and the Motor Octane Number, expressed by the formula (R+M)/2. Both octane numbers are generated in a single-cylinder engine with a variable compression ratio by comparing the knock resistance of the gasoline being tested to heptane (zero octane rating) and iso-octane (100 octane number). Obviously no one tows a Super Gas car to the track with a single-cylinder engine, so the RON and MON numbers are simply indexes of a gasoline's characteristics. It's also important to note that horsepower and fuel economy are never considered in determining a fuel's octane number.
Paying extra for gasoline with a higher octane number than the engine requires is literally a waste of money. If the motor doesn't detonate on regular, then burning premium gas will not increase power or improve fuel economy. In fact, the compounds that are added to gasoline to raise its octane rating typically have less energy content than regular gasoline.
Operating cost is an important consideration for owners of trucks and SUVs, so engines for these vehicles are designed to operate on regular fuel. The compression ratio, valve timing, combustion chamber design and other characteristics are engineered for 87-octane gas. Hypertech uses computer-controlled chassis dynamometer to develop fuel curves and ignition timing calibrations to maximize performance with regular fuel. Since these engines are typically not detonation-limited, the power gains with regular gas match or exceed the improvements with premium in most cases. “Hypertech Power Tuning for regular grade fuel is substantially more powerful than stock tuning with either regular or premium fuel,” Heffington noted. “Simply stated, this means increased power for less money. It's a win-win situation because racers get more power for towing and save an average of 25 cents per gallon at the pump.”
That savings can add up over a season. If you buy 50 gallons of gas a week, saving 25 cents per gallon with regular unleaded equals $650 dollars. At that rate, the Power Programmer quickly pays for itself. Can you save money at the pump by running regular gas in an engine designed for premium? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Hypertech's Power Tuning program for high-performance, high-compression engines such as the LS1 Corvette and supercharged Mustang GT are calibrated only for premium fuel. Modern computer-controlled engines have knock sensors that protect the engine from an occasional tank of “bad gas.” However, the computer retards the ignition timing severely when the knock sensor detects detonation. This action significantly decreases performance and increases the flow of heat to the cooling system. If you've purchased a high-performance vehicle designed to run on premium fuel, you'll have to continue to pay a premium for its performance capabilities.
Programming for Power
Computer programming skills or specialized tools aren't needed to reprogram the onboard computer with the Power Programmer. In fact, it's as easy as changing TV channels with a remote control. Just plug the Power Programmer's cable into the diagnostic connector under the dashboard, answer a few simple “Yes/No” questions by pushing a button, and the Power Programmer does the rest. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, the Power Programmer downloads the new Power Tuning program and stores the original factory settings, which can be restored at any time. The entire procedure takes less than 30 minutes, and you don't even have to open the hood. Many Power Programmer models also have the ability to read and clear Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) stored in the vehicle's onboard computer. This feature allows the owner to view detailed information on the vehicle's operation without purchasing expensive diagnostic computers or scanners used by dealership technicians.
On many vehicles, the Power Programmer also allows owners to adjust their automatic transmission's shift firmness to prevent excessive transmission fluid temperatures and premature clutch wear. This feature further enhances reliability under demanding conditions. Truck and SUV owners who have installed non-stock tire sizes can correct the speedometer and odometer readings (as required by law). With the Hypertech Power Programmer, it's never been easier to prepare a pickup or SUV for heavy hauling. Street Legal Power Unlike some reprogramming devices that are sold for “off-highway” use only, Hypertech's Power Programmer is emission legal, with certification received or pending for all 50 states. This means that users of Hypertech products will meet certification requirements when registering, selling or undergoing emissions tests administered by state or local agencies. Any emissions-related product must have an approved or pending California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order (E.O.) number. Without this verification, the vehicle may not pass a vehicle inspection and the owner could incur a fine or penalty. “We build, test, certify and sell on-highway power-enhancing products that are safe, legal and absolutely optimized for the best possible performance available today,” said Hypertech spokesman Jim McFarland . “Almost 40 states currently have inspection and maintenance programs. Parts without an E.O. fail these tests unless the part or tuning is removed and the vehicle returned to stock. Consequently consumers are learning not to buy parts that don't carry an E.O. That's why Hypertech is committed to obtaining emission certification for every product we offer. “In addition, CARB requires independent testing to verify products produce a minimum of 80 percent of their advertised power gains,” McFarland noted. “Hypertech has never failed to pass this '80 percent rule', and in fact we have exceeded this level for every product tested. When you see our competitors advertising big horsepower numbers without CARB certification, you have to question the validity of those numbers.” Summing Up The advent of elect ron ic engine controls has opened new avenues to improving performance. Working on a computer-controlled vehicle can be intimidating, but with the Hypertech Power Programmer, it's easy to modify a truck for towing. It's no longer necessary to turn wrenches and get greasy if you want to boost horsepower and torque in a late-model truck. And now with Hypertech's Dual Fuel tuning feature, you can improve your truck's towing performance without paying more at the gas pump.
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