DiabloSport InTune Review: my unbiased opinion [work in progress]
07-05-2012, 09:44 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
DiabloSport InTune Review: my unbiased opinion [work in progress]
Disclaimer: This is my opinion only. This review is subject to be modified as I gain more experience with the unit, and/or without notice if I change my mind. FWIW, I've had tuning experience on 1st gen SBC's/C4 corvettes with Tunercat, my laptop, and assorted adapters - which was a complete pain in the ***. Otherwise, I am a total novice here, and I fully expect my perspective to match that of other total noobs. Your mileage may vary.
My car: 2008 Z06. I have longtubes, CAI, manual trans and probably an unknown aftermarket tune - so I'm very curious as to how my car performs.
1. General Impressions: I acquired my unit used - at a significant discount, but it was essentially new-in-box when I received it. It is very light to hold (being plastic) and smaller than my smartphone. First impressions are underwhelming, if only because it is physically of inexpensive construction, the touchscreen is somewhat sluggish to respond, and with a simple interface completely dependent on external power from your vehicle's OBDII port or a computer USB port. It has no batteries for stand-alone use (important later). However, both the OBDII and USB cables are included, so you're pretty much ready to go out of the box. But I will tell you now: when you open the box, your first thought will be "I paid $400 for this?"
2. Overall Use: It's good for it's intended purpose: the "manual" is simple, easy to comprehend, and has lots of photos.
You can download this from the DiabloSport website prior to purchase. The unit itself is also very simplistic, both a good and bad thing. When powered on, you basically have 3 menus (uploading tunes, datalogging, and tool setup). Each of these has just a few submenus, which are largely self-explanatory. My only initial confusion was on how to complete specific actions not clearly listed in the menus (ie how to back up my OEM tune) which is somewhat of an automated process - but you have to know how it's incorporated into the process to get to it. After a few uses, it's pretty straightforward to use all of the functions on the fly (but significant patience is required as the unit is generally SLOW for most vital functions - more later).
3. Use as a "tuning" device: limited - I strongly urge anyone who thinks this is a good choice to "tune" to instead plan on working with an experienced tuner to do all the serious work for you: ECS, DiabLewSport (aka Monte), etc. Yes, you can modify timing, fuel, etc as advertised - but it's very simplistic IMHO and is frustrating to do in-the-car. You will have the distinct feeling of knowing that there is much, much more to this than making 1% changes to a few tables for real-world results.
By the time you factor in the skills and knowledge required to make effective changes to these cars over a canned DiabloSport tune, IMHO you're better off paying someone else $150 to do the advanced stuff for you. I doubt many of us are going to be satisfied with the canned tunes that come with these cars, so I will not spend much time here (but I think guys with automatics will get MORE value by being able to modify their transmission shifting characteristics in addition to the included canned settings). But again, for broad strokes it does have that capability.
Thankfully, I anticipated this from the beginning and will be using Monte in the near future. His package deals are a great buy (again, IMHO) and I will add to this review once I have a chance to fully utilize his services. For now, everything I write is from just my perspective of wanting to see what my Z06 is doing as-is.
4. Use as a datalogging device: excellent. Here is where the simplicity is a huge benefit! No laptop, no USB or serial port adapters, spliced cables - and no $600+ software or "credits" to mess around with. I plug it in, wait 10 seconds for the unit to boot up, select a few menus, and I can datalog for around 10 minutes. But unfortunately, you can ONLY datalog for a total of around 10 minutes, before you run out of memory. This is NOT in the manual, or on the advertisements: they advertise "virtually unlimited" logging capability - which may be true - but you have to do it 10 minutes at a time. It's actually not a bad thing (10 minutes of data is a lot to go through), but it's an important limitation that I was not expecting.
As far as the datalogging itself - generally, you'll capture around 15-20 different variables multiple times per second, but you will not see every parameter the ECM sees (a good thing). Once you stop your log (or let it reach maximum file size and stop automatically), it will take FOREVER to save the file. Seriously, a 30 second log takes over 3 minutes to save. Again, this was something not mentioned in the manual or advertisements (dual processors! fastest in it's class! etc). Not a big deal, but important to realize since you paid $400 for this.
