General LSX Automobile Discussion - how much will a tune help

Just bought a 99 ws6 with a cam, upgraded valve springs, longtube headers, ORY, catback, lid, smooth bellow. How much would a tune help me for hp. I see people talking about these bama tuners and you get unlimited tunes you just tell them whats done and they send u a tune, would this be as good as a dyno tune though? thanks

If the previous owner had any brains whatsoever. It is already tuned.

Assuming you are driving a car that has never been tuned. It could be worth 15-20 hp off the bat and maybe a couple MPG. It is really hard to say without more info about your car.

if it's cammed and doesn't have a tune, more than 20 hp.

Nothing will be as good as a quality dyno tune since every car is different. And what kind of cam is in the car? That will play a big part in the amounts of gains you see.

why do you think it needs a tune?


id only get a dyno tune if necessary.

Because it has lid, filter,bellow,longtubes, ORY, magnaflow catback, thunder racing cam .563/.563 112 lsa 1700-6600, smokes some when climbing down rpms. and only revs to 6000 witch if he had gottin it tuned he should know to raise it up to the 6600 or close, alsoe has upgraded valve springs

well, i would hope the previous owner already had it tuned if he put a cam in it. if you are unsure then your best bet would be to get a dyno tune from a good LS tuner and be done with it

Yeah I really dont think he did or he definitly should have put the rpm's up on it. If I can find his number I'm gonna call him

it will help a lot

With those mods if he really didn't get a tune it will be a totally different car after. I gained 20 rwhp in my tune just after bolt-ons....so you should gain more. I'd also go easy on it till you get it done.

If the previous owner had any brains whatsoever. It is already tuned.

Best post in this thread.

Best post in this thread.

Hahah I really don't think it was tuned and i don't know how i could no since i lost his number, but the cam call for 6600 rpm and the car is still set at the stock 6000 so im guessing no tune

I had an ok tune, then I got it retuned. On the same dyno, same day it went from 480 rwhp with the original tune to 528 rwhp with the new tune.

If its not tuned from all those mods then the car must run like crap and the original owner is an idiot. If this is true then if you dont get a tune you will be the idiot lol
Why dont you talk to the original owner? A tune is a big deal with a cam!

I lost his number so i cant call him, the car seems to run okay, beat my a4 trans am with a shift kit by 4 lengths, but i just cannot see him tuning the car and not putting the rev limiter to 6600 like the cam calls for?

Do you have stock rod bolt's? You may want to upgrade the stock '99 bolt's in there if you're getting it tuned for some extra reassurance since you plan to spin past 6500 with your cam. Seems like many are able to get away with it, but better safe than sorry.

Do more mods so you have a reason to tune it :D
If you cant buy anymore mods then just tune it anyway lol

not 100% sure, i know it was a cam kit installed and came with the ugraded springs

It's not to hard to believe that someone might put a TR224 in and not get it tuned right away. The PO probably planned to have it tuned someday and then lost interest and sold the car. If you have the money get it dyno tuned then do it, but if not I'd bet Frost can get to run good, and get you within 10hp of what you would get with a dyno tune with one of his mail order tunes. Also it probably isn't beneficial to rev a car with only a 224 cam to 6600rpm it's HP peak is probably closer to 6200rpm especially with stock heads and a LS1 intake.

well the specs of the cam say 6600 rpm peak

I wouldnt feel comfortable driving a car that had a cam added and was untuned- Im sure a dyno tune will make quite a bit of difference. On my last car 98 trans am auto with bolt ons- the dyno tune after i did the mods was the best/most seat of pants difference of anything i'd done to it.

Hopefully you have access to a good tuner in your area that actually knows LS engines. Unfortunately for me, there isn't anyone in my area. They will dyno it, but to have someone actually spend the time to dial it in and have it run well on the street and also at WOT is far and few. For these reasons I decided to buy HPTuners and learn how to do it myself. No one will dedicate the time to your ride like you will. And if you plan on keeping the car for a long time, it will be money well invested. Just take a look at their website and read the forums to see how many times a dyno tune left someone short changed.

I actually picked this car up in N.Y. maybe that is why it hasn't been tuned

im buying a cammed rs off of a guy, he had a 01 trans am and did just about the same mods on it u did to yours. gained 35 rwhp. had dyno sheets to back it up. and gained some mpg too. definitely worth doing

will a tune help bottom end any?, my car kinda falls on its face at low rpms.

Yes if done properly and the tuner will take the time to work on drivability and WOT performance.

I have a pullout from a 03 vette that I installed in my FFR Daytona coupe. I only gained 10 hp from dyno tuning, but gained 60-70 ftlbs down low. The engine is stock.

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr2/mmarshall01/20120718_104341.jpg

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr2/mmarshall01/LS1%20conversion/DSC_2897.jpg

get it tuned, then u know its done and you know its rite. u should pick up some down low too and a good tuner can make it pretty much drive like stock

i plan on doing a rearend and gears this winter since i am told once i hook the rearend is toast, and im told i should wiat till after the gears to get the tune

you can buy HP and check to see if it has the stock tune in it. or pull off the rear 02 sensor and see if the SES light comes on...if it doesnt the code has probably been deleted in tuning. not really worth betting on though. rod bolts and ARP on the heads, and strap some juice to the thing. then tune it.

The driveability should significantly go up if its still on the stock tune. Your also probably not getting the most out of your mods with the stock tune. I just have a few bolt-ons and i got a tune and its much smoother and driveability is much better. Not to mention you can make sure engine is running safely.

well the specs of the cam say 6600 rpm peak


Peak power RPM is a helluva lot more than just what the cam calls for. And I really doubt that such a small cam really "calls" for 6600 rpm peak.

Peak power also has to do with your heads and intake, and the durability of other components down the line. The previous owner probably kept the 6000 rpm limit because of the stock ls1 intake/heads and for longetivity of the rods and transmission.

You should have a local guy scan your car or read your tune and compare it to a stock tune and see if anything was changed.