Performance Tech

A used tuned ECU set up for another car and build sounds like a cheap shortcut, but the calibration was never built for your engine. Here is why it can cost you a motor, and the smarter way to get tuned.

Crown Vics are taking over entry-level oval classes, but the factory ECU was calibrated for a police fleet, not a race track. Here's exactly what a custom tune changes on a 2005-2012 Crown Victoria and why it's the cheapest lap time you can buy.

One of the most common calls we get at SBR Performance on Ecotec engines is low fuel pressure. Before you start throwing parts at it, check this one overlooked vacuum line first.

If you've ever watched your Ecotec-powered car pull hard through the lower RPM range and then go soft at the top end, you've probably blamed a lot of things. Maybe the tune. Maybe the clutch slipping. Maybe the intake. Here's something most people never check: the fuel system isn't keeping up.

If you've got a 2003-2005 Cavalier, Cobalt, Ion, or any other early Ecotec-powered car, here's a question worth asking yourself: when was the last time you thought about your wiring? Not your spark plugs, not your injectors — your actual wiring harness, connectors, and grounds.If the answer is "never," you're not alone. Wiring is one of those things that nobody thinks about until it becomes a nightmare. And with these cars pushing 20-plus years old now, that nightmare is closer than most people realize.Time Is Not Kind to WirePlastic insulation hardens and cracks with age. The factory loom wrap breaks...