When I datalog, I basically leave the unit plugged into the OBDII port, click "save" and then keep driving/shut the car off/smoke a cigar and the unit will eventually save. Expect to wait 25+ minutes for a 10 minute log, or around 3 times the length of your log. However, since the unit stays powered on through the OBDII port, you CAN turn the car off, exit the vehicle, and when you come back everything is still there. The consequence of it being externally powered is good in that it's simple, but bad in that it takes a long time as I've described here. Battery drain is not a concern because it's such low voltage, so no big deal - just something I would have wanted to know AHEAD of time. I spent two days on the DiabloSport forums figuring this out.
5. Accessories: one of the nice things about DiabloSport is that they have forums accessible from their website, where most of your questions can be answered outside of normal business hours. They also have a FREE datalog viewer, so if you're like me and mostly curious about what your car does at WOT, you can relatively intuitively examine your own datalogs with ease. The Datalog Viewer is actually quite good (and FREE). If anything, once you use it, you'll realize you're in over your head and then call up ECS, DiabLewSport (MonteSS), etc for help in tuning your $15,000 engine.
Also, there is a way of hooking up an add-on wideband oxygen sensor - it is analog, and I have not done this yet, but the feature is a great idea IMHO as using the OEM sensors is less than exact science by nature of how it works. I will eventually get a wide-band, but again this is extra (3rd party) and will involve much more extensive knowledge to wire it in, hook it up, etc. This is probably not for the typical InTune user.
6. Expansion/Updates/Customer Support: as mentioned above, the DiabloSport forums are great, and I've read very positive comments about calling in. Many DS Reps have already offered to help with my few concerns, and that is impressive. DiabloSport seems very good about providing software updates through their forums - and the InTune will automatically check for updates when they are present. However, some updates will DELETE DATA on the device itself, so ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR TUNES and/or logs onto your computer: the InTune acts like a plug-in USB drive so this is a drag-and-drop feature, but one you must utilize proactively and in ADVANCE of any updates. I would suggest DiabloSport make this backup feature automatic in future revisions (ie "specify backup folder on C:\") given the demographic this device would apply to.
Summary: so far, I am happy. For about half the price of the more popular HPTuners software, I can datalog, add/save/email tunes and have professionals modify/send me tunes to upload - but I don't have to put a laptop in the passenger seat or deal with the rather steep learning curve of much those more complex (and powerful) options. I do think the unit is somewhat overpriced at retail - but you're not really paying for the unit so much as you're paying for the user interface, and the software/research/support that goes into it. THAT is where the value lies.
Let's face it: the majority of people considering the InTune or Trinity have at most a rudimentary understanding of engine tuning and how important different variable can be for performance and engine component safety. MOST of us want to have more control over what we're doing - but not necessarily do months of research into learning the details of real tuning changes; these skills take a long time and a lot of experience to master - and is not for the faint of heart nor for the impulsive! For the recreational user who primarily wants to "see" what their vehicle is doing, without necessarily taking the leap into literally tuning the ECM software themselves, the InTune is a good value for what it is: a simple, effective, but understandably limited device for under $400. Most people will basically want to get their car "tuned" once or twice, and then you leave it alone - something that the DiabloSport allows very nicely and economically.
With that said, I am glad I did not spend $600 on the Trinity - since I don't think the virtual 1/4 estimator, etc is worth that premium for my usage. This device is for people who don't want to learn how to compile virtual VE tables on their own, or learn how to use the relatively complex HPTuners, etc - but still want the option of monitoring their car and uploading tunes from respected vendors remotely.
Questions? Comments? Please feel free to chime in - this is simply my experience and my thoughts after using the device for around a week. Overall, I am happy with my purchase now that I've learned how to use the device as intended. I will try to update this review as I go in separate posts below, since this is a monsterously huge, monolithic post of rambling!
My car: 2008 Z06. I have longtubes, CAI, manual trans and probably an unknown aftermarket tune - so I'm very curious as to how my car performs.
1. General Impressions: I acquired my unit used - at a significant discount, but it was essentially new-in-box when I received it. It is very light to hold (being plastic) and smaller than my smartphone. First impressions are underwhelming, if only because it is physically of inexpensive construction, the touchscreen is somewhat sluggish to respond, and with a simple interface completely dependent on external power from your vehicle's OBDII port or a computer USB port. It has no batteries for stand-alone use (important later). However, both the OBDII and USB cables are included, so you're pretty much ready to go out of the box. But I will tell you now: when you open the box, your first thought will be "I paid $400 for this?"
