handheld tuner or dyno tuned?

8573 Views 15 Replies 9 Participants Last post by bigbird, Aug 12, 2011

Meeker761

Discussion Starter · Aug 6, 2011

witch one is better, and what kind of tuner if so

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

younglink309

· #2 · Aug 6, 2011

For anything but the simplest of mods, a custom dyno tune is gonna be better, though you'll hear from plenty of people on here that BAMA makes great tunes for a very wide variety of setups.

If you've got nothing on your car yet performance-wise (which I think is the case, based on your other posts), I suggest something like this:

JLT Mustang CAI & SF3 Tuner (05-09 GT) at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

That way you get a decent start. get yourself a CAI, and tuner, AND you're set up for any other mods in the future with free tunes for life. You can also get it without the CAI, but it's very common to start there.

The short of it seems to be that you will be fine with mail order tunes until you go Forced Induction or a serious engine build.

I'm sure other people will have more details for the question.

See less See more

dynobrat

· #3 · Aug 6, 2011

You only need a custom dyno tune if you install different cams, or run a supercharger setup, and even then usually the makers of the supercharger will either provide it with the unit or you'll have a dynotune completed during the install. But for your own investment on either, a dynotune is the safest sure fire way, that way it's spot on so you lessen the risk of blowing it up. :smartass: It's ALL about the tune when you have a supercharger or different cams, so dynotune is money well spent.

For everything else, a canned tune (tuner) is safe and would be within a few horsepower of an actual dynotune. It's a waste of money for a dynotune on a lightly modified car. Bama is a popular choice by users on this forum, however there are several other GOOD performance tune manufacturers such as Saleen, Steeda, Brenspeed, Diablosport and many many others.

The majority of people will tell you the SCT is the best tuner, and it is only to varying degrees. Because truth be told, the Diablosport Predator or Trinity work just as well as the SCT. The tune file makes the tuner, not the other way around. So really the SCT is only better because aftermarket mustang performance shops generally only support the use of the SCT, but the diablosport tuner will suffice an average person who only wants a slight increase from stock performance, and they even will work with you to customize a tune that meets your needs. It's a bit of a one-sided affair sometimes with what people will tell you. Don't take everything you read at face value. There's always more than one way to skin a cat.

See less See more

G

· #4 · Aug 6, 2011

The 93 octane race tune I had from bama was bad*ass. It was defiantely "noticeable". You gotta get a handheld tuner anyway. Even if you get your car dynotuned you need the handheld tuner to load it on there. Get you an SCT x3 from bama and put a 93 octane race tune on it. Like dynobrat said, if you put a cam or major power adder on there get it dyno'd.

See less See more

Oak Lawn Chris

· #5 · Aug 6, 2011

Check out a thread on the talk section about an email vs dyno tune. The Bama tune actually produced more HP/TQ and seemed to be the better tune in that case.

I recently had my GT on a dyno and the guy said it was one of the best email tunes he'd ever seen.

Like everyone has said, for basic bolt-ons, the sct tuner from American Muscle is all you need. :bigthumbsup

See less See more

Brenspeed

· #6 · Aug 6, 2011

SCT seems to be definitely the tuner of choice when it comes to Mustangs. You will find more people tuning with SCT in the Mustang community than probably any other tuner. We offer custom tunes that we have developed on our in house dyno. The programmer comes preloaded with three custom tunes at any three octane levels of your choice. We also test every part that we sell to make sure the proper adjustments are made to the tune. A handheld tuner is definitely the best bang for the buck and the difference in throttle response is night and day!

See less See more

Oak Lawn Chris

· #7 · Aug 6, 2011

SheizaSoSay said:
The 93 octane race tune I had from bama was bad*ass. It was defiantely "noticeable". You gotta get a handheld tuner anyway. Even if you get your car dynotuned you need the handheld tuner to load it on there. Get you an SCT x3 from bama and put a 93 octane race tune on it. Like dynobrat said, if you put a cam or major power adder on there get it dyno'd.

Hey!!! You changed your avatar. I loved the old one.:yup: Your car is fricking sweet!:winks

Hey? Shouldn't there be a "K" instead of an "S" for the first letter of your name?

See less See more

G

· #8 · Aug 6, 2011

Oak Lawn Chris said:
Hey!!! You changed your avatar. I loved the old one.:yup: Your car is fricking sweet!:winks

Hey? Shouldn't there be a "K" instead of an "S" for the first letter of your name?

Thanks OLC, the sheizasosay is from the Usual Suspects, but I was living in Germany for a few years in the army so I mixed a little Sheisa to the mix. Unfortunately I spelled it wrong for my screen name. Just gotta live with it. Those old rims are sold. Dropping them off tommorow!

See less See more

pikapp

· #9 · Aug 8, 2011

Remember the old saying, "if you've seen one mustang, then you've only seen one mustang". Meaning each one is different enough that no two are a like. Email tunes are good, but use the philosophy that all mustangs are alike. A lot goes into setting up a car on a new tune, thats why it takes most good tuners close to an hour or more to dial everything in just right. Lots of internal and external factors play into setting up a good tune. Such as air temp, humidity/dew points, barometric pressure, etc... Things most of us don't consider or know about, but good tuners do. Its an art and once you find a good tuner....hold on to them.

See less See more

gmantheman

· #10 · Aug 9, 2011

dynobrat said:
You only need a custom dyno tune if you install different cams, or run a supercharger setup, and even then usually the makers of the supercharger will either provide it with the unit or you'll have a dynotune completed during the install. But for your own investment on either, a dynotune is the safest sure fire way, that way it's spot on so you lessen the risk of blowing it up. :smartass: It's ALL about the tune when you have a supercharger or different cams, so dynotune is money well spent.

