Custom Dyno-tune - need insight

[DavidPIL]

Hello all...I'm planning on getting a custom tuning of my Unichip at a shop near Naperville IL. I have never gone through this process before so I'm asking to find out what I should expect from the shop, what a typical shop may need from me during the process... any assistance or information on this would be greatly appreciated.I feel the need for the custom tune mainly because of an upgrade last Fall of my exhaust system. I up-sized the pipes to 2.5", went with a high-flow Cat and also have a dual out Flowmaster Muffler (80 Series). Had the dreaded P0420 CEL indicator and notice muffled backfires when set on "A" map, not as much on "B". So I figured a custom would help.I have approximately a 2 week window to set-up the appointment and this will be my fist time so all insight on this process would be greatly appreciated. Dave

[BlueCrush]

If they are an authorized Unichip tuner then all they will need from you is your car and your $$$. Tell them which map you want to have them tune for power and which one for economy. The nice thing about the Unichip is that it is the only piggyback computer for the Vibe that can advance timing for more power in N/A applications. Make sure to get before and after pics of the dyno charts and a video if possible. Good Luck!

[Daox]

Why can't the e-manage alter timing?

[BlueCrush]

The e-manage can retard timing but not advance timing. The Unichip can do both. This is what I was told by a local tuner that tunes both e-manages and Unichips as well as almost every other ecu & piggyback on the market.

[Daox]

I'd have to disagree with the tuner then. The E-manage (both versions) can both advance and retard timing. The knock sensor must be delt with to prevent the ECU from retarding the timing back to what it deems necessary. But, that can be fixed with one of the gizmos sold here: http://www.mohdparts.com/emanage/index.html Look under emanage blue special adaptors. Its probably just a high ohm resistor that cuts the knock sensor voltage down.

[BlueCrush]

Interesting. I'll have to check back with them again.

[DavidPIL]

thanks BlueCrush,I'm assuming they are authorized cuz I got their information direct from Unichip's site. I have to fix a resonator issue first then see if I can get the first cat removed or gutted. Hopefully do this in July.Once again, thanks!Dave

[manicdan]

they say pepboys are an offical seller and user, yet i go there and they had no idea what i was talking about when i said unichip, all they do is order them in if someone wanted it.just prepare some really cool questions and if they answer then u know ur safe with them

[AKLGT]

well, my dyno tune experience was quite interesting.... make sure you have plenty of time to cool the car/engine down before you slap it onto the dyno. heatsoak will affect performance! let them know what you have on the car and what you're wanting to do. a good tuner should be able to tune the car specific to your mods with the help of the dyno for better readings. it's not cheap, but imo, worth the peace of mind for safety and of course better performance.

[DavidPIL]

Hello...I finally got it dyno-tuned but I wasn't very happy with the overall experience. Apparently, the guy didn't know much about the A/B mapping thing. He did the tuning on "B" only and said there isn't that much of a difference between the 2 maps so just keep it on "B".The charts don't make that much sense to me either. The guy told me to take it home, look it over and if I have any questions to let him know. I figured I could get more responses here than with him so here it is.This first chart shows 5 runs, though I know he did more. First 3 runs were before tuning, last 2 were after. He leaned it out a little as in the right graph. My gains in torque were minimal, and it seems I now have a loss in the low end. I do notice a distinct pull in the 3500-3800 range while driving. No overly noticeable drop in pull below that though.Here is the basic before and after HP/Torque graph. I would have expected higher numbers all around, but I know the weighting is different for actual HP/Torque and rated HP/Torque.Any thoughts or input on the numbers would be greatly appreciated.Dave