2. Overall Use: It's good for it's intended purpose: the "manual" is simple, easy to comprehend, and has lots of photos.
You can download this from the DiabloSport website prior to purchase. The unit itself is also very simplistic, both a good and bad thing. When powered on, you basically have 3 menus (uploading tunes, datalogging, and tool setup). Each of these has just a few submenus, which are largely self-explanatory. My only initial confusion was on how to complete specific actions not clearly listed in the menus (ie how to back up my OEM tune) which is somewhat of an automated process - but you have to know how it's incorporated into the process to get to it. After a few uses, it's pretty straightforward to use all of the functions on the fly (but significant patience is required as the unit is generally SLOW for most vital functions - more later).3. Use as a "tuning" device: limited - I strongly urge anyone who thinks this is a good choice to "tune" to instead plan on working with an experienced tuner to do all the serious work for you: ECS, DiabLewSport (aka Monte), etc. Yes, you can modify timing, fuel, etc as advertised - but it's very simplistic IMHO and is frustrating to do in-the-car. You will have the distinct feeling of knowing that there is much, much more to this than making 1% changes to a few tables for real-world results.
By the time you factor in the skills and knowledge required to make effective changes to these cars over a canned DiabloSport tune, IMHO you're better off paying someone else $150 to do the advanced stuff for you. I doubt many of us are going to be satisfied with the canned tunes that come with these cars, so I will not spend much time here (but I think guys with automatics will get MORE value by being able to modify their transmission shifting characteristics in addition to the included canned settings). But again, for broad strokes it does have that capability.
Thankfully, I anticipated this from the beginning and will be using Monte in the near future. His package deals are a great buy (again, IMHO) and I will add to this review once I have a chance to fully utilize his services. For now, everything I write is from just my perspective of wanting to see what my Z06 is doing as-is.
4. Use as a datalogging device: excellent. Here is where the simplicity is a huge benefit! No laptop, no USB or serial port adapters, spliced cables - and no $600+ software or "credits" to mess around with. I plug it in, wait 10 seconds for the unit to boot up, select a few menus, and I can datalog for around 10 minutes. But unfortunately, you can ONLY datalog for a total of around 10 minutes, before you run out of memory. This is NOT in the manual, or on the advertisements: they advertise "virtually unlimited" logging capability - which may be true - but you have to do it 10 minutes at a time. It's actually not a bad thing (10 minutes of data is a lot to go through), but it's an important limitation that I was not expecting.
As far as the datalogging itself - generally, you'll capture around 15-20 different variables multiple times per second, but you will not see every parameter the ECM sees (a good thing). Once you stop your log (or let it reach maximum file size and stop automatically), it will take FOREVER to save the file. Seriously, a 30 second log takes over 3 minutes to save. Again, this was something not mentioned in the manual or advertisements (dual processors! fastest in it's class! etc). Not a big deal, but important to realize since you paid $400 for this.
When I datalog, I basically leave the unit plugged into the OBDII port, click "save" and then keep driving/shut the car off/smoke a cigar and the unit will eventually save. Expect to wait 25+ minutes for a 10 minute log, or around 3 times the length of your log. However, since the unit stays powered on through the OBDII port, you CAN turn the car off, exit the vehicle, and when you come back everything is still there. The consequence of it being externally powered is good in that it's simple, but bad in that it takes a long time as I've described here. Battery drain is not a concern because it's such low voltage, so no big deal - just something I would have wanted to know AHEAD of time. I spent two days on the DiabloSport forums figuring this out.
5. Accessories: one of the nice things about DiabloSport is that they have forums accessible from their website, where most of your questions can be answered outside of normal business hours. They also have a FREE datalog viewer, so if you're like me and mostly curious about what your car does at WOT, you can relatively intuitively examine your own datalogs with ease. The Datalog Viewer is actually quite good (and FREE). If anything, once you use it, you'll realize you're in over your head and then call up ECS, DiabLewSport (MonteSS), etc for help in tuning your $15,000 engine.
Also, there is a way of hooking up an add-on wideband oxygen sensor - it is analog, and I have not done this yet, but the feature is a great idea IMHO as using the OEM sensors is less than exact science by nature of how it works. I will eventually get a wide-band, but again this is extra (3rd party) and will involve much more extensive knowledge to wire it in, hook it up, etc. This is probably not for the typical InTune user.
6. Expansion/Updates/Customer Support: as mentioned above, the DiabloSport forums are great, and I've read very positive comments about calling in. Many DS Reps have already offered to help with my few concerns, and that is impressive. DiabloSport seems very good about providing software updates through their forums - and the InTune will automatically check for updates when they are present. However, some updates will DELETE DATA on the device itself, so ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR TUNES and/or logs onto your computer: the InTune acts like a plug-in USB drive so this is a drag-and-drop feature, but one you must utilize proactively and in ADVANCE of any updates. I would suggest DiabloSport make this backup feature automatic in future revisions (ie "specify backup folder on C:\") given the demographic this device would apply to.
