Improving the performance, testing, and monitoring the parameters of your new Dodge has never been easier with Hypertech's new Hyperpac performance automotive computer.
When most of us began wrenching on cars, we thought working on musclecars was much easier than working on anything new. Improving performance was simple back then; we simply bolted on headers, swapped the camshaft for something a little more radical, or added a performance intake and carburetor to increase the power in our car. Yeah, the days before computers controlled everything on a car were great; we had it made. Or did we? While slaving for hours in our garages did net improvements in the performance of our vehicles, we spent many man-hours just to gain a few tenths of a second in the quarter-mile. maybe improving the performance of our musclecar wasn't that easy after all.
There are still gains to be had in modern vehicles by swapping intakes, adding headers, or changing the camshaft, but there's also an easy, cost-effective way to improve power without even breaking open the tool box. Since parameters such as ignition timing, fuel injector pulse width, shift points, and top speed are all controlled by the computer in a modern car, reprogramming these parameters with an aftermarket computer can show dramatic performance gains. To illustrate this, we decided to install Hypertech's new Hyperpac performance Automotive computer on our '06 Dodge Magnum.
If you've driven or ridden in one of Dodge's new Hemi-powered vehicles, you already know they outperform just about anything else on the road these days. So when the guys at Hypertech told us their Hyperpac computer would not only improve our Magnum's performance, but also monitor engine parameters and diagnostic codes, serve as a dynamometer, and give us quarter-mile and incremental times just like a dragstrip, we had to try it.
One of the first things we noticed upon receiving our Hyperpac was the ease of installation. Once the computer touch screen was mounted to the dash with the supplied brackets, the unit was simply connected to our car's data acquisition port under the dash with a supplied single cable. While we did exaggerate about not needing tools for the installation (you'll need a Phillips screwdriver), we didn't exaggerate about the ease of installing the Hyperpac. All told, we had the unit installed in a matter of minutes.
Once installed, the Hyperpac walked us through the easy procedure of locking itself to the car's on-board computer. Since the Magnum we're testing isn't quite stock, it also prompted us to enter the size of our aftermarket wheels and tires, as well as our vehicle's weight and any other modifications to the engine, transmission, or differential. After taking the ten minutes or so to perform these steps, we were ready to reprogram our car's computer for additional performance.
The Hyperpac gives several options for upgrading performance, depending on the octane of the fuel you're using. Since the owner of our Magnum always runs premium, we decided to test the unit on its most powerful setting for premium fuel. After following prompts, it took about five minutes for the Hyperpac to reprogram our car's computer. since we installed the Hyperpac while testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park, we were able to put hard numbers to the improvements the Hyperpac made. Before installing the new computer, and with just a cat-back exhaust and cold-air kit, our Magnum ran the quarter-mile in the consistent 14.80-second range. After reprogramming the computer, elapsed times dropped to consistent 14.40s. That's right, nearly four-tenths of a second simply by reprogramming the computer. Since it's hard to get that kind of gain in a musclecar without major mechanical work, maybe we were wrong about these new vehicles being hard to work on!
Additionally, we tested the other functions of the Hyperpac and found them to be very user-friendly. When positioned properly, the touch screen makes the programmer easy to use, and it was fun to run through the various functions of the computer. The diagnostic page makes it easy to check for fault codes, and the dragstrip function also worked well, giving nearly identical times to the timers at the track. About the only downside of this system is that we felt like testing the dragstrip function at every stoplight, which is not good for our already poor driving record!
Overall, we were impressed by the performance and the functionality of the Hyperpac. The ease of installation and lower quarter-mile times have us thinking this is one of the best improvements that can be had for the money. Plus, it gives us a way to test our vehicle when there's not a track available. While we'd never encourage our readers to violate any traffic laws, the reaction, 60-foot, and 330 times will give a good indication of performance without exceeding posted speed limits. And for those of you living where there is no speed limit, the Hypertech tuner gives you plenty of power to go as fast as you want!
