Tuner prices/results
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 186
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From: Houston TX
Tuner prices/results
My 06 A6 suffers from sluggish shifting. My only mod is a Halltech Stinger/CAI and no additional hardware mods are planned. I'm hopeful from what I've been reading here on the forum that a tune will significantly reduce the delay in shifts and bring my C6 to life. With all of that said, now the issue is who to select as a tuner. MTI here in Houston charges $500 plus $75 for a re-flash. Chuck at CoW charges $375 with no re-flash charge. Is the MTI tune worth $125+? Both are reputable companies, everyone raves about Chuck's work, and MTI makes the Devilray 427. Can I go wrong with either? Is there a better choice? HELP please!!
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 57,408
Likes: 164
From: queensbury ny
First off,get a VARARAM,CALLAWAY,OR LPE intake and your car will wake up before the tune.
Next,you can't go wrong with either one,but MTI IS LOCAL to you which may make life a little easier for you!!!It would be worth 125 to me to not have to wait for the mail!!!
Next,you can't go wrong with either one,but MTI IS LOCAL to you which may make life a little easier for you!!!It would be worth 125 to me to not have to wait for the mail!!!
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 491
Likes: 0
From: Ossining "Routine to Extreme"
Chuck actually has a pretty good record with the turnaround on mail order tunes. If you don't use the car as a daily driver there is no harm in waiting a day or two.
I strongly recommend Chuck Cow, as i see his work first hand and the response he gets from his customers is tremendous. Actually is pretty easy to check on that, just do a search for him on the forum
FireEyes
I strongly recommend Chuck Cow, as i see his work first hand and the response he gets from his customers is tremendous. Actually is pretty easy to check on that, just do a search for him on the forum
FireEyes
Pro
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 561
Likes: 1
From: suwanee ga
Chuck actually has a pretty good record with the turnaround on mail order tunes. If you don't use the car as a daily driver there is no harm in waiting a day or two.
I strongly recommend Chuck Cow, as i see his work first hand and the response he gets from his customers is tremendous. Actually is pretty easy to check on that, just do a search for him on the forum
FireEyes
I strongly recommend Chuck Cow, as i see his work first hand and the response he gets from his customers is tremendous. Actually is pretty easy to check on that, just do a search for him on the forum
FireEyes
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 5,762
Likes: 4
From: Chandler Arizona
I just had a tune done and the shifting is amazing now that TM is turned off for the shifts. Before my car was pulling timing to negative 14 degrees during the shift. Now it powers through the shift, it feels great. The new version 2.2 of HPtuners can turn off TM for shifts only on the A6. I would check with Charlie over in California on his mail order. If you already have HPtuners he can email you a tune. Of course, if you already have HPtuners, turning off TM is very, very simple.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 491
Likes: 0
From: Ossining "Routine to Extreme"
He has tuned a lot of cars with all kinds of mod combinations, thus making the mail order tune near perfect (just to be modest
) He insists you install a low temp stat (he can provide one for you) but other than that just pop the computer back in and drive Here is a link with pictures on how to remove the computer from the car:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ight=chuck+cow
If you need a more technical explanation you can actually call him directly at 914 332 0049
FireEyes
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Advanced
Joined: Jul 2007
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St. Jude Donor '10
My 06 A6 suffers from sluggish shifting. My only mod is a Halltech Stinger/CAI and no additional hardware mods are planned. I'm hopeful from what I've been reading here on the forum that a tune will significantly reduce the delay in shifts and bring my C6 to life. With all of that said, now the issue is who to select as a tuner. MTI here in Houston charges $500 plus $75 for a re-flash. Chuck at CoW charges $375 with no re-flash charge. Is the MTI tune worth $125+? Both are reputable companies, everyone raves about Chuck's work, and MTI makes the Devilray 427. Can I go wrong with either? Is there a better choice? HELP please!!
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
St. Jude Donor '10
Chuck actually has a pretty good record with the turnaround on mail order tunes. If you don't use the car as a daily driver there is no harm in waiting a day or two.
