I just graduated high school this past June, iv been thinking about going to Hennessey's tuner school. I have a buddy that is in it right now and had the chance to meet most of the instructors and various other people who work there while at Midnight 1320. I still feel that i should still go to HCC as my initial plan was and see what happens with my friend. My real question is, Is it even worth paying 15 grand for the school? What could i do with the certificate i would receive? I looked into it but didnt find much.

 

i'd save a bit more money and use it to attend a university. you can do pretty much anything you want with something like that, but with something like this...not so much. im no expert, but it seems like the world of tuning is already pretty competetive and it would take alot of capital, or alot of friends with tuning needs to get anything decent started. i may be the only one that thinks this, but when it comes to anything automotive, knowledge comes from years of experience, not in the classroom. good luck with whatever you choose to do

 

I'd stick with your plan of going to HCC and knocking out basics if I were you.

 

My tuner Justin (Tuning Concepts) actually is a double major from UT, but now makes all his money tuning. Though not many people can say they get it just from that, but he also is known world wide as one of the best.

Basically you learn the most from actually just learning the software yourself and learning the basics of how everything works. The certificate from there doesn't really do anything. Trust me

If I were you I'd stick to the actual college portion first!

 

Holy **** $15,000 to learn tuning from Hennessey? Some people don't change I guess. Any certificate you get from that school won't be worth the paper it's written on.

Go to HCC and get a real education for that $15,000

As far as tuning goes, there are plenty of awesome resources on the internet to get you started with tuning. Don't worry about learning about a particular piece of software right away. What you really need to know to tune is how an engine works. That's the most important part. Then you can start worrying about all the pieces of software that are out there and how all of the different power adders are different and blah blah blah.

 

Thanks for all of the advice Ill most likely be attending Hcc Houston/Katy campus until i get my basics out of the way. Then ill be getting the hell out of Katy, hopefully be accepted at Texas State and Major in computer science. I just always had a thing with these cars since my brother (westsidetrans242) had his '95 LT1 Trans am(rip). I helped put his headers in when i was 13/14

 

good choice, a degree will open many doors for you, especially one in computer science

 

Don't waste your money, go to a real school. A cert from that place will get you nothing.

 

Don't forget about Cougar High. I don't know if Southwest^H^H^H^H Texas State is worth moving for.

 

I graduated high school in 2002, but what I recall your 42 hour core credits are the same any where, U of H would let you transfer in up to 60 credit hours. You can knock a lot of the filler credit out at HCC a lot cheaper then you can at U of H or Texas state.

 

Thats my plan, i cant afford alot right now, i have 2 older brothers and one younger one which 2 are in college already. Now im about to go also so the mommy and daddy piggy bank is almost tabbed out, ill be taking out student loans most likely. I like the Texas State area alot, the people there are chilled and most of my friends/brothers are there now, i know the point of college isnt to follow your friends but its a definite plus

 

15 grand, might as well just go to UTI.

 

I did pretty much what your talkin bout doing, went to lonestar for a year then transfered to texas state. couldnt be happier. As far as the tuning school goes my buddy just graduated from it and couldnt find a job anywhere. And for 15 grand i dont think he got much out of it let alone how to actually tune a car.

 

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS SCHOOL. This school is just another way for John Hennessey to get more money and rip people off. The only reason guys go here is because they are uneducated about Hennessey Performance and John Hennessey's reputation for taking people's money. Read all of his old reviews. He is the same money hungry deuce he was way back when he started the company. Check out UTI at least you will be able to get a job when you graduate. Tuner School gives you a piece of paper saying you completed the program. Big freaking deal. Who wants to spend 15k and get just a certificate?

 

This probably would have been useful advice when the OP posted the thread, 5 years ago...

 

Do not go to the tuner school. If you really feel a must to do something like this I would just go to Sam automotive but you need to have some money to da that as well. I suggest you go to college. And yea Texas State is pretty badass, I'm up here right now.

 

One of the old instructors from tuner school just got fired, odd timing for a thread bump, lol.

 

Look up thetuningschool out of Florida. It is a cheap way to get you started and see if you even like it. I went and got the basics from them and the experience was fantastic and a load of fun. I have tuned many F bodies and pickups just by word of mouth. People ask me constantly but I don't have the time. I direct most of them directly to Pat G so they can get the most out of the combination. Tuning can pay well but 15k is just highway robbery. Tuning takes experience and a great dyno, not a silly certificate. Good luck to you.

 

I think if I was inclined to go into a the performance industry I'd go to SAM. A good machinist is in high demand almost anywhere.

 

Wait a minute...............you're telling me people pay hennessey $15k to attend a/his "tuning school"?

What I don't understand is how this guy thrives off of a bad reputation????