[mustangdave2008]

I bought the sct from American Muscle with 3 tunes, loaded the 93R tune and saw no improvement at all. The car was hard to crank instead of instantly roaring to life so after a test drive, I returned it to stock. Just now, I updated the unit on the sct website but I doubt that would make a difference. So, am I missing something? Did u upload your tunes without any updates directly from the sct device?
Honestly, I am shocked after hearing how the tuner and CAI transforms the car, even though I just went the tuner route, to feel no gain in throttle response, performance,etc...AM is closed now but I contacted them when I first was unimpressed and some guy said hard starting was a natural part of their tune...w.t.f???He offered no advice whatsoever. If I don't get an answer here, I will be returning the unit.

 

[mustangdave2008]

Oh yeah, the instruction sheet that comes with the unit is pretty much worthless: e.g., to update driver,right click on my computer tab does not bring up properties menu as stated. Their website also offers incorrect directions for updating the device. Maybe they should realize there are different versions of Windows and offer an accurate instruction sheet...pretty pics tho.

 

[Rockin' Blue's]

Trust me, it does transform your car to something amazing, not sure what going with yours but there is a difference your will notice right now :yup: Do you have the right octane in your car?? Call SCT they can help you


SCT Performance - More Power! Less Fuel!

 

[mustangdave2008]

Yes, I ran 3 tanks of high quality,(no convenience store crap), 93 octane through the car in preparation for the tune. I didn't expect supercharger power, but thought I should be able to feel something; at least better throttle response. Instead I got nothing but hard starting.

 

[Rockin' Blue's]

Do you have a Cold Air intake ?? Something is amiss give AM a call or call SCT :yup:

 

[mustangdave2008]

No cai, just axle backs. I'm sure A.M. will straighten it out as they have a great reputation; was just looking for advice to see if I had done something wrong or skipped a step. I just uploaded tune from sct device to car without doing updates; should I have done that first? That type of question. I'm an o.t.r. truck driver, so if I don't get this straightened out tonite/today, it will be 3-4 weeks b4 I can work with them on this. Although I must say, the instructions suck and I am not initially impressed with their customer service...the option of returning the unit is still in my mind.

 

[ufc94champ]

No cai, just axle backs. I'm sure A.M. will straighten