mail order tune
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 46,762
Likes: 5
From: Boynton Beach Florida
St. Jude Donor '07-'12, '20
You have a few tuners in your area. I would look at the local places before ever going through the mail. Regardless of what they say, without logging the car they can't get you the best tune for the expensive money they charge. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,394
Likes: 12
From: Leon Iowa
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09
http://www.wait4meperformance.com/ I had him do my Trans Am and I think it worked very well. And for 75 bucks you can't go wrong
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,561
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From: Atlanta metro Ga.
Originally Posted by 16Again
You have a few tuners in your area. I would look at the local places before ever going through the mail. Regardless of what they say, without logging the car they can't get you the best tune for the expensive money they charge.
Premium Supporting Vendor
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From: Providing the most proven supercharger kits for your C5/6/7 609-752-0321
Theres nothing wrong with a mail order tune, it's a perfect way to drive your DIY install to a shop for a proper tune.
Former Vendor
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,749
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From: Valencia Ca
Originally Posted by 16Again
You have a few tuners in your area. I would look at the local places before ever going through the mail. Regardless of what they say, without logging the car they can't get you the best tune for the expensive money they charge.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,235
Likes: 2
From: Haymarket VA
CI 7-8 Veteran
Originally Posted by DOUG @ ECS
Theres nothing wrong with a mail order tune, it's a perfect way to drive your DIY install to a shop for a proper tune.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 24,652
Likes: 298
From: NJ
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Here is my answer:
Stock car with no or limited mods go ahead get the mail order tune chances are nothing will be wrong with it.
Modded car I would think about it:
Do you want your tuner to be 100s of miles away when something goes wrong or would you like to be close enough to drop your car off and get it fixed right away.
Honestly what if you get a mail order tune and for some reason it doesn't work. Now you have to take everything apart again and send it back to have it redone.
Bringing it to a shop means that you dont wait to see if the tune is right. The shop tunes it right there and if there are any problems they fix it right then.
In the end my choice would be to use a reputable local shop so that I get to know the people that are working on my car.
Stock car with no or limited mods go ahead get the mail order tune chances are nothing will be wrong with it.
Modded car I would think about it:
Do you want your tuner to be 100s of miles away when something goes wrong or would you like to be close enough to drop your car off and get it fixed right away.
Honestly what if you get a mail order tune and for some reason it doesn't work. Now you have to take everything apart again and send it back to have it redone.
Bringing it to a shop means that you dont wait to see if the tune is right. The shop tunes it right there and if there are any problems they fix it right then.
In the end my choice would be to use a reputable local shop so that I get to know the people that are working on my car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,394
Likes: 12
From: Leon Iowa
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09
Originally Posted by DOUG @ ECS
Theres nothing wrong with a mail order tune, it's a perfect way to drive your DIY install to a shop for a proper tune.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 24,652
Likes: 298
From: NJ
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Originally Posted by mvvette97
I'm sure a dyno tune is better but if you have to drive about 5hrs just to find one to me it's not woth it. I know on my trans am the mail order tune that you make fun of made a hell of a differance. And for 75 bucks how could you go wrong. It made my cam work and run alot better.
Sure a mailorder tune can get you close, but I think we would all agree that a Street/Dyno tune by someone that is experience with your car and your modifications will give you the best tune.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 46,762
Likes: 5
From: Boynton Beach Florida
St. Jude Donor '07-'12, '20
Originally Posted by Wicked Weasel
Sure a mailorder tune can get you close, but I think we would all agree that a Street/Dyno tune by someone that is experience with your car and your modifications will give you the best tune.
I used a very good Vette Doctors tune, until I could get my car on the dyno locally and have the tune tweaked for best performance.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 538
Likes: 9
From: Geneva, IL Bring back the Chief!
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10,'13-'14,'19-'20-'21-'22
I'm right now putting the G5X3 cam and AFR 205's in my car. A while back, I called around to see what the area tuners thought of the mod and their ability to tune. I did not get back answers that made me comfortable. So I decided to send my PCM into LG for the mail order tune (for a lot more than $75), and I bought HPTuners.
