# Tuning for a n00b



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

A few things...

I've never tuned before, with anything. I'm a guy who's used to getting codes in OBD I with a paper clip. I see & hear about the Diablosport Predator tuner, and I've looked into the HP Tuners tuning software. The thing is, I have no clue what I'm doing, so I wouldn't try custom tunes at this point. I know the Diablosport has presets, however I'm not sure this will get the most out of all mods (note, my desired build is a Livernois 402 stroker kit, K&N or Volant CAI, StainlessWorks headers, some kind of hotter cam, stock heads, Corsa Sport catback, and maybe a cat delete) and they won't occur at the same time, since my pockets aren't infinitely deep.

Will both tuning softwares allow me to tune on the fly, or in otherwords, make adjustments while I'm on the road to "fine tune" once I get some experience, and will both work with the afforementioned mods?

Remember, I know absolutely nothing about tuning at this point...


----------



## badgoat91 (Jul 13, 2009)

your going to need to go to a shop that specializes in custom tuning if your going to want to get the most out of all of those mods, especially if you get a hotter cam and you stroke the engine, your going to need your fuel pressure adjusted . dont waste your time on a programmer if you are going to be doing that stuff soon, but programmers are good if you have just an intake and full exhaust , or if you have changed your rear end gearing and want to eliminate your top end governor haha


----------



## AlaGreyGoat (Jul 6, 2006)

Hi, Dan,

I would like to have HPtuner on my old laptop, but wouldn't know how to use it.
I paid $225 to have mine tuned with it on a dyno. If you're going to do that much
modding and keep the car, I would buy HPtuner and learn to use it.
Get a wideband O2 meter, and Tune Away!

As badgoat91 stated, a handheld wouldn't do much good with those mods.

Larry


----------



## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

Buy me the software and wideband, I'll tune everyones car for free.


----------



## beefworm (Jul 6, 2009)

im kind of in the say boat here; i just got my car a few months ago and have no experience tuning. i wasnt looking to doing extensive mods (like cams), probably just basic stuff. on the predator tuner, has anyone paid attention to how it affects gas mileage? any noticeable difference?


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Thanks for the input. I'll probably just get a handheld at this point, since the stroker & cam are big $$$, and I won't have the time or patience to do it myself (did a rebuild once in my life, thats enough). Exhaust is going to be my first step.


----------



## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

Poncho Dan said:


> A few things...
> 
> I've never tuned before, with anything. I'm a guy who's used to getting codes in OBD I with a paper clip. I see & hear about the Diablosport Predator tuner, and I've looked into the HP Tuners tuning software. The thing is, I have no clue what I'm doing, so I wouldn't try custom tunes at this point. I know the Diablosport has presets, however I'm not sure this will get the most out of all mods (note, my desired build is a Livernois 402 stroker kit, K&N or Volant CAI, StainlessWorks headers, some kind of hotter cam, stock heads, Corsa Sport catback, and maybe a cat delete) and they won't occur at the same time, since my pockets aren't infinitely deep.
> 
> ...




If your car is currently void of any performance goodies, I would just bring it in for a good tune. You will be surprised of how good it will run even when you are pure stock.

If you want a hand held tuner but never used one, Buy one from a GOOD local Performance shop. I am sure they will be more than happy to give you a few pointers on how to use it after purchase.


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

There is one shop in the area, but I think they're heavily Mopar (their name is R/T). I haven't been in there for years, but its worth a shot. Will a handheld allow me to manually set the overspeed chime to whatever I want? I have it set at 75, but don't know how to go any higher.


----------



## millertime034 (Aug 24, 2008)

beefworm said:


> im kind of in the say boat here; i just got my car a few months ago and have no experience tuning. i wasnt looking to doing extensive mods (like cams), probably just basic stuff. on the predator tuner, has anyone paid attention to how it affects gas mileage? any noticeable difference?


I have the custom diablo sport tuner with the slp tunes on there and i was running one of those and it doesnt effect gas milage that i've noticed since i had the tune on, i just took the tune off my car because i'm selling my tuner, but its pretty great just plug and play and i keep mine in my glove box in case i need it on the go. plus if your going to do just the basic bolt ons and not do anything extensive thats the way to go because theres no reason to pay for a 500 dollar tune at a dyno shop just for some mild bolt ons.. just something to think about.


----------



## LOWET (Oct 21, 2007)

Poncho Dan said:


> There is one shop in the area, but I think they're heavily Mopar (their name is R/T). I haven't been in there for years, but its worth a shot. Will a handheld allow me to manually set the overspeed chime to whatever I want? I have it set at 75, but don't know how to go any higher.


You can adjust your overspeed chime just by using the controls for your gauges. Read the owners manual. I set mine @ 130 MPH


----------



## beefworm (Jul 6, 2009)

millertime034 said:


> I have the custom diablo sport tuner with the slp tunes on there and i was running one of those and it doesnt effect gas milage that i've noticed since i had the tune on, i just took the tune off my car because i'm selling my tuner, but its pretty great just plug and play and i keep mine in my glove box in case i need it on the go. plus if your going to do just the basic bolt ons and not do anything extensive thats the way to go because theres no reason to pay for a 500 dollar tune at a dyno shop just for some mild bolt ons.. just something to think about.


thanks millertime!


