(sorry if this is a repost, i tried searching but didnt find what i was looking for) so does a tune really help? ive heard that mail order tunes or hand held tunes arent as good as custom tunes, problem is i dont know where i could get a custom tune near me, but it seems like a tuner such as a diablo or an edge would still be beneficial. are they? i like the fact that i can adjust it for when im pulling or just cruisin around. what are the best options when it comes to a tune?

 

“Does a bear crap in the woods?"


These arew your options:

1. Handheld
2. Tune from a sponsor
3. Get efi live or hptuners and learn to tune yourseld




Option #3 is the best IMO, that is what I did as my very first mod years ago...

 

Yes, most definitely they do.

If you can't find a reputable shop in your area then a Mail Order tune will work well. Look to our sponsors for help.

 

lol I seriously thought the exact same phrase.

Yes a tune is definitely worth it.

 

Yeah..this has been discussed alot..But the general consensus is a STREET/DYNO tune is the best/most accurate.Then it would be a mail order..and last a handheld.In order to know what would work best for you you would need to list your mods and your goals /usage for your truck.
-My vote is for a Blackbear mailorder..Justin will send you a "blackbox" scan cable to get some info from your trucks obd2 port and tune off of that..with basic bolt on's you will get good gains...

 

hahaha i didnt know a bear defecated rurally lol. ok so what does it actually do? my truck runs out good now, and pulls just fine, but i figured it can always be better. i have a cai, and soon to be new exhaust system, will a tune on top of those be noticeable? oh and if i change soemthing, say add a tbs, or lift my truck do i have to get a new tune?

oh and sorry im a dumb@55, im just new to this.

 

In order of best to big waste of money: dyno tune/live tune (where the tuner rides along and logs data as he tunes) > mail order tune > handheld tuner > hypertech

A tune by a talented tuner is definitely money well spent, I don't think anyone on this forum would debate that. There are a number of tuner sponsors on here that are extremely talented and tune many of the trucks on here. Wheatley, BlackBear and Nelson all have links on the right, though I think Wheatley's site is down for retooling, so you might be better off PM'ing him.

BlackBear (Justin) travels frequently to tune so check his site for details, Wheatley is in west Houston, and Nelson is in San Antonio, however all three do mail order tunes I believe.

Hope this helps!

EDIT: Well geeze guys, looks like I'm a slow typer, I thought I was the first reply

 

An EFI live/HP tuners tune will def be noticeable with cai/exhaust...Not really sure what a "tbs" is but if you change anything (headers/gears/e-fans) you get free updates to adjust your tune...

 

possibly trailblazer stall? Or more likely, throttle body spacer.

 

While a good tune will most definitely help your truck all by itself, when you modify your vehicle by adding components such as the ones you’ve already mentioned, a tune will bring things back in align so to speak. When you add components that allow for freer breathing and so on, speaking on basic terms, you change the air/fuel ratio and while the computer can make slight alterations on its own to compensate by components such as the Mass Air Flow Sensor, a tune is required to fully make things right and get the most from your purchases. Of course there are plenty of other items, such as timing, shift timing, trans pressures, torque management, abuse modes and so on that can all be adjusted to make your vehicle more responsive and fun to drive. While you might not think so, even when changing items like torque converters, especially when going with a loose stall, it’s necessary to adjust the tune for them as well. I’m not saying that you will have to for a converter such as a Trailblazer unit, but I’m sure you get the idea. Not saying that your incapable or an idiot or anything of the sort, but if you’re asking this type of question it’s obvious that your inexperienced with modifying your PCM, so I really recommend contacting one of our sponsors to have them go over some options with you and leave the tuning to them, especially if you feel that you’re only going to do basic modifications and then leave it alone, as you will probably not get enough use out of it to pay for itself. However, if you’re like allot of us on this site and are never through playing with things and feel confident in trying new things while not getting easily discouraged, purchasing a tuning suite can be rewarding and give you the ability to alter things as they become necessary. You can speed up your learning curve by purchasing tuning tutorials from someone like Greg Banish or if you have some friends that have knowledge in tuning, you may gain enough help to give you a big jump-start and help you through whatever hic-up’s you may encounter. Definitely join whatever tuning suite you may purchase’s forum, as all they all have one and I can just about guarantee every question that you might ask has already been asked and answered by other members. The main thing is to realize that it’s not for everyone though and takes awhile to gain the years of knowledge that our sponsors are known for.