Based on what I'm hearing, LG knows how to tune to get the cam to behave decently. So I figure I can start with their tune as a base. I can then tweak myself with HPTuners on the neighborhood dyno.
And the HPTuners is a new toy to boot.
btw, C5 is all ripped apart in my garage. AFR heads got recalled before I installed, so I gotta wait a couple of weeks. Hope the snow doesn't fly before we get her lit up.
Based on what I'm hearing, LG knows how to tune to get the cam to behave decently. So I figure I can start with their tune as a base. I can then tweak myself with HPTuners on the neighborhood dyno.
And the HPTuners is a new toy to boot.
btw, C5 is all ripped apart in my garage. AFR heads got recalled before I installed, so I gotta wait a couple of weeks. Hope the snow doesn't fly before we get her lit up.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 789
Likes: 38
From: Shreveport LA
I had to send my computer back to the tuner two times and it still was not right. This was from a VERY well known shop. It all depends on the tuner, your mods, and how they all work together. IF you get one just cross your fingers and goodluck.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,066
Likes: 0
From: Canonsburg home of Yenko Chevy (gone but not forgotten) Western PA
Originally Posted by mvvette97
I'm sure a dyno tune is better but if you have to drive about 5hrs just to find one to me it's not woth it. I know on my trans am the mail order tune that you make fun of made a hell of a differance. And for 75 bucks how could you go wrong. It made my cam work and run alot better.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 24,652
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From: NJ
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Originally Posted by avacorvette
My tuner wants $500 for a dyno tune and he does Corvettes... tooomuch. I would like to find one in my area for $75 I would be ther tomorrow.
I see tunes that cost from $350-$500 everywhere. It seems to be the norm. I have never seen a $75.00 tune for a vette even mailorder....
You figure all the tuners have to pay for the tuning software and any hardware plus their time and the tuners that have dynos have to pay for that too. $350-$500 doesn't seem so outrageuos now.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 538
Likes: 9
From: Geneva, IL Bring back the Chief!
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10,'13-'14,'19-'20-'21-'22
Originally Posted by Wicked Weasel
I see tunes that cost from $350-$500 everywhere. It seems to be the norm. I have never seen a $75.00 tune for a vette even mailorder....
You figure all the tuners have to pay for the tuning software and any hardware plus their time and the tuners that have dynos have to pay for that too. $350-$500 doesn't seem so outrageuos now.
You figure all the tuners have to pay for the tuning software and any hardware plus their time and the tuners that have dynos have to pay for that too. $350-$500 doesn't seem so outrageuos now.
I've been studying this subject for over a month. Played with a Predator and now HPTuners, and I'm no more than a rookie. But from what I know, tuning a PCM is no simple or quick process. I'm astounded at the number of parameters that can be adjusted. The guys who are good at this are worth every penny of the $500 or so that you have to pay them. As I see it, tuning is an essential part of any decent performance mod.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,509
Likes: 239
From: Coconut Creek FL
Originally Posted by 16Again
You have a few tuners in your area. I would look at the local places before ever going through the mail. Regardless of what they say, without logging the car they can't get you the best tune for the expensive money they charge.
Seems like a big chance to me with a car that cost so much...
Last edited by byte_me; Nov 16, 2006 at 02:09 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
From: Columbia SC
Originally Posted by Wicked Weasel
I see tunes that cost from $350-$500 everywhere. It seems to be the norm. I have never seen a $75.00 tune for a vette even mailorder....
You figure all the tuners have to pay for the tuning software and any hardware plus their time and the tuners that have dynos have to pay for that too. $350-$500 doesn't seem so outrageuos now.
You figure all the tuners have to pay for the tuning software and any hardware plus their time and the tuners that have dynos have to pay for that too. $350-$500 doesn't seem so outrageuos now.
As I understand it, they have log files from previouse tuned cars. From the log file the tuner find a close match to your car confuguration, and he just plug in the numbers. I bet it does not take the tuner more than 15 minutes to tune a mail ordered computer.
Also, software is not expensive and they are used over and over again; it is not like it is going to wear out.