“Everything is controlled by computers nowadays,” says the frustrated tuner. He’s right, too, but that doesn’t mean that our tweaking fun is history. If everything is controlled by computers, then it’s time to take control of the computers themselves. Enter the BMW Performance Chip. A BMW performance chip is a tiny piece of hard-coded software in computer chip form. Basically, you plug it in to your car’s computer, and it gives new instructions to your electronic fuel injection and ignition system.

And exactly what instructions you give your car depends on what level of chip you want to install. There are usually a couple of different horsepower ratings available; of course, the higher you go, the better quality gasoline you need to use, and there are other restrictions as well. But a BMW performance chip can pretty much alter your fuel delivery, ignition curve, and even transmission shifting all with a tiny silicon wafer. That means tuning your car is actually easier than ever!