I'm going to need to have my car tuned soon and am wondering if anyone is still in the open ecu game. Ijust dont really feel comfrotable withthe shops around here tuning them, just a few bad stories here and there. If i rented out some dyno time, would anyone be up for the task and how much? Thanks guys
Well tell us how big is your monster setup, I'm sure either someone on the board would or someone could suggest someone. I got mine done my Dom at Getadomtune.com, I've been very happy with it, he is very helpful and so far credibility is there. I took this route because my setup is still growing and cant afford the high dollar tuners, not saying he's not good, just suggesting the idea that there's many options.
not gonna beat around the bush...steer clear of DB, they rock harcore at other cars, like hondas and mustangs, subarus however they have alot to learn.
its an sti with a 20g, supporting mods. nothin too insane. I'm just wondering if there is anyone local that would be up for the task?
does anyone at RSmotors tune? pm rich about LSE, not sure if they actually tuned his car but he delt with them, he can give you feedback
if your going to go to a local shop. go to db. no mater what any one says. i had him tune drive ability on my car and he did a good job. any other local shop has vary minimall experience tuning anything. but what you should do is drive to Chicago and go to p&l and have jorge tune it. you cant go wrong with him in my opinion. i trust him with anything of mine and i have a lot more to loose then most people on hear with my car.
chicago was my number 1 choice but i'd have to flat bed it out there and thats alot of $$$. aaahh, i dont know what to do. how come no one does open ecu anymore?
shane did a good job(as far as i know) with the protune i got from him a while back. I've just heard some stories of blown nsx's(apples and oranges, i know) but i still wanna make sure my car is in good hands since its going to be putting out a substantially more amount of power. I know its just a 20g, but still...
another thing is i've got a friend out in cali who has a very reputable source to tune my car but i've never really done that kind of stuff before. what all do i need besides a data logger?
I don't want to hi-jack this thread but I was planning on cruising to Chicago this winter to get my setup dialed in a bit better. I was originally tuned by DB last spring and Shane was really nice to work with, but I am skeptical of his ability to produce top notch tunes. That is the reason I am taking the trip to see George. First, how hard is it to schedule tunes at P&L with George? Second, are there any group sessions I should be waiting for to get a better deal?
i dont think you will get a better deal. its all by apointment so just call and make one. 847-678-4311
Set something up with Jorge and he will send you a base map that you can drive on. There is no need to flatbed your car to Chicago to get tuned. I can even get you a AP map if needed. Russ
I'd imagine he'd send you a map to just get you down there if you gave him a deposit. Edit: Or Russ could beat me by a minute or so saying the same thing. Heh.
Other then Mikes NSX which Ron and LJ just finished, I think I am the only one who regularly works on NSX's and Turbo's them locally. So I am guessing the "blown nsx's" comment is referring to NSX's I've had Shane tune for me. There has NEVER been any car or an NSX that has been blown by me or Shane that was due to a tune. The only engine issues I've dealt with were 100% engine building mistakes(I did not build them and the issue always showed up on the streets not the dyno). The failures are immediately recognizable to anyone who is honest and actually knows how to read an engine/pistons/cylinder walls/ valves/dome of the head/and spark plugs when disassembling a motor. I'm not sure who is spreading rumors about NSX's, but rumor mills come with the territory, so oh well, this is information from the horses mouth. I ONLY use Shane to tune ANY car I touch(no matter what make or model). No offense to anyone else in town(and I'm pretty much friends with all the other tuners), Shane is hands down the best in town. I have no idea why subie owners and other makes feel their cars are so unique that they have to travel to Chicago to get their car tuned, it makes no sense. Believe me, I have a bit of experience in this arena, Shane is your answer. I get nothing from this post, and if any of you know of Elite Autosport, you know Shane used to work for me. So if I can say these things about Shane, their just may be some truth to it.
I love these threads. I learned to do this stuff myself because I didn't want to pay anyone else for it. I didn't expect that the results would actually end up better. I guess its the difference between spending 2 hours on the dyno and 20 hours on the street.
I'm surprised some of the people on this thread haven't stepped up for the job (and the money). Then again, an STi with a 20g... Maybe that setup is too much for Tom.
I understand that some peoples cars don't run perfectly all the time. But that generally is due to issues with the car or the gas that is in the car. Boost leaks, bad gas, spark plugs, fuel filters, fuel injectors, clogged cats, back pressure, bad sensors(MAS/MAF etc.). There are soo many variables for every car that comes on the dyno, every single one is different, and most aren't ready for the dyno. For the six years I had my dyno, at least half the cars owners should have done a boost leak test, made sure the gas they have is liked my most, and made sure everything in their setup was working properly. It is very easy for car owners to just blame the tuner when their car runs like crap. When in reality, there usually is some issue with the car physically/electronically instead.
