bleedout

Ok 1st off im new to the ls1, I just sold my 04' Cobra which was puttin 450rwhp down, anyways i decided to go F-body and im buying a 98'Z28 this weekend, long story short Im not goin to be happy with the stock power level at all, and this car is an auto so its worse lol. however im spec'in out a cam and stall for this car already but i spoke with a tuner and they told me not to waste my time on a 98' ls1 cuz they cpu dont take tuning??? ever here of this? he advised me to get a 2000 + and newer cpu before i do anything, this confuses me. Im not a dumbass when it comes to cars and i can wrench however i am new to the ls1 and this is odd to me. so my question is, is there any validity to this? am i goin to need a newer cpu before i can upgrade the engine and dyno tune the car? if so that sucks, cuz im gettin a good deal on the car and a 2000+ cpu with cost atleast $500-600 alone. whats goin on here? any suggestions guys? thanks in advance.

ws6fitz

The stock computer in these cars can handle a lot of power. There are guys running upwards of 800rwhp on the stock PCM. I would probably stay away from this tuner if I were you, because he may not know what hes doing or is trying to sell you things you don't need right now.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

RUN away from this tuner as fast as possibile. The '98 PCM will take a custom tune just like any other year, however it's a little more difficult to get a really extreme setup dialed in just right with the '98 PCM, as there is less flexibility. There will be some tuning limitations that might be a concern for an extreme forced induction setup, etc. For a simple heads/cam setup though, any good tuner can do just fine with your current PCM.

Furthermore, I have no idea why he would specify "2000+", when '99 would be just the same. '98s are the only oddball, but even then it's not an issue for a good tuner working on the setup you've described.

I would say that he's either trying to sell you stuff you don't need, or just isn't very good at tuning. Either way, I'd go elsewhere.

SOMbitch

iTrader: (8)

^^^^agree 100% with RPM.....98 here....

bleedout

whoo , thanks guys, had me worried. im a ford guy so i dont know much bout the pcms from gm. but thats what i thought, guess i'll have to find a good tuner near northern VA or MD. Yeah im not doing anything major, i just wanna do a cam, stall, intake and gears...... thanks for clearing this up guys.

bleedout

Well does anyone have any suggestions on a good shop near northern va or md for dyno tuning? Also what is the price to expect for a shop to install a torque converter? And any suggestions on what stall??? 3000,3600? Im new to auto's. Ive always a 6 or 5 speed. All im looking for is a decent street car, stall, cam, lt's, cia, tune..... Thanks for clearing up the 98' pcm tuning nonsense. It sounded off to me.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

You should try the regional section for a recommendation of good local tuning shops. Personally I have no idea who is good in the VA or MD area.

As for stall speed, you can't go wrong with a 3000-3600 range. Considering that you're planning for a cam, I'd lean towards the 3600, maybe even higher depending on the cam. There is too much info on this topic to discuss in one thread, try a search on this in the auto trans section, you'll have more to read than you'd ever need.

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

Yep 98s are the bastard step-child. But nothing to hinder modding.

SOMbitch

iTrader: (8)

IIRC Frost on here is in Richmond and I have always heard great things about Ed Hutchings in Va. Beach.....