[CBSTANG]

I hear all the time on here that you guys are taking your car to get a tune. What kind of garage to you call to have a tune done? and how much should it normally cost? Id like to take mine somwhere and have a more aggressive tune done! Any help would be appreciated...

[FIVE-0]

call a place with a dyno facility and pay to have it dyno tuned, or u could just buy a programmer and do it yourslef

[GreenFaleen]

Dyno tune is about 400-500 bucks.
Get an SCT x-cal2 or livewire it is a tuner and you get tunes programmed onto it and you have access to up to 3 different tunes.

[mikebert]

You can tune yourself like the devices they mentioned, but you ultimately still don't know how you're performing.

If a shop has a dyno and offers custom tuning, they can dial in your engine to perform very well and do it safely. You can't beat a good dyno tune, no matter what. Not all shops that have a dyno offer tuning services, but you can call around and see who does. Price is normally based on an hourly rate to futz with your car, plus a possible charge for burning a chip for you. Just ask what a normal tune comes out to be.

[ujslost]

personally i want a hand held tuner also, but I agree that dyno tuning is the BEST way to go. Seeing true A/F readings is critical. unless you have a wideband O2 system I dont think your gonna see true A/F readings with a hand held tuner. Possibly with a SCT live wire but not sure about it, you might.

[mikebert]

Originally Posted by ujslost personally i want a hand held tuner also, but I agree that dyno tuning is the BEST way to go. Seeing true A/F readings is critical. unless you have a wideband O2 system I dont think your gonna see true A/F readings with a hand held tuner. Possibly with a SCT live wire but not sure about it, you might.

Even if you have a wideband or some way to get good A/F readings, a dyno is a dyno! You can run the engine all the way to the redline, you can put it under load, you can tweak one thing and rerun the exact same test. You can't do that in your driveway or even at your local strip on a "test and tune" night. You'll know exactly what's happening with your A/F but you'll know what's happening with your powerband throughout your entire RPM range.

[ujslost]

thats what I was trying to say, you cant get a true tune without a dyno.
sure a wide band gives a good reading of af ratio but you cant get a true tune in the drive way or at the track.

[Stangzilla]

Originally Posted by mikebert You can tune yourself like the devices they mentioned, but you ultimately still don't know how you're performing. If a shop has a dyno and offers custom tuning, they can dial in your engine to perform very well and do it safely. You can't beat a good dyno tune, no matter what. Not all shops that have a dyno offer tuning services, but you can call around and see who does. Price is normally based on an hourly rate to futz with your car, plus a possible charge for burning a chip for you. Just ask what a normal tune comes out to be.

I would never tune myself unless the car has a wideband o2 on it. Its pointless with out one.. Thats what a dyno does...