Is every tuner different??
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Teching In
Joined: Oct 2017
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Is every tuner different?? Odd question that's been on my chest. Is every tuner different when it comes to tuning a modified ls engine? I have a bored 6.0 with cam full bolt one and built a4 with 3200 stall in a 2002 camaro. I'm from Houston area and seen some shops charge only 250 for a street tune and most others 400 for the same tune.
Thats very true alot of times. However your probably not going to find someone with tons of experience and who is really good out there doing $250 tunes. I would say 95% of the time you get what you pay for. It goes for alot of things besides just tuning, If they were that good they would know their work is worth more than $250 IMO. Anyone can buy hpt and a laptop and claim to tune.
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From: Central Cal.
Thats very true alot of times. However your probably not going to find someone with tons of experience and who is really good out there doing $250 tunes. I would say 95% of the time you get what you pay for. It goes for alot of things besides just tuning, If they were that good they would know their work is worth more than $250 IMO. Anyone can buy hpt and a laptop and claim to tune.
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I've only ever paid for 1 tune. The guy was "mobile" and came and plugged up and we drove around for almost 2 hours. He used the factory O2's to work out driveability, idle, and some other things. That truck was damn near spot on-except for WOT which I did not expect to tune while driving on the streets. It cost me $300. I did not think that was a bad price and the truck sure did run really well.
Then, I got HP Tuners and began to do my own tuning. All I can say is that it requires a LOT of learning, and experience, to do it correctly. Like mentioned above, there are a lot of people who think they are super-tuners in their own minds.. But in reality... They should not be tuning lawn mowers. I will never pay anyone to tune anything I own, or work on, ever again. I've tuned several vehicles to date. I do all of my tuning by datalogging street driving scenarios. After all, I drive my vehicles on the street-not on a dyno. Not that there's anything wrong with dyno tuning. I just don't have access to a dyno.. I've heard it said-but do not know it to be true myself-that those who want big HP/Torque #'s for bragging get dyno tunes.. Those that want the best driveability, reliability, & performance on the street-datalog & tune on the street. I understand that WOT can only be done on a dyno, or track, or private property.. So, there's that.
Then, I got HP Tuners and began to do my own tuning. All I can say is that it requires a LOT of learning, and experience, to do it correctly. Like mentioned above, there are a lot of people who think they are super-tuners in their own minds.. But in reality... They should not be tuning lawn mowers. I will never pay anyone to tune anything I own, or work on, ever again. I've tuned several vehicles to date. I do all of my tuning by datalogging street driving scenarios. After all, I drive my vehicles on the street-not on a dyno. Not that there's anything wrong with dyno tuning. I just don't have access to a dyno.. I've heard it said-but do not know it to be true myself-that those who want big HP/Torque #'s for bragging get dyno tunes.. Those that want the best driveability, reliability, & performance on the street-datalog & tune on the street. I understand that WOT can only be done on a dyno, or track, or private property.. So, there's that.
There is some truth in the idea that a blind squirrel sometimes gets a nut. Odds are you will get improvement, but it is not a guarantee. Just look at the difference from one vehicle to another in factory trim.
I have done some where I street tune the car with LOTS of hours and then on the dyno can only find 8 hp. Other times, street tune leaves 20-30 on the table that you find in the dyno.
If they are lower horsepower we have street tuned them and put them on the dyno only to be able to get less than 5hp more out. Boosted or power adder cars are a different story.