Summary: so far, I am happy. For about half the price of the more popular HPTuners software, I can datalog, add/save/email tunes and have professionals modify/send me tunes to upload - but I don't have to put a laptop in the passenger seat or deal with the rather steep learning curve of much those more complex (and powerful) options. I do think the unit is somewhat overpriced at retail - but you're not really paying for the unit so much as you're paying for the user interface, and the software/research/support that goes into it. THAT is where the value lies.
Let's face it: the majority of people considering the InTune or Trinity have at most a rudimentary understanding of engine tuning and how important different variable can be for performance and engine component safety. MOST of us want to have more control over what we're doing - but not necessarily do months of research into learning the details of real tuning changes; these skills take a long time and a lot of experience to master - and is not for the faint of heart nor for the impulsive! For the recreational user who primarily wants to "see" what their vehicle is doing, without necessarily taking the leap into literally tuning the ECM software themselves, the InTune is a good value for what it is: a simple, effective, but understandably limited device for under $400. Most people will basically want to get their car "tuned" once or twice, and then you leave it alone - something that the DiabloSport allows very nicely and economically.
With that said, I am glad I did not spend $600 on the Trinity - since I don't think the virtual 1/4 estimator, etc is worth that premium for my usage. This device is for people who don't want to learn how to compile virtual VE tables on their own, or learn how to use the relatively complex HPTuners, etc - but still want the option of monitoring their car and uploading tunes from respected vendors remotely.
Questions? Comments? Please feel free to chime in - this is simply my experience and my thoughts after using the device for around a week. Overall, I am happy with my purchase now that I've learned how to use the device as intended. I will try to update this review as I go in separate posts below, since this is a monsterously huge, monolithic post of rambling!
Last edited by Random84; 07-05-2012 at 09:55 PM.
07-06-2012, 08:51 AM
#3
Supporting Vendor
Nice feedback, glad to see you are enjoying the unit.
The long log save time has me wondering what software version it may be on, can you let me know?
Thanks
The long log save time has me wondering what software version it may be on, can you let me know?
Thanks
07-06-2012, 09:13 AM
#4
Racer
Disclaimer: This is my opinion only. This review is subject to be modified as I gain more experience with the unit, and/or without notice if I change my mind. FWIW, I've had tuning experience on 1st gen SBC's/C4 corvettes with Tunercat, my laptop, and assorted adapters - which was a complete pain in the ***. Otherwise, I am a total novice here, and I fully expect my perspective to match that of other total noobs. Your mileage may vary.
My car: 2008 Z06. I have longtubes, CAI, manual trans and probably an unknown aftermarket tune - so I'm very curious as to how my car performs.
1. General Impressions: I acquired my unit used - at a significant discount, but it was essentially new-in-box when I received it. It is very light to hold (being plastic) and smaller than my smartphone. First impressions are underwhelming, if only because it is physically of inexpensive construction, the touchscreen is somewhat sluggish to respond, and with a simple interface completely dependent on external power from your vehicle's OBDII port or a computer USB port. It has no batteries for stand-alone use (important later). However, both the OBDII and USB cables are included, so you're pretty much ready to go out of the box. But I will tell you now: when you open the box, your first thought will be "I paid $400 for this?"
2. Overall Use: It's good for it's intended purpose: the "manual" is simple, easy to comprehend, and has lots of photos. You can download this from the DiabloSport website prior to purchase. The unit itself is also very simplistic, both a good and bad thing. When powered on, you basically have 3 menus (uploading tunes, datalogging, and tool setup). Each of these has just a few submenus, which are largely self-explanatory. My only initial confusion was on how to complete specific actions not clearly listed in the menus (ie how to back up my OEM tune) which is somewhat of an automated process - but you have to know how it's incorporated into the process to get to it. After a few uses, it's pretty straightforward to use all of the functions on the fly (but significant patience is required as the unit is generally SLOW for most vital functions - more later).
3. Use as a "tuning" device: limited - I strongly urge anyone who thinks this is a good choice to "tune" to instead plan on working with an experienced tuner to do all the serious work for you: ECS, DiabLewSport (aka Monte), etc. Yes, you can modify timing, fuel, etc as advertised - but it's very simplistic IMHO and is frustrating to do in-the-car. You will have the distinct feeling of knowing that there is much, much more to this than making 1% changes to a few tables for real-world results.
