considering buying HPtuners or EFIlive instead of getting a dyno tune....

My question is... how hard will it be to tune my car? (mods in sig)

I am 100% new to tuning and know nothing about it.... i was thinking if i change my mods in the future i wouldn't have to get dyno tuned again if i purchased a tuner....

How hard is it to learn to tune? cuz i dont even know where to start!

 

How hard it is really is relative to the person doing the tuning, some take weeks for things to click while others can take months.

Check out our forum www.hptuners.com/forum/ for tips and information on tuning.

 

I'm in the same boat. I am good with computers, but dont have any experience tuning cars.

 

i am good with cars, not yet with computers. i bought efi=live last week. I am tired of taking the car to the dyno and getting crappy *** tunes, then if i want to change something i can do it. I would get the software and street tune it for idle, part throttle, ect.. then take it to the dyno for wot tuning. my .02

 

If you want to use a custom operating software, hp tuners is a must. EFI Live doesn't offer the 2 bar OS for the 98.

 

Be Forewarned---Tuning on your car is Addicting.

Jeff

 

so i am assuming most of you use HPtuners??? I downloaded the free EFIlive and it seems easy for the stuff i understand... like fan, rev limmiter, EGR, etc...

My question is... what parimeters with i have to mess with to tune my car?

****ENGINE CALIBRATION****
FUEL: VE, Mixture?
ABUSE MANAGMENT
ENGINE PROTECTION
IDLE: Learning, Rolling Idle
SPARK: Knock, General (IAT)

****TRANSMISSION CALIBRATION****
SHIFT AT VSS
SHIFT AT RPM
TCC
TRANS PRESSURE

 

I would say if you have the spare money and at most a couple of months to spare after work go for it. If you do not feel comfortable with changing the timing then just do the fuel same with any parameter in the ecu mess with the stuff one at a time and don't be afraid to ask for help. Do research on how every thing works like the sensors and outputs that the ecu uses. Most people feel that it is overwhelming the amount of information you need to know to properly tune a car but just do them one at a time and you will be fine. Buy a wide band and look at the knock sensor unless you love pulling spark plugs on your car. And still read the plugs every now and then.

 

Do lots of reading. Learn all your sensors and actuators and what changes to them can indicate while scanning (logging). Start out with the very basics, and change one parameter at a time. Do lots of data logging and data analysis.
Lastly, buy the right equipment. A good tuning package, a quality laptop, a good wideband. And my personal favorite, a small power inverter so your battery does not go dead during logging (or more importantly, writing to the PCM). You may laugh, but I've seen it done, and the PCM became a brick at 2 a.m. on a Sunday mmorning.

 

good info guys! I appreciate your input! Keep it coming!

Is there a book or anything on tuning basics and/or what all the sensors do

 

I wouldn't waste your money on the books. All of the info you need is on the hp tuner forum. There are several stickies, some are harder to find than others. Good data logging is the key to tuning.

 

however much work you think this is, it is more.

If you think you savy with a computer and know a 4 cycle engine theory doesn't mean you can just hook stuff up and BLAM, it's all tuned... it doesn't work like that at all.

I would say a good 6 months before your even getting the overall concept.

turning on/off fans stuff is so trivial you aren't even beginning to grasp injector changes, airflow changes, and spark.

Be comfortable with your car not running well for a while, ie not a daily driver... and dont forget the wideband o2 if you go this way

 

Seriously though, its not as hard as this guy makes it sound.

I can't speak for EFI live or anything else, but HPTuners PRO and a decent wideband and you should have it pretty close in your first week. It might take a while to get it perfect, but that's how you really learn.

 

this makes me feel alot better! I dont really care if i have to tweak for a couple weeks/months go get it just right.... but i would like to get it tuned better than it is now.... no tune at all

I am just afraid to invest $1000 and not be able to do it!
I can get almost 2 dyno tunes for that price... but i know myself to well to know that my setup will be changed and added to enough in the future that It would save me money to get my own tuning software....

Is there a way i could give someone all the specs on my motor and they could give me the info for a starting point??? That would be kickass!!!!

Keep the input coming guys!!!

 

Even if it takes a lot longer to get it right, no amount of dyno tuning will make your car as perfect as you can. They just don't have the time to tune your car as you do. Plus the small things that can be over looked by a in and out tune, that most people just deal with, can be continually tweaked and fixed by you. Some people don't even know how bad there tune is, they just take it for granted because they have a "dyno tune".

Plus the a lot people that know are really generous with advice. Hit a snag in your tune and just post your tune and a log and someone will point you in the right direction and some occasions fix it for you and post your fixed tune up.

Tuning isn't for everyone and some just don't need it, but if you can use a windows based program and know how to perform a search function on a message board (or know how to make a new thread, for those who just don't seem to understand searching) then it's almost too easy.

 

buy some software. I have EFI Live and can help you if you need it. I love tuning on these cars. I have had it for a little over a year and noticed the more I tinker with the more I catch on. I had my car tuned by a so called pro tuner but it just wasn't as good as what I liked as far as starting. I finally got everything figured out and now it starts perfect. The key to everything is learning what every table is for and what it does. After you figure that out pretty much every question you have you will be able to answer yourself and know what tables to fix your problem.

 

anyone have tuning software for sale?

 

Great thread here - just what I was looking for!

mvvette97, after you help 1BAD_LS1 maybe you can help me too. Please see my PM.

 

that should be pretty easy. I'll give ya a hand.

 

If you decide to get the software you will need to get a laptop and a wideband also - so up front costs will be a little more than a good all day tune at $75 to $100 dollars an hour.

Also - buy the tuning book that is advertised in one of the threads here. It will walk you through all of the steps using HP Tuners to tune your car with very good explanations about each subject.

The added value when you have your own tuning software is that you can learn from a previous or current tune in addition to tweaking a tune if needed even if you have paid someone to do a tune for you. Or look at it and see how messed up it is.