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Old May 10, 2018 | 01:09 PM
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From: St Charles Mo
Default Engine tune..

What kind of horse power increase can I expect with a tune on my 01 C5 which is presently stock except for cold air and exhaust? What is considered a fair price for a engine tune? Thank You
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Old May 10, 2018 | 05:16 PM
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This is who I used. Chuck did a great job. With no more add-ons then you have, I would suggest a Mail in tune. Remove you ECM and send it. Don't know how much HP gain, but definitely you will notice a difference. Give them a call, you will enjoy chatting with Chuck. I believe they give a discount if your a Veteran also.............
http://www.corvettes-of-westchester....ts/cowbooster/
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Old May 10, 2018 | 11:11 PM
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Originally Posted by regas56
What kind of horse power increase can I expect with a tune on my 01 C5 which is presently stock except for cold air and exhaust? What is considered a fair price for a engine tune? Thank You
Horsepower increase on a stock car can range from 10-15 rwhp. Depends on how rich the car left the factory. With your car having a CAI and depending on which one, could be around 20 rwhp give or take, again figuring in how rich the car was from the factory.

One thing you did not mention, and not in your profile either, is if the car is a 6 speed or auto. Auto transmission tuning can really change the feel of the car. That is where a big improvement can be made of the feel of the car.

But that being said, the real "feel" people get from a tune is not the 15 or so RWHP increase, its the Torque Management reduction/Deletion is where the "feel" really comes from. That and the ETC scaler that limits throttle opening so you throttle doesn't open so fast as to cause the car to lose traction. Changing those factors is where the car gets its "feel" factor. No Torque Management to limit the car's performance that GM put in.

As for price, the $149 mail-in tunes are a good deal and can tune these things in or out. Good deal for what all you get.
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Old May 10, 2018 | 11:49 PM
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From: St Charles Mo
Default c5 tune

Thanks for the great advice...The car is an automatic with around 23,000 miles and compared to other 5.7 350 hp cars I've owned/driven this car is crazy fast already with no mods to speak of.. Do you believe someone with little computer skills really should attempt mail order tune as I'm not an idiot and do most my own work but as my dad always said I am just good enough with a laptop to be dangerous.. ha ha For 149 bucks it's cheap enough to do myself but I don't want to do any damage by trying to tune it myself.. Again thanks for your input...
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Old May 11, 2018 | 11:21 AM
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Originally Posted by regas56
What kind of horse power increase can I expect with a tune on my 01 C5 which is presently stock except for cold air and exhaust? What is considered a fair price for a engine tune? Thank You
Does the exhaust mod include headers?
If so, the tune will add significant HP, torque, and performance enhancements across the power band.

On a base C5 around 25-30 RWHP with headers, a real CAI, and performance exhaust. As others stated, the Auto-trans shifting points will make a real "seat of pants" difference.
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Old May 11, 2018 | 05:48 PM
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Default tune

Above answers look right. You can mail your ecm to be tuned but that leaves you with downtime for your car. You can get a handheld tuner and use the "performance tune" for a noticeable difference with no downtime. If you get headers, you'll trigger a CEL unless you have it tuned further...and the handheld unit is also used for that. You would need to collect your tune data from your OBD port and email it to the tuner who will make the necessary adjustments. Those tunes cost $149 as mentioned above.
It so happens I will be selling my handheld unit (Diablosport inTune) soon. I reset it to factory specs recently b/c my car needed more extensive tuning on a dyno after heads/cam. My unit is ready to go if you are interested; just send a PM.
Also look in the C5 tuning forum for more tune information.
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Old May 12, 2018 | 12:59 PM
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Good tuning will have more effect in the low to medium rpm range. How often are run running at 6000 rpm? A good tune concentrates the fueling, advance, etc in the 2000-5000 range where most of your performance will be felt. Also removing some of the DBW lag will make an amazing impact on acceleration as well as proper tuning to the automatic. A good mail order tune will give you a quick return on your investment, however a great scan log/tune will be even better. If you are into autocrossing/time trials/HPDE/drags then the latter makes sense as you are personalizing the tune to your engine. For an automatic, the rewards are also very good...if II owned an auto, it would be at the top of my list of goals.
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Old May 12, 2018 | 01:03 PM
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No headers just B&B catless and CAI.. Thank You
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Old May 12, 2018 | 01:08 PM
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Thanks for the info.... I don't mind paying up to 800 for a really good tune I do want the best.. I'll research the hand held and see if that is something I might want to attempt.. Thank You..
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Old May 12, 2018 | 01:27 PM
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From: St Charles Mo
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Thanks... I'm more concerned about the need vs the cost but always been taught if it ain't broke don't fix it..Ha Ha The car runs perfect and already scoots pretty good BUT if I can get another 25+hp out of a good tune WITHOUT any problems than 600-1000 is a small price to pay.. Thank You
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Old May 12, 2018 | 03:48 PM
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I think you can do it for ~$450.
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Old May 12, 2018 | 08:50 PM
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Mine is a 98 auto my local tuner did
street tune/dyno tune then street tune. All for $500.

Best money I spent. Only mods are open air intake, shorty headers, muffler bypass. Not sure what stock hp was but it sounds better, shifts better and I am 100% happy
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Old May 12, 2018 | 11:40 PM
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Thanks for the info I think I'm going to have it tuned by a Pro...
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Old May 13, 2018 | 09:26 AM
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Get headers....

Is it an Auto? I understand a tune can adjust the shift points which wakes up the autos....

$400-$500 has been my experience for tunes in my neck of the woods...
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