On the fence about HP Tuners?..

[Rgpmalibu]

This goes out to new guys that aren't done with their swap yet and may be thinking about buying HP Tuners vs. just getting a mail order tune.

I installed an AEM wideband AFR meter last week, so I got into tuning my engine with HP Tuners scanner and editor. I started with MAF and VE tables, Power Enrichment - I think I will also have a cam swap in the future. I had some issues with the tune that came with the computer (fan settings), a tune that was designed for ls swaps. It ran the car really well, but it had some problems too. With HP Tuners, I can change those things. Most importantly, I can revert any changes back to stock if I choose to. With a mail order tune (nothing against guys who make money this way) you can't dial in the tune that is specific to YOUR CAR. You might have long tubes or a CAI, or other modifications that might affect optimization.

The coolest thing though is the scanner. I was really able to see what was going on inside my engine when I put my foot on the gas. Being able to see how your car responds when you are commanding more fuel is priceless. I myself was able to find some Knock Retard that I wouldn't have known existed without the scanner. I changed a couple of things, saved the tune, and loaded to the PCM in about 10 minutes. The scanner has really helped me understand the dynamics between sensor input and actuator output.

I don't work for them or anything, but I really wanted to let people know how useful it is. If I were to do this all over again, I would budget in the price of the wideband and HP Tuners.

Rob

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

I've been using HP Tuners since 2008, and still use 2.24 BETA. Specifically geared toward the GEN III LS Stuff and it works perfect for me considering I have 3 vehicles that fit that. When you start setting up charts that can do the calculations for you it gets much easier.

The pro version is the way to go so you can incorporate the wideband into the software and see what's going on and use it to help.

 

[Rgpmalibu]

I didn't know about the beta version. Is it still available for download?

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

I think you might be able to find it, not sure if it will work with the newer module.

 

[ck1984]

Im one of those guys on the fence. I just did an LS swap into 84 cutlass. it came with vats removed but i needed to change fan setting and managed to do that with free software.
its running pretty well but very rich , it blows black smoke under full throttle and its building up in exhaust tip.
the guts of the motor are stock, but I do have a different intake fabbed up and a larger 3" side exit exhaust.
I also have the harness de-pinned as per Lt1swap guide.
The cutlass is about 2000 lighter than the 2002 avalanche it came out of.[would the fact it has 2.14 gears in rearend make it appear as if its alot heavier and negate that 2000lb lighter weight if say the avalanche had 3.42 gears, with regards to the tune?]

SO, Would a canned tune be able to fix this rich condition? if so how much is typical cost?
OR in my case would you suggest buying and learning HP TUners? whats that gonna cost with wide band sensor, tuning credit, and everything included?



Also i still have to go back and fiddle with the electric fan settings in pcm as they didnt seem to ever come on with a 3 wire temp sensor i had swapped in to run aftermarket temp gauge.
the 3 wire didnt seem to read correctly on either set of gauges i got, never going above 140F. So i lowered the setting significantly in the pcm and now they come on within 5 to 10 minutes of running.
I was thinking that couldve created the rich condition so i swapped in a new 2 wire just yesterday but havent noted yet if its still running rich.

 

[Rgpmalibu]

I guess a canned tune may be cheaper, but...

If you really want to get to the heart of the rich condition, a wideband is certainly the way to go. I did some scans with the wideband hooked up through hptuners and found that I had some knock retard, the opposite of what you are seeing. I was able to tweak my power enrich settings to clear the lean spots when I was giving it the the spurs.
A new cam for me is coming next, so my tune is going to have to be updated when I put it in. I could send my pcm out, but I'm excited to be able to do it myself. When you start considering the amount spent on tunes if you add a cam or a new intake, or even a turbo, the cost, I think, is worth it.

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

I bought the HP Tuners Pro I have from a guy back in 2008 for $400 if I remember right, he had a 2004 GTO and used 6 credits to license all models for that year instead of using 2 for his car because he didn't understand it I guess. Still had 2 credits on it unused, so I put them toward my car at the time.

New they come with 8 credits, 2 credits unlock a PCM from what I've worked with that was GM, can tune it as many times as you need.

A good wideband is about $300. I use the NGK AGX.

I have the wideband as a direct input to the laptop and a couple of algorithms that basically tell me how far off I am from desired AFR in whatever cell on the table I am in, and make my adjustments from there. Pretty much tunes itself, well worth it, on top of being able to adjust small stuff when needed.

 

[Rgpmalibu]

I got the AEM wideband, and HP Tuners (not pro) with two credits for my swap. You can buy it with zero credits, but you'll need two to write the tune to your pcm. I like being able to see a table of the % difference between fuel being commanded and what's actually being delivered. Pretty awesome!

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

With the pro version and being able to write a program string to do it, it's amazing. I have dialed in some radical setups pretty quickly.

 

[Rgpmalibu]

Could you say more about the program string? I'm interested in doing more, especially when I cam my engine.