everyone says self tune it.. but how hard it is really?

**JOHN_DEERE_LS6** · 09-23-2007, 08:01 AM

i liek the idea of tuning my care myself... i have a real good quaility sense and i like noing ive done a good job with something... but really could i tune my own car??? i no a guy who tried tuning his own turbo caviler with a bunch of internal stuff done and they couldnt do it and ended up sellign the whole package to a guy who must have actually knwon what he was doin!!

so with a laptop and ls1edit could i figure it out you think??? id hate to mess my car up trying to do some good for it....

thsi whole fuel injection and computer thing is messin with my head im used to small blocks with distiburters and carbs!!!

enlighten me guys whats the word on me self tuning?!?!

thanks jordan

**mrr23** · 09-23-2007, 04:55 PM

make sure all of those people telling you to do it yourself are going to be willing to come to you and show you what to do when you are stuck. it's not an easy task.

here's a visual guide for hptuners i have been working on.

http://www.fla-thirdgen.org/hptuners.htm

**thecorrectformula** · 09-23-2007, 04:58 PM

I won't even attempt to tune my own car.

**Bandit02** · 09-25-2007, 09:14 AM

Truthfully if you can read, have some computer skills you can tune. You DO need to understand how a car works, if your one of those guys that drives and does nothing else don't even think about it. I think knowing a car is more important that knowing how to use a computer.

Getting started is the hardest part, if you can get past learning the program you'll easily figure it out.

I learned on my V6 which is easier than the V8 (more simplistic, less to mess with on the tuner) but it can be done. HPtuners is the best out there, very user friendly.

**foff667** · 09-26-2007, 05:01 AM

If I could do it over again it would've been the first "mod" I ever purchased. Unlike other bolt on's & such this is one of the few that will grow with your vehicle(s). With hptuners you get enough credits to tune up to 4 different vehicles and with custom histograms & such has really made tuning so much easier than ever before. There is alot of leg work you'll need to do in the long run but for me it was more satisfying than any other mod I ever did.

-Bill

**JOHN_DEERE_LS6** · 09-26-2007, 05:07 AM

hmm if i take my big computer out into my garage can i hook it into my car and use thsi same program you speak of?? anyone in michigan that would like to lend a helping hand that knows what there doing??

**foff667** · 09-26-2007, 06:58 AM

a laptop is definitely recommended and with many starting at $299-349 http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1179877238966 they aren't that far out of reach even in new form

**richard head** · 09-26-2007, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by foff667

If I could do it over again it would've been the first "mod" I ever purchased. Unlike other bolt on's & such this is one of the few that will grow with your vehicle(s). With hptuners you get enough credits to tune up to 4 different vehicles and with custom histograms & such has really made tuning so much easier than ever before. There is alot of leg work you'll need to do in the long run but for me it was more satisfying than any other mod I ever did.

-Bill

x2. i didn't even really have any problems learning how to do it. go to the tune repository, type in your car's info, find a modded table and start comparing and contrasting to find out what you want to mod... it's very easy to get started and even easier after that; the only thing that makes it hard is motivation.

**xinthenight** · 09-26-2007, 03:52 PM

I'll be looking at the link posted above, because I too like the satisfaction of doing things myself. I also plan on opening up a shop after I'm done with college so learning to tune would be helpful.

Exactly what do you need for this? Can you use the tuners over and over? And are you able to actually mess your car up if you do something wrong?

**0rion** · 09-26-2007, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by xinthenight

I'll be looking at the link posted above, because I too like the satisfaction of doing things myself. I also plan on opening up a shop after I'm done with college so learning to tune would be helpful.

Exactly what do you need for this? Can you use the tuners over and over? And are you able to actually mess your car up if you do something wrong?

you need the actual software and a laptop that I think the minimum requirements is 800 mhz and it's highly recommended that you buy a wideband.
Yes, you can tear the car up if you're not careful. It's best to take baby steps, do a lot of reading, and ask a lot of questions. Don't just dive in and start changing things until you have a grasp of what it is you're changing.

**Firebirdjones** · 09-27-2007, 08:19 AM

I am what most people call a "computer dummy"

But if you're going to own one of these cars for the long haul,,,,tuning software is a must in my opinion. You have to have a good understanding of cars themselves as mentioned already. My biggest hangup is figuring out what some of these tables in HPtuners actually does and how some of them interact with other tables as well,,,it can be a real head spinner. It's not completely cut and dry but with patients and a few friends willing to help,,,it's worth it.

I dove in and bought Hptuner,,,it was the first mod,,,and by far the best one so far. There are so many little things you can do beside just tuning A/F ratios and timing tables.

It was a huge learning curve for me and still is. I am still taking baby steps with mine.

To give you an example when my 02 SS was completely stock, it ran 13.70's at 101 mph. Tinkering with Hptuner, dialing in the Fuel Trims and timing tables etc.....had the car running 13.40's at 104 mph,,,with just simple changes,,,,no dyno tuning, just driving on the street,,,not a perfect tune but better than what the factory had in there.

