Please Answer Some Fairly Simple Questions
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 117
Likes: 1
From: LUBBOCK TX
Please Answer Some Fairly Simple Questions
I've got tons of old school knowledge, but have never messed with tuners and the like. I have a stock 02 6 speed. I installed LT's and a no cats X-pipe. Questions - 1) should I have my car tuned by a tuner/dyno? 2) should I tune it myself with a Diablo or HP, if so, which one? 3) should I buy a mail tune? Any and all help will be appreciated.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
All 3 will work, Tuner/Dyno being the best, That will get you the most HP. I am not a fan of the hand held tuners, Mail order will work, That is what I did, I had Chuck CoW do me a mail tune and it has been great for 2 plus years now.
Mr.Bill
Mr.Bill
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 367,989
Likes: 24,719
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
I'd do either the mail-order tune (Chuck at COW is good or ECS I think does it) or find a good shop locally with a dyno and have them do it.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,396
Likes: 52
From: Sicamous BC
I'm very old school myself, back then I was one of guys that would get into the carbs. Way past changing MJ's & adjusting low speed mixture screws. I drilled throttle blades, modified air bleeds, secondary opening, rate of opening. Re worked advance curves, limited travel so you could run more intial....re plumbed the vacuum advance.........the good old days 
Now I get to do all of that & much more from the comfort of which which ever chair I want to seat in
You don't need a dyno, most tuning is idle, starting & drive-ability. The WOT stuff can be done on some back roads, even better if there are some nice grades. If you are not able to find that a few WOT pulls on the dyno.
The most difficult part for me was learning my way around the software, that is on going & never ending. The software packages are very reasonably priced with much needed scanning & logging.
Now I get to do all of that & much more from the comfort of which which ever chair I want to seat in
You don't need a dyno, most tuning is idle, starting & drive-ability. The WOT stuff can be done on some back roads, even better if there are some nice grades. If you are not able to find that a few WOT pulls on the dyno.
The most difficult part for me was learning my way around the software, that is on going & never ending. The software packages are very reasonably priced with much needed scanning & logging.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 117
Likes: 1
From: LUBBOCK TX
I'm very old school myself, back then I was one of guys that would get into the carbs. Way past changing MJ's & adjusting low speed mixture screws. I drilled throttle blades, modified air bleeds, secondary opening, rate of opening. Re worked advance curves, limited travel so you could run more intial....re plumbed the vacuum advance.........the good old days
Now I get to do all of that & much more from the comfort of which which ever chair I want to seat in
You don't need a dyno, most tuning is idle, starting & drive-ability. The WOT stuff can be done on some back roads, even better if there are some nice grades. If you are not able to find that a few WOT pulls on the dyno.
The most difficult part for me was learning my way around the software, that is on going & never ending. The software packages are very reasonably priced with much needed scanning & logging.
Now I get to do all of that & much more from the comfort of which which ever chair I want to seat in
You don't need a dyno, most tuning is idle, starting & drive-ability. The WOT stuff can be done on some back roads, even better if there are some nice grades. If you are not able to find that a few WOT pulls on the dyno.
The most difficult part for me was learning my way around the software, that is on going & never ending. The software packages are very reasonably priced with much needed scanning & logging.
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 11,792
Likes: 255
From: Ossining New York
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'12-'13-'14
Lots of people....
I've got tons of old school knowledge, but have never messed with tuners and the like. I have a stock 02 6 speed. I installed LT's and a no cats X-pipe. Questions - 1) should I have my car tuned by a tuner/dyno? 2) should I tune it myself with a Diablo or HP, if so, which one? 3) should I buy a mail tune? Any and all help will be appreciated.
People have said to me..." Chuck, you like to street tune... How do you know how much power I made...???"
My answer is that first off...It's REAL LIFE - NOTHING IS MORE REAL than ME DRIVING YOUR CAR. Period.
My question to the Dyno Guys....When you take the car off the dyno (simulation of real driving) what's your guarantee
that the power you made on the dyno is STILL BEING MADE after it's off the machine????
The load is different, the wind resistance is different, the cooling of
the engine and drivetrain is different, and the air jamming into your
cold air intake is TOTALLY DIFFERENT...
How could it be THE SAME..???
I'll tell you what.... IT ISN'T.
While I bought a really nice dyno, and YES, they have their place.
Your average bolt on car does not benefit much if at all from DYNO TUNING.
In fact, I'll argue.....If not GUARANTEE, a properly done STREET TUNE....
Is always BETTER.
Chuck CoW
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,163
Likes: 4
From: Concord California
A little back ground here, do you have to smog it every 2 years?? if so, if you tune it for performance, you need to be able to return to the stock setting for that, in that case the hand held has a default I hear. Or it can get expensive bringing her in to down tune her for a smog.. I come from Commifornia so those are my issues, thus I leave well enough alone.. Good luck.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,681
Likes: 47
From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
A little back ground here, do you have to smog it every 2 years?? if so, if you tune it for performance, you need to be able to return to the stock setting for that, in that case the hand held has a default I hear. Or it can get expensive bringing her in to down tune her for a smog.. I come from Commifornia so those are my issues, thus I leave well enough alone.. Good luck.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,599
Likes: 1,224
From: Providing the most proven supercharger kits for your C5/6/7 609-752-0321
I've got tons of old school knowledge, but have never messed with tuners and the like. I have a stock 02 6 speed. I installed LT's and a no cats X-pipe. Questions - 1) should I have my car tuned by a tuner/dyno? 2) should I tune it myself with a Diablo or HP, if so, which one? 3) should I buy a mail tune? Any and all help will be appreciated.
