Overview

Over the past 5 years, I am actively working on my 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 (GM K2XX Platform) to improve the overall driving experience and vehicle safety. I am also working on implementing features on my newly acquired 2022 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands (Ford C2 Platform) including adding adaptive cruise control, and head unit programming

The overall goal of the modifications and programming is to improve vehicle safety, improve user experience, and add features that are not present or available on stock configurations.

All the modifications are strictly following the DOT regulations and respecting traffic safely. The modifications prioritize the usage of OEM equipment and parts. Custom harness and mount fabrication are following the manufacturer’s guidelines. No modification will impair driving safety and danger to other drivers on the road.

On my 2014 Silverado, I implemented Apple Carplay and Android Auto features to my head unit. The Apple Carplay and Android Auto give me hands-free control of navigation, vehicle entertainment, and additional features that I don’t have from my stock ChevyLink system. I have also upgraded the vehicle instrument cluster to a digital instrument cluster. With this implementation, I can have turn-by-turn navigation and additional information displayed in front of me while I am driving. This greatly improves driving safety as I don’t need to move away my sight to the center screen and just focus on the road while driving. The digital cluster is also tied in with the head unit to enable steering wheel control for Siri and Google Assistant. This will replace the GM OnStar voice assistant which is a great improvement for hands-free control of the vehicle.

On my 2022 Bronco Sport, I have successfully unlocked the head unit to install additional features to it. my head unit now has Ford + Alexa, virtual climate control, video playback with motion lock, and additional music format support including DSD and FLAC. I also managed to change the Sync 3 UI design which gives the overall layout of the controls a better look. It also greatly improves visibility while driving.

The biggest safety feature I added to my Bronco Sport is Adaptive Cruise Control. The vehicle can use its own image processing unit to recognize speed signs and adjust the speed accordingly. The Adaptive Cruise Control can keep a steady distance from other vehicles on the road while also centering the vehicle in the lane. This feature will not replace human driving, but it provides additional road safety.