And it is hoontastic! The performance tune is a definite improvement over stock but the race tune transforms the car entirely. It quite literally brings out the inner beast in the car. You can actually feel the car straining and wanting to be unleashed
This is simply going to contribute further to my general delinquency

 

Tell me about it..........After 41 years of driving, i got my first speeding ticket a couple months ago .

 

Oh no!

The race tune is loads of fun but I think the performance tune makes more sense for daily driving. It's either that or invest in a good radar detector

 

dang seems like i need to get my 3:31 gears installed. then follow thru with a tune

 

If you are getting gears installed and the PCM modified, why not go for a little more gear than the 3.31:1? I would imagine with 3.73:1 gears, the V6 would really wake up.

 

+1 on the 3.73 gears!

 

i drive highway 90% of the time. so i don't want to hurt my mileage at all.
i don't take it to the track either, so i really dont care too much for launch.

plus 3:31's keep it safe with warranty, in terms of it being a standard option. versus 3.73 being obvious it was installed after the fact.

with that gear, a single piece driveshaft, headers, and 93 tune. i'll be more than satisfied.

 

See, that is where you are wrong on both accounts. Even the 3.31 gear will affect your highway mileage by ~2MPG. And the notion of "safe with warranty" is a load of bull because as soon as you go in and modify the rear end from how it came from the factory, you have affected your warranty for the rear axle. The part of your list that would most affect warranty would be the "93-octane tune."

 

i doubt it's that big of a difference with a 3:31 , maybe a 3:55 and up.
but we'll see, once i open the wallet, that's where the reality sinks in. so i might be a tuned 2:73

 

So I've gone through a tank of gas on the 93 race tune. Calculated my gas mileage and I'm down 1 mpg compared to stock. Not bad at all considering the car was driver rather "enthusiastically" with the race tune
Switched to the performance tune for this tank of gas to see how it does.

 

I love the 93 race tune but for me it's exactly like Chris Rose described which makes it really hard to apply moderate throttle off the line and tooling around town. It's hard not to have it be overly jumpy. On the other hand it does one thing really well. Drop the hammer and it's ***** to the wall! Under full throttle it's a beast. I keep flashing the tune for a spirited runs but can't cope with the jerkiness on a day-to-day basis.

It's a good thing the 93 performance tune is almost as fun.

 

Couldn't agree more. I lack self-restraint with the race tune

 

I got 3.31 from the factory. If you are concerned about warranty the dealer would be able to install and it shouldn't be an issue. They will most likely overcharge but you won't have to worry about it.

 

I've had 3.73 gears installed for about a month now and do A LOT of highway miles. If you can be disciplined enough to use cruise control and stay under 75, you can get about 28mpg depending on your wheel and tire configuration etc. I actually noticed an increase in fuel economy with the race tune along with stock 3.31 gears and 225/60-17 tires. I would typically get just under 30 mpg under the same conditons. Just before I switched to 3.73s, I went to wider 274/40-19 tires so I'm sure that is also contributing to the decrease in mpgs too.

The problem is that with the intake, tune and gears, all you want to do is punch it everywhere. That's where it all goes downhill lol.

 

Sounds great. Can't wait to put on CAI and Tune... What octane Does the Performance tune need?

 

91 or 93 octane, depending on which you can get.

 

Thanks. I have 3.31 from the factory so hoping highway mpg hangs in there.

 

The Bama tune does a great job at sipping fuel when you're just cruising along, but brings the pain when you push the accelerator. You'll see what I mean.