Question: superchips microtuner

[gofastlarry]

has any used a superchips microtuner on there c5 ? promises to increase hp 10% and torque by 13%.

 

[Toms007]

I don't know about their claims......but I know that tuning can help it out a bunch. I'm considering a mailorder tune for mine..

 

[ScottNoxid]

I don't know about their claims......but I know that tuning can help it out a bunch. I'm considering a mailorder tune for mine..

:confused HI Tom, what is a mailorder tune? ;help

 

[vetteboy86]

When my 383 was finally complete I ordered a mail order tune. Basically, I filled out a card with engine specs, heads, cam, compression. Just book keeping. From that info, the company burned a tune for my setup.

It didn't work out the greatest for me. I give them credit though for trying. I think the tunes for a completely stock car, or one that might have headers, and a cold air intake or something could benefit. There was an article in corvette fever within the last year I think about a pretty much normal tune on a C5 that had a cold air intake.

 

[Toms007]

:confused HI Tom, what is a mailorder tune? ;help

Scott there are several places which will "tune" the ECM for more power. Most have dynos and have done so many that they know which functions to tweak to get a performance boost. You can send them your ECM they flash tune it and send it back, you re-install it in your car and you have more power.

Apparently if you have added things like CAI and exhaust they can make the most of those things...or even bigger mods. And some are less than buying one of those hand held tuners.

I'll probably wait until I add the exhaust and CAI.

 

[TooFast]

Scott there are several places which will "tune" the ECM for more power. Most have dynos and have done so many that they know which functions to tweak to get a performance boost. You can send them your ECM they flash tune it and send it back, you re-install it in your car and you have more power.

Apparently if you have added things like CAI and exhaust they can make the most of those things...or even bigger mods. And some are less than buying one of those hand held tuners.

I'll probably wait until I add the exhaust and CAI.

Hi:

I have been contemplating CAI and exhaust on my '04. Trying to decide going with long tubes, X pipe and axle backs or just axle backs. Does adding these mods really make a lot of HP? I have seen all sorts of claims from 30 to 50 HP. Anyone know what really will be the result? Is it worth going with the long tubes? Can I achieve the same results with the stock Z06 air cleaner or do I have to go aftermarket?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Toms007]

From what I understand, LT headers is one of those things that really wakes up the LSx engine. Along with a retune, 30-50 is not unexpected.

 

[Hib Halverson]

I'd like to find an LS1 or an LS6, which after headers and a custom tune makes 50 more horses. The reason I'd like to find it is I'd like to own a car God tuned.

If you put on headers then go to a custom tune, yeah, no doubt you'll see improved performance but it will be 30 at best and more like 25 rather than "30-50".

 

[killain]

Well, what happens if the 'Mailorder Tune' turns out to be a mistake ? What do you have to do, get a dealership or the factory at Bowling Green to re-flash your PCM ? :bash

 

[Toms007]

From what I understand if the tune isn't right they can redo it. The tune is not locked, so I suppose if you didn't like the tune you could go to a dealership and have them reflash it, but the tuner could put it back the way it was. Or if you'd like to spend the money, there are software packages that allow you to tune it yourself.

Hib, after going back to my research I guess the one that made closer to 50 was also a cam change along with the headers and exhaust.

 

[ScottNoxid]

Well, what happens if the 'Mailorder Tune' turns out to be a mistake ? What do you have to do, get a dealership or the factory at Bowling Green to re-flash your PCM ? :bash

hnoesThat was my question also killian. Do we have names of companies that do this sort of thing? I have a Vararam air intake and a FAST intake manifold installed already, and my buddy LT4man redid my ignition with new wires and spark plugs for me, and I don't think just a retune will make it much faster the thing goes like a rocket now. I wished I had done some times before and after. I did install Z06 Sway Bars and Shocks to stabilize my C5, and it worked. Thanks Tom for the answers on this thread I am just amazed at the wealth of information we have on this forum from everyone. SC:WTT

PS I also have the Corsca Indy Pace Car set up

 

[Toms007]

hnoesThat was my question also killian. Do we have names of companies that do this sort of thing? I have a Vararam air intake and a FAST intake manifold installed already, and my buddy LT4man redid my ignition with new wires and spark plugs for me, and I don't think just a retune will make it much faster the thing goes like a rocket now. I wished I had done some times before and after. I did install Z06 Sway Bars and Shocks to stabilize my C5, and it worked. Thanks Tom for the answers on this thread I am just amazed at the wealth of information we have on this forum from everyone. SC:WTT

PS I also have the Corsca Indy Pace Car set up

Scott, I would think with those mods that you could pick up a few more ponies with a tune. PM me if you are interested and I'll point you in the direction that I am thinking.

