OUR ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

The sales and marketing departments of a manufacturer provide guidelines to the development department for a new engine to be developed. This includes forward-looking performance reserves that can be utilized for a future facelift, a new model, or a parallel model in the future or even now.

When developing an engine/automobile, car manufacturers must take into account various problems of mass and serial production. The manufacturers have to make compromises, which means that the vehicles are not optimized by the manufacturer and the engines are less efficient. The result is an increased fuel consumption with only average power output.

Reserves are included for countries with low-quality fuels (low octane rating or impurities) and for local environmental factors such as extreme heat, extreme cold, high humidity or low air pressure. This means that an engine planned for 140 horsepower is actually developed to produce 180 to 200 horsepower.

Nowadays, automotive manufacturers collaborate with many specialized supplier companies. These supplier companies are allowed to produce their products within an agreed-upon tolerance range. This range includes both positive and negative tolerances. Thinking from a supplier’s perspective, we would always produce a product that falls within the tolerance range but is most favorable for us as the supplier. When applied to manufacturing, this means that an engine ordered with a compression ratio of 10:1 is actually delivered with a lower compression ratio of 8.5:1. The supplier, in this case, is on the ‘cheaper and safer side’.

The supplier of the engine control software is the last one to work on the engine and also programs with a ‘safety-first’ approach. In their calculations, they assume that – in the worst case – all negative manufacturing tolerances and external influences could come together. This inevitably leads to a lower efficiency.

No, our tunings do not cause errors to be displayed on the diagnostic device. All control functions and tasks of the engine control unit are retained because PANTHERA always performs CHIPTUNING or ECOTUNING based on the manufacturer’s latest original software version.

This notion may contradict common sense but is easily explained: When we want to drive a vehicle with 150 horsepower at 100 km/h, we adjust the throttle to, for example, 35% using the gas pedal. If the vehicle has been tuned to, let’s say, 180 horsepower, the throttle in the engine only needs to be adjusted to 29% to maintain a speed of 100 km/h. This altered throttle setting results in less fuel injection, which in turn leads to a reduction in consumption. Furthermore, when optimizing power, the standard air excess of 20% is utilized. This results in higher fuel efficiency at a lower boost pressure.

In practice, of course, it is a bit more complex because you cannot operate the engine with as little fuel or as much air as you may desire. The secret lies in finding the right mixture, which can vary from one engine to another, even in seemingly identical vehicles.

Yes, after Chiptuning or Eco Tuning, the emissions values continue to be met. In many cases, there is even an improvement in the values.

A sports air filter ensures better engine air intake and is generally recommended. For diesel engines, it can reduce soot emissions by up to 30%, although the increase in performance is minimal. We recommend using K&N sports air filters. These filters increase airflow by approximately 40% compared to stock air filters. K&N offers a warranty of 1,500,000 kilometers on every K&N sports air filter. The filters are washable and can be used throughout the lifetime of a vehicle. Improved combustion in the engine and the extended service life significantly reduce the environmental impact. This conserves valuable resources and also saves money.

You don’t need to worry about anything. Panthera will make all the necessary changes and modifications to your vehicle to provide optimal performance enhancement or optimal eco-modification. If adjustments to the transmission control unit are necessary, they are included in the purchase price. When shipping by post, please be sure to inquire whether the transmission control unit is needed.

We recommend visiting us directly at our facility or at one of our authorized dealers. However, if it doesn’t suit your schedule to make an appointment in person, you have the option to send the control unit to Panthera by mail. Control units received by mail will be optimized on the same day and promptly returned to you.

After performance optimization (CHIPTUNING or ECOTUNING), gasoline engines should be switched to higher-quality fuel like SUPER PLUS, Ultimate, or V-Power. This will result in better performance and cleaner combustion. For diesel engines, too, a higher-quality fuel like SUPER Diesel is recommended. However, this is not strictly necessary for both diesel and gasoline engines.

With our software optimization: Yes, the stock data is archived, so it can be restored to the original state at any time. This is completely free of charge for you.

With our additional control unit: Reverting to the original state is possible at any time and can be done in just a few minutes, also at no cost to you.

The maintenance intervals remain the same as with the stock vehicle. Depending on the vehicle’s usage, we recommend slightly shorter oil change intervals (approximately 10,000 km). The use of synthetic oil is always advisable.

Standard performance optimizations are tuned by us in a way that typically doesn’t require further modifications. In the case of additional tuning measures (supercharger/turbo conversions), it depends on the level of performance enhancement and varies from case to case.

In almost all cases, insurance companies do not increase premiums due to these modifications, as vehicles have been classified based on damage classes rather than performance for several years. Therefore, your vehicle’s insurance classification does not change from a legal perspective.

ECOTUNING is derived from the term ‘economical’ and means that an economic vehicle tuning has been performed by Panthera. The primary feature of ECOTUNING is the reduction in fuel consumption, which is clearly the focus of the optimization. In addition to reducing fuel consumption, we guarantee an increase in performance and torque. This means you save money, experience improved handling, better acceleration, and more driving pleasure. ECO also means that the owner of the vehicle is considerate of the environment and limited natural resources.

CHIPTUNING is about enhancing the performance of an engine within reasonable and feasible limits. On the other hand, ECOTUNING is focused on reducing fuel consumption while improving vehicle handling and reducing emissions.

The only alternative currently available is to limit the use of your car. In this case you would need to avoid every 5th trip to achieve a similar savings effect. Apart from that, there is no comparable alternative to ECOTUNING.

Officially, any intervention in the engine electronics voids the factory warranty for the affected parts. Therefore, we offer an additional Europe-wide warranty in collaboration with the largest Swiss warranty company NSA, specifically for tuned vehicles and including 24-hour roadside assistance.

In principle, any vehicle can be optimized up to any mileage. However, the vehicle should be in good technical condition, and the service intervals should be adhered to.

By law, you are obliged to have modifications to your vehicle approved by the TÜV. If you do not have the modifications checked by the TÜV, you are driving without an operating license.

You can obtain your certification at PANTHERA, of course – we work successfully and trustfully with TÜV Süd.

During idle and normal driving, there are no differences in sound compared to the stock vehicle. After CHIPTUNING, some vehicles may produce a slightly increased engine noise when demanding higher performance.

No. Firstly, the applicable emission limits will continue to be met or even improved after CHIPTUNING or ECOTUNING. Additionally, the vehicle tax is based on engine displacement, not on performance.

No. CHIPTUNING or ECOTUNING does not put a significantly higher load on the engine. If you constantly utilize the additional power available provided through CHIPTUNING, there may be a slightly higher load. However, with normal driving, this is negligible.

No. Since the applicable emission limits continue to be met, there is no significant increase in soot emissions. Only during the initial phase diesel vehicles may produce slightly more smoke, as the engine first adjusts to the new conditions.