I strongly recommend Chuck Cow, as i see his work first hand and the response he gets from his customers is tremendous. Actually is pretty easy to check on that, just do a search for him on the forum
FireEyes
I strongly recommend Chuck Cow, as i see his work first hand and the response he gets from his customers is tremendous. Actually is pretty easy to check on that, just do a search for him on the forum
FireEyes
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
From: Hawthorn Woods Illinois
I just had a tune done and the shifting is amazing now that TM is turned off for the shifts. Before my car was pulling timing to negative 14 degrees during the shift. Now it powers through the shift, it feels great. The new version 2.2 of HPtuners can turn off TM for shifts only on the A6. I would check with Charlie over in California on his mail order. If you already have HPtuners he can email you a tune. Of course, if you already have HPtuners, turning off TM is very, very simple.
100%. My tuner (Speed Inc.) in Schaumburg, Illinois did the same for my A6. It screams first to second gear and all gears are truly shifting NOW as opposed to the stock..... I think now
morgal 48, you will definately like what you get back from this type of "trans tune". This is what the factory should have done all along. Where have we heard that before???
Good luck on whoever you choose. Sorry if this was a hijack.Fran
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 186
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From: Houston TX
Thanks for the responses. Chuck it is!
On another note, I had to drive from Melbourne Beach, FL back to Houston this past weekend in my wife's Volvo C90 - two days and about 1000 miles. Got in the C6 yesterday for a two hour ride. What a great car!! Miles of smiles, without the Car Bingo.
On another note, I had to drive from Melbourne Beach, FL back to Houston this past weekend in my wife's Volvo C90 - two days and about 1000 miles. Got in the C6 yesterday for a two hour ride. What a great car!! Miles of smiles, without the Car Bingo.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 343
Likes: 1
From: Houston TX
Remember, MTI is actually strapping your car to a dyno and pulling on it 5 or 6 times, they spent a couple hours tunign mine. I highly recommend them, they did a fantastic job on my vette a couple weeks ago. They are a top notch crew and a clean shop. If there are ever any problems, they are local and they save your stock tune in case you ever need to put it back.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,261
Likes: 1,431
From: Brentwood CA
Remember, MTI is actually strapping your car to a dyno and pulling on it 5 or 6 times, they spent a couple hours tunign mine. I highly recommend them, they did a fantastic job on my vette a couple weeks ago. They are a top notch crew and a clean shop. If there are ever any problems, they are local and they save your stock tune in case you ever need to put it back.
I had my car tuned last December. Part of the tune included adjusting the shift points of the car. I went back to him a couple of times after the original tune to get the shift points exactly where I wanted them. My car now shifts at around 2000 rpm in each gear. It just took some driving by me and some trial and error to get the tranny shift points right where I wanted them. Shift points are a personal thing, and not everyone wants them the same. Secondly, HP Tuners continues to upgrade software. In December, you could not turn off TM. The new version of the software just came out and this feature now exists. Last Saturday, I went back to the tuner and we eliminated TM. As others have said, this makes a VERY big difference (see link to another thread on the subject here)http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1833656. All of the adjustments came free of charge from my tuner. Most tuners will do this for you as long as they are minor and you don't want him to put it on the dyno again.
My point - there most likely will be times you want to tweak your original tune, especially if you want the A6 to come alive. It is difficult to do this if you go mail order.
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 11,792
Likes: 255
From: Ossining New York
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'12-'13-'14
Actually.....
I too would recommend someone local. Not that Chuck's tune is bad, it's just that if you want to change anything in the tune you have to send the computer back to him.
I had my car tuned last December. Part of the tune included adjusting the shift points of the car. I went back to him a couple of times after the original tune to get the shift points exactly where I wanted them. My car now shifts at around 2000 rpm in each gear. It just took some driving by me and some trial and error to get the tranny shift points right where I wanted them. Shift points are a personal thing, and not everyone wants them the same. Secondly, HP Tuners continues to upgrade software. In December, you could not turn off TM. The new version of the software just came out and this feature now exists. Last Saturday, I went back to the tuner and we eliminated TM. As others have said, this makes a VERY big difference (see link to another thread on the subject here)http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1833656. All of the adjustments came free of charge from my tuner. Most tuners will do this for you as long as they are minor and you don't want him to put it on the dyno again.