By the time you factor in the skills and knowledge required to make effective changes to these cars over a canned DiabloSport tune, IMHO you're better off paying someone else $150 to do the advanced stuff for you. I doubt many of us are going to be satisfied with the canned tunes that come with these cars, so I will not spend much time here (but I think guys with automatics will get MORE value by being able to modify their transmission shifting characteristics in addition to the included canned settings). But again, for broad strokes it does have that capability.
Thankfully, I anticipated this from the beginning and will be using Monte in the near future. His package deals are a great buy (again, IMHO) and I will add to this review once I have a chance to fully utilize his services. For now, everything I write is from just my perspective of wanting to see what my Z06 is doing as-is.
4. Use as a datalogging device: excellent. Here is where the simplicity is a huge benefit! No laptop, no USB or serial port adapters, spliced cables - and no $600+ software or "credits" to mess around with. I plug it in, wait 10 seconds for the unit to boot up, select a few menus, and I can datalog for around 10 minutes. But unfortunately, you can ONLY datalog for a total of around 10 minutes, before you run out of memory. This is NOT in the manual, or on the advertisements: they advertise "virtually unlimited" logging capability - which may be true - but you have to do it 10 minutes at a time. It's actually not a bad thing (10 minutes of data is a lot to go through), but it's an important limitation that I was not expecting.
As far as the datalogging itself - generally, you'll capture around 15-20 different variables multiple times per second, but you will not see every parameter the ECM sees (a good thing). Once you stop your log (or let it reach maximum file size and stop automatically), it will take FOREVER to save the file. Seriously, a 30 second log takes over 3 minutes to save. Again, this was something not mentioned in the manual or advertisements (dual processors! fastest in it's class! etc). Not a big deal, but important to realize since you paid $400 for this.
When I datalog, I basically leave the unit plugged into the OBDII port, click "save" and then keep driving/shut the car off/smoke a cigar and the unit will eventually save. Expect to wait 25+ minutes for a 10 minute log, or around 3 times the length of your log. However, since the unit stays powered on through the OBDII port, you CAN turn the car off, exit the vehicle, and when you come back everything is still there. The consequence of it being externally powered is good in that it's simple, but bad in that it takes a long time as I've described here. Battery drain is not a concern because it's such low voltage, so no big deal - just something I would have wanted to know AHEAD of time. I spent two days on the DiabloSport forums figuring this out.
5. Accessories: one of the nice things about DiabloSport is that they have forums accessible from their website, where most of your questions can be answered outside of normal business hours. They also have a FREE datalog viewer, so if you're like me and mostly curious about what your car does at WOT, you can relatively intuitively examine your own datalogs with ease. The Datalog Viewer is actually quite good (and FREE). If anything, once you use it, you'll realize you're in over your head and then call up ECS, DiabLewSport (MonteSS), etc for help in tuning your $15,000 engine.
Also, there is a way of hooking up an add-on wideband oxygen sensor - it is analog, and I have not done this yet, but the feature is a great idea IMHO as using the OEM sensors is less than exact science by nature of how it works. I will eventually get a wide-band, but again this is extra (3rd party) and will involve much more extensive knowledge to wire it in, hook it up, etc. This is probably not for the typical InTune user.
6. Expansion/Updates/Customer Support: as mentioned above, the DiabloSport forums are great, and I've read very positive comments about calling in. Many DS Reps have already offered to help with my few concerns, and that is impressive. DiabloSport seems very good about providing software updates through their forums - and the InTune will automatically check for updates when they are present. However, some updates will DELETE DATA on the device itself, so ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR TUNES and/or logs onto your computer: the InTune acts like a plug-in USB drive so this is a drag-and-drop feature, but one you must utilize proactively and in ADVANCE of any updates. I would suggest DiabloSport make this backup feature automatic in future revisions (ie "specify backup folder on C:\") given the demographic this device would apply to.
Summary: so far, I am happy. For about half the price of the more popular HPTuners software, I can datalog, add/save/email tunes and have professionals modify/send me tunes to upload - but I don't have to put a laptop in the passenger seat or deal with the rather steep learning curve of much those more complex (and powerful) options. I do think the unit is somewhat overpriced at retail - but you're not really paying for the unit so much as you're paying for the user interface, and the software/research/support that goes into it. THAT is where the value lies.
