Who should I go with???

[cwhit23]

With basic bolt-ons any of the above mentioned will suffice just fine.

I went with BAMA tunes for life just for the fact of I constantly change things. Never had an issue with their tunes.

 

[OneQwkStang]

Tune it yourself.....

 

[fdjizm]

Tune it yourself.....

Yea because that should be quick and easy for someone asking what tune they should go with

 

[fnfast]

I did build my own 1000+ hp turbo fox body and tune it myself with a standalone but I'm learning more about the the valve. I understand the the concept is the same with air and fuel but I rather have a good tuner just send me a tune and be done. I hear Doug Studdard is at c&l performance and doing tunes. I've heard good things about him. Anyone running one of his now? Btw here's the fox.

 

[Lupo222]

I would like to m ow what tuner to buy too! And should I get a k&N drop in filter or a AEM??

Oh and which halo projector lights look best?

Lastly, which exhaust sounds best???

 

[stkjock]

Has anyone done a stand alone ECU like the imports do? I was looking at Haltech today and they have some impressive stuff. I know in the bike world we would replace the ECU with a Bazzaz or Yoshimura unit and piggy back it with a quick shifter or what ever. The ECUs can give you traction control, timing tables, injector pulse times etc. Just thought I would throw this out and see if anyone has went this route.

on anything but a full out race car IMO a stand alone ECU is a waste

the stock ECM can handle a lot

 

[Seer]

Yea because that should be quick and easy for someone asking what tune they should go with

You'd be surprised how easy it is to tune a basic bolt on setup if you sit down and dedicate some time to learning.

 

[fdjizm]

I'd stick to guys who have been tuning for years on these cars, there are so many variables to play with. sure you can get your air/fuel dialed in (hopefully) but what about the hundreds of other settings the 3v ecu has to offer? Not doubting you can get your car to run.

IMO for a basic bolt on car get a good tune from a good tuner and you're done, there is just way too much to play with that IMO takes years to master.

Of course if he wants to really learn to tune it, dedicate that time to it he can go for it.

 

[johnnyv8]

I did build my own 1000+ hp turbo fox body and tune it myself with a standalone but I'm learning more about the the valve. I understand the the concept is the same with air and fuel but I rather have a good tuner just send me a tune and be done. I hear Doug Studdard is at c&l performance and doing tunes. I've heard good things about him. Anyone running one of his now? Btw here's the fox.

Before my turbo setup, I had bama (before they teamed up with American Muscle). So I really had "Doug Studdard" Bama tune. I can't speak for other tunes nor can I compare tuners but I can tell you I loved my bama tunes. Performance and the Race tune where great!

 

[fdjizm]

I did build my own 1000+ hp turbo fox body and tune it myself with a standalone but I'm learning more about the the valve. I understand the the concept is the same with air and fuel but I rather have a good tuner just send me a tune and be done. I hear Doug Studdard is at c&l performance and doing tunes. I've heard good things about him. Anyone running one of his now? Btw here's the fox.

I run Doug's race tune daily, really good tune. No issues and runs like an animal

 

[Seer]

in the GM world, self tuning is promoted big time, odd thing with fords is, the stigma is made out to be that if you try to self tune your car will explode.

 

[Swarzkopf]

in the GM world, self tuning is promoted big time, odd thing with fords is, the stigma is made out to be that if you try to self tune your car will explode.

I know right? So weird.

 

[stkjock]

in the GM world, self tuning is promoted big time, odd thing with fords is, the stigma is made out to be that if you try to self tune your car will explode.

I'm not up to date on GM stuff - however a bunch of guys I know w/ Vettes have no idea about handheld tuners and flashing tunes. They all have had a tuner do the work and they cannot make any adjustments.

is it just easier for SCT/Ford combo to upload a tune from a reputable professional?

 

[Seer]

I'm not up to date on GM stuff - however a bunch of guys I know w/ Vettes have no idea about handheld tuners and flashing tunes. They all have had a tuner do the work and they cannot make any adjustments.

is it just easier for SCT/Ford combo to upload a tune from a reputable professional?

I'd say they are about the same on level of difficulty. Slight advantage to GM with HPTuners as SCT is not the greatest software out there, it gets the job done, but only about a 1/3 of the parameters are defined. That being said, not all of the undefined ones are entirely useful though but some also are.

My point is, anyone with a reasonable level of common sense and intelligence as well as some time to dedicate to learning, can tune a basic bolt on car without issue.

 

[stkjock]

Jay

you talking tuning. I mean from the consumer side - buy a flash with tunes, upload and go, done in 10-15 mins for $400 or less (bolt on car)

vs having the software, laptop, learning the tuning, tweaking etc

 

[Seer]

Jay

you talking tuning. I mean from the consumer side - buy a flash with tunes, upload and go, done in 10-15 mins for $400 or less (bolt on car)

vs having the software, laptop, learning the tuning, tweaking etc

For a basic setup sure, but I subscribe to the do it yourself method, no need to wait on someone else when you need to make changes etc, plus the knowledge you gain is just that, knowledge gained.

I used to tune my own LSx based cars years back, and decided to let pros tune my GT500. Some good experiences, some bad. I've also done the same with my 2012 5.0. Tuned it myself and let a pro tune it too.

I like the knowledge, so I've been teaching myself how to tune both cars. I think it's a great skill to have for the hobbyist with this interest.

 

[stkjock]

/\ Agreed on the knowledge. However most people are not willing to invest the added time, $$ and efforts

 

[Seer]

/\ Agreed on the knowledge. However most people are not willing to invest the added time, $$ and efforts

I will agree, wink and nod, and save this thread from a tangent with my intended response.

It does have something to do with... and this is one of the reasons why....

 

[Swarzkopf]

For a basic setup sure, but I subscribe to the do it yourself method, no need to wait on someone else when you need to make changes etc, plus the knowledge you gain is just that, knowledge gained.

I used to tune my own LSx based cars years back, and decided to let pros tune my GT500. Some good experiences, some bad. I've also done the same with my 2012 5.0. Tuned it myself and let a pro tune it too.

I like the knowledge, so I've been teaching myself how to tune both cars. I think it's a great skill to have for the hobbyist with this interest.

Agreed 100%.

In my eyes, the biggest advantage (and there are many) to self tuning is the level of control you get. I've revised my 3V's tune at least 20 times, maybe more. A paid tuner simply isn't going to have the time to do this. Looking at other setups similar to mine on the ET list, my car seems to run a lot better then the other 3Vs with similar mods. I have to think it's the accuracy of the tune I have on it compared to most others.