Are mail order tunes really worth it?
06-08-2011, 05:14 AM
#1
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Are mail order tunes really worth it? I need one as my old tune seems to have changed over the years and now the car is running a bit rich. However i live in Ls1 no mans land (Montreal, Canada) where as i was spoiled when i lived in Philly and had shops all around the area. Only option is a mail order tune, granted my car is just a bolton, but how can a mail order tune be really that spot on? Can anyone chime in on their experiences?
06-08-2011, 07:54 AM
#2
I think, and im sure others will agree, that the mail-order tunes are best used during that gap between the time you mod the car to the time you can get it to a real tuner on a dyno
Minor bolt-ons, however, the mail order tunes should work just fine
Minor bolt-ons, however, the mail order tunes should work just fine
06-08-2011, 10:31 AM
#4
A mail order tune should be completely fine for bolt ons. I had mine done by Frost and then got to do a pull on the dyno, it was running too lean so I sent my PCM back to Frost along with a copy of the dyno sheet and he tuned it according to the dyno data. Car runs awesome and I highly recommend him.
06-08-2011, 12:06 PM
#7
Coming from a guy with a mail order tune, I wish I had just paid an extra $300 and gotten it tuned in person and had much better results. Got what I wanted out of the tune though, so I'll give it that and it did make a noticeable difference. Makes me wonder how much better it would have been with a REAL tune
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06-08-2011, 12:37 PM
#8
In most cases, dyno tunes are better, a$$uming that the tuner doesn't suck. On the other hand, a mail order tune can be good when done by a great tuner w/ a lot of GM tuning experience. The tuner will also need as much information about the set up as you can give him. I've read threads where it was clear that the car owner did not communicate the details of the set up well enough to have given a mail order tuner everything needed. Yah, you could blame the tuner for not asking more about the set up, but, the car owner does share the blame..
IMO, if you decide on a mail order tune, you will not go wrong w/ FROST. He is a sponosr here and has a great reputation on this site.
IMO, if you decide on a mail order tune, you will not go wrong w/ FROST. He is a sponosr here and has a great reputation on this site.
06-08-2011, 04:40 PM
#10
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Well i had my car originally dyno tuned a few years ago, but the car has been progressively running richer and richer to the point my gas mileage has taken a hit. Living Montreal, noone really dynotunes cars here. I mine as well drive across the border and get it tuned since any real tuner is in Ontario which is still a 5-6hr drive.
06-08-2011, 05:08 PM
#11
Well i had my car originally dyno tuned a few years ago, but the car has been progressively running richer and richer to the point my gas mileage has taken a hit. Living Montreal, noone really dynotunes cars here. I mine as well drive across the border and get it tuned since any real tuner is in Ontario which is still a 5-6hr drive.
06-08-2011, 08:09 PM
#13
If you feel like you need a little adjustment go ahead and send it out to frost. If its not to bad and your mods are nothing big then I would wait. I did my boltons and ran like that for over a year. Then I finally got a real tune from slowhawk after I put the stall in.
06-08-2011, 10:20 PM
#14
Well i had my car originally dyno tuned a few years ago, but the car has been progressively running richer and richer to the point my gas mileage has taken a hit. Living Montreal, noone really dynotunes cars here. I mine as well drive across the border and get it tuned since any real tuner is in Ontario which is still a 5-6hr drive.
If mods have not changed then its time for new 02s,plugs and wires. Your MAF may also be on the way out-tough to say. Tune up the car and see how it reacts
06-09-2011, 09:52 AM
#16
Actually, your first comment covers the issue. Failing 02 sensors can make it run rich because the PCM will add fuel due to the 02 sensor thinking that it's too lean from either gunk fouling them up or a default for safety due to failing electrics. They aren't able to measure all of the fuel in the mix. As a result, the PCM adds more fuel in order to meet the commanded A/F ratio.
A dirty MAF can make it run lean, not rich, because the dirt on the resistors prevents the MAF from correctly measuring the full amount of air entering the intake. More air is entering the intake than is being measured. For example: the PCM thinks there's 100 g/s entering the engine when in fact there is 120 g/s entering. The total amount of air is not recorded because of the dirty resistors. The PCM adjusts injector output to meet the lower amount of air as recorded (not the actual higher amount) & the engine runs lean. The 02 sensor feedback will then trim the mix based on its' value compared to the commanded value. So, it is possible for the MAF to be causing a lean condition that is resulting in a rich condition after an 02 sensor trim.
Both comments are good advice in that cleaning the MAF once a year is always a good idea & changing out the 02 sensors when running rich is a possible fix for the rich condition.
06-09-2011, 10:01 AM
#17
Actually, your first comment covers the issue. Failing 02 sensors can make it run rich because the PCM will add fuel due to the 02 sensor thinking that it's too lean from either gunk fouling them up or a default for safety due to failing electrics. They aren't able to measure all of the fuel in the mix. As a result, the PCM adds more fuel in order to meet the commanded A/F ratio.
A dirty MAF can make it run lean, not rich, because the dirt on the resistors prevents the MAF from correctly measuring the full amount of air entering the intake. More air is entering the intake than is being measured. For example: the PCM thinks there's 100 g/s entering the engine when in fact there is 120 g/s entering. The total amount of air is not recorded because of the dirty resistors. The PCM adjusts injector output to meet the lower amount of air as recorded (not the actual higher amount) & the engine runs lean. The 02 sensor feedback will then trim the mix based on its' value compared to the commanded value. So, it is possible for the MAF to be causing a lean condition that is resulting in a rich condition after an 02 sensor trim.
Both comments are good advice in that cleaning the MAF once a year is always a good idea & changing out the 02 sensors when running rich is a possible fix for the rich condition.
A dirty MAF can make it run lean, not rich, because the dirt on the resistors prevents the MAF from correctly measuring the full amount of air entering the intake. More air is entering the intake than is being measured. For example: the PCM thinks there's 100 g/s entering the engine when in fact there is 120 g/s entering. The total amount of air is not recorded because of the dirty resistors. The PCM adjusts injector output to meet the lower amount of air as recorded (not the actual higher amount) & the engine runs lean. The 02 sensor feedback will then trim the mix based on its' value compared to the commanded value. So, it is possible for the MAF to be causing a lean condition that is resulting in a rich condition after an 02 sensor trim.
Both comments are good advice in that cleaning the MAF once a year is always a good idea & changing out the 02 sensors when running rich is a possible fix for the rich condition.
****...You're right, I typed that in a hurry, sorry about that.
