BullwinkleTuning OpenECU Road Tuning

EDIT: Services discontinued. See this post for further details.
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I figure it is time to post an official "tuning services" thread here, rather then continue to answer the same questions for folks via PM.

As many of you know, I've been doing OpenECU road tuning for the local MNSubaru crowd since Summer of 2006, and have a large number of tunes under my belt.

I enjoy doing tunes, and hope to continue to provide this service to MNSubaru members for the foreseeable future. For the most part, I don't have the time to do tunes for folks with a large amount of mods (these folks are better off going to a local shop), but if you have a stage 1 or stage 2 car, or even a car with a common setup (ie; WRX with VF39), I'm your guy.

Basic price list:

02-07 WRX

• Stage 1 - $60
• Stage 2 - $80
• Stage 2 + 3-port BCS - $100
• Stage 3+ (turbo, injectors, etc) - $150

08-09 WRX, 05-07 lgt, 04-07 FXT

• Stage 1 - $75
• Stage 2 - $100
• Stage 2 + 3-port BCS - $125
• Stage 3+ (turbo, injectors, etc) - $150

04-07 STI

• Stage 1 - $75
• Stage 2 - $100
• Stage 2 + 3-port BCS - $125
• Stage 3+ (turbo, injectors, etc) - $150

08+ STI, 08+ LGT, 08+ FXT

• Stage 1 - $75
• Stage 2 - $125

Remote/Internet Tuning

• $25 per week, 2 week minimum (prices may vary depending on modifications)

***Contact me for additional quotes or if your car model/MY is missing from the list above.

Tuning Details:

Cars will be road tuned using RomRaider and ECUFlash software. This process involves you driving and me logging/tuning from the passenger seat. Only the cars listed here are supported by RomRaider, so if your car is not listed, I cannot tune it.

I will also warranty all tunes at no charge for 6 months subsequent to tuning, as long as no parts are changed. As adding power can break parts, owners take full responsibility for any and all mechanical problems resulting from the tuning session.

It is the owners responsibility to come with a car ready to tune. I will charge a base rate of $50 per hour if your car is not in acceptable mechanical condition for tuning, or has mechanical problems during the tuning session.

Additional details can be found at bullwinkletuning.com. You can contact me via PM on here, or at [email protected]. I reserve the right to change my prices at any time, and to quote folks different prices based on modifications.

Scheduling:

Please schedule your tune at least 7-14 days in advance. I have limited hours for tuning, so my schedule fills up fairly quickly, especially in the busy time of the year (Spring/Summer). If you contact me after putting on your parts expecting a tune within a day or two, you're probably going to be out of luck.

 

I'd also recommend folks read through the "Where to get tuned" and "What should I do to prepare for a tune" posts in the Tech Tips/FAQ section here.

 

I'll be hitting ya up when my swap is done for sure. 03 Wrx with vf34, injectors, walboro 255, 3inch tbe.

 

See you next Thursday!

 

Put together very well. Great presentation and information. Thank you!

 

+1 for Bullwinkle Tunez. Speaking of which if you get a chance sometime would you mind doing another 3rd gear log for me? My TMIC doesnt blow off anymore at boost ;-)

 

Maybe...you fix that slipping clutch yet, either?

 

^Working on it. I am concerned about the area about 5k rpms (since that is what we couldnt really look at last time) and if I shift it right the clutch will hold from 5-7.

 

Fix the clutch first. I'd rather be 100% sure that we're getting good data before doing additional tuning. Even a slightly slipping clutch makes that hard (as you know).

 

slipping clutch = no tuning i know first hand

 

It's been almost a week since I had the chance to meet up with Nate and tune the sti. We got lucky with some dry weather in the middle of the week and it only took around an hour and a half. Probably would have been much quicker had my ecu cooperated the first time around; a little excitement never hurt anyone!

Nate knows his stuff, was more than happy to explain what he was doing along the way and provided great service afterward (the very next afternoon) when we had forgotten to delete some O2 sensor codes.

Anyone considering the COBB AP should take a close look at opensource options and get in touch with Bullwinkle Tuning to ask questions. I couldn't be happier and for the price, it can't be beat! It's like driving a whole different car.

 

bullwinkle do you tune durring the winter time?

 

Glad you like the tune, Matt. Your car made it interesting, glad we got it done without any problems .

