Who Runs BlackBear? How do you like it?

ChuckTaylors27 · April 22, 2019

ChuckTaylors27 3

Has anybody had any issues with BlackBear Autocal that was not a user problem? Anything specifically pertaining to ECU lockup? I heard about that happening on an 8 speed dodge but was okay on the 6 speed dodge.

From what I hear and what I read, blackbear is the way to go. Mostly what I am looking for is drivability and to tighten the hell out of my transmission as I just put a new one in. Other things id like to take care of is the Active Fuel Management, Torque Management System, and change up my stabilitrak/TC preferences.

Im not so concerned with running e85 or premium tunes as what I can tell being stock it really won't make a huge difference in engine preservation.

Does anybody have any experiences or knowledge to share for what I will see in the future choosing BlackBear, or maybe some suggestions to add to my list for Justin?

Thanks guys

CamGTP · April 22, 2019

I have my own tuner but I will add my .02 cents on some of the things you talked about.

Disabling or altering torque mngt can't really be done, to a point. A smidge can be adjusted but not much because these computers are torque based, everything is torque. If you remove the TM, the computer would not know what to do because everything is tossed out of whack. It's a very complicated system and you can read about it on the HP Tuner forums if you wish.

We can't tune the stabilitrak or traction control/ABS functions. You can maybe adjust how the calibration cuts fuel or spark to maintain traction but the stabilitrak/TC functions themselves have to be turned off with the button or have a switch that fully disables the ABS/TC/SB functions if you want to do burnouts or whatever.

AFM, that stuff is a one setting. Easy as pie.

Have whoever tunes this disabled the torque converter for gears 1-4, it really helps with converter life. Also raise the 5th and 6th gear lock up point to something over 40-45mph so it won't try to lock up in 5th when you are only doing 35mph bumming around.

mookdoc6 · April 22, 2019

I think this guy above me is correct the TM can't be tuned out BlackBear has even told myself that. They can can Remodel the TM and adjust it accordingly to more your preference? Yes, AFM can be tuned out per BlackBear.

Bash74 · April 22, 2019

You can adjust more then a smidge. Wiith an HPTuner you can basically get rid of TQ managment. Yes it is still there but adjusted and things disabled to the point it's like it isnt. First thing I ever did was disable abuse mode to see what it's like when I hit the gas. You can adjust or disable, diff score, stall torque, torque limits, abuse mode and other switches in the managment. Right now I am playing around with abuse mode disabled, diff score disabled, trans max torque set to max and tcc limit disabled to see how it runs. You can do alot of adjustment with the tuner. Just have to remember you can break stuff also.

CamGTP · April 22, 2019

I haven't seen a specific abuse mode table and diff score table is already disabled from the factory on my 2016 file. Max toque vs rpm is already set to 6,042 in these calibrations as well.

Things get wonky when people adjust the peak torque tables and driver demand settings when they shouldn't be.

P01/P59 computers the TM means pretty much nothing, go ahead and do what you want. The E38/E67 computers can still do alot but TM for the transmission is a must and the new E92's shouldn't really ever be messed with unless you are required to raise some the torque settings to allow more power to be made.

Bash74 · April 22, 2019

E92s is what I deal with the most. Not only with the specific torque managment but also with fuel and timing specifics which affects torque and power. It all depends on how all the settings work together. I can load the same managment settings in the friends truck without the fuel and timing settings and it doesnt roll good compared to with the fuel and timing adjustments. I have put more management into one area and taken out more in another and gotten better results, then adjust it again and get worse results, then adjust again in other values and get better results. I even have winter, summer, and octane tunes, because all of it affects power and torque.

BlackBearPerf · April 22, 2019

4 hours ago, ChuckTaylors27 said:

ChuckTaylors27 3

Posted 18 hours ago

Has anybody had any issues with BlackBear Autocal that was not a user problem? Anything specifically pertaining to ECU lockup? I heard about that happening on an 8 speed dodge but was okay on the 6 speed dodge.

From what I hear and what I read, blackbear is the way to go. Mostly what I am looking for is drivability and to tighten the hell out of my transmission as I just put a new one in. Other things id like to take care of is the Active Fuel Management, Torque Management System, and change up my stabilitrak/TC preferences.

Im not so concerned with running e85 or premium tunes as what I can tell being stock it really won't make a huge difference in engine preservation.

Does anybody have any experiences or knowledge to share for what I will see in the future choosing BlackBear, or maybe some suggestions to add to my list for Justin?

Thanks guys

AFM is typically a fuel saver on the 2014+ models, so we would only suggest disabling it if you have heavy wheels/tires or can't tolerate the sound with your exhaust.

Also 2014+ engine and transmission Torque Management we do not remove it we remodel it to improve response and performance.

The stabilitrak/traction control system is primarily controlled by the ABS computer, there is nothing that can be altered within the ECM/TCM that can affect its operation. The only way that you can override it would be to remove the ABS fuse.

Also for your engine you would want to run 89 octane (even with stock tuning), or higher. If you wanted you can have separate octane tunes 89/87 and 91+ and you would be able to run E85 on both as long as your vehicle is flex fuel capable. We tend to see a little more power running E85 with the 91+ octane tune.

Edited April 22, 2019 by BlackBearPerf

ChuckTaylors27 · April 22, 2019

6 minutes ago, BlackBearPerf said:

AFM is typically a fuel saver on the 2014+ models, so we would only suggest disabling it if you have heavy wheels/tires or can't tolerate the sound with your exhaust.

Also 2014+ engine and transmission Torque Management we do not remove it we remodel it to improve response and performance.

The stabilitrak/traction control system is primarily controlled by the ABS computer, there is nothing that can be altered within the ECM/TCM that can affect its operation. The only way that you can override it would be to remove the ABS fuse.

Awesome info!

My AFM doesn't seem to save much and I dont like the switch between 8 and 4, it feels too clunky and worries me that eventually it will cause problems. Will I see better savings after tune?

Edited April 22, 2019 by ChuckTaylors27

BlackBearPerf · April 22, 2019

1 minute ago, ChuckTaylors27 said:

Awesome info!

My AFM doesn't seem to save much and I dont like the switch between 8 and 4, it feels too clunky and worries me that eventually it will cause problems. Will I see better savings after tune?

With AFM enabled for that year, engine we see on average a 1mpg improvement depending on fuel quality, octane, and driving style. People still disable the AFM all the time, it really just comes down to personal preference on the 14 and newer vehicles.

DenaliStone · April 23, 2019

In my experience with my AutoCal on my 16 Denali with 6.2/8spd, I save just over 1mpg with AFM turned on at 50mph and above. I had Justin turn it off for me below 50mph for when driving around town. It's a night and day difference with the BB tune over the stock tune.