Dyno Question
07-10-2006, 07:55 PM
#1
Dyno Question I am new to the whole Dyno Tune thing so I have a couple of questions for you guys. All of my mods are in my sig:
1) What is the diffence between a Dyno Tune and a Mail in Tune? I mean dont they still program Cam, Air/Fuel, Timing, Gears, Tire Size....etc on either?
2) On a Dyno Tune do they take the computer out of the car and program it and stick it backin?
3) Do they change shift points? If so then why?
4) If I have it Dyno Tuned and put more mods into the car, for example a 3200 Stall Conveter, do I have to have it Dyno Tuned again or would the mail in tune be sufficient?
5) Should I expect a Horsepower increase over the mail in tune? If so then any idea how much? (estimate)
6) Is it not recomened to Dyno Tune the car in the Summer becasue of heat & humidity? Should I wait until mid to late Fall?
7) Can a local Dyno Tune place overide the mail in tune I have already installed in the car? Do you recomend or not recomend this or does it matter?
Thanks for the help guys!!
Chad
1) What is the diffence between a Dyno Tune and a Mail in Tune? I mean dont they still program Cam, Air/Fuel, Timing, Gears, Tire Size....etc on either?
2) On a Dyno Tune do they take the computer out of the car and program it and stick it backin?
3) Do they change shift points? If so then why?
4) If I have it Dyno Tuned and put more mods into the car, for example a 3200 Stall Conveter, do I have to have it Dyno Tuned again or would the mail in tune be sufficient?
5) Should I expect a Horsepower increase over the mail in tune? If so then any idea how much? (estimate)
6) Is it not recomened to Dyno Tune the car in the Summer becasue of heat & humidity? Should I wait until mid to late Fall?
7) Can a local Dyno Tune place overide the mail in tune I have already installed in the car? Do you recomend or not recomend this or does it matter?
Thanks for the help guys!!
Chad
07-12-2006, 08:43 AM
#3
TECH Resident
1. personaly, i wouldnt use a main order tune. getting a tune is almost like custom work for your car.
2. they do not take the computer out. most or some use hp tuners or ls1 edit which is a plug n play setup that just gets plugged into your cars ecu. they shouldnt need to take it out.
3. changing your shift point depends on the cam and supporting valve train mods you have done. some cams peak at 6300 rpms others at 6600 rpm. it all depends on your setup.
4. by "other mods" what do you mean? if you mean stall only i believe no. but since you have done sum decent mods, you may want your shift points to be either raised or lowered and your shift firmness can also be adjusted for an a4.
5. not sure on the hp increase. cam only cars have seen hp in the 360 to 400 range with a good tune. i didnt see a lid on your setup($100), that maybe worth 5 to 10 hp, and a nice under drive pulley($200) would get you another 8hp. maybe even a cutout(anywhere from $30(manual) to $240 (electric)), if you can stomach the noise is worth another 3 to 6 hp.
6. i dont think it matters. summer heat is going to give you alittle bit lower numbers, but thats not going to effect your a/f ratio or shift points.
7. i guess it depends on your tune. if its a chip you got(which shouldnt be done in my opinion) then you will have to remove it to get the dyno tune done. if you sent in your ecu to get programed(which sounds like you did cause of question #2) a shop can most likely over ride your mail order tune and get you to where you need to be.
sum shops have basic tunes and sum have more advanced tunes. it all depends on the level of education the tuner has and the equipment he has. sum basic tunes will be near $150 and cover your after market tires and gears(speedo calibration) trqe mang removal (for stalled cars) o2 sensor removal, etc. but a more advanced dyno tune will be closer to $350 to $550. if you want to get everything out of your car, id suggest getting the dyno tune. it will optmise your setup and keep you in the safe zone(do not let it run lean). just my .02 cents i hope i helped.
2. they do not take the computer out. most or some use hp tuners or ls1 edit which is a plug n play setup that just gets plugged into your cars ecu. they shouldnt need to take it out.
3. changing your shift point depends on the cam and supporting valve train mods you have done. some cams peak at 6300 rpms others at 6600 rpm. it all depends on your setup.
4. by "other mods" what do you mean? if you mean stall only i believe no. but since you have done sum decent mods, you may want your shift points to be either raised or lowered and your shift firmness can also be adjusted for an a4.
5. not sure on the hp increase. cam only cars have seen hp in the 360 to 400 range with a good tune. i didnt see a lid on your setup($100), that maybe worth 5 to 10 hp, and a nice under drive pulley($200) would get you another 8hp. maybe even a cutout(anywhere from $30(manual) to $240 (electric)), if you can stomach the noise is worth another 3 to 6 hp.
6. i dont think it matters. summer heat is going to give you alittle bit lower numbers, but thats not going to effect your a/f ratio or shift points.
