hotZ28cammed

I've got a lt4 hot cammed camaro and I'm debating on weather I should spend the money and get a dyno tune or if I could just get a mail order tune? The cars going to have long tubes, moroso cai, true duals and the hot cam. Would I have any problems with just getting the mail order tune? I'd probably go with madz28 unless you guys think that pcm for less is any better. So let me know what you think!

96lt1m6

iTrader: (31)

i would always suggest a dyno-tune with a cammed car but the hot cam and similar are so old now most mail order tuners have a file for it so if it were me i would save the money and get a mail order.

lt1z28camaro

iTrader: (2)

You'll get best results on dynotune.. But like already said hot cam has been out long enough and used enough to where they've seen it before. I'd still go with dyno personally, it's just so much more accurate. I didn't have very good luck with mail order...ran rich down low and lean up top. Good Luck with w/e you choose.

lemons12

iTrader: (71)

if you can get a good deal and a good tuner.. you will benefit a lot more from the dynotune obviously.. if you are short on cash, you should be ok with a mail order..

dynotunes also let you know how much power your making, if interested.. some dont care, others its a big perk..

ss.slp.ls1

iTrader: (36)

I have a CC503 w/ full bolt-ons and a mail order tune from MatTuner. The car runs great. Dyno tune is optimal, but a mail order tune will be more than sufficient, especially with a LT4 hot cam. That set up has been played out a countless number of times.

sixpack_2_go

iTrader: (1)

do not mailorder tune. it is a waste of money. i did it and regreted it. i got a mailorder tune from a very well known company and my car was running so lean that im lucky it didnt blow up. i had it dyno tuned soon after and it was like night and day.

1badzee

iTrader: (12)

Chances are the car will shut off/bog on you because of lack of fuel before it blows up Unless you're running naaawwwzzz

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

My car is mailorder tuned seems to work fine. Just have to use someone competent and as with so many other things that is where people fail.

Dyno tuning if done by the wrong guy on the wrong dyno can be quite bad too.

sixpack_2_go I bet I can tell you who did the tune on your car, I wont on forum though because the feeble minded masses think that hack is good and I will get attacked for telling it like it is. His bad tuning did crack a piston in a friend's car and then when that friend sent him the pcm back for a retune he fried it and claimed my friend sent him a bad pcm, too bad it was the one he had to remove from the car to mail out so no chance it was bad.

Go ahead and get a mailorder tune from Madz28, Ion is a good guy and I have loaded tunes from him for a few friends all worked well. Had him socket a pcm for me and that went well too.

In my own car I had a Jeff Creech tune but more recently have pcmperformance helping me out, they are far more helpful than the other two tuners I had used ever were.

camar0corey

iTrader: (22)

I had a mail order tune from Madz28, car ran good and after a dyno tune I only picked up 6 more peak RWHP. There was a lot of timing taken out of it though, they are tuned conservatively from him so you don't go boom, so after the dynotune the car pulled harder, but like I said peak power was only up a handful.

Check in your area to see who can even dynotune your car, for all you know you may not have anyone in your area who can tune a LT1. If they can see what kind of deal you can get and ask other people who have had their LT1 tuned there how they feel about it.

joelster

Mail order tune will be fine. These mail order tune guys (pcmforless, Madz28) have been to dyno's before just so you know. You are running a hotcammed car. I would guesstimate that each of them has dyno tuned 50 hot cammed cars at least. They have probably seen every combination of parts under the sun for LT1's and have the necessary files with PROVEN dyno results on their computers. If you were running a big-cube, solid roller motor, with monstrous heads, then I would get a dyno tune right away. A mild cam and bolt-ons is easy to tune.

Ihasfip

iTrader: (5)

Trifecta Performance F T W. Vince took care of mine and now that I have my wideband it is damn near spot on. That is with all the stuff in my sig.

D

joelster

I can barely read your sig.

Ihasfip

iTrader: (5)

Yea I should fix that...

Not all tune related...but you know.

Comp Cam 306
Comp Retainers, Locks and Seats
Meziere Elect. W/P
!Air
!EGR
!Cats
Pacesetter Longtubes
CAI
3" X-pipe
3" Dynomax Bullets
MSD Opti
Mallory Dig 6
NOS 150 Shot
Ram Powergrip HD Clutch
T/A Cover
Spohn Lower Control Arms
315's
AEM Wideband

D

Elliott's94Z

iTrader: (12)

I had the same issue as this guy. I'm not gonna mention names but my car was running like complete shi* after my mail order. On the dyno my car was running VERY lean to the point where it wasn't safe to drive at higher RPM's. So after I saw the lean spike with the new pcm that was sent to me I swapped back in my original PCM and the car ran perfect. Needless to say I sent the other back for a refund. Plenty of guys have had great luck with mail order tunes and there's a few out there that get stuck with some crap mail tunes. For best results and to squeeze out every last Pony, have it dyno tuned.

myltwon

iTrader: (1)

not a big fan of mail order tunes honestly

dynotune will get more power, better driveability, better gas mileage, etc. no point in wondering "what if's" about power being left on the table if you had only spent a little more

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

You guys don't get it, dyno tuning ONLY works if the tuner and dyno work. There are guys who have gained a couple tenths in an 11 second car by changing a dyno tune.

A dyno does NOT load the engine the same way the car does, there are good tuners who can still use a dyno effectively then there are the tuners who aim for maximum power on the dyno which will NOT be fastest on the track.

The extent of the trouble depends somewhat on the dyno and the operator, a loading dyno will not be so bad if setup right, an intertia dyno will be the worst. Again a good tuner can compensate and still make it a useful tool, BUT some tuners guys think are good are NOT. Notice how many guys are saying they know of a VERY popular tuner that does some very lean work, gets the spark wrong too.

Elliott's94Z

iTrader: (12)

I think you are missing the point..fact is, a dyno tune is better then sending off your box and hoping for it to come back in good working condition. YouR car will benefit more so over a mail order. So maybe you just don't get it

Badazz 97 TA

iTrader: (18)

street tuning and datalogging for teh win! screw mail order tunes. mine was crap after looking at all the tables in the PCM

riceburnerZ28

iTrader: (20)

I used a mail order tune and I'm very pleased ! Considering the amount of work I have it was worth it but once I install new heads/intake injectors etc. Then I will go to a dyno to get the most out of my build. Since you have a mild setup the mail order should be fine until you start digging more into the engine !

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

If that is the case are you saying my car would go faster with a dyno tune?

Street and track tuning is the best way.

I know of specific exampleS of carS(both plural) going slower at the track on dyno tunes that made a bigger peak number. These guys don't much share that information publically though because as we see here, people refuse to understand it.

The 96 Impala that got invited to the pump gas drags 2 years in a row has a 400rwhp dyno chart. Even the stupidest of people will agree that a 4400lbs car that does 146mph+ in the quarter running mid 9s makes well over double the 400rwhp the dyno claimed. Problem is the dyno did not accurately load the drivetrain which confuses the computer and the power "measured" on dyno does not match up with the performance.

Dynos are a lot like a flowbench, easily manipulated and don't tell the whole story.