I just bought a 12 gt bone stock. I've only had fix bodies up until now so this is a new world to me. I've read about ppl using custom tunes. Do you need a hand held tuner for this and if so does it matter which one? I've seen sct bama and diablosports tuners. Any input would be great.
I currently use a diablosport trinity and love it. I've used it to tune my srt for years. You can email tune with a shop etc. it works like a cell phone with apps, all touch screen very easy to use. I'm contemplating paying diablosport to unlock my trinity so that I can tune my srt & mustang, or just buy a new handheld. I've seen predators and sct handhelds go for pretty cheap these days.
Yes, if you are getting a tune you will need some sort of tuner to load the tune into the car.
I am new to this as well, but here is some info I have found out. If you are going to have someone tune the car. Either a dyno or mail order tune find out what tuner they use. I have seen places only use one or the other. I got the sct sf3 used on ebay for mine. The preloaded tune gave me .3 and 2.5 mph, I am going to be getting a mail order tune done though as some people have said the prelaoded tunes aren't the safest, and they don't make any adjustments to the cam timing just ignition timing. Also if you are buying a used one make sure it is unmarried and has unlocks left or else you will have to send it in and pay for it to get unlocked. The difference between the sf3 and the x3 is the sf3 comes with preloaded tune amd the x3 does not. I don't have any experience with the Diablo.
Spend the extra cash and find a local performance shop around you to get it dyno tuned, and yes you will need a handheld for the car as well to save the custom tunes. All cars react differently, and they'll be able to see how your car is acting. However alot of people use the bama tunes and love them, just was told to go a different route by a few good friends. I actually had mine done this month, about a week ago and it changed the car completely (in a good way)
A dyno tune is not necessary on these cars for just bolt ons due to the front o2's being widebands. The best way to go about it is data logging your tune on the street for your tuner.
This is a question asked all the time. You need to do some research unless you want opinion. Lund does mine and have been pleased with performance and service. If you are an auto I hear people rave about Mike Rousch at Mid Atlantic. I would advise to stay clear of Bama or BBR from personal experience. Good luck.
Disagree. I would not use Bama for tuning. I would go right to a better tune immediately and not screw around with them. There's a reason their tunes are so cheap. They just copy and paste their shiit.
I am going to go with Mike Rousch from Mid Atlantic for mine. I was doing some research on Sunday night. I sent him an email at 8:30pm on a Sunday. I would of been satisfied if I got a replay on Monday, and would consider that good customer service. To my surprise I got a replay within 5 mins on a Sunday night!! Honestly that sold me right there. Knowing I haven't spent one cent with him and he was answering my questions on a Sunday night. That gives me piece of mind that if I have an issue/ question after I spend money with him, any questions/ problems will get answered asap!
I understand completely about the dyno tune aspect, if it wasn't for me getting a great deal due to friends I wouldn't have. I'm pleased with my results though and yes Bama is the last one to go to from all I've heard
Mike Roush said $250 for the tune. And all future revisions are free, except E85, boost/nos, and cobra jet intake setups Those are $100.
I found some places were cheaper, but they charge for revisions. Like if you put on headers, or converter after you get the tune, Mike Roush will change the tune for free where others charge a fee (usually less than the original price)
From the research I did, they had no more negative press than anyone else out there (aside from the private dyno tune places). For a mail order tune, I found they really do a pretty good job (compared to other mail-order tunes). Granted I have a stock set up so tuning shouldn't be too tricky.
That being said, you can't beat a good dyno tune so if you have the means and access, that would be your best bet.
For me, the bump in horsepower and improvement in throttle response that I got from Bama was more than satisfying.
Let us know of the before and after numbers, if you don't mind. I know a tune alone can unlock some decent power.
So here's the update. I just installed the jlt cai and bama 93 race tune. The first thing I noticed us that just driving at part throttle it holds the gear longer and u can actually feel it shifting gears. At wot def noticeable power increase and shifts herd into gear. Kinda like an aod or 700r4 trans with a shift kit. Before I count even feel the car shift gears. Also it seems to be shifting at a higher rpm. I've only had the car a week so I didn't pay much attention to the tach before but I can hear it winding out more. Easy install and no check engine light. So I'm happy with it. Obv I would have had to dyno it before and after to see real results but having owned 5 fox bodies since 1999 and doing things like cai pullys and exhaust to those and never feeling a diff in the driver seat this seems worth the money cause I can actually feel the power from the motor and the sharper shifts.
When I took my 12 gt auto bone stock in 1700 DA with a race weight of 3900 lbs (me in it, as i daily it aka probably 60-70 lbs of extra stuff in the truck along with spare, jack etc) It went 13.3xx @107.1x 60' was in the 2.1xx range 5 times in a row
I flashed it with the prelaoded sct sf3 canned tune (93 octane) everything else was the same. In 2100-2200 DA it went 13.0x range in the 109.6x range 60' was 2.07x range... 4 times in a row.
So just the pre laoded cannned tune gave me .3th and over 2.5 mph in worse DA!! I was impressed but I am still going to do a Mike Rousch tune very soon though and hopefully it will be solidly in the 12s in the summer heat with bad DA and fully loaded. Yeah I know what you mean about the foxes I have owned 4 and still do. But to gain 2.5 mph on a NA fox would require a few bolt ons lol
At least u got to see the improvements at the track. These bama tunes are suppose be much better than the canned sct tune. What does da stand for? Sounds like that's what u were preloading the car at at the tree.
Da stands for density altitude. It is basically the air quality. The lower it is the better. The car like it best leaving around 1000 rpms with all the TC stuff turned off. Hold the TC button for like 5-10 sec with your foot on the brake. It will say advance trac off in the cluster.
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