Questions about a tune by frost

[Guerrillakilla13]

I'm going to send in my PCM for a mail order tune by frost so he can get rid of that pesky P0420 code. I'm due for emissions testing in February and the stupid cat went out. but I had a few quick questions about it as secondaries;

will a tune give me increased power, even without any mods other then a cat back?
If so, will it hurt gas mileage?
Will a mail order tune fix my cars stuttering to shift at WOT when it reaches the redline and bounces for a second or two?
Will it give me smoother shifting?
Is there anything else I should know about it?

Thanks a ton guys.

[2002ssslp]

I'm not sure about your shifting issues because it may be mechanical and the PCM is electronic. You will get better MPG and you will gain HP and he should be able to rid you of the cat codes. For 150.00 Frost is the best game in town.

[Guerrillakilla13]

Cool! Thank you! I had such a nightmare 2 years ago when I had to get it emissioned. Failed twice, so they made me go to a shop to have them find out whats wrong and fix it. Top of gas tank was punctured cause of the idiot before me and it ended up costing me dearly. I don't wanna do that again because a stupid cat went out lol.

[SMWS6TA]

Are you M6 or A4?


It's not so much of a HP increase as it is more of releasing more of the engines HP/TQ from a restrictive factory tune. He does tweak the shift points for A4's. Tuning does help M6's. That's either a mechanical issue or driver issue.

He does delete the rear O2 sensors, if you have a downstream O2 issue deleting them will help.

Gas Mileage - this is hard to answer, because it depends on so many factors. Most important is how you drive. Heavy foot = less mpg, modest driving = better mpg. Will it hurt you current habits, it shouldn't.

[Guerrillakilla13]

Are you M6 or A4?


It's not so much of a HP increase as it is more of releasing more of the engines HP/TQ from a restrictive factory tune. He does tweak the shift points for A4's. Tuning does help M6's. That's either a mechanical issue or driver issue.

He does delete the rear O2 sensors, if you have a downstream O2 issue deleting them will help.

Gas Mileage - this is hard to answer, because it depends on so many factors. Most important is how you drive. Heavy foot = less mpg, modest driving = better mpg. Will it hurt you current habits, it shouldn't.

Its an automatic so A4? I'm not sure if its the rear 02s or the other two, but since I have that code and smell gasoline more strongly when the code came on I'm gonna assume a tune can shut off the readings and get me passed. oh ok, I assumed more horsepower in this sense was equal to more gas usage.

So in regards to what you said about restrictive factory tune; does this also mean that my governor will be removed?

[0rion]

first off....why are you hitting the rev limiter? Any mods at all done to the car? You will get a bump in power but being stock it won't be a big difference gas mileage wise. Where you would notice the most difference is how the car shifts. He would remove torque management which is a fairly large limiting factor in a4's. I would want to make sure you don't have a mechanical issue there before getting tuned though. How long has it been since you changed the trans fluid? What color is the fluid?

[Naaman]

The shifting issue you're describing sounds like it could be something mechanical or fluid related. I'm no expert on anything about powertrains, but from what I've learned so far, it sounds like maybe you're ATF is low or burnt or for some reason not doing the job it's supposed to.

When you say "reaches the redline and bounces for a second or two," do you mean the rev-limiter? If so, that sounds funky to me (assuming you're in D when this happens).

[Guerrillakilla13]

There aren't any mods done to the internals, at least as far as I know. I just had the trans fluid flushed about half a year ago. What kind of mechanical issues are you talking about Orion? Because normal shifting is perfect, minus a tiny rev jump glitch I get going from 4th to overdrive. The only issue I have with it is WOT will get me bounces off the rev limiter before it shifts (only from 1st to 2nd gear).

Naaman i don't think its my ATF, since I just got it flushed not too long ago. And sorry yes I mean rev limiter, not redline.

[pajeff02]

Frost will tweak the transmission settings as part of the tune. He has performed 2 or 3 mail order tunes on our car. Our car idled smoother, shifted better and ran stronger after he worked his magic. Our first tune was done after the installation of a catback and lid.

[Naaman]

Take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am not nearly the most knowledgeable person around here.

Depending on the mileage and the condition of your transmission/torque converter, etc, there are some things that could be causing it. When you say it only happens from 1st to 2nd, I tend to think that the valve body may be the issue (the part that regulates the flow and distribution of the ATF). Sometimes when you flush the fluids, you flush out with them the worn pieces of the component they are lubricating, changing the physical characteristics of that component. If the valve body has deteriorated, it may not be allowing the fluid to get to where it needs to be in order for your transmission to shift properly.

The reason I think this is because the valve body dictates how the transmission behaves based on throttle input. The more throttle you apply, the more pressure you build up in the valve body (where the transmission fluid flows). This pressure allows/prohibits the fluid's flow to specific locations. If fluid winds up in a specific spot, the transmission responds in the appropriate way. If your fluid is not able to reach (in a normal amount or at the right time) the pocket that tells it to shift from 1st to 2nd at WOT, then there may be a delay in the shift.

I'm not sure whether the electronic aspect of the drivetrain can overrule the mechanical effects of the fluid or not. If they can/do, then my theory is blown.

