Hand held Tuners
 

OK I'm an older guy and not used to these tuners, so I have a couple of quesitons.
1. Which one is the best for our GT/CS's??
2. Will it keep the factory tune as well as a "drag tune and a street tune??"
Any advice or help will be great.
Ciao
:blah:

First, look as far out as you can with what your goals are for your vehicle. If you are going to do anything that will require a dyno-tune (cams, headers, charge motion deletes, etc.) then you should find the most reputable local tuner.
From there, the rest of this conversation is between you and the local tuner.

The other option is to buy a "plug and play" upgrade and then live with it. You can source these items from anyone with a reputation. I personally opted for this and bought a C&L Racer intake with a Diablosport tuner. It came with a "Race" tune for 93 octane, which is what I wanted.

I would go through one of the authorized sellers on this site if you opt for the second option.

I've had excellent results on two GT/CSs and a V6, using the BamaChips tunes and SCT 3 tuner. It's quick and easy, once you have the tuner in your hands. Results are remarkable in drivability and performance, testimonials and data, respectively.

I figure about a 7% reduction in ET over the eighth-mile dragstrip. Is that worth the $400.00 it will cost? Not really, but the improvement in throttle response, quicker and sharper automatic shifts, and tougher sound from the exhaust was worth it, easily. Puts a new face on driving enjoyment.

Some folks report better MPG figures, too, but I'm not one of them. Car is so much greater a pleasure to drive that I use a bit more fuel foot than with the "stock" tune, which the tuner allows me to return to (you can switch from one tune to another - three custom and stock - in three or four minutes).

Generally speaking, the "canned" tunes that come with the tuner before the Specialist Shops (Bama, Brenspeed, JLT, etc) get to them, are not much good. A dyno tune with your tuner and a local specialist is probably the best for all-out performance, but the specialist tunes from the major tuners are pretty good.

Cheers!

The SCT X3 is a surprisingly powerful tool. I personally think every S197 owner should invest in one. Especially if it is packed with a great tune from any on the tuners on this site. I personally use a Brenspeed tune and the SCT allows for quick and accurate trouble shooting from your tuner if anything should happen with your tune.

I can personally attest to the awesome customer service of the great folks at Brenspeed. But the vast amount of end user adjust ability of the X3 makes everything that much sweeter.

I agree with the comments on the SCT X3. I carry 87, 91 and 93 octane tunes in mine, courtesy of Brenspeed. The performance difference is tremendous!

Same here SCT tuner from Bama never an issue