Believe me, of all people, I completely understand that. However, if a tuner understands how the Subaru knock control strategy works, he/she should never produce a tune that results in multiple WOT runs like I saw on Andrew's car. The Subaru ECU is very well designed. It can protect an engine from insane amounts of knock, and can adjust for many variables, including bad gas and boost leaks. If it is tuned correctly, IAM drops, and the car sees learned ignition correction. On top of running way to much timing (was he running race gas on the dyno?), his car was not tuned with that in mind. As Tom said in the thread, it's obvious that some of the knock control tables where left stock. So, his car was knocking itself crazy in the upper RPM range repeatedly, and not correcting itself. Not only is that thread a display of at least a "tune gone wrong," it's a display of bad Subaru tuning.
Fair enough, like I said, I get nothing for sticking up for Shane. Obviously you and others haven't had great experiences with him, but I do know he is one of the most knowledgeable tuners around. Maybe if the subie crowd wants to have a good local tuner for their cars, people like you or any other seasoned Subaru street tuners should chat with him a bit on the specific Subaru issues that should be watched/taken into account. It would be much easier for all of you to harness some local talent rather then making trips to Chicago. That way when I buy a Legacy GT B-Spec/6speed and go nuts on it, he'll be ready for me.:biggrin:
Good luck w/ RS motors... I've trying for 3 years to get a good tune and dyno from Ronnie. He's always busy and never uses an appt. book. I've finally gave up and am going to try with LSE. But we'll see.
Shane has had my car a couple of different times now over the past year and no bad news to speak of, not even a cel. I have never done any logging on my own so I cant speak about that stuff, but I do consistantly drive the piss out of my car and the only thing it's done is eaten a clutch. So far so good, and when it gets more mods he'll probably get it again. I figure the more often he sees it the more familiar he will get with it. ith the ammount of WRX's and other subys around I think it'd be in his best interest to learn as much as he can about them. Seriously if he can be good at tuning lots of other cars there's no reason he cant learn ours.
Not directing this to any shops, but if they want my business they gotta do their homework on their end. I'm not going to be someone's guinea pig and let them start experimenting on my car. Yeah you gotta get some experience, but maybe you should start getting your own Subaru and start figuring it out on your own ride and get some certifications where needed. Isn't that why we are paying these shops their professional dollar because they are suppose to be the best. And if this is already the case then where are we lacking, why are customers still chosing to go outer state? I tell ya its not that difficult and a few shops are starting to do this. The latest I read about was AMS. Well known for their Mitsubishi reputation, now all the sudden I read they are now working on Subaru's. Yeah you might say they are alot bigger shop, but they had to start somewhere. If you dont want to buy a Subaru, than why not hire someone who owns and knows Subaru. Of course thats only if you're looking to expand of course. Dee Dee Dee Alright that felt good. Whoosh! @ 4psi.
Just throwing this out there... because I have considered doing likewise for a tune (going to Jorge)... I have wondered if it would be necessary or beneficial to bring a can or two of you're own (crappy local 91) fuel to get tuned on? Don't get me wrong, I hardly advocate using crappy fuel when there is an alternative, but let's face it, most of the time all you can find is 91... Which brings me to this point: Most of the Premium unleaded gas in southern WI/Chicago area is GOOD 93 octane...all too rare around these parts...so you would be pulling in with a tank full of 93, when you will most of the time be stuck filling up with 91. I would imagine a good tuner could make a tune so it could tolerate the range, but I would like some better opinions on this issue.
hey russ if you could set me up with a base map that would be awsome. i could give you all the mods to you could trim everything accordingly or if you already have one, lmk. Thanks Andrew
speaking of gas...... There are 3 pumps that are near me w/ my 92 non-oxy fuel. One is out at Century which is a little ways for me, but I have BP @ 35E/Wheellock, Pro Fuel @ Snelling/Randolph, and BP @ Dale/CountyRd B. I know of a pump in BrooklynPark that has non-oxy too; lists at PURE PREMIUM. hahaha lolz
This is exactly why I don't really volunteer to tune anybody's cars anymore. The tuning part is fine but dealing with POS modded cars that aren't mechanically sound and ready to be tuned isn't worth the trouble. This also explains why just one run on the dyno isn't usually enough to really get your car running well. It needs to be futzed with a lot to get it running right in different temperatures, with different fuels, in different gears, etc.
