I have only been reading the forum a couple of weeks and I am absorbing as fast as I can, but where do I get a custom tune and what all does it include/cost? I have had my 06a6z51 4k miles for 5 days and I think the power is much better than my 05a4. As a matter of fact, It is very impressive, especially if I nail it at a 20 mph roll. Also, with the traction control off, it will light the rears up and the '05 wouldn't. I just figured its the diff gear ratios in the tranny plus the 2 extra gears, but I would like to get the tune I read so much about. I live in east Tn.

Perry

 

Custom tune is done on a dyno using custom software (like HP Tuners, LS1 Edit, etc) cost is around $500. Worth it, IMHO absolutely!

 

From what I've read on this Forum; There are at least 4 types of tune.

1. Mail order; Where you ship your ECM and tell the tuner your mods, etc and he sets to established values.

2. Dyno tune; Your car is placed on a dyno and logged/tuned under the dyno load.

3. Pre-loaded tunes; i.e. Diablo/Predator

4. Last but not least; Custom Tune where your car is driven on the street and logged, then changed by the tuner, then driven/logged again and again until you and the tuner are happy with the results.

 

haljensen hit the nail on the head. Diff on your current car is grear ratio. Z-51 vs. non performance axle ratio.

 

I'd argue that a dyno-tune and a road-tune are both "custom-tunes" as no two cars will likely be tuned the same in either scenario...

Mail order and pre-load (like predator) are more "off the shelf" tunes.

You'll get a lot better result from a custom tune than a preloaded tune IME.

 

just to clarify on his 06 a6 there is no performance z51 axle ratio for autos only on the manual.The a6 does have a higher 1st gear than the a4 does but even so the two are within .01 in the 1/4 mile. Hard to imagine you could feel it SOTP

Ted

 

Thanks Ted for the clarification. Thats what I thought too, and I was about to post another question. The one thing that puzzles me though is, I am an old school drag racer from the '70s and I KNOW what 12-13 second street car feels like. When I was getting to know my '05, even though it was impressive, I didn't feel that it was a 12 second car(I never took it to the track). But when I got on my '06 c6 for the first time this week, with that high first gear I thought WOW! Now this feels like it could be a 12 second car. But you are saying there is only a .01 diff in et's?

I know in my '05 at 2k rpm I would run 82 mph and the '06 I run 90 mph at 2k rpm. I had read that the a6 tranny was quicker out of the hole and now I know...............thanks for everyones input, now I already start to feel those old "how many tenths will this mod knock off" juices flowing

 

A Custom Tune is when you have Burt Bacharach come visit & tinkle the ivories for you!
Sorry....couldn't resist.

 

Sorry on my 05 auto. I ordered the performance axle with the F55 and I coulkd feel the difference.

 

ba-da-bah.

a custom tune can be any tune that is preformed specifically for your vehicle.

real-time tuning is best. but hardly ever done and then only by serious racers.

 

Hey ZIG,what is real-time tuning?

 

basically, it's the ability to tune the car while in use.

i.e, you drive, your passenger tunes.

most tunes are either done on the dyno or after a data-logging session. a run is made, the data is captured then params. are tweaked based upon the analysis of the data.

real time tuning is being able to make changes in real time. time and cost prohibitive for most.

 

If Burt Bacharach tinkles on my ivories, I will shorten his little tinkler by a few centimeters.

But if he would rather TICKLE the ivories, I will sell tickets.

 

I got a custom tune from a well respected tuner with LS2 Edit and it was great. Then I bought HP Tuners for $500 (split the cost with a buddy and we share the cord) to fix a problem I was having with a false 2nd gear rev limiter that LS2 Edit couldn't fix.

Now I "real time tune" my car myself - I scan my drag strip runs and make changes based on the logs. I've been able to tweak .2 and 2 mph from my standard tune by adjusting things on the drag strip for that day's weather conditions. Besides fueling and spark/knock data, I can see things like how fast I'm shifting, launch/shifting wheel spin that I didn't hear/feel, just a ton of data on each run.

By the way, you can actually real time tune a LS1 with HP Tuners - have someone make changes while driving, but that capability's not out yet for the LS2. Even when you real time tune you have to save the data and shut down and flash the computer. Which is what I do - scan, make changes to the tune, flash the tune, scan again to see how I did.

And let me tell you, I think it makes drag racing a lot more fun! Like the old days adjusting jets and timing, except 1. you have real time data to base your decisions on, and 2. no grease under the nails or gas on the intake to worry about!!

The software was a bit of a challenge to start with but there are great resources to help you learn it on HP Tuners forum and I met a guy locally who really helped show me the ropes. It's very well written software and pretty easy to use once you get over the hurdle in the beginning. And while it gives you hundreds of tables to change, I just focus on a couple of main tables.

 

Thanks Joe, that sounds exactly what I want to be able to do with my car. I am going to contact MTI in atlanta today about a dyno tune and I will ask them about what you have done..............Perry

 

I think you will like it, I know I sure have a lot of fun with the logging and tuning.

Here is HP Tuners website, I'd encourage you to spend some time surfing around. I am very happy with the product. Don't be put off by the complexity, it is not bad once you get it, but it will take you some time to get up to speed. The HP Tuners forum is also very helpful, there are a ton of tutorials for newbies like I still consider myself.

http://www.hptuners.com/products/vcmsuite.php

http://www.hptuners.com/forum/

Pro tuners have the capability to lock your tune so only they can tune it - most don't do this, but you should be sure that they don't do this.

In my opinion, a dyno tune is excellent and in my opinion will get you 95% there, but your track logging and tuning can give you a little bit more precise tuning if you want to invest the time, particularly if you have a Vararam since it doesn't have its effect on the dyno. I've noticed great results myself and other tuning guys have as well.

 

Number 3 and 4 are the same, only you are the tuner!

 

imo, 1 is to 3 as 2 is to 4.

 

Hey guys,
Our full dyno tune here at MTI Racing, in Marietta GA, consists of A/R mapping resetting the fuel and ignition curves/mapping, and basically reprogramming most of the computer parameters, as well as, adjusting shift points ect...for auto cars.
Thanks,
Jonathan

 

Seems like $500 is the going rate. Considering how long it takes (assuming no issues) I don't understand why so darn expensive?

I watched my friends (GrumpyZ51) 2005 C6 get tuned after a Procharger install in approx. 20 mins and that was tuner taking his $weet time doing 4 hairball pulls. Viola! Done!

Am I missing something or is this some kind of professional "agreed-on" pricing?

Bone