Is a Dyno Tune worth it if all you really have is a few bolt on mods ?
Nothing serious, lid, Fernco, K & N, Cat-back, I am told that the car has had a Hypertech handset used on it but.. I don't have the tuner, I have taken the car out and run it to 155 ( top end of speedo) I am told that the car is governed and will shut down at 135 .. if it's not reprogrammed.. any truth to that ? anyhow a few misc bolt-ons ..is having it Dyno Tuned worth it at this stage ? or should I just drive it and be happy ?
Stuffed a large stereo in my girl and in the back of my head the extra weight from the three amps, subs and box make me cringe, can I gain a few more horse from a tune or is it an expense I can't justify at this stage of development ?
Any and all thoughts are welcome
car stats 2001 SS A4 . No idea what build it is, was merely happy it was a real SS and my favorite color pattern, Artic White w/ Black Leather int.
Oh and do All Auto SS cars snap hard going into 2nd at low rpms ? when my baby upshifts at 2,000-2,500 if its cold, it can break traction, particularly when making a corner ( yes I know the physics involved during turning, it's for clarity on my question)
Thanks again

 

i would say the gain available from a dyno tune at this point may not be very usefull. if u plan on doing LT's down the road then i would just wait till that. your factory tune shouldnt be off that much.

on the hypertech, ive heard these should be used on stock cars. otherwise its outside there programmed functionality.

also, hypertechs have a transmission shift firmness setting. that may or may not be the answer.

otherwise it could just be your auto showing signs of wear. may try changing fluid.

 

If you've got a buddy that will tune it and knows what he's doing for around $200, do it... Hypertechs are TERRIBLE - they will make your engine ping and they will cause damage! I know this first hand. If you're not planning on doing anything else to the car, go get it professionally dyno tuned - it'll be 4 to 5 hundred dollars but worth it to max out the potential of your mods and make your car run how it should. Don't worry about the speedo thing.

 

Thanks for your time and thoughts, I am relentless and **** about maintainence on my ride, all fluids changed at purchase, and I mean all ( washer fluid, steering, brake and even blinker fluid ) and religiously at specified intervals, atm I run Royal Purple everywhere, but am giving some thoughts to GC and or Amsoil after reading more posts/threads/ info I will make my choice, so it's not dirty fluid/filter as the culprit...

 

Is that what we are calling it now?!

Oh, as for your questions, tuning, Id say if you dont want to mod any more, go for it (especially if you have money laying around.) But my 2 cents on it, don't do it until you atleast get headers, cam, intake, nitrous, etc. There is no reason to spend 400 now, to go have it dyno tuned again. I say the HP you are leaving out on the table is quite low at this stage in the game. Spend your money on mods like headers, SFC's, LCA's, etc.

 

If you plan on modding your car further, then don't get it tuned now.
Just don't beat the **** out of it as it is...even though the A/F ratio
is probably fine. You'll just waste money if you tune it after every mod.
I, on the other hand, tune the car after each mod...but we're in a different
boat.

 

I've been told to do it after LT's and a cam

 

well i have about every damn bolt on you can do to a NA 99 formula..accept the ls6 intake and thats on its way..i got the long tubes..loudmouth exhaust..ram air box from slp..*god i love ebay*..gears, sfc, lca,ta arm, pnahard rod,*BMR goodies*,strutt tower brace..K&N, Pro 5.0 , and 17'z all the way around..i got a diablo sport tuner as well..going to get her dynod in savannah ga for $65 = 3 pulls...and then if i got the money going to flip $150 for the first hour of actualy dynoi tuning and get her done that way..will have printout of air/fuel mix as well..

 

dont worry bout the tune. As for the shifting, that is somewhat usaul for a cold a4 on these cars, and they do shift rough at low rpm's... Depending on how rough is probably just an indicator of how much the person who messed with it knew what they were doing...

 

Even on a bone stock car, tuning is definitely worth it. There is a lot more to be gained than just peak horsepower. A good dyno tune can give you gains in low end torque as well, making the car much nicer to drive even when you're not going full throttle. The factory tune is way too conservative, and doesn't unlock the full potential of your car.

Plus you can make sure the engine has the perfect safe air/fuel ratio and just enough timing to make power, but not too much so that you're getting pinging all the time. This is especially vital if you're running 91 octane gas, which is obviously more prone to pinging than 93 or 94.

 

i thought LS1s where goverened at 167mph not 135

 

When my A4 went out I took it to a local transmission shop and had it rebuilt. The man offered for $200 bucks more to install Raybestos Clutch package and corvette servos. There was no shift kit installed. The car will nail 2nd gear a even 20 mph and I can hear it turn the tires over in 2nd when it changes, Got to be real careful when it rains. And thats with 2:73 gears.

 

Hmm, I don't know, the two *factory trained* individuals that I asked that selfsame question of, once they put the chili dog and Barq's down gave me that long blank "whatchoo tawking bout" stare and mumbled .." Aw I dunno, duzzit really mattah ?"..
Well, it does to me heh, sorta why I asked..the person that said the LS! was governed at 135 drives Rice.. sorry Danny and was only restating what he heard ... ...
Anyone know for sure ? Wouldn't mind having that particular nugget of info if at all feasible.
And Thanks to all that responded, your time and knowledge are appreciated.

 

What the speed is governed at depends on what tires the car came with stock, the Z rated tires get the govener at 162 (IIRC)
and those without the Z rated tires get the govener set at a lower speed, of course you can change the settings using LS1Edit or HPTuners

 

The SS came with the 17 inch wheels, and Z rated tires. Your governed right around 160, as I've been there before. It cuts out right around 160. Not 135. Some of the Z-28's with the 16" wheels and different tires were limited to 125 I believe. Your cars top speed hasn't been removed. Well, you can try, but it's kind of pointless.

 

i have a z28 that came w/ 16's, i've taken it up to 145...

 

Thanks guys ! For the opinions and the info..
Preciate it

 

Hypertech is garbage, and so is the Diablo tuner.

The speedlimiter is around 161mph on the LS1 cars with Z rated tires. I believe the 235/40/16 H (?) rated tires on LS1's have a much much lower speed limiter at or around 105mph. Easy was to tell is if your LS1 has a steel driveshaft, And yes I know the A4 cars with 2.73 gears came with the steel driveshafts as well.

LS1Edit dyno tune will help any car, from stock cars to whatever.

Here is my buddies dyno tuned SS with just a lid and cut-out:



He had alot of problems with the Diablo tuner and I talked to him into getting a dyno tune from MTI. Jayson tuned it badass, I wish that I had the before tune spec's but oh well.

Just go get it dyno tuned, most shops will charge you for a full tune, but if down the road you need it to be re-tuned the shop fees for a re-tune apply, not another full price dyno tune again. Just call around to the shop and ask how they charge for tune and then down the road another re-tune.


Peace,
Craig.

 

baseline tune is very important if you are going to mod your car... so you can compare it~!!!