[Guerrillakilla13]

I sent him an e-mail last month and he's yet to get back to me. That makes me a little uncomfortable considering i'd be sending my PCM across the country.

That's good news Jeff so I have something to look forward too other than a emissions pass lol. Naaman that's quite a theory..I really hope that's not the case. I wouldn't be very happy if it was a mechanical issue ha.

[Too Fast]

Take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am not nearly the most knowledgeable person around here.

Depending on the mileage and the condition of your transmission/torque converter, etc, there are some things that could be causing it. When you say it only happens from 1st to 2nd, I tend to think that the valve body may be the issue (the part that regulates the flow and distribution of the ATF). Sometimes when you flush the fluids, you flush out with them the worn pieces of the component they are lubricating, changing the physical characteristics of that component. If the valve body has deteriorated, it may not be allowing the fluid to get to where it needs to be in order for your transmission to shift properly.

The reason I think this is because the valve body dictates how the transmission behaves based on throttle input. The more throttle you apply, the more pressure you build up in the valve body (where the transmission fluid flows). This pressure allows/prohibits the fluid's flow to specific locations. If fluid winds up in a specific spot, the transmission responds in the appropriate way. If your fluid is not able to reach (in a normal amount or at the right time) the pocket that tells it to shift from 1st to 2nd at WOT, then there may be a delay in the shift.

I'm not sure whether the electronic aspect of the drivetrain can overrule the mechanical effects of the fluid or not. If they can/do, then my theory is blown.

I sent him an e-mail last month and he's yet to get back to me. That makes me a little uncomfortable considering i'd be sending my PCM across the country.

That's good news Jeff so I have something to look forward too other than a emissions pass lol. Naaman that's quite a theory..I really hope that's not the case. I wouldn't be very happy if it was a mechanical issue ha.

Sounds like you are bouncing off the rev limiter on the 1-2 shift. Does not sound like a problem with the transmission itself. Also it sounds like somebody has bumped up your shift points or you don't have OE rear gears. The stock shift point is like 5500 RPM, and fuel cutoff stock is 6200.

I've had a Frost tune, and enjoy no more SES light.

[0rion]

There aren't any mods done to the internals, at least as far as I know. I just had the trans fluid flushed about half a year ago. What kind of mechanical issues are you talking about Orion? Because normal shifting is perfect, minus a tiny rev jump glitch I get going from 4th to overdrive. The only issue I have with it is WOT will get me bounces off the rev limiter before it shifts (only from 1st to 2nd gear).

Naaman i don't think its my ATF, since I just got it flushed not too long ago. And sorry yes I mean rev limiter, not redline.

what about intake mods? Is the MAF stock? MAF airflow plays a role in where/how the tranny shifts. It could be nothing at all but it's pretty odd that a completely stock car would be hitting the rev limiter on shifts. That would definitely get my attention because that's a pretty big jump from the stock shift points to the rev limiter. Can you explain better what's happening when you go to overdrive? Is the converter locking up like it should?

[pajeff02]

I sent him an e-mail last month and he's yet to get back to me. That makes me a little uncomfortable considering i'd be sending my PCM across the country.

That's good news Jeff so I have something to look forward too other than a emissions pass lol. Naaman that's quite a theory..I really hope that's not the case. I wouldn't be very happy if it was a mechanical issue ha.

His turnaround time on mail orders is literally a day or two. Just be sure to completely fill out the data sheet.

[Guerrillakilla13]

wow good points guys. Something I've never mentioned is that there's a "hypertech" sticker on my airlid. I didn't do that. So maybe it's a previous tune that's making my car act this way?

Orion as far as I know, everything looks completely stock in that area.

This may be normal too, but WOT on the freeway won't shift me past 100mph. It just bounces off the rev limiter and doesn't shift unless I let off the pedal a little bit.

[0rion]

wow good points guys. Something I've never mentioned is that there's a "hypertech" sticker on my airlid. I didn't do that. So maybe it's a previous tune that's making my car act this way?

Orion as far as I know, everything looks completely stock in that area.

This may be normal too, but WOT on the freeway won't shift me past 100mph. It just bounces off the rev limiter and doesn't shift unless I let off the pedal a little bit.

sounds like you may have solved your problem. Someone has tinkered with the shift points I bet and didn't know what they were doing. Sounds like you're a good candidate for a frost tune. Steve is usually pretty darn busy but he takes care of people and you only have to ask people that have used him to see that people are extremely happy with his tunes and his service. I would put my reputation on him and not think twice about it. Not many people out there I would do that for either.

[Guerrillakilla13]

Excellent, thank you for the backed up confidence. I'll buy a tune from him in the next week.

I can't be car-less considering I live outside of the city and everything I do is inside. If I decide to buy a new PCM from him instead of send my current one in, can I sell my current one on ebay? I mean is the PCM VIN specific or just make and model / transmission / motor specific?

[35th-ANV-SS]

Ask him if he will give you a loaner stock PCM while he has yours.

Another customer of Steve's.

[Guerrillakilla13]

In the FAQs he said he won't do it because too many people damaged the loaners or something

[pajeff02]

^^ I saw that - he was apparently getting junk PCM's from people. His turnaround time is fast though so not too much of an issue.