Yup. As long as it's not snowing hard during the tuning session, roads are typically just fine.

 

^^ good to know thanks.

 

too scary??? ha ha ha JK

I am still wanting a tune, but am thinking after winter, maybe by then I will have some $$$ and maybe that old ecu fixed...

 

Hard to tune when the wheels just spin .

 

Hope you dont mind another reference post.

Stage2 w/ GMbcs tuned last summer by Bulltwinkle. Good strong tune w/ no issues so far. Thanks again Nate!

 

Just for reference here is my Cobb tune vs. Bullwinkle +3 port.
http://www.mnsubaru.com/forums/showpost.php?p=667590&postcount=3002

 

Looking good! Those 3-port BCS's and some extra boost are good for some torque. :yumyum:

If I had to sum of my tuning style it is definitely "pro torque." I don't typically push the cars hard up top, as most of the cars I do are injector limited, and with the cold weather here in MN, I like to have some headroom. Torque in the midrange through, is easy to get safely with some balanced boost and timing curves.

 

Guerrilla bump for Nate's services. He did a great job on my (old) 07 WRX Stg3 wBCS Wagon. Would not hesitate to employ him again. Sean

 

My brother STILL needs to get a tune from Nate as well

 

Thanks Sean! Hope to see you back in a Subaru soon .

Got him scheduled for this Saturday .

 

nice website

 

Well, I wouldn't call it a website. More like; "gorgeous HTML by fondunez."

 

Yea, but the link at the bottom doesn't work to link to his own site. :laugh:

<3 u Duneface


Also: Nate, how much to add launch control? Do you does such a thing?

 

I noticed this as well, and laughed quite hilarious

 

yeah, budget cuts forced the removal of my own site. unemployment is HILARIOUS.

 

LC patches are free for the 16 bit ECU's, and I have patched most of them. No joy on the 32bit ECU's as the licensing is on a per car basis.

Folks with 32bit cars are more then welcome to patch their own ECU's, TinyWRX's open-ecu patch store can be found here.

 

Wow. I was actually just going to ask about the LC. How do you go about doing that? Would I just purchase the patch before our tuning session? Feel free to PM me if needed.

 

I'd be willing to patch your ECU for you, but you'd need to purchase the patch and then send it to me a few days prior to the tuning session, as well as pick the LC and FFS values that you'd like me to set.

TinyWRX's open-ecu patch store can be found here.

 

Yup, it's an option, although I'll be honest, it's somewhat if a PITA, as well as relatively expensive.

Bottom line: I'm willing to patch ROM's for folks, but be sure to do your reading regarding the LC and FFS, as they behave differently for open-source vs Cobb. It will be your responsibility to pick good RPM points and get me the patch prior to tuning.

Not trying to burst anyone's bubble here, just gotta draw the line somewhere .

 

+1 for a good guy! I've got a stage 2 for him and love it! I'll be having him tune it again in the spring when she get's her bigger turbo and what not!

 

Same question, also stage 2 plus GS BCS. I dropped a PM last week.

 

Sorry guys, out of town for the Holidays. I'm pretty busy in January, and will be out of town from Jan 17th through Feb 8th.

Up until then, I have some weekday evening availabilities, starting as early as the 4th. Shoot me a PM with details and I'll get back to you asap.

Thanks!

 

Thanks again for my stage 1 tune. I don't know which I love more, the tune or the deleted CEL so I can use my cruise again.

 

Bullwinkle, I dropped you a couple of PMs at your BullwinkleTuning login.

Thanks.

 

Replied.



FYI for everyone else -- I will be out of town without any access to internet starting this weekend until Feb 8th. I am currently booked up until Feb 13th. However, feel free to PM me with questions or tuning requests, and I will respond asap after I return.

Thanks!

 

Ok, back in town and playing some catchup. My spring will be pretty busy, so I'd advise everyone to schedule a tune at minimum two weeks prior to the date you need the tune.

Thanks!

 

+100 for Bullwinkle tunes. Nice meeting you, thanks for the awesome work. Haven't stopped driving since.:biggrin:

 

Forgot to post up here after you tuned my car, love it. As my wife told me the other day after driving it, "That car REALLY gets it now!"

 

do you have any experience with a 4eat's with highstall Torque Converters?

 

I've done a number of 4eats locally, although I believe most have had the stock converter.