Let's face it: the majority of people considering the InTune or Trinity have at most a rudimentary understanding of engine tuning and how important different variable can be for performance and engine component safety. MOST of us want to have more control over what we're doing - but not necessarily do months of research into learning the details of real tuning changes; these skills take a long time and a lot of experience to master - and is not for the faint of heart nor for the impulsive! For the recreational user who primarily wants to "see" what their vehicle is doing, without necessarily taking the leap into literally tuning the ECM software themselves, the InTune is a good value for what it is: a simple, effective, but understandably limited device for under $400. Most people will basically want to get their car "tuned" once or twice, and then you leave it alone - something that the DiabloSport allows very nicely and economically.
With that said, I am glad I did not spend $600 on the Trinity - since I don't think the virtual 1/4 estimator, etc is worth that premium for my usage. This device is for people who don't want to learn how to compile virtual VE tables on their own, or learn how to use the relatively complex HPTuners, etc - but still want the option of monitoring their car and uploading tunes from respected vendors remotely.
Questions? Comments? Please feel free to chime in - this is simply my experience and my thoughts after using the device for around a week. Overall, I am happy with my purchase now that I've learned how to use the device as intended. I will try to update this review as I go in separate posts below, since this is a monsterously huge, monolithic post of rambling!
My car: 2008 Z06. I have longtubes, CAI, manual trans and probably an unknown aftermarket tune - so I'm very curious as to how my car performs.
1. General Impressions: I acquired my unit used - at a significant discount, but it was essentially new-in-box when I received it. It is very light to hold (being plastic) and smaller than my smartphone. First impressions are underwhelming, if only because it is physically of inexpensive construction, the touchscreen is somewhat sluggish to respond, and with a simple interface completely dependent on external power from your vehicle's OBDII port or a computer USB port. It has no batteries for stand-alone use (important later). However, both the OBDII and USB cables are included, so you're pretty much ready to go out of the box. But I will tell you now: when you open the box, your first thought will be "I paid $400 for this?"
2. Overall Use: It's good for it's intended purpose: the "manual" is simple, easy to comprehend, and has lots of photos.
You can download this from the DiabloSport website prior to purchase. The unit itself is also very simplistic, both a good and bad thing. When powered on, you basically have 3 menus (uploading tunes, datalogging, and tool setup). Each of these has just a few submenus, which are largely self-explanatory. My only initial confusion was on how to complete specific actions not clearly listed in the menus (ie how to back up my OEM tune) which is somewhat of an automated process - but you have to know how it's incorporated into the process to get to it. After a few uses, it's pretty straightforward to use all of the functions on the fly (but significant patience is required as the unit is generally SLOW for most vital functions - more later).3. Use as a "tuning" device: limited - I strongly urge anyone who thinks this is a good choice to "tune" to instead plan on working with an experienced tuner to do all the serious work for you: ECS, DiabLewSport (aka Monte), etc. Yes, you can modify timing, fuel, etc as advertised - but it's very simplistic IMHO and is frustrating to do in-the-car. You will have the distinct feeling of knowing that there is much, much more to this than making 1% changes to a few tables for real-world results.
By the time you factor in the skills and knowledge required to make effective changes to these cars over a canned DiabloSport tune, IMHO you're better off paying someone else $150 to do the advanced stuff for you. I doubt many of us are going to be satisfied with the canned tunes that come with these cars, so I will not spend much time here (but I think guys with automatics will get MORE value by being able to modify their transmission shifting characteristics in addition to the included canned settings). But again, for broad strokes it does have that capability.
Thankfully, I anticipated this from the beginning and will be using Monte in the near future. His package deals are a great buy (again, IMHO) and I will add to this review once I have a chance to fully utilize his services. For now, everything I write is from just my perspective of wanting to see what my Z06 is doing as-is.
4. Use as a datalogging device: excellent. Here is where the simplicity is a huge benefit! No laptop, no USB or serial port adapters, spliced cables - and no $600+ software or "credits" to mess around with. I plug it in, wait 10 seconds for the unit to boot up, select a few menus, and I can datalog for around 10 minutes. But unfortunately, you can ONLY datalog for a total of around 10 minutes, before you run out of memory. This is NOT in the manual, or on the advertisements: they advertise "virtually unlimited" logging capability - which may be true - but you have to do it 10 minutes at a time. It's actually not a bad thing (10 minutes of data is a lot to go through), but it's an important limitation that I was not expecting.
