Before the CAI I used to run a tune from Doug@Bama on my auto GT for more than a year. There was no blackening of the tailpipes nor any other issue. The car performed considerably better than stock, throttle lag was gone and gearshifts were quicker.

Now I have his JLT2 CAI and tunes, again no problems.

 

Been running my 93 octane tune from Brenspeed for a year. Absolutely no problems.

 

The reason why I started this thread is because I just picked up a Steeda CAI and tune (I'm going to leave the tuners name out for now but it's known tuner on this forum). The car is deffinetly faster, no question. But I have no compression braking on my engine at all. If I'm going down a steep hill with my 07 Manual trans and I put it in third so the compression of the engine slows the car down it rolls as if it's in neutral. I've been driving a standard shift for a long time on all kinds of cars and it feels really weird to not be able to use the trans and compreesion to slow the car down. As far as my pipes turning black I'm going to have to wait and see. I have some pinging in the high RPM's. I've contaced my tuner to ask if he would make some tweaks to the tune but I've just been told it's normal. I'm really doubting the saftey and reliability of the tune right now. Yeah the cars feels faster but it's also taken on some characteristics that I'm not keen on.

 

That sounds weird... I use engine braking all the time and I see no problems with the tune in that respect or any other.

 

Maybe I'm ignorant on this but if you have a manual trans, you stick it in third and coast, your going to get engine braking, no matter what tune you have. The engine is just turning, so I can't see how a tune would affect how easy it is for your engine to turn while coasting.

Am I wrong?

 

I know what your saying and you are right (in stock form) but the tune is not cutting fuel when I'm off the accelerator it's feeding it more fuel when I'm off the accelerator then it was when it's stock tuned and it propels the car forward. I put it back to stock last night because I thought I was just over analyzing. (I'm not) It's most noticable going down hill. I have to ride my brake a lot now......Kinda sucks that I lost that tight compression feel of the engine with the tune. This hack job tune I'm running is probably set up for an auto rather a manual. Who knows. I can't get any info out of the tuner. It's funny because I've been knocking tunes since day one and I thought what the hell I'll try a tune and fron the BS i'm dealing with it only confirms my suspisions about these "tunes"

 

Nope, your right It's completely mechanical.

 

Sure, but what heppens if you down shift into a lower gear and then press down on the gas peddle ever so slightly?????

 

I know what you are saying Mark. I have a decent canned tune from the Strategy Flash device for my JLT. Sometimes it does exactly what you are describing. Sometimes it acts like stock, where it offers not much engine braking for about 3 seconds after you let off the gas. Then after about 3 seconds, it starts slowing you down more. You can feel it and hear it in the exhaust.

Sometimes though, it "forgets" to kick in that second stage and just keeps on not slowing down. Granted, it is still doing *some* engine braking, just not as much as usual.

 

Maybe. The throttle body is computer controlled, so what's stopping a tuner from keeping it open (slightly) when the car is in gear, but pedal position is 0 (or whatever the value is when it's not depressed).

Am I wrong?

 

I have a 07 (automatic) with C&L CAI with Brenspeed 93 tune and no issues. I get a little soot on the lip of the exhaust tip but had that before since the day I bought the car new. I am still amazed everytime I drive the car at what a difference the CAI and tune made. The auto shifts are just amazing chirping the 20's in 2nd and 3rd even with the 3.31 gears.

 

that's a weird problem you're having there. i drive an auto with doug's tune. if i choose to downshift, the engine breaking is always obvious and effective.

that being said, i love doug's tune. however, i am concerned about my engine life being effected by it. i guess it's to early to tell if there will be any long term reliability issues yet. keeping fingers crossed.

 

How would it shorten the life of your engine???? Unless it's knocking, nothing will be affected. If anything it'll last longer because it's running more efficiently.

Satisfied with my 93 Performance tune from Bama. I think if I went back to stock now, after having had it installed for 3 months, the difference would be much more noticeable. Have kind of gotten used to it.

 

With dougs tune in my manual i stil have plenty of engine braking, i can hear it in the exhaust immediately when letting off the pedal...now when i put the new DS in, i noticed a loss in the engine braking for sure...i can coast a long way still above 40 when i let of 60. Huge difference there.

 

+1

I don't drive my car much because I'm not allowed to park it at the barracks anymore (see sig) but Doug's 93 Race tune is monsterous.... I had an '05 Ram 3500 Turbo dually try to play at a light the other day... I walked him easily but I know I coulnd't have with a stock tune.

 

Dynospeed tune here.
87, 93 and Race gas tunes...
I run the 93 95% of the time.
Some pinging (depends on the brand of gas((I'm serious))
Some soot, always had that though.
I can destroy 2nd and grab a hard 3rd.
Joe, at Dynospeed said it'd knock the fillings out of my teeth and he was correct.
I am however about to go with a Brenspeed or Bamachips tune as I am installing a NOS kit this weekend.

 

My tune is pinging with the 93 and 91 at WOT. This tune seems really dirty to me. I'm about to take my Steeda CAI intake off and return in back to stock and throw the parts in a box and forget it for now. I'd like to try bamachips but I don't want to drop 75 dollars for a tune from him and put up with the same BS. The thing that sucks about a tune is you have no idea what the hell was done to your car What sensors are turned off. Maybe my knock sensors are tunred off that's why it's pinging. Who knows with this POS tune i'm running. Worst money I ever spent .

 

Mark,

Your example is just one more on the list of people who's canned tunes did not work. As I've stated countless times, every car is different. With my experience tuning Camaros since the OBD I days, there is no way you can get me to run a canned tune. As the years go by, more and more current, i.e. S197, owners will go the "custom" route and will begin to tune their own cars as I do. Today, I'd predict that less than five percent of S197 owners write their own tune files. This estimate will only increase with time. I'm one of these because I want the absolute optimum tune for my car. As for your case, I'd seriously consider forking out the $$$ to buy the tuning software and learning about how to tune your own car!!! I can only imagine what it's like to totally depend on a tuner through e-mail . IMHO, tuning software should always be your first mod.

I've screen captured all the variables involved in Coasting Fuel Shutoff and the Knock Sensor parameters. As you can see, this is not as simple as it may seem. But if you had the software, you can examine all the scalars and tables from your current tune file and compare them with the stock tune file values. By creating a value file of your stock coasting and knock sensor parameters, then importing them into your current tune file, you'll know without a doubt if the tune file is the culprit....

 

You already have the hardware installed, might as well try the Bamachips tune. I'm sure if you are completely unsatisified with it you could get your money back. The overwhelming response in this thread has been people with generic canned tunes have problems, but those with bama/brenspeed tunes have pretty much all been very happy.

 

I cant say I have heard that many problems that have not been worked out with these guys. As for the knock sensors, they are not shut off.