7. i guess it depends on your tune. if its a chip you got(which shouldnt be done in my opinion) then you will have to remove it to get the dyno tune done. if you sent in your ecu to get programed(which sounds like you did cause of question #2) a shop can most likely over ride your mail order tune and get you to where you need to be.
sum shops have basic tunes and sum have more advanced tunes. it all depends on the level of education the tuner has and the equipment he has. sum basic tunes will be near $150 and cover your after market tires and gears(speedo calibration) trqe mang removal (for stalled cars) o2 sensor removal, etc. but a more advanced dyno tune will be closer to $350 to $550. if you want to get everything out of your car, id suggest getting the dyno tune. it will optmise your setup and keep you in the safe zone(do not let it run lean). just my .02 cents i hope i helped.
07-12-2006, 08:43 AM
#4
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Too many questions and too little time for me but I'll give my brief answers.
Originally Posted by ss4chad
I am new to the whole Dyno Tune thing so I have a couple of questions for you guys. All of my mods are in my sig:
1) What is the diffence between a Dyno Tune and a Mail in Tune? I mean dont they still program Cam, Air/Fuel, Timing, Gears, Tire Size....etc on either?
A mail order tune is basically guesses for spark, fuel and shift points, a dyno tune is more precise for your individual car and combo based off of actual readings taken on the dyno, better if a load dyno is used that can simulate road/track loads. Keep in mind, cars are mass produced and everyone is different, now you add speed goodies and this difference spread increases.
2) On a Dyno Tune do they take the computer out of the car and program it and stick it backin? No, they reflash its memory thru the diagnostics port.
3) Do they change shift points? If so then why? Possibly, to match your actual HP curve so you average the most HP in each gear at WOT as one example.
4) If I have it Dyno Tuned and put more mods into the car, for example a 3200 Stall Conveter, do I have to have it Dyno Tuned again or would the mail in tune be sufficient? Should be checked on dyno because, as an example, your shift points may have changed.
5) Should I expect a Horsepower increase over the mail in tune? If so then any idea how much? (estimate) Unpredictable, some lose HP.
6) Is it not recomened to Dyno Tune the car in the Summer becasue of heat & humidity? Should I wait until mid to late Fall? Tune it in the season that you do most of your driving. If you tune during a climate extreme, tune conservatively.
7) Can a local Dyno Tune place overide the mail in tune I have already installed in the car? Do you recomend or not recomend this or does it matter?
Thanks for the help guys!! Possibly, if the mail order tuner did not lock others out. I recommend it if you can.
Chad
1) What is the diffence between a Dyno Tune and a Mail in Tune? I mean dont they still program Cam, Air/Fuel, Timing, Gears, Tire Size....etc on either?
A mail order tune is basically guesses for spark, fuel and shift points, a dyno tune is more precise for your individual car and combo based off of actual readings taken on the dyno, better if a load dyno is used that can simulate road/track loads. Keep in mind, cars are mass produced and everyone is different, now you add speed goodies and this difference spread increases.
2) On a Dyno Tune do they take the computer out of the car and program it and stick it backin? No, they reflash its memory thru the diagnostics port.
3) Do they change shift points? If so then why? Possibly, to match your actual HP curve so you average the most HP in each gear at WOT as one example.
4) If I have it Dyno Tuned and put more mods into the car, for example a 3200 Stall Conveter, do I have to have it Dyno Tuned again or would the mail in tune be sufficient? Should be checked on dyno because, as an example, your shift points may have changed.
5) Should I expect a Horsepower increase over the mail in tune? If so then any idea how much? (estimate) Unpredictable, some lose HP.
6) Is it not recomened to Dyno Tune the car in the Summer becasue of heat & humidity? Should I wait until mid to late Fall? Tune it in the season that you do most of your driving. If you tune during a climate extreme, tune conservatively.
7) Can a local Dyno Tune place overide the mail in tune I have already installed in the car? Do you recomend or not recomend this or does it matter?
Thanks for the help guys!!
Possibly, if the mail order tuner did not lock others out. I recommend it if you can. Chad
07-12-2006, 12:02 PM
#7
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One last thing, if you do go for a complete idle, drivability, WOT dyno tune, have plenty of fuel in the tank. Today, again, a customer drops off his car for such tuning with less then 1/4 tank of fuel. My fault, forgot to tell him that dyno sessions require fuel.
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07-12-2006, 07:26 PM
#8
Thanks JamesSS & Dynocar. I will be ordering my stall converter in a couple of weeks, either a Yank or TCI then I plan on taking it in for the Tune. As I have in my sig, FASTCHIP in Tulsa, OK did the mail in tune for me because I was in Tennessee at the time of the cam installation. I was hoping to find a local dyno shop here in Oklahoma City that could do the dyno tune for me instead of having to drive about 2 hours to Tulsa for it. Either of you wouldnt happen to know of a good place in OK City that does a Dynotune would ya? If not no worries, I dont mind the drive, there's a golf course there I been wanting to play and this would be my chance!!