You have the benifit and pleasure of doing it yourself,,,not to mention diagnosing trouble codes and other problems the car may have in the future. You won't be at the mercy of a custom tuner either, with a locked computer that no one else can access,,,,yuck.

But I also have the mindset that I could possibly go too far and blow something up,,,,but hey,,,,thats the way it goes,,,I will just fix it and move on.
I have since done some bolt ons,,,and I can simply plug in the lap top and make the necessary changes and I am on my way,,,that part is nice as well.
There have been many here that have helped me along the way (thanks mrr23) and I am sure I will need more in the future. Goodluck.

**mrr23** · 09-27-2007, 07:19 PM

you're welcome. that's what we are here for.

**{FzS}BlacKMagicK** · 09-27-2007, 08:48 PM

I really want to get HPtuners also. If you get a laptop, and the software, the first time you hook it up, will it store a profile of your current tune?

Oh and what is the wideband for...what does it do that you can't do without it?

One more thing, I see alot of people mention dyno tuning, would getting a dyno tune be superior to using HP by itself?

**0rion** · 09-27-2007, 10:48 PM

The way it works is you connect the software via a cable from your laptop to your OBD port under the dash by your right knee. I forget if it asks you to license before or after the initial read but at some point it'll ask you if you want to license the vehicle. You select yes or no. That initial read is your stock file. You name it and save it. Then you can change the parameters to that file and use "save as" and save it to a different file name and "flash" it back to the car.
IMO a wideband should be mandatory with tuning software. If I was into the tuning software business I would try to climb into bed with one of the wideband suppliers and then offer a package deal with a discount for buying the package. It's a very important and key piece of the tuning puzzle. Why tune a cars fuel delivery if you don't know what your air fuel ratio is? That's like throwing darts at a dart board that doesn't have numbers on it. You can guestimate it using the narrowband O2's but it's still just a guess at the end of the day. That's also a reason to get the Pro version so you can log your AFR along with your other PID's.
Dyno tuning is something the vast majority do. There are 2 big positives to dyno tuning that I see. One is that you have a number figure to go by to see what gains or loses a given tune adjustment makes. You can see if your HP and Torque go up or down. The other is it keeps you from doing 120 mph on public roads while you're tuning. That being said my car has never been on a dyno. I do all my tuning on the country roads out by where I live. Smart? Probably not but it's free and the roads are flat and deserted usually.

**{FzS}BlacKMagicK** · 09-28-2007, 12:14 AM

Ah, so you can have it hooked up while going WOT and it's the same as using a dyno...cool, maybe even better cause it's under real load in real driving?

But, I see what you mean, it would be nice to know that changes made helped or hurt.
I guess you have to go by feel when doing it that way or put it on a dyno when you get the chance.

So what your saying is the wideband allows for you to make fuel/air ratio observations and changes, is that correct?

So without one, what can the software do by itself?

One thing I'm curious about is, can it tell you if you have missfires or not?

I think I'm running overly rich. My exhaust tips are really black on the inside, not sure if this is normal though. My car was tuned in Illinois, which is probably much more above sea level. I'm wondering if retuning it for sea level now that it's in Florida would squeeze out some ponies.

**0rion** · 09-28-2007, 12:36 AM

The wideband itself won't make the changes, it just tells you what your AFR is. You make the changes with the tuning software. Hptuners has histograms that you can log error % while you drive and then copy and special paste that error % right to your ve table and it'll adjust the table by the error %. That's why it's important to get the pro version so you can log them both at the same time. That's not the only histogram available....there's a bunch.

Yes, you can log misfires several different ways.

Not sure what kinda gains you will see tuning to the florida elevation and weather but I would bet there's some to be had.
With the wideband and hptuners you'll know pretty quick how the car is doing AFR wise.

**{FzS}BlacKMagicK** · 09-28-2007, 01:28 AM

Thanks, it would seem then this is pretty much a must have. Can't wait to pick this all up and start digging in.

**Firebirdjones** · 09-28-2007, 06:38 AM

Orion gives great advice. The wideband is a great tool. I have one that I use on the older cars to dial in the carburators but I have yet to interface it with Hptuner and play with it. Another big leap I have to try sometime.

For now, I have made my changes using the histograms in HPtuner and watching LTFT's. After dialing that in by driving on the street (as Orion mentioned) I played with the timing tables a little bit. I waited to go to the strip to dial in my WOT A/F ratio, so I could use my MPH as a tuning tool. I have done this with the older muscle cars for 30 years and has worked great.
I kept leaning out the WOT A/F ratio and watched my MPH. When I hit a peak and felt there was no more I went 1 or 2 steps back to the fat side just to stay safe and left it alone. But you have to have a good understanding of how tuning affects a motor to use this effectively, you could easily go too far and damage something.

Granted this is not as accurate as the wide band method or having the car on a dyno,,,,you sure can't beat the fun factor. And it worked well for me as I mentioned I picked up 3 tenths and 3 mph doing nothing but pushing a few buttons on a completely stock car. Not to bad for a few afternoons of driving and a day at the strip.

But if you can swing for the whole package wide band and all, thats the best way as Orion mentioned.