Whats the Deal with ECM programmers???

[DOCJHH45]

Has anyone tried the Diablo Sport, Hypertech, etc. or similar flash programmers on an ls1 with just the usual bolt ons???

They worth it??? any noticable power gains???


or is a custom tune always the best way??

thanks

[ss~zoso~ss]

you might gain some power, but generally they are not worth it, a dyno tune (ie with laptop on the dyno) is gonna get you the best results for you particular car.

hand held tuners allow you to adjust fan speed / temp setting, shift points for A4, gear ratios, etc... but thats all they're really good for

[mrr23]

i've used the vinci tuner on the wife's car when i put heads, then later on a cam. it comes with 8 preset tunes, depending on what cam you have and if you have a supercharger. here's a write up i did on it http://www.stealthram.com/vhptuner.htm

[0rion]

the vinci and diablo are pretty decent hand helds. Being an a4 you'll absolutely love what they do for your shifts. You can find both used for ~$250 and they hold their value well. They're easy to use also. Do they compete with an editor? Not in flexiblility or sheer power but they do have their place in the tuning world due to price and how easy they are to use. What are your plans for the car?

[DOCJHH45]

Thanks for the input everyone... anyone know of any good tuning places in the mass/RI area?