W4m W/ Sct Handheld Installed! (review)

omegafiler · May 21, 2009

First of all, everybody calm down. It's just a tune. No need to go crazy.

So obviously I decided to get the new truck tuned. I checked around but it looked like Wait4Me was the only one that met my basic requirements. I don't require much; I just wanted a custom tune to clean up a few "rough" spots in the factory tuning and remove/increase the 98mph speed limiter. And maybe a bit more HP to keep things interesting. It's a daily driver, not a race car!

And... most important - it needed to be a handheld.

Well wouldn't ya know it, SCT apparently just released the new GM Xcalibrator X3 for the new trucks that is both able to tune the ECU (Engine) and TCU (Trans). Jesse worked with them to help develop it so he got the first batch of these units in. So I'm not sure if other tuners have access to them or not. W4M even claims it's invisible to GM that's it's been tuned. Who knows. Don't really care.

So, on to the handheld.

It's pretty slick looking, much better than the last SCT I had on my 06 YD. It's more responsive, better design for the buttons, and it's backlit. It includes a USB cable, instructions on CD, and a plastic chrome SCT badge (No, I'm not going to put that on). The tuning took somewhat longer than usual, I believe around 10-15 minutes. Most likley because it was tuning both the ECU and TCU, which you can clearly see during the programming process. It also checks/clears DTC's as expected. Otherwise it's a pretty standard unit and tuning process. Just plug 'n play.

I requested the Performance/Mileage tune, "Race" or Max Performance tune, and a Towing tune (You can request 3). Naturally I loaded the Mileage tune since this is a daily driver and is probably the only one I'll ever use. Went for a drive today and it's exactly what I wanted. Shift firmness slightly more firm than stock, improved shifting, raised shift points, more power across the entire RPM band, smoother power delivery, increased speed limiter, etc.

Basically all of the good stuff you'd expect from a tune. Total cost was $410 shipped. Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but that was just for the handheld only; they didn't charge me for the tuning. It's a "promotional" thing since they're new.

Yep, that's it. It like it. Enjoy!

Note: To help minimize the Jesse bashing, I decided to post this in the correct forum category where nobody will find it.

Stevens03 · May 22, 2009

Congrats! Sounds like a nice tuner.

stadt11 · May 22, 2009

Cool handheld Wayne

sablowme · May 28, 2009

yeah i like the sct units, A friend of mine had one from w4m to and loved it.

Matt_ · May 28, 2009

Awesome.

Can you tweak any parameters like tire size or the shift speeds, or is it literally just an upload tool?

And do you record your own data and email it to them to have your custom tune made?

Those are the reasons I want the diablo, but I'm waiting until they have TCM support. They will have lost my business if there's now another handeld on the market with those features...

omegafiler · May 28, 2009

Awesome.

Can you tweak any parameters like tire size or the shift speeds, or is it literally just an upload tool?

And do you record your own data and email it to them to have your custom tune made?

Those are the reasons I want the diablo, but I'm waiting until they have TCM support. They will have lost my business if there's now another handeld on the market with those features...

Yeah, the fact that it can tune both the engine and trans is pretty darn cool. And it's been working great. Wouldn't change a thing.

But since the custom tunes are already pre-loaded, you won't be able to make any changes to the tune itself. So you'd have to have him make the changes for you. The SCT site say it does have data logging capabilities, but I haven't checked it out yet. So I'm guessing it's possible you could send that info to the tuner and then have them e-mail you the tune; but I'm not sure if Jesse is using that part of the SCT or not. I'd probably give him a call regarding that one, because that would pretty nice.

VMax2007 · May 28, 2009

**cough**hack**cough.

omegafiler · May 28, 2009

**cough**hack**cough.

Well, glad we finally got that out of the way.

VMax2007 · May 28, 2009

**cough**hack**cough.

Well, glad we finally got that out of the way.

You know I couldn't resist.

You do know that EFI Live is about to release the Autocal, right?

Matt_ · May 28, 2009

Awesome.

Can you tweak any parameters like tire size or the shift speeds, or is it literally just an upload tool?

And do you record your own data and email it to them to have your custom tune made?

Those are the reasons I want the diablo, but I'm waiting until they have TCM support. They will have lost my business if there's now another handeld on the market with those features...

Yeah, the fact that it can tune both the engine and trans is pretty darn cool. And it's been working great. Wouldn't change a thing.

But since the custom tunes are already pre-loaded, you won't be able to make any changes to the tune itself. So you'd have to have him make the changes for you. The SCT site say it does have data logging capabilities, but I haven't checked it out yet. So I'm guessing it's possible you could send that info to the tuner and then have them e-mail you the tune; but I'm not sure if Jesse is using that part of the SCT or not. I'd probably give him a call regarding that one, because that would pretty nice.