As far as the datalogging itself - generally, you'll capture around 15-20 different variables multiple times per second, but you will not see every parameter the ECM sees (a good thing). Once you stop your log (or let it reach maximum file size and stop automatically), it will take FOREVER to save the file. Seriously, a 30 second log takes over 3 minutes to save. Again, this was something not mentioned in the manual or advertisements (dual processors! fastest in it's class! etc). Not a big deal, but important to realize since you paid $400 for this.
When I datalog, I basically leave the unit plugged into the OBDII port, click "save" and then keep driving/shut the car off/smoke a cigar and the unit will eventually save. Expect to wait 25+ minutes for a 10 minute log, or around 3 times the length of your log. However, since the unit stays powered on through the OBDII port, you CAN turn the car off, exit the vehicle, and when you come back everything is still there. The consequence of it being externally powered is good in that it's simple, but bad in that it takes a long time as I've described here. Battery drain is not a concern because it's such low voltage, so no big deal - just something I would have wanted to know AHEAD of time. I spent two days on the DiabloSport forums figuring this out.
5. Accessories: one of the nice things about DiabloSport is that they have forums accessible from their website, where most of your questions can be answered outside of normal business hours. They also have a FREE datalog viewer, so if you're like me and mostly curious about what your car does at WOT, you can relatively intuitively examine your own datalogs with ease. The Datalog Viewer is actually quite good (and FREE). If anything, once you use it, you'll realize you're in over your head and then call up ECS, DiabLewSport (MonteSS), etc for help in tuning your $15,000 engine.
Also, there is a way of hooking up an add-on wideband oxygen sensor - it is analog, and I have not done this yet, but the feature is a great idea IMHO as using the OEM sensors is less than exact science by nature of how it works. I will eventually get a wide-band, but again this is extra (3rd party) and will involve much more extensive knowledge to wire it in, hook it up, etc. This is probably not for the typical InTune user.
6. Expansion/Updates/Customer Support: as mentioned above, the DiabloSport forums are great, and I've read very positive comments about calling in. Many DS Reps have already offered to help with my few concerns, and that is impressive. DiabloSport seems very good about providing software updates through their forums - and the InTune will automatically check for updates when they are present. However, some updates will DELETE DATA on the device itself, so ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR TUNES and/or logs onto your computer: the InTune acts like a plug-in USB drive so this is a drag-and-drop feature, but one you must utilize proactively and in ADVANCE of any updates. I would suggest DiabloSport make this backup feature automatic in future revisions (ie "specify backup folder on C:\") given the demographic this device would apply to.
Summary: so far, I am happy. For about half the price of the more popular HPTuners software, I can datalog, add/save/email tunes and have professionals modify/send me tunes to upload - but I don't have to put a laptop in the passenger seat or deal with the rather steep learning curve of much those more complex (and powerful) options. I do think the unit is somewhat overpriced at retail - but you're not really paying for the unit so much as you're paying for the user interface, and the software/research/support that goes into it. THAT is where the value lies.
Let's face it: the majority of people considering the InTune or Trinity have at most a rudimentary understanding of engine tuning and how important different variable can be for performance and engine component safety. MOST of us want to have more control over what we're doing - but not necessarily do months of research into learning the details of real tuning changes; these skills take a long time and a lot of experience to master - and is not for the faint of heart nor for the impulsive! For the recreational user who primarily wants to "see" what their vehicle is doing, without necessarily taking the leap into literally tuning the ECM software themselves, the InTune is a good value for what it is: a simple, effective, but understandably limited device for under $400. Most people will basically want to get their car "tuned" once or twice, and then you leave it alone - something that the DiabloSport allows very nicely and economically.
With that said, I am glad I did not spend $600 on the Trinity - since I don't think the virtual 1/4 estimator, etc is worth that premium for my usage. This device is for people who don't want to learn how to compile virtual VE tables on their own, or learn how to use the relatively complex HPTuners, etc - but still want the option of monitoring their car and uploading tunes from respected vendors remotely.
Questions? Comments? Please feel free to chime in - this is simply my experience and my thoughts after using the device for around a week. Overall, I am happy with my purchase now that I've learned how to use the device as intended. I will try to update this review as I go in separate posts below, since this is a monsterously huge, monolithic post of rambling!
I like the fact the device can record real world data and you can save it and send it to a pro-tuner to be adjusted. At present I'm just a parts changer and not a engine tweaker yet.
