Considering tuning my own car..
05-03-2014, 07:46 PM
#1
Staging Lane
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Considering tuning my own car.. I've been wanting to upgrade my car, but I can't seem to find any reputable shops around here that can tune cars.
Because of that, I've been thinking about tuning my own car. How difficult is it, and what exactly do I need to get in order to tune my car?
Because of that, I've been thinking about tuning my own car. How difficult is it, and what exactly do I need to get in order to tune my car?
05-03-2014, 08:40 PM
#3
Staging Lane
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Yeah, I was reading that forum as well. I was just under the impression that the software was way more expensive than it really is. I was a little hesitant about the fact that it wasn't close to what I was expecting it to cost. If I don't have access to a dyno, one of the pro versions would be the best bet?
05-03-2014, 08:55 PM
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The pro makes it easier to datalog because you don't need to carry the laptop with you. I did buy a pro, but I almost always datalog with my laptop anyways so I can view the histograms in real time. If I ever need to buy HPTuners again, I suspect I will not buy the pro.
EDIT: Forgot to mention you need the pro to use the wideband inputs, I do not have one and find myself tuning for WOT on the dyno. Dyno time can be expensive so this alone may make the pro an obvious choice for you.
EDIT: Forgot to mention you need the pro to use the wideband inputs, I do not have one and find myself tuning for WOT on the dyno. Dyno time can be expensive so this alone may make the pro an obvious choice for you.
Last edited by InfrareV; 05-04-2014 at 01:33 PM.
05-04-2014, 04:54 PM
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If you can read and absorb you can do the tuning yourself, there is plenty of information and plenty of misinformation out there. Take it steadily and make small changes and you will be fine. I agree with the above poster, the pro version for the wideband is a good idea. I wish I had bought the pro version.
05-04-2014, 05:13 PM
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Staging Lane
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Thanks guys for the input, I went ahead and ordered the pro suite with beginner's training. I figured if I get good enough at it I can eventually make the money back by talking some poor guy into letting me tune their car. haha.
05-04-2014, 05:50 PM
#7
buy a couple of the frequently recommended books like Dan Maslics master efi tuner and Greg Banish advanced engine management and tuning. Expect to get a headache at first lol but when you get foggy put the book down and pick it up later it takes a while to start following the concepts , I bet I have read Gregs book 5 times and refer to it many times, $17 well spent lol.
Neither book is going to instantly make you a tuner but they will teach you the right and wrong way to approach things , how the sensors affect tables , the importance of using a wideband to tune wot etc basically an overview of how the whole process works ...after that its spending enough time in the tune to get familiar , one of my favorite tips is hitting f1 will bring up the hp tuners help menu section that pertains to the section of the tune you are in when pressing f1 , coupled with the description at the bottom of the tab in the tune that says what that sections function is you can start to piece together what to change and in which direction. Spend some time learning how to set up histograms and how to set up filters to get good data to work off they are a huge help.
Neither book is going to instantly make you a tuner but they will teach you the right and wrong way to approach things , how the sensors affect tables , the importance of using a wideband to tune wot etc basically an overview of how the whole process works ...after that its spending enough time in the tune to get familiar , one of my favorite tips is hitting f1 will bring up the hp tuners help menu section that pertains to the section of the tune you are in when pressing f1 , coupled with the description at the bottom of the tab in the tune that says what that sections function is you can start to piece together what to change and in which direction. Spend some time learning how to set up histograms and how to set up filters to get good data to work off they are a huge help.