Tune ?

stublejumper · February 27, 2008

Just would like to know what you gain with a custom tune instead of using a hand held flash tuner.I am leaning towards a customs tune from wester just because they close but with a hand held cant i do alot more stuff like if i put bigger tires i can calibrate the speedo and if my truck does go to the dealer and they flash my ecm do i lose the tune and out the money i spent on it. Mostly i would like to hear the pros and cons of a hand held tuner and a customs tune because all i can find on the forums what tune people but not why they have that type of tune. what kind of options do i have with a custom tune.

thanx Todd

ridnlow · February 27, 2008

1. Tune

Most handheld tuners are a waste but if you must have a handheld tuner for some reason go with the Diablosport Predator tuner it can do more than any other tuner out there at this time. A handheld tuner contains a generic tune that works for everybody, but is VERY conservative, especially for the performance-oriented individual.

A mail-order tune is much better than a handheld tuner, but isn't nearly as great as an in-person tune. It is still a generic tune that works for more than one person, but not quite as generic as a handheld tuner. A mail-order tune is a tune that is much more aggressive than a handheld tuner, but not as aggressive as the dyno tune for obvious liability reasons.

http://www.nelsonperformance.com/

http://www.gowheatley.com/

A dyno tune is the best of all tunes. It is the most aggressive out of all of them and with a competent tuner anything can be changed or done. A live street tune can be done by an experienced tuner also and while much better than most other tunes, it still cannot extract all the HP/TQ out of your truck. However a street will achieve the best part-throttle, everyday driveability, hands-down.

Another option available for the advanced enthusiast is tuning software/ laptop. This is the most accurate way to tune and can be more expensive than other options to start with but after a while of not paying for retunes, it pays for itself many times over. This method of tuning requires logging data from your trucks PCM and analyzing the data and determining the changes needed to optimize performance. This method of tuning requires extensive knowledge of the truck's PCM, otherwise possible engine failure can result.

http://www.greenlightmotorsports.com/

http://www.efilive.com/

http://www.hptuners.com/