After my LS1 cam, e-fans, and intake tube install, my gas mileage dropped considerably to around 14 mpg with about 75% highway. Considering some of the FAR more heavily modded trucks on here are seeing 17-20+ MPG, I think this is pretty ridiculous. I am hoping a tune will help me out a little bit.

I've been talking with Justin at BlackBear about AutoCal tuning and it sounds pretty neat, but awfully expensive, $549 for up to 4 separate tune files and I get to keep the AutoCal device. Does this sound about right? Are there other cheaper options out there with equivalent results?

My #1 goal is fuel economy and am more than happy to take a small hit on HP if it means increased MPG.

Thanks!

 

If you plan on needing more than one tune and switching them out, then I'm sure it'd be well worth it. Getting better mileage won't be a problem, but I couldn't tell you exactly how much better you'd get. My truck's mileage sucks and it isn't tuned for it, so you'd have to let some others chime in on that. Just leave it at the fact that your other options are a dyno tune, which will probably be around the same price or a little less since you aren't out in the middle of nowhere OR you get a mail-order single tune for fairly cheap. You could keep the PCM you've got now and get another tuned if you wanted to go that route, or just go for the AutoCal.

 

Anyone have any feedback on Autocal tuning?

 

The autocal does seem like a good idea, ill probly have one oneday soon.. you could have a real conservative tune for mpg and softer shifting and then another tune for the strip or street.. i could be wrong but i think the autocal can hols tunes for several vehicles too.

 

If you want more than one vehicle tuned, the AutoCal seems like a good option. If you are the type of person that might do your own tuning someday, then I would step up to a V1, or V2. I started out borrowing a friends V2. He bought it, but really didn't know anything about it. I learned about it, and ended up buying my own. I just ended up tuning one of his trucks for him tonight. It is some more $, but you have the ability to change things according to your schedule.

Either way seems good, it just depends on how far you want to go into tuning. I sort of look at it like this, if you are the type of guy that changed jets, float levels, timing, and springs in a distributor, you will end up doing your own tuning. If you just take your car to someone to get that stuff done, you might not end up doing your own tuning. Maybe I don't understand all an AutoCal can do, but it looked to me like you had to send and receive your tunes to a tuner.

 

The autocal is vin locked for one vehicle. I already had a bb tune initially so it was a $250 upgrade for me which was nice for changing tunes without sending the computers out. The new 6 speeds this is tte only way you can get them tuned not in person. My problem now is my tuner uses hpt so when we switch over to a 2 bar os I won't be able to change tunes with the efi live

 

Auto-cal basically makes it easy to update your tune when you make changes to your set up. Instead of mailing your ecm off to make changes etc you can do a log run with the auto cal and download it to your computer and email it to the tuner. He will make adjustments and email you back the tune and you just reflash the changes back into your ecm. Yes you can run multiple tunes with it, the only benefit I'd see to that if you were running nitrous and wanted to change timing at the track while spraying and then switch back for dd the truck or some mpg tune like 87 to 93 tune etc. I'm gonna sell mine and just invest in my own software and start learning myself since I already have a good base tune with my current mods. Hope that helps a little