 

[gofastlarry]

i was still wondering if anyone has ever used a "superchip microtuner"

 

[Jistari]

Sorry, dont know about the microchip thing, but regarding a (mailorder or otherwise) tune :

Its not only about "adding " hp, but also about stopping the computer control in the stock tune from limiting (or taking away) whats already there.

The C5 is a wonderful platform, but it is also a mass market car built for regular people, not "car people" or "experienced" racers in its stock form.

We have a very safe system for a car with the inherent amount of power and potential for "delta V" (thats change in velocity both acceleration and braking) and it (often) keeps people out of harms way.

If you stomp on the throttle in a regular (as opposed to drive by wire, like the C5) car the throttle opens all the way, its linear. In the C5, it opens the amount it feels you need for a safe and unchallenging (although spirited) take off. I dont remember the numbers, but it could be like 10% (in other words when you nail it it opens 10% at first to keep you in control, until your moving faster/farther, then opens more.

We also have stuff like tourque management (which compares what you are telling the car to do with data in a table and if it appears that you "could possibly" harm a component in the drive train, it will retard the timing so the engine puts out less power) and traction control/active handeling (pretty sure they both work taking wheel speed and inertial sensor data and comparing that to a table again to make a determination if what you are telling the car to do "could possibly" put you in a situation where you would not be in control, or that you are in fact out of line (based on an average drivers skill set), and applies individual braking (one or more wheels) to correct the condition. I dont thing the stuff changed in a "tune" touches the active handeling stuff though. But it often effects the torque management parameters.

So . . . . a lotta stuff goes on when we press down on the skinny pedal, and the car and its computers are always listening. They intervene often.

A tune can change a lot of those parameters. The very conservative parameters as the car is programmed from the factory do leave a lot of room for more power and acceleration while still maintaining safe operation. The reprogramming could allow the engine to make more horsepower in certain situations, open the throttle more, retard the spark less, shift the transmission (in autos obviously) faster, a bunch of things.

This is all based on the experience of whoever you allow to tune your car. You allow a shop thats done literaly hundreds of tunes on C5's to reprogram your pcm, and you will likely wind up with a very noticable difference in the way the car performs.

It goes the other way also, as most things do , meaning if you allow "your brother-in-laws cousins stepson, fresh out of vocational school" to mess with the program, you may wind up with at best a broken car and at worst a broken body.

So the mail order tunes, including the ones where you provide a detailed account of what you are looking for and any mods to the car can make a big difference in how the car performs.

The next step (not that anyone asked ) would be to have a "wideband" street tune (where the car is connected to a host of monitoing equipment that allows the tuner to see (in real time as the car is being driven) what the car is doing) or a dyno tune (same principal, just that the car is on the dyno connected to the monitoring equipment rather than being driven on the road). Those two situations should lead to a much more refined set of parameters for the tuner to store in your vehicles system, and greater performance gains.

Can you tell I just had this done ? otfl

I had been sitting on the fence for a long time. I felt the car was plenty fast and performed better than anything I had driven before. I dont race, I didnt seriously consider (well I considered but not seriously enough to spend the money) modding for speed yet (heads, cam, stall, drivetrain...whatever) and also didnt expect my stock 2001 A4 (just a blackwing and catbacks) would benefit from a tune.

I was wrong.

I had a street tune done and I can tell you it does drive like a different car. I can break the wheels from a standing start at will where I never was able to do that before (not looking to burn up tires, but it does illustrate the increase in power that is useful in other situations).

Just a brief description of what a "tune" does.

 

[c5y2k]

I agree 100% I have a hand held tuner and while it did let me change some of the things (shift speed, turn off TM, adjust fan on off temps etc) and give me a "performance tune" it wasn't what I had hoped for.

 

[Toms007]

Jistari, who did you have do your tune? Was this a straight mailorder or did you send in the parameters of what your engine was doing or dyno?

 

[Jistari]

ECS (East Coast Supercharging). It was a "wideband/street tune" so it involved connecting a bunch of data logging equipment and operating the vehicle over a wide range of driving conditions.

 

[Toms007]

Thanks for the response, ECS is who I have been considering.

 

[Curious George]

Just go ahead and buy the hardware / software (HP Tuners, etc) and learn how to do it yourself. For the cost of one "tune", you can purchase everything you need. In the end, you'll be saving a lot of money and you will learn a tremendous amount about how your C5 works. 50 flashes to a PCM is not uncommon in order to dial everything in just the way you like it. The more you get into it the more you will be flashing... trust me I have done it (am doing it). Not saying I am an expert (by far), but I have been tuning my '87 Fbody, '92 LT1 and '99 LS1 and tuning does make a difference.

For me learning is half the fun. Keeps my brain active and is a lot more interesting than Suduko.

CG

 

[gofastlarry]

so if i was going to tune my 01 what would i need to do it the RIGHT way!!