Engine tuning

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Engine tuning is the adjustment or modification of the internal combustion engine or Engine Control Unit (ECU) to yield optimal performance and increase the engine's power output, economy, or durability. These goals may be mutually exclusive; an engine may be de-tuned with respect to output power in exchange for better economy or longer engine life due to lessened stress on engine components.

Tuning can include a wide variety of adjustments and modifications, such as the routine adjustment of the carburetor and ignition system to significant engine overhauls. Performance tuning of an engine can involve revising some of the design decisions taken during the development of the engine.

Setting the idle speed, air-fuel ratio, carburetor balance, spark plug and distributor point gaps, and ignition timing were regular maintenance tasks for older engines and are the final but essential steps in setting up a racing engine.

On modern engines equipped with electronic ignition and fuel injection, some or all of these tasks are automated but they still require initial calibration of the controls. The ECU handles these tasks, and must be calibrated properly to match the engine's hardware.^[1][2]