Mechanical Engineering and Tuning
Thread Starter
TECH Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 455
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Mechanical Engineering and Tuning I consider myself a knowledgeable auto technician,but when it comes to PCM tuning I am pretty much a babe in the woods. What does it take to actually get started in the professional tuning field? I have heard some mention...most tuners have a degree in Mechanical Engineering and/or Computers.
It doesn't require a degree in anything. I would say you need a pretty good understanding of how everything functions mechanically along with at least some knowledge of what the different sensors are and what they're inputting to the computer. After that it just takes a lot of research and reading up on the HPTuners board or in this board and plenty of practice tuning. I'm a ChE major and worked as a nuclear engineer in the Navy and I understand it for the most part. I just want to clarify that controls/electrical are NOT my specialty so if I can figure it out I think lots of people can.
10 Second Club
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,471
Likes: 3
From: Berkeley, California
To get started learning PCM tuning you probably should have a newer car - one at least equipped with OBD II, which was first required in 1996. There are many similarities between the engine controls of newer cars but they don't have much in common with the fairly primitive pre-96 systems. Then you need tuning software like HPTuners of EFIlive. One of the neat things about software like HPTuners is that both beginners and experts can make useful modifications. The software is as much a learning tool as it is a tuning tool.
Launching!
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 299
Likes: 41
From: Detroit, Murder City
If you want a job working for the OEMs as a calibration engineer, a 4+ year degree is a requirement. If you're talking about just working in the performance aftermarket, all that's really needed is a laptop, cable, and the ability to ask people for money. Seriously, it seems that's where some tooners get started. Now if you want to be successful, some training and learning time comes in handy. This can either be in the self taught (reading help files, experimenting on your own) or more formal class type setting. You'll find that there's TONS of information out there and not all of it is good. The trick is to know who or what to believe, pay attention, and always try to make sure that any changes you're making during the tuning process have some reasoning behind them.
