My 02 Z is stock except for a blackwing intake and I am considering getting it tuned.

Is there a benefit to getting the car tuned if it is basicly stock?

What kind of HP gains could I see, 10HP, 15HP, 20HP, etc?

What, if any, are the drawbacks to this?

I am sure that there are some things in place from the dealer to protect the motor and by removing there could be a possible HP gain, would this be worth it?

I do not race, just some spirited driving at times.

I plan on keeping it stock, but we all know how that goes.

Thanks!

 

With limited changes to a stock motor its not going to make a major differance. ECS has a mail order tune for $149 if you want to try.

Unless you specify otherwise, factory safegards are left in place. Some people raise the rev limiter, disable torque management, change shift points etc etc.

 

Have you priced the dyno tuners in your area? This will help you to decide whether or not it's worth it (I personally don't think it is if you only have an intake; the computer is good at learning to adjust for relatively small mods such as this). I think you can probably expect to gain ~10 hp from the tune though, and there are absolutely no drawbacks whatsoever, since all you're doing is optimizing the air/fuel ratio.

 

I ran my car for a while with a Vararam and Corsa Cat back without a tune. I knew I was going to do more work so when the extra go fast goodies went in I had to get it tuned. If you arent doing any other work to the car get it tuned. But if you are planning headers or any other performance work then just wait till then to get the tune

Try to spend once not twice on the tune

Rob

 

Great points made by all, thanks guys.

These are the items I will keep in mind when I look for someone to tune the Z.

 

Get a handheld tuner, you can return it to stock whenever you like then.

 

For your needs, our mail order tune is one of the best "bang for the bucks" you can do. Here's a link to out current special.



http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-s...nly-149-a.html


.

 

I'm sorry I can't find the article to reference, but earlier this year I read a comparison of the many different hand-held programmers and hp gains were around 15 at the wheels. I think the highest was Superchips or Cranecams, and the Predator was considered the easiest to use and offered the most features and only fell 1hp shy of the best one.

Anywho, sorry I can't post exact data, but a handheld might be a good choice for a basic improvement. It will help improve both throttle response and gas mileage.

If you have the money to blow, a dyno tune would be great, but might not be the best use of your money if your basically stock.

Anywho, have fun

 

The dynotune on my 01 coupe netted 8 RWHP & 10 RWTQ above what the hand held tunner had already achieved. Not worth the additional $400.00 for the dyno-tune in my opinion.
Peharps if the car had not already been tuned with the hand held tuner, the results would have been more substantial.

 

If you are a DIY type,get a used handheld ( I use the Predator and like it),but if not go with the ECS deal.

The pred did what I wanted.Results vary.

As always,IMO.
\db2
carolina

 

You'll pick up anywhere from 5-15 HP and 1-2 MPG if you go with an experienced tuner.

They can mess with the torque management/reduction...speedo calibration/removal of speed limiter/O2 sensors also..

Not bad bang for the buck

 

best advise in this thread

 

Don't waste your money on hand held or mail order tunes.
A professional dyno tune or nothing.
All else is a waste of time and money.
However if all you have is an intake why bother?
I seriously doubt you drive your car to the point where you need any more power.

 

Go by, or call, either Stephen or Jason at England Green here in Houston. They will give you the straight skinny with no bull. They are located right off 288 near the McGregor/Yellowstone area, not far from the Medical Center. Very easy to find.

 

I dyno'd 313 rwhp with a CAI, Borla Cat Back and a Diablo Sport tune before my cam swap.

 

any one of the alternatives mentioned above will "improve" your car's performance.
But that "improvement" will not be great due to your lack of modifications. The question really comes down to dollars and cents . How much are you willing to spend to pick up 10 -15 hp?

ECS and Chuck Cow as well as several other sponsoring tuners supply super mail in tunes and they represent great "bang for the buck".

Hand helds are good but do you really know what the heck you're doing? are you willing to study up enough to learn?? and once you do learn, believe me, you'll keep playing around with the tune forever, trying to invent the perfect mouse trap.It almost becomes addictive.

"Dyno" tunes vary, many tune for max HP and get a chart that looks like a shark's tooth - great for bragging about to your girlfriend - not very useable below 5000 rpm.
Many "dyno" tuners do a great job and come up with great HP and TQ charts - but how far past a stock mail order tune do you think they can take you considering your minimum mods ? For how much??

Best tune, IMO, for whatever little it's worth, is a dyno tune followed by a street tune - that is where most of us drive our cars.

Bottom line - how much do you want to SPEND to gain a minimum increase in performance.
If you've got 8 or 10 grand you can really feel the difference. For $200 or less START with a mail order tune from one of our excellect sponsors.

 

For a stock Z06 with just a cold air intake, you will see roughly 10-12 whp improvement from adding ignition advance and leaning out the WOT air fuel ratio. There isn't any driveabilitly improvement to be made with a stock tune in a stock car - just some room to improve at wide open throttle.
I personally don't think you will be able to feel 10-12 whp difference though. I would wait until you have added more upgrades. A Z06 with headers and cold air intake and custom tune will put down ~380 rwhp. That is what I would consider the starting point for a change to the tune.

 

Thanks guys those were some great points made, I know that it has definitely opened my eyes about a tune on my stock Z.

For now I will just save my money until I can pick up some headers, cats, and a X pipe, I will probably stick with the Ti mufflers.

Your valuable input is greatly appreciated fellas.

It would be nice to have 405 ft/tq to the wheels to match the emblem on the fender.

Probably would need a cam for that I guess.

 

Yes a tune is definitely what you want. Go mail order tune if you do not have any reputable tuner in your area.

The factory tune is so conservative; alot of hidden HP in there not to mention a better performing motor!