You would be a perfect fit for our mail order tune special, here is a link for you to review.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-s...nly-149-a.html
.
__________________
C5/C6 and C7 Supercharging Specialist
ECS Supercharger Kits / Mantic Clutches
www.EastCoastSupercharging.com
Facebook Page
ECS YouTube Channel
C5/C6 and C7 Supercharging Specialist
ECS Supercharger Kits / Mantic Clutches
www.EastCoastSupercharging.com
Facebook Page
ECS YouTube Channel
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 11,792
Likes: 255
From: Ossining New York
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'12-'13-'14
Your best option....
I've got tons of old school knowledge, but have never messed with tuners and the like. I have a stock 02 6 speed. I installed LT's and a no cats X-pipe. Questions - 1) should I have my car tuned by a tuner/dyno? 2) should I tune it myself with a Diablo or HP, if so, which one? 3) should I buy a mail tune? Any and all help will be appreciated.
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON AutoCal.
We are presently the largest (and possibly ONLY) vendor on the forum supporting this product.
AutoCal can deliver our famous mail order tunes and with that you retain the tool
for future use and updates which are mostly FREE.
We can tune it, scan it, and perfect it remotely with little inconvenience or
expense to you.
Call me any time if you have futher questions.
914-332-0049
Chuck CoW
Last edited by Chuck CoW; Nov 8, 2011 at 10:22 AM.
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,599
Likes: 1,224
From: Providing the most proven supercharger kits for your C5/6/7 609-752-0321
Your not the only vendor Chuck, we just do not have the time with a very busy shop schedule of tuning to promote that end of tuning as much as you do, so we sell them when appropriate.
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Support
And from my experience that seems to be true. I purchased the Autocal & email tunes from another vendor and ended up having some problems. Over 2 months and many emails later I still do not have the problem resolved.
Not knowing what else to do I did a little research and came across Chuck's name. I messaged Chuck to see if he could offer any assistance or insight. Even though he didn't sell me the Autocal or provide the tunes, I got a response in less than an hour.
To me, if you're going to sell a product, no matter what quantity, you should be prepared to support it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,885
Likes: 371
From: Cape Coral FL
Go with a COW Tune. It is the best money spent so far. His mail order tunes are super easy to use and Chuck will get it done correctly. I have heard horror stories from other so called mail order tunes. Look around the forum I think you will see that Chuck has a great rep. He has done two tunes for me on my 08 and current 11. no issues at all top notch
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,885
Likes: 371
From: Cape Coral FL
Maybe not the only vendor that sells the Autocal...but I don't think that's the statement that was made. It said they are possibly the only vendor that 'supports' the Autocal.
And from my experience that seems to be true. I purchased the Autocal & email tunes from another vendor and ended up having some problems. Over 2 months and many emails later I still do not have the problem resolved.
Not knowing what else to do I did a little research and came across Chuck's name. I messaged Chuck to see if he could offer any assistance or insight. Even though he didn't sell me the Autocal or provide the tunes, I got a response in less than an hour.
To me, if you're going to sell a product, no matter what quantity, you should be prepared to support it.
And from my experience that seems to be true. I purchased the Autocal & email tunes from another vendor and ended up having some problems. Over 2 months and many emails later I still do not have the problem resolved.
Not knowing what else to do I did a little research and came across Chuck's name. I messaged Chuck to see if he could offer any assistance or insight. Even though he didn't sell me the Autocal or provide the tunes, I got a response in less than an hour.
To me, if you're going to sell a product, no matter what quantity, you should be prepared to support it.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 530
Likes: 2
From: Havasu, AZ
Lots of people put faith in DYNO tunes, but for a car like yours....WHY?
People have said to me..." Chuck, you like to street tune... How do you know how much power I made...???"
My answer is that first off...It's REAL LIFE - NOTHING IS MORE REAL than ME DRIVING YOUR CAR. Period.
My question to the Dyno Guys....When you take the car off the dyno (simulation of real driving) what's your guarantee
that the power you made on the dyno is STILL BEING MADE after it's off the machine????
The load is different, the wind resistance is different, the cooling of
the engine and drivetrain is different, and the air jamming into your
cold air intake is TOTALLY DIFFERENT...
How could it be THE SAME..???
I'll tell you what.... IT ISN'T.
While I bought a really nice dyno, and YES, they have their place.
Your average bolt on car does not benefit much if at all from DYNO TUNING.
In fact, I'll argue.....If not GUARANTEE, a properly done STREET TUNE....
Is always BETTER.
Chuck CoW
People have said to me..." Chuck, you like to street tune... How do you know how much power I made...???"
My answer is that first off...It's REAL LIFE - NOTHING IS MORE REAL than ME DRIVING YOUR CAR. Period.
My question to the Dyno Guys....When you take the car off the dyno (simulation of real driving) what's your guarantee
that the power you made on the dyno is STILL BEING MADE after it's off the machine????
The load is different, the wind resistance is different, the cooling of
the engine and drivetrain is different, and the air jamming into your
cold air intake is TOTALLY DIFFERENT...
How could it be THE SAME..???
I'll tell you what.... IT ISN'T.
While I bought a really nice dyno, and YES, they have their place.
Your average bolt on car does not benefit much if at all from DYNO TUNING.
In fact, I'll argue.....If not GUARANTEE, a properly done STREET TUNE....
Is always BETTER.
Chuck CoW
AL
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Chuck does ALL my tuning. I am EXTREMLY HAPPY with the performance and fuel efficiency improvements that he made on my cars!! You wont be disappointed!! I know I wasnt!!!!Bill Curlee