C5 for life

Well, looks like getting my motor built in the beginning of race season isn’t gonna happen. So to soften the sting I’d like to get a tune for the full exhaust I put on about 6 months ago. I know nothing about what’s required for a on line tune or a live tune whatever it’s called. If anyone can point me in the right direction and offer rough cost I’d appreciate it. How much HP can I expect with an aggressive tune with the mods indicated ?

Mods:
It is a 6 speed
1 7/8 inch LT headers HF cats Ti Z 06 axle back
Vararam CAI with power duct
Ported stock TB
Thanks
-Mark

evolmotorsprt

Overall power depends on the year of the car because 2001+ has the LS6 intake and a bigger MAF sensor. Your mods with a tune should be good for 30-50 RWHP depending on a few factors. If you're near me I could help you out. Aggressive to me means less fuel and more timing, but that doesn't always mean best for your application. What kind of racing are you doing?

The tune for those mods will require re-scaling the MAF, changing power enrichment ratios, adding timing, and possibly tweaking the O2 sensors so they calculate your fueling correctly with the long tubes. You'll want emissions codes deleted, cags deleted, and lower fan temps as well. Really straight forward stuff. I would say the tune should be $300-$500 depending on if it's dynoed and/or street tuned. Hopefully that helps.

C5 for life

I have an 04. I’m in South Jersey. Berlin, Winslow area. Just a few trips to the drags. I want the car to perform to its full potential without shortening the motors life. How can you help? Thanks in advance. I really appreciate it, bud. Just looked on line for any local dyno shops around me and “EFX” in Lindenwold is the one within reasonable distance. “FONSE” is the shop I want to do my build but I can’t even get them on the phone for more than taking my number down.

evolmotorsprt

I really can't help you other than to advise you. The only way I could get into your computer online is if you had an HP Tuners interface, as I'm in Utah. I started tuning cars because I got so pissed off by local shops poor customer service and shilling crap tunes.

Hopefully others can give you tuner's names in your area. You could also try to ask on HP Tuners forum. When you do get your car tuned make sure you have fresh good quality gas, a clean MAF, and a new fuel filter. I'm getting sick of chasing down knock on C5's because of old clogged fuel filters.

C5 for life

Much appreciated my friend 👍🏻 30-50HP sounds like a lot! Looking forward to feel what that’s like. I’ll be sure and do what you’ve suggested on the MAF and fuel. Tomorrow I’ll give EFX shop a call and see if that gets me closer to a dyno tune. Didn’t expect shelling out 6k+ gathering parts for 6 months only to stand idly by waiting for a proper shop to straighten me out.

I’ll update the board and keep you posted!

Thanks again🙏🏻

jjc508520

Talk to ECS - https://www.eastcoastsupercharging.com/ - they'll do them mail-order as well...

Bill Curlee

Depends on how much you want to spend on a tune. The Mail order tunes are good. Most tuners have tuned cars for so long that they have a very good saved tune for just about any combination of mods that one can do to a C5 LS engine. You tell them what you have and send them your PCM. They flash in a new tune and you reinstall the PCM. BAM, its done.

Next down order of tuning is in the shop tuning. The tuner interfaces with your PCM and makes changes real time. Some use the dyno and some actually take the car out on the road and do a full drive cycle tune. Both have their advantages. Most mail order tunes are 150-200 bucks.

Next is internet tuning. You purchase soft ware that allows you to drive the car and DATALOG THE PCM INFO. You send that gathered data log info to the tuner and he makes the necessary changes to the tune and sends you back the up-dated tune. You down load that new tune into the PCM and its done.
The advantage to that method is you can add ; say a new performance part, data log again and send the data log info to the tuner to correct for the new calibration that is needed to make the tune accurate again. .

PM Sent.

Bill

acroy

There are several options for 'email tuning'
If I understand it correctly, you essentially purchase HP tuners, do some logging, send it to the tuner, they return an updated tune which you load into the car, rinse and repeat until you are happy.
PatG tuning is one name that comes up a lot. There are others. https://www.patgtuning.com/email-tuning
I've not done this myself, not recommending anyone, but sounds like a reasonable solution.
My experience with 'dyno tuning' has not been the best - the tuner focuses on WOT parameters on the dyno and spends little or no time on drive-ability, etc; leaving a lot to be desired. good luck!

Bill Curlee

" the tuner focuses on WOT parameters on the dyno and spends little or no time on drive-ability, etc; leaving a lot to be desired."

That is true to some extent. Most tuners have many years of tune saved for countless combinations C5 LS performance modifications. When you bring the car into the shop, they plug in a new shop saved tune that mimics the mods that you have and then uses the dyno or road tune to get the correct WOT AFR and timing data and also to fine tune the shop tune to your cars needs.

The problem comes if you have mods that effect the idle quality . It takes a lot of shop time fine tuning and skills to get those parts of the tune nats *** correct . That take the most time. I am NOT a tuner but have see what it takes to do it correctly and the aftermath of a rushed tune.

To get a very accurate tune, the car need to interface with a WIDE BAND AFR device and the tuner also needs to adjust the Volume Metric Efficiency (VE) table and properly tune the MAF tables. That takes tuner to car interface and TIME!! Time = $$$$. You don't get that in a mail order tune. Its close but not in the shop close.

NOTE, If you have an A4 (Auto) C5, a mail order tune will really wake the car up.

K-Spaz

I purchased HP Tuners and also bought the Tuning School. Worthwhile investment The Tuning School. I had a H/C/E C5 with lots of mods. Having tuned that car myself, I"m not sure I believe that anyone can 'properly' tune a car without datalogging, doing drive cycles, etc. WOT stuff is easy, that's the least of the job. Stuff a bunch of gas in and it's happy. It's trying to get 33mpg with 400whp that takes a little more finesse.

Best spent money you will have IMHO, is the Tuning School. $500 for the basic GM course. You WILL be able to tune the car with it. They WILL make sure you get it right. I would be inclined to buy that and get started on it myself. Expect to have about $1200-1500 in the thing before it's all over with. That's including HPT, TTS, Wideband, and a little time and effort to put in a bung for the Wideband. Might need a welding shop to do that for ya. You 'can' also use a clip back at the tailpipe, I know lots of tuners do that. I have never, fwiw.

C5 for life

Great info and advice everybody !!!👍🏻 Thank you!!

C5 for life

Ok so a lot has changed since this post and the tune i went with I was less than happy with. But, at the time I tuned it we both agreed getting a dyno tune next month after having my motor put in was the smart thing to do. So I opted for a mail order tune 🤦*♂️ Only benefit from doing so is my temp gauge hasn’t seen 200 yet. Car runs much richer which didn’t just make me wonder why I was pissed to say the least. And zero power advancement. Literally felt more powerful before the tune.

Reason for selling my set up and not installing it. I’m buying a house. The car can wait. Not gonna say who tuned it. That’s a dick move but when I called and spoke about it. The words bring it up and we’ll take a look at it we’re never mentioned.

Being that it’s gonna be another few months before the vette has all my attention. I was considering going for the dyno tune.

Any thoughts ?

cv67

Spend on a real tune when the house stuff is over with

Bill Curlee

Pm sent

K-Spaz

Imho, a car has to completely not run, or be 100% stock with low-ish miles before a mail order tune will work. Unless you're doing datalogging and the tuner has that data to set up your car, it simply isn't accurate enough for me.

YMMV