No tunes for my car yet because I still have a warranty, but after the warranty ends the engine and drive train mods will begin
and that means tuning the engine and A6 trans.
07-06-2012, 10:15 AM
#5
Supporting Vendor
Thanks for the unbiased report Random84.
I like the fact the device can record real world data and you can save it and send it to a pro-tuner to be adjusted. At present I'm just a parts changer and not a engine tweaker yet.
No tunes for my car yet because I still have a warranty, but after the warranty ends the engine and drive train mods will begin and that means tuning the engine and A6 trans.
I like the fact the device can record real world data and you can save it and send it to a pro-tuner to be adjusted. At present I'm just a parts changer and not a engine tweaker yet.
No tunes for my car yet because I still have a warranty, but after the warranty ends the engine and drive train mods will begin
and that means tuning the engine and A6 trans.
Just one of the assests to the In Tune!
07-06-2012, 02:12 PM
#7
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Everything works, so I don't know if it's a warranty issue or not - but the "save" feature is VERY slow as stated. Granted, a typical 10 minute log file is around 2.5 mb or so, but it seems excessive to me.
07-06-2012, 07:20 PM
#9
Racer
07-06-2012, 08:34 PM
#10
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Elmer
07-09-2012, 11:56 AM
#11
Supporting Vendor
Later models actually track update history and will catch you if you go back to stock. My car, for example, can be put back to a stock tune and the "history" is not kept and as long as my file is the true stock file, it'll check-sum correctly and "no tune" will be found.
Elmer
Elmer
03-27-2013, 07:32 PM
#12
Instructor
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Any info on how to make my gauge cluster work? I hooked up my intune to modify fan controls. When I put the original back on the computer, my gauges were all dead and all trouble lights are on. When I cut the car off and het out
03-27-2013, 07:34 PM
#13
Instructor
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Any info on how to make my gauge cluster work? I hooked up my intune to modify fan controls. When I put the original back on the computer, my gauges were all dead and all trouble lights are on. When I cut the car off and get out , the info line states "check tire pressure". This stays on for hours. Never cuts off. I can not access any of my options or reset.
03-28-2013, 12:42 AM
#14
Safety Car
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Try disconnecting battery!
Shot in the dark! Try disconnecting the battery after turning the car off, wait 5 minutes or so and then reconnect and see what happens. Remember to reindex your windows!
03-28-2013, 11:19 AM
#16
Supporting Vendor
I saw this email last night, and was hoping to get to a PCso I could suggest disconnecting the battery...but i can;t say wht this happened.
It was likely a simple loss of communication after the flash, I wouldn't be too concerned about it.
If you'd like, email me a copy of the info.xml file from the intune drive and I'll check it out.
Thanks
It was likely a simple loss of communication after the flash, I wouldn't be too concerned about it.
If you'd like, email me a copy of the info.xml file from the intune drive and I'll check it out.
Thanks
03-28-2013, 04:27 PM
#18
I asked around at the DS.com forum, and have completed all of the available updates (I'd have to look at the numbers again to copy them) - but I posted there under the same name. Wewent so far as my posting the index file and having a DS Rep check out the code, who also agreed it was up to date.
Everything works, so I don't know if it's a warranty issue or not - but the "save" feature is VERY slow as stated. Granted, a typical 10 minute log file is around 2.5 mb or so, but it seems excessive to me.
Everything works, so I don't know if it's a warranty issue or not - but the "save" feature is VERY slow as stated. Granted, a typical 10 minute log file is around 2.5 mb or so, but it seems excessive to me.
03-29-2013, 02:01 PM
#19
Instructor
Mine was almost identical. 10 minute (max) log = ~30 minutes to save. Also wanted to export it to spreadsheet (like older predator) but that selection was greyed out on intune menu 
. Also agree with OP - really easy to use but also really slow even during simple navigation. fwiw - completed updates a couple hours before use.
. Also agree with OP - really easy to use but also really slow even during simple navigation. fwiw - completed updates a couple hours before use. Last edited by rednred; 03-29-2013 at 02:04 PM.
03-29-2013, 03:03 PM
#20
Supporting Vendor
Mine was almost identical. 10 minute (max) log = ~30 minutes to save. Also wanted to export it to spreadsheet (like older predator) but that selection was greyed out on intune menu . Also agree with OP - really easy to use but also really slow even during simple navigation. fwiw - completed updates a couple hours before use.
. Also agree with OP - really easy to use but also really slow even during simple navigation. fwiw - completed updates a couple hours before use.