My point - there most likely will be times you want to tweak your original tune, especially if you want the A6 to come alive. It is difficult to do this if you go mail order.
I had my car tuned last December. Part of the tune included adjusting the shift points of the car. I went back to him a couple of times after the original tune to get the shift points exactly where I wanted them. My car now shifts at around 2000 rpm in each gear. It just took some driving by me and some trial and error to get the tranny shift points right where I wanted them. Shift points are a personal thing, and not everyone wants them the same. Secondly, HP Tuners continues to upgrade software. In December, you could not turn off TM. The new version of the software just came out and this feature now exists. Last Saturday, I went back to the tuner and we eliminated TM. As others have said, this makes a VERY big difference (see link to another thread on the subject here)http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1833656. All of the adjustments came free of charge from my tuner. Most tuners will do this for you as long as they are minor and you don't want him to put it on the dyno again.
My point - there most likely will be times you want to tweak your original tune, especially if you want the A6 to come alive. It is difficult to do this if you go mail order.
I think that would be a great trip if you guys can show some interest in a thread....
Also, I'll be in Phoenix doing LOTS of A6 cars in like 10 days and then off to Vegas to do more....
Show some hands if you're interested.....
Chuck CoW
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Providing the most proven supercharger kits for your C5/6/7 609-752-0321
Whenever possible go to a reputable tuner for a tune, mail order tunes are definitely a benefit if you live in an area that does not have a tuner near, but it will never be as spot on as an "on location" tune. We do a lot of mail order tunes, but I have directed even more to a good local tuner so the customer gets the best results.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 186
Likes: 0
From: Houston TX
Last Saturday, I went back to the tuner and we eliminated TM. As others have said, this makes a VERY big difference (see link to another thread on the subject here)http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1833656. All of the adjustments came free of charge from my tuner.
Most tuners will do this for you as long as they are minor and you don't want him to put it on the dyno again.
Most tuners will do this for you as long as they are minor and you don't want him to put it on the dyno again.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,261
Likes: 1,431
From: Brentwood CA
That is the thread that prompted my decision and post. And, MTI charges $75 (per their website) for EACH change after the intial tune (after a 15 day grace period from the original tune) - an initial tune and 3 tweaks = $725. Ouch! Since mines not a DD, downtime isn't that large an issue (I think).
Former Vendor
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 11,792
Likes: 255
From: Ossining New York
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'12-'13-'14
Our policy.....
You might want to talk to MTI about this. They may be referring to changes that require some more real tuning. Removing TM took all of 60 seconds. Just changed the settings in HP Tuners and downloaded it to the car. Same thing with the shift points. If in fact MTI charges you $75 for this, then I would definitely look for someone else.
.. Unless you put on heads, cam, or supercharger....In that case....If we do the work....We'll likely just do it for FREE anyway.
Chuck CoW
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 24,652
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From: NJ
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
My 06 A6 suffers from sluggish shifting. My only mod is a Halltech Stinger/CAI and no additional hardware mods are planned. I'm hopeful from what I've been reading here on the forum that a tune will significantly reduce the delay in shifts and bring my C6 to life. With all of that said, now the issue is who to select as a tuner. MTI here in Houston charges $500 plus $75 for a re-flash. Chuck at CoW charges $375 with no re-flash charge. Is the MTI tune worth $125+? Both are reputable companies, everyone raves about Chuck's work, and MTI makes the Devilray 427. Can I go wrong with either? Is there a better choice? HELP please!!
They are charging $500 for a tune which includes them driving the car around and I believe also putting the car on the dyno. A mail order tune should be less than that because the person doing the tune is not spending the same amount of time with your car. It only makes sense.
When you compare 2 tuners you have to make sure they are providing the same service. Spending hours with your car is not the same as uploading a tune to your PCM and sending it back to you.