Ah... damn you had my hopes up. I want the predator specifically for that reason, you upload data from your truck and they use that data to make it actually custom to your engine and modifications.. and then you still have the other benefits of the handheld which allow you to tweak tire sizes, LTFTs (which i would do on a seasonal basis in NJ), etc., etc.. and trans parameters too (on the GMT800 now) IF they ever get TCM support for the GMT900s . That's literally the only thing holding me back.

You do know that EFI Live is about to release the Autocal, right?

I did not know this.... i sense a google search in my near (30 second) future...

Edit: eh not impressed. Though it is a good thing to have for those of you guys running tunes from users of EFI Live... will make mods/updates to the tunes much easier.

omegafiler · May 28, 2009

They've been talking about the Autocal for quite awhile now, so hopefully it'll be released fairly soon! But from what I've read it's features are going to be fairly comparable to what the SCT does. So I don't think you'll be able to modify any values of your pre-loaded custom tunes.

Could be wrong...they haven't exactly released a ton of info about it.

VMax2007 · May 28, 2009

They've been talking about the Autocal for quite awhile now, so hopefully it'll be released fairly soon! But from what I've read it's features are going to be fairly comparable to what the SCT does. So I don't think you'll be able to modify any values of your pre-loaded custom tunes.

Could be wrong...they haven't exactly released a ton of info about it.

True. It is my understanding that the Autocal will have data-logging capabilities as well as the ability to do Crank Relearns. It will also have all of the typical handheld capabilities. Best of all, you can buy an awesome tune from Justin and he can send you updates via e-mail.

But yes, it will likely be more expensive than the Cracker Jack Box tune that Jesse peddles for $100.

As they say.....to each his own.

omegafiler · May 28, 2009

They've been talking about the Autocal for quite awhile now, so hopefully it'll be released fairly soon! But from what I've read it's features are going to be fairly comparable to what the SCT does. So I don't think you'll be able to modify any values of your pre-loaded custom tunes.

Could be wrong...they haven't exactly released a ton of info about it.

True. It is my understanding that the Autocal will have data-logging capabilities as well as the ability to do Crank Relearns. It will also have all of the typical handheld capabilities. Best of all, you can buy an awesome tune from Justin and he can send you updates via e-mail.

But yes, it will likely be more expensive than the Cracker Jack Box tune that Jesse peddles for $100.

As they say.....to each his own.

Hah! Well, technically I didn't really pay anything for the tune. It was $410 just for the SCT handheld. But hey, if you're ever in TX and want to go for a ride, I'll gladly let the tune speak for itself and prove you wrong. Then you can say you've actually experienced a W4M tune yourself and your comments might finally be relevant.

VMax2007 · May 28, 2009

They've been talking about the Autocal for quite awhile now, so hopefully it'll be released fairly soon! But from what I've read it's features are going to be fairly comparable to what the SCT does. So I don't think you'll be able to modify any values of your pre-loaded custom tunes.

Could be wrong...they haven't exactly released a ton of info about it.

True. It is my understanding that the Autocal will have data-logging capabilities as well as the ability to do Crank Relearns. It will also have all of the typical handheld capabilities. Best of all, you can buy an awesome tune from Justin and he can send you updates via e-mail.

But yes, it will likely be more expensive than the Cracker Jack Box tune that Jesse peddles for $100.

As they say.....to each his own.

Hah! Well, technically I didn't really pay anything for the tune. It was $410 just for the SCT handheld. But hey, if you're ever in TX and want to go for a ride, I'll gladly let the tune speak for itself and prove you wrong. Then you can say you've actually experienced a W4M tune yourself and your comments might finally be relevant.

yeah, we'll see how impressed you are when your tranny blows up.

superjim · May 28, 2009

They've been talking about the Autocal for quite awhile now, so hopefully it'll be released fairly soon! But from what I've read it's features are going to be fairly comparable to what the SCT does. So I don't think you'll be able to modify any values of your pre-loaded custom tunes.

Could be wrong...they haven't exactly released a ton of info about it.

True. It is my understanding that the Autocal will have data-logging capabilities as well as the ability to do Crank Relearns. It will also have all of the typical handheld capabilities. Best of all, you can buy an awesome tune from Justin and he can send you updates via e-mail.

But yes, it will likely be more expensive than the Cracker Jack Box tune that Jesse peddles for $100.

As they say.....to each his own.

You could just buy the EFI Live software and tuning module and do everything your self.

Then you can do both the engine and trans.