minytrker

iTrader: (13)

I have a 02 Z06 that I want to learn to tune on. I am buying HP tuners and am wondering is it worth the money to buy and install wide band to use on the street? The car just has bolt ons and I already know my A/F from having it on the dyno. I am thinking it will be worth having it installed on the car so I atleast know if I get the car lean. Other than that I will still have to get the car on the dyno every now and then to see if I gained or loss power, right?

foff667

iTrader: (2)

for what widebands go for now ie$199 LC1 is cheap insurance knowing what your running at ON THE STREET...dyno's(mainly dynojets) dont load the car as much so your a/f might be slightly different from the street to the dyno.

soundengineer

iTrader: (16)

a wideband is always worth the investment

buy the EIO version so you can log the wideband in HPTuners

cablebandit

iTrader: (37)

or run it thru the egr like me (if you deleted egr) But i have a dynojet wb commander so it may be different. Now that i think about it...he doesnt even have egr so scratch my idea

pewter 01 SS

iTrader: (5)

is this worth buying for someone that doesnt have hp tuners or doesnt do their own tuning?. I was told it was good to have because the tuner can accurectly moniter your afr but i dont see why you need to buy this is you dont do your own tuning, i see this as a product that the tuner should have to do accurate tuning.

Chris81

iTrader: (1)

Its great to have on the car, mine is on the car all the time and i've learned about just by watching the AFR at different times during driving (even without recording)..

I also dialed my car in on the street and at the track to within 5 rwhp of where it needed to be after doing tuning on the dyno afterwards.

They are a great investment, period.

minytrker

iTrader: (13)

I want to get into tuning, so thats why I am buying hp tuners. I was asking if its worth it for me just getting into tuning to purchase and install a wide band in my car being new to tuning. From what everyone is saying it is worth the money and will only help me so I will get a wide band setup.

slow

iTrader: (7)

You NEED a wideband, you Need a Laptop, and you Need tuning software to tune your own vehicle.

People can try to do it without widebands, using factory 02 sensors, ect, but it is not the correct way to tune the vehicle.

Ryan

M_T_0

tuning with the wideband take less than 1/2 the time that it takes to do without, the EIO cable tied to my LC1 is a god send unless you just like to spend hours (like 10) in the car driving around trying to read a laptop and drive to hit all of the cells. you can often spend more time tuning than you spend doing a mod.

JMO

More Than Zero

minytrker

iTrader: (13)

Thanks for all the reply's. I am going to get a wide band setup and HP tumers. One question about my laptop, is it better to run it through a power convertor or Dell makes a cord for my laptop to plug directly into my lighter plug?

foff667

iTrader: (2)

its better to run it off a working battery if at all possible. Personally i run an inverter that ive been using for some 6 years with no problems. But I only run it when my battery is low, while im scanning & only ot recharge my battery really.

soundengineer

iTrader: (16)

just be sure to buy a good inverter....and use a proper guage wire to get its power...
cig lighter is PUNY wire that does not really hold any power..and if you have a powerhungry laptop(like mine) then you will pop a lot of 25amp fuses even though you are not drawing 25 amps...
and I use mine any time the laptop is in the car..except for reading and writing to the PCM....always laptop battery for that

minytrker

iTrader: (13)

Thanks, I guess I need to buy another batt for my laptop, mine goes dead really fast. Man this adds up quick, buying this and that, guess the saying want to play you have to pay comes to mind.

dlandsvZ28

You might want to wait for the latest version of EFIlive. With it you won't need a laptop in the car anymore (in fact you don't need one with the current data logger, but with are limited to about 20 minutes of logging). With the new EFIlive handheld device, you can log and log and are only limited by the amount of memory chips you have available (same as a digital camera). Also the current version of EFIlive and the new version has the hardware built in and isn't optional (extra dollars) for wideband logging.

Visit their site. The directions to hookup the Innovative LC1 are posted as tutorials on their site.

http://www.efilive.com/flashscan.html

However, if you don't own a laptop, it might be more cost effective to buy a used laptop (IBM's) or even a new one as the handheld is funcional only for tuning whereas a used or new laptop you can use for tuning and other things. If you get a laptop get USB 2.0 or a computer with a pcm slot for USB if you go EFIlive.

Since HP has merged with Super Chips, I'm sure they will have a handheld pretty soon too.

minytrker

iTrader: (13)

I have spent hours and hours reading all the forums and everything about each tuning software out. Everytime I make my mind up I find out more info on one of the other tuning programs that I didnt know making me want that one. From what I read, each setup has is pro's and con's and comes down to what each person wants. Everyone says the program they use is the best and so on. I wish is was an easy choice. I was set on HP Tuners but EFlive is sounding very good also. It would be nice not to have my laptop in the car all the time.

BLK02WS6

iTrader: (2)

I regularly use LS1 Edit, HP Tuners, and FlashScan - while each does have its advantages (well, maybe not LS1 Edit), my personal choice is EFILive FlashScan. The maps that you can create and the auto-tuning features make it tops in my opinion. And the new handheld unit looks like it is gonna be awesome - although I'll be stickin to my laptop due to the large investment in software and the volume of cars I tune. Just my 2 cents.

minytrker

iTrader: (13)

I have never used either one. In my case which do you think is better to start learning to tune with, HP or EFI?

dlandsvZ28

There shouldn't be any need to buy an expensive laptop battery. When you are in the garage plug the laptop into AC to keep it fully charged when reading or writing to the pcm.

When you drive and log (30 minutes) your laptop battery should last at least that long(30 minutes). If not then your are correct that it might be a good to spring for new laptop battery.

But with EFI live and it's data logger you don't need the laptop while logging. The data is stored in the data logger while logging (but only about 20 minutes dependent upon the PIDs you are reading).

However, some drive and log, then write to the pcm, then drive and log and write to the pcm and never return to the garage to charge the laptop. In this instance you could be away from ac power for extended periods of time so even a laptop with 2 hours of life would not be enough.

BLK02WS6

iTrader: (2)

If possible, find someone local that uses them and check out the actual software. It really helps to have someone experienced nearby to help you along the way. I personally like the EFILive better because of some of the features it has - but that same reason may make it harder for a begginer (more to learn to use). Make sense.

kbracing96

iTrader: (25)

Walmart has power inverters that will plug into the cig liter and run your laptop for around $35. Thats what I use.