Rob Dahm and the folks at Top Gear have just dropped the latest episode of their American Tuned series and it features one wild Corvette. This 1,350 hp monster sports two turbochargers, methanol fuel, and a little bit of nitrous to back it up, along with a special control unit.
Dahm is famous for his constant pursuit of adding more power and performance to the vehicles he owns. During that process, he’s learned quite a lot about tuning cars and how important precise software control of physical components can be. Now, he’s getting a one-on-one lesson with the head of Fueltech, Anderson Dick.
His Vehicle Control Units, or VCUs, basically take over all of the vital functions of a regular street car’s computer. The VCU simplifies the tuning process and circumvents any sort of encryption or blockades that the OEM computer might have within. It’s what’s allowed the tuned C8 Corvette to leverage its performance parts and produce an 8.97-second quarter-mile time.
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In fact, much of that success and speed can be attributed not just to the computer’s ability to ease the tuning process but also to the new powers that it provides. For example, the Fueltech VCU is used in this application to improve shift speed and ensure that the car has the simplest launch control sequence possible.
Over multiple trips down the track, we see both Dick and Dahm take advantage of that system by simply mashing both pedals at once before lifting off of the brake to start the run. In fact, this car’s speed might not be the most impressive bit about it. Each time the Corvette goes down the track one thing is very clear: this car is expertly tuned. Neither driver is sawing at the wheel or having to work very hard at all to keep the nose pointed at the finish line.
The VCU is doing an outstanding job of putting down exactly as much power as traction will allow and the supporting parts like the drivetrain and tires work in harmony with that goal. Not only can this car smoke the fastest Teslas but it can do it with that same no-drama style.