[ask] tuner
- Thread starter SL4sh
- 6 comments
- 717 views
- 24,344
- Midlantic Area
- GTP_Duke
For 99% of the people working in the field, NO.
There is no actual profession of "tuner".
There are mechanics and engineers who work on cars to make them faster or handle better. Some companies get very good at it; most don't and go out of business. You're not going to walk into a place and say, "Hello, I'd like to be a tuner, hire me." You're going to have to spend a lot of time physically learning how to be a mechanic, and mentally learning the theory behind engine power or suspension design. You need to really know what you're doing in order to improve on the existing car.
Otherwise, you're going to spend a lot of money putting expensive parts on cars without getting much good result. That's a great way to go out of business.
There is no actual profession of "tuner".
There are mechanics and engineers who work on cars to make them faster or handle better. Some companies get very good at it; most don't and go out of business. You're not going to walk into a place and say, "Hello, I'd like to be a tuner, hire me." You're going to have to spend a lot of time physically learning how to be a mechanic, and mentally learning the theory behind engine power or suspension design. You need to really know what you're doing in order to improve on the existing car.
Otherwise, you're going to spend a lot of money putting expensive parts on cars without getting much good result. That's a great way to go out of business.
- 21,231
- United States
- nk4e
So instead on adding parts when you get a car. Track Race it for a bit, repair and add parts slowly. Then do that on other various models or different drive trains. I wanted to see if Tuner was a good job though it seems more like a hobby to me. But being a Mechanical Engineer or a Automotive Engineer may be along the lines of that course.
- 23,800
- Philippines
Duke is right. There is no formal profession of "tuner" in relation to cars. What you do have is mechanics or shop owners who can "tune"... but there's no formal education or degree for car-tuning.
We're thinking of opening a trade course in it, though. Knowledge of automotive electronics and tuning helps auto-mechanics round off their shop skills with something that's useful enough for them to seek gainful employment with OEMs, aftermarket shops, the government (dyno and emissions testing) and etcetera.
I'm talking about tuning here in the sense that you are tuning engines... optimizing fuel and ignition maps, running dynos (and actually understanding them...), designing exhausts, learning how to deal with sensors and emissions issues when designing/fabricating aftermarket parts... etcetera...
It's an art... and at the moment, it requires lots and lots of self-study and experience. I'm studying it, myself, now, but I think I started quite too late. It's hard to juggle two day jobs and a time-consuming hobby.
What do tuners make? It depends. If they own their own shop, quite a bit. If they're working for someone else, they make what any other mechanic or master mechanic makes, usually.
I'd say: go for it. Get that formal education in Automotive Engineering, and study tuning on the side (lots and lots and lots of books on this). But be aware, the field is moving really fast. Many new OEMs are so electronically sophisticated and have such complex and interconnected electronics and emissions systems that advanced knowledge of computer programming is almost a necessity for the modern tuner.
We're thinking of opening a trade course in it, though. Knowledge of automotive electronics and tuning helps auto-mechanics round off their shop skills with something that's useful enough for them to seek gainful employment with OEMs, aftermarket shops, the government (dyno and emissions testing) and etcetera.
I'm talking about tuning here in the sense that you are tuning engines... optimizing fuel and ignition maps, running dynos (and actually understanding them...), designing exhausts, learning how to deal with sensors and emissions issues when designing/fabricating aftermarket parts... etcetera...
It's an art... and at the moment, it requires lots and lots of self-study and experience. I'm studying it, myself, now, but I think I started quite too late. It's hard to juggle two day jobs and a time-consuming hobby.
What do tuners make? It depends. If they own their own shop, quite a bit. If they're working for someone else, they make what any other mechanic or master mechanic makes, usually.
I'd say: go for it. Get that formal education in Automotive Engineering, and study tuning on the side (lots and lots and lots of books on this). But be aware, the field is moving really fast. Many new OEMs are so electronically sophisticated and have such complex and interconnected electronics and emissions systems that advanced knowledge of computer programming is almost a necessity for the modern tuner.
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