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

i'll chime in here because i have experience with being a total tuning noob and making a decision. i mulled over the same thing 3 1/2 years ago as 3 of my GTO friends were going over to the other side of the state to have "the best tuner in the state" do their cars. i decided that i wanted to learn tuning and got a lot of comments from my friends that i was making a mistake. i ordered HPT pro and an Innovate LC-1 wideband and started reading. my friends came back "all tuned" while i worked on figuring mine out. it took me a month or so to start getting comfortable about it. after i got familiar with it i scanned and read my friends tunes. they were total hack tunes with very little done to them besides WOT tuning and even that was hacked because they adjusted only the power enrichment without touching the stock VE tables. i know, Greek to some but it's a major fact of life that a lot of places, even really "good" places, don't do that great of a job. 

so aside from the fact you can do as good or very possibly a better job than that "pro" tune you got somewhere you have to factor in the fact that every time you do a mod, even small ones like an intake or exhaust, you're leaving something on the table without a retune. with your own tuning suite it's a relatively simple job to do a touch up, correctly and safely. 

it's not as hard as it sounds to tune correctly yourself. the main thing is learning the basics and the jargon but it can be done in a fairly short period of time. i was a noob as everyone that tunes once was. there are many good people on several forums that will give you tips and help when you need it. that's how i got started and you can too.


----------



## jpalamar (Jul 22, 2008)

svede1212 said:


> i'll chime in here because i have experience with being a total tuning noob and making a decision. i mulled over the same thing 3 1/2 years ago as 3 of my GTO friends were going over to the other side of the state to have "the best tuner in the state" do their cars. i decided that i wanted to learn tuning and got a lot of comments from my friends that i was making a mistake. i ordered HPT pro and an Innovate LC-1 wideband and started reading. my friends came back "all tuned" while i worked on figuring mine out. it took me a month or so to start getting comfortable about it. after i got familiar with it i scanned and read my friends tunes. they were total hack tunes with very little done to them besides WOT tuning and even that was hacked because they adjusted only the power enrichment without touching the stock VE tables. i know, Greek to some but it's a major fact of life that a lot of places, even really "good" places, don't do that great of a job.
> 
> so aside from the fact you can do as good or very possibly a better job than that "pro" tune you got somewhere you have to factor in the fact that every time you do a mod, even small ones like an intake or exhaust, you're leaving something on the table without a retune. with your own tuning suite it's a relatively simple job to do a touch up, correctly and safely.
> 
> it's not as hard as it sounds to tune correctly yourself. the main thing is learning the basics and the jargon but it can be done in a fairly short period of time. i was a noob as everyone that tunes once was. there are many good people on several forums that will give you tips and help when you need it. that's how i got started and you can too.


You wanna cough up your HPT? I'll buy the credits and give you an extra $100 for letting me use it:seeya


----------



## Goatskin10 (Sep 9, 2009)

I noticed you have the ripshifter and i have a question since i'm considering getting one. i've heard that its like a night and day difference as far as performance goes, but that it becomes louder in the cabin as road noise is heard. my question is,is there a way to install one of these and still apply the sound dampening ? thanks.


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

svede1212 said:


> i'll chime in here because i have experience with being a total tuning noob and making a decision. i mulled over the same thing 3 1/2 years ago as 3 of my GTO friends were going over to the other side of the state to have "the best tuner in the state" do their cars. i decided that i wanted to learn tuning and got a lot of comments from my friends that i was making a mistake. i ordered HPT pro and an Innovate LC-1 wideband and started reading. my friends came back "all tuned" while i worked on figuring mine out. it took me a month or so to start getting comfortable about it. after i got familiar with it i scanned and read my friends tunes. they were total hack tunes with very little done to them besides WOT tuning and even that was hacked because they adjusted only the power enrichment without touching the stock VE tables. i know, Greek to some but it's a major fact of life that a lot of places, even really "good" places, don't do that great of a job.
> 
> so aside from the fact you can do as good or very possibly a better job than that "pro" tune you got somewhere you have to factor in the fact that every time you do a mod, even small ones like an intake or exhaust, you're leaving something on the table without a retune. with your own tuning suite it's a relatively simple job to do a touch up, correctly and safely.
> 
> it's not as hard as it sounds to tune correctly yourself. the main thing is learning the basics and the jargon but it can be done in a fairly short period of time. i was a noob as everyone that tunes once was. there are many good people on several forums that will give you tips and help when you need it. that's how i got started and you can too.


Yeah I'm probably getting the HP tuners software. I just made a build sheet of parts I want/need and price, and for sure everything isn't going to happen at once. :lol: So I'll need to re-tune a few times. It also looks like I can use the HPtuners on my Grand Am...


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Poncho Dan said:


> Yeah I'm probably getting the HP tuners software. I just made a build sheet of parts I want/need and price, and for sure everything isn't going to happen at once. :lol: So I'll need to re-tune a few times. It also looks like I can use the HPtuners on my Grand Am...


ya, i have my HPT semi-permanently mounted in that little pop out door cubby under the radio. it's great when you want to log as i have the Pro version and can just pop the door open, push the button and log for up to an hour and a half to read later. it's especially useful when i'm at a track and they won't let me use my laptop when running.


----------

