 I'm Emmy here again, and welcome to another episode of Cobb U. Now with that last video complete, we've now gone over all the major components of the engine from intake to tailpipe. Now throughout this series, I've constantly emphasized that anytime you're gonna be swapping out parts, you need to make sure that you flash the appropriate tune to take advantage of those new parts, but also more importantly to make sure that your engine runs correctly and safely. Now each tune is specifically designed for a part or combination of parts that were installed at the same time that that tune was flashed. Changing out those parts and trying to keep the same tune, well, that can lead to trouble, and that's also today's topic, using other parts than that tune was designed for. We get countless phone calls and emails each and every week with customers asking if they can use some random part with our Cobb off the shelf maps, and the answer is usually no. Now this is gonna be true for Cobb tunes and custom made tunes. The quick and easy explanation is that each calibration takes into account the design of the part, the differences in functionality, and even where or how sensors are placed. Now if any of those things change, the ECU now doesn't make the appropriate calculation because it doesn't know that that part on the engine has actually changed. Some parts are affected by this more than others, like intakes on math based sensors, turbo components, or fueling components. Now to explain this further, let's take a look at a side-by-side comparison. And since the majority of the questions that we get are centered around switching intakes, and since the intake tune mismatch is the most concerning, that's the example that we're gonna be going more in depth with today. So let's take a look at a stock intake and a Cobb SF intake for the same engine. Now regardless whatever intake you're switching to and from, all the principles are still gonna apply. The first obvious difference is the box. Now this will affect how air enters the system from the very beginning. This can affect the heat, volume, and the flow of the air. Next, you can see the two different filter types, panel and cone. The filter media itself is different too. Yes, even the density of the cotton gauze can affect the readout our sensor provides because a high flow filter allows more air to flow than the stock one. Next is the diameter and shape of the tubing. The stock and Cobb tubes are similar in diameter, but the shape is very different. The stock tubing has a sharper bend and has a Secordian section right here that makes airflow more turbulent. Cobb's bend, however, is shallower and smoother making the flow of air more stable. In this case, the diameter of the pipes are similar, but on many aftermarket intakes, the diameter may be larger. Any of these differences will have a big effect on the sensor's accuracy. Your ECU is calibrated to expect a certain amount of airflow based on the data provided by the MAF sensor. If the airflow changes either by more or less volume or stability, then the data will read differently. If your tune was designed to use the data based on the way your stock intake flows air and you've just installed an upgraded intake, which flows air differently, well then your engine's gonna run poorly because your ECU will make calculations based on the stock data. These variances can seem small on the surface, but even the slightest difference in parts and what the calibration calls for can cause poor performance or could damage your engine. So what kind of problems could you run into if you don't flash the appropriate tune? With turbo components, you can get zero benefit from the parts installed, poor performance and underboost. There's also overboosting, which best case scenario your ECU cuts off fuel and your engine is saved. Worst case scenario, you overboost and your engine goes fueling and intake components work hand in hand. So you can experience rich or lean air fuel mixtures, engine running poorly, bad idling and poor drivability. The good news though is that once you have the proper tune flashed to the ECU, you should no longer have a problem and you're good to go. Another common question we get is can I run a Cobb intake tune for my random aftermarket intake? No, no, no, no, no, no. Just because you have a tune for an aftermarket intake doesn't mean it's gonna go with any old intake. This is true for injectors, boost control solenoids, turbos, downpipes and so on. Anytime you're swapping out parts from what the car was tuned for, you retune. One final thought to consider. Sometimes the best modification is no modification. Some parts offer no gains in some vehicles and in some cases can do more damage than good. A good rule of thumb that we like to go by is if your engine goes kaput, can you afford a new one? If the answer's no, then maybe you shouldn't be modifying it. At the end of the day, no matter what you wanna do to your engine, before you do anything, take a minute and give us a call. We can discuss what you wanna modify and give you valuable information that'll save you time, hassle and money. Do not wait until something breaks to give us a call. And now it's time for the pro tip of the day. Today's pro tip is gonna be clearing up a major misconception. Now we've talked about the various sensors within the engine and how they work together with the ECU to control the engine. Now one of the jobs of the ECU is to make adjustments and compensations for certain variables that occur while driving based on sensor feedback. For example, changes in temperature or inconsistent fuel quality are things like minor air leaks. Naturally the condition your car lives in isn't gonna be perfect throughout its entire life and the engineers that designed your car know this. It's normal for the ECU to make adjustments to things like fueling or boost or ignition timing on a regular basis. The misconception is that because the ECU's ability to adapt that the ECU will tune your car for you when you modify it. We've literally had people call and say that someone told them it was okay to add this part without retuning it because their car's computer will figure it out for them. Normal corrections made by the ECU are not the same as a proper tune. The analogy we like to use is that the incremental adjustments the ECU makes is like taking an Advil for a headache. You're not broken, you're just a little off. Now if you snap your femur in half that Advil isn't gonna do anything. You're gonna need surgery. That's the difference between the normal adjustments the ECU makes on a daily basis for dozens of variables and encounters versus a proper tune for a significant change you've made to your car. Ultimately your ECU's ability to adapt is limited. It gives you enough protection in case something goes wrong all of a sudden like a silicone coupler pops off or an injector fails. It can save your car just long enough for you to go get it diagnosed and get it fixed. But if you're taking away that margin of error because you're relying on the ECU to adjust for that modification you made without a proper tune while you're just skydiving without a shoot. That's gonna do it for this episode. In our next video we're gonna start exploring the other systems in the car beginning with engine cooling. Thanks for joining us. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can check out future episodes. I'm Emmy, your host for Cobb U. Remember, check out Cobbtuning.com for all your parts and tuning needs. Do you like the storage solutions featured in our studio? Then visit sonictoolsusa.com to get more detailed product information.