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How Long before Tune?

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Old May 31, 2007 | 09:23 AM
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Default How Long before Tune?

I'm installing a cam soon and was wondering how crucial it is to have it tuned afterwards? I understand that the tune will help drivability and overallpower, but is it OK to drive the car without the tune? I was told by some that it will kill the 02 sensors? The cam is 230/230 .612/.592 110+4

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Old May 31, 2007 | 10:09 AM
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I'd get it done ASAP. Nothing crucial, but it is important. A couple hundred miles...sure. I wouldn't push it though. That's a pretty moderate cam, tuning will really bring out the best in it for sure.
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Old May 31, 2007 | 10:23 AM
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Cam that big you will definatly need a tune as soon as possible. At least something for the fueling.
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Old May 31, 2007 | 11:09 AM
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Originally Posted by nseldy
I'm installing a cam soon and was wondering how crucial it is to have it tuned afterwards? I understand that the tune will help drivability and overallpower, but is it OK to drive the car without the tune? I was told by some that it will kill the 02 sensors? The cam is 230/230 .612/.592 110+4

Thanks!
from a stock cam to that.... YEH ur gonna want to get it tuned ASAP

u wouldn't believe how much it DOES change everything
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Old May 31, 2007 | 12:41 PM
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I am planning on getting the car tuned, I just wanted to be sure that driving the car for a few weeks without a tune wouldn't damaging to the motor? Thanks Again for everyones input
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Old Jun 1, 2007 | 12:42 AM
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Will driving without a tune damage the O2 sensors or anything else?
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Old Jun 1, 2007 | 01:02 AM
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with that big of a cam , you would probably hurt something. especially if its for a week

ur prolly going to have a funny idle, amongst things
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Old Jun 1, 2007 | 01:31 AM
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I wouldn't drive it. Get it tuned as soon as possible. It will run rich especially at idle. Possibly washing down the cylinder walls with fuel and damaging the rings. Not a good idea to drive around for awhile on stk tune. IMO
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Old Jun 1, 2007 | 11:10 AM
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I live in Lancaster, PA and I believe the closest sponsor to me that can tune is Rapid Motorsports in Reading, PA; which about 48 miles from me. Is that too far to drive with out the tune?
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Old Jun 1, 2007 | 12:08 PM
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It'll be fine, mechanically. What it will also be is a booch to drive around town. Starting, idling, and dying at stops will all be a problem, though you can minimize these to some extent by adjusting the TB set screw.

The PCM has these nifty things called fuel trims, which maintain a 14.7:1 AFR regardless of what you change internal to the engine. Your trims will go positive as the PCM adds fuel to compensate for the increased VE of the cam, but the resulting AFR will stay the same as stock.

It will run rich at idle due to the overlap of the cam letting unburned oxygen through to be detected by the O2 sensors. The only way around this is to go to an open loop tune and take the O2's out of the equation. However, it's certainly not enough to wash down cylinder walls or damage O2 sensors.

I drove my Torquer for 2 months before I tuned it (233/233 .589/.589 112) with no ill effects. Still running the same O2's years later. Tuned a friend's MS3 that he drove around for several weeks with no problems other than driveability.

So, you should get a tune ASAP, but you won't destroy anything driving it around.
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Old Jun 2, 2007 | 01:53 AM
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Organize, Plan, Execute. I would offer the following parallel...Is it ok to bang Mary Rotten Crotch just for a few seconds without a JimmyHat? (I can't hold my wad anyways.)

Not a good plan from the git go. Good things come to peeps who O.P.E.
Painful trips to the bathroom await those other Johnnys.

You'll be fine to get to the shop one day...anything else is just asking for trouble.
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Old Jun 3, 2007 | 11:10 AM
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I talked to the guy from Rapid Motorsports, he said it'll be fine until I get it tuned. Only thing is, he said it just won't want to idle but won't hurt anything. Thanks for all your input guys
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Old Jun 3, 2007 | 01:45 PM
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drive ability will suffer until you get it tuned, especially at low rpms and idle. But you wont hurt anything.
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Old Jun 3, 2007 | 02:21 PM
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Originally Posted by warp_6
I wouldn't drive it. Get it tuned as soon as possible. It will run rich especially at idle. Possibly washing down the cylinder walls with fuel and damaging the rings. Not a good idea to drive around for awhile on stk tune. IMO
He didn't swap injectors, never ever heard of washed cylinders when only the cam was swapped.

It maybe a PITA but you can drive it. No WOT tho until tuned.
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Old Jun 13, 2007 | 09:33 AM
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just installed the cam about 5 days ago, it actually runs great! Even the intial start-up, it fired up as soon as I turned the key and idled! Occasionally it has trouble idling with cold start-up, but once I'm driving it's fine. It's choppy as hell, everyone gives me strange looks as lights and stop signs, it's awesome! I gonna schedule my tune soon
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