For everything else, a canned tune (tuner) is safe and would be within a few horsepower of an actual dynotune. It's a waste of money for a dynotune on a lightly modified car. Bama is a popular choice by users on this forum, however there are several other GOOD performance tune manufacturers such as Saleen, Steeda, Brenspeed, Diablosport and many many others.

The majority of people will tell you the SCT is the best tuner, and it is only to varying degrees. Because truth be told, the Diablosport Predator or Trinity work just as well as the SCT. The tune file makes the tuner, not the other way around. So really the SCT is only better because aftermarket mustang performance shops generally only support the use of the SCT, but the diablosport tuner will suffice an average person who only wants a slight increase from stock performance, and they even will work with you to customize a tune that meets your needs. It's a bit of a one-sided affair sometimes with what people will tell you. Don't take everything you read at face value. There's always more than one way to skin a cat.

You don't need a custom dyno tune if you install different cams. I had comp nsr stage 2 cams installed and my car ran just fine with my dynotune, bama tunes and Amazon Tuning Solutions tune. My car ran identical times at the track and I dynoed my car back to back with bama's tune and a dyno tune. With the dyno tune I dynoed 322/319 and with the bama tune I dynoed almost the same in fact the bama tune was about .2 to .5 higher.

See less See more

Oak Lawn Chris

· #11 · Aug 9, 2011

Yes Gman, I recently brought back your thread in the talk section about that. Very interesting huh?

Hows the GTO???

LinnErdman

· #12 · Aug 9, 2011

alot of people confuse e tunes.. there are tunes preloaded in the tuners referred to as "canned" ... there are custom e tunes generally purchased after the purchase of a tuner and sent via e mail and there are custom tunes preloaded into a tuner and sent out...when being reffered to they seem to get all lumped together when they are very different concepts..

a true custom tuning expereince will be receiving your custom tune and datalogging specific parameters and AF reading and sending them to your tuner so he can adjust and dial in the tune for your location and driving style..when working with an e tuner you will benefit from all his years of what he has learned while dyno tuning..

in most cases a dyno tune should be your best option but in many cases there is no reputable tuners in the area that can be trusted so a remote tuning session via email is a viable option IF you are using a reputable e tuner.

each person has to consider his options and decide which will be best for him.. e tuning or dyno tuning

either way I suggest talking to any tuner you are considering on a one to one basis.. check out the tuners background,knowledge of vehicle to be tuned and qualifications

with the tech available to the end user these days e tuning is a very viable and less expensive option..just make sure of what all you are getting and is involved with the e tuner that you choose

dyno tunes are not all equal either...since there are different levels of tuner ability it doesnt mean that just because a shop has a dyno and does tuning that it will be your best option

See less See more

Meeker761

Discussion Starter · #13 · Aug 9, 2011

Thanks guys! Tons of help! I'm proably leaning towards the e-tunes. But y'all were extremely helpful

gmantheman

· #14 · Aug 10, 2011

Oak Lawn Chris said:
Yes Gman, I recently brought back your thread in the talk section about that. Very interesting huh?

Hows the GTO???

I need to get some suspension upgrades and maybe a new dyno tune. It was tuned for 93 octane but we only have 91 here.

Save

gmantheman

· #15 · Aug 10, 2011

LinnErdman said:
alot of people confuse e tunes.. there are tunes preloaded in the tuners referred to as "canned" ... there are custom e tunes generally purchased after the purchase of a tuner and sent via e mail and there are custom tunes preloaded into a tuner and sent out...when being reffered to they seem to get all lumped together when they are very different concepts..

a true custom tuning expereince will be receiving your custom tune and datalogging specific parameters and AF reading and sending them to your tuner so he can adjust and dial in the tune for your location and driving style..when working with an e tuner you will benefit from all his years of what he has learned while dyno tuning..

in most cases a dyno tune should be your best option but in many cases there is no reputable tuners in the area that can be trusted so a remote tuning session via email is a viable option IF you are using a reputable e tuner.

each person has to consider his options and decide which will be best for him.. e tuning or dyno tuning

either way I suggest talking to any tuner you are considering on a one to one basis.. check out the tuners background,knowledge of vehicle to be tuned and qualifications

with the tech available to the end user these days e tuning is a very viable and less expensive option..just make sure of what all you are getting and is involved with the e tuner that you choose

dyno tunes are not all equal either...since there are different levels of tuner ability it doesnt mean that just because a shop has a dyno and does tuning that it will be your best option

I believe AM/Bama does datalogging. Haven't tried it with them but I did datalog the Amazon Tuning Solutions (ATS) tune. I didn't dyno the car after getting it datalogged but I did get a P.B at the 1/8 mile and 1/4 mile track with this tune.

See less See more

bigbird

· #16 · Aug 12, 2011

Meeker761 said:
witch one is better, and what kind of tuner if so

I have both. A local tuner with a good rep did one for me with extensive street and dyno time, cost me over 1,000.00. I also have an email tune from JDM and from BAMA. My favorite for street is JDM by far. It is smoother and more responsive although the custom tune made 14 RWHP more (same dyno same day). I haven't dynoed or raced the BAMA tune yet. The JDM tune has nice tip in, no lurch from standing start, but is a real animal when you nail the throttle from a rolling start. Much better than either of the other 2 in that respect. JDM seems to have spent a lot of time on the automatic transmission shift strategy.

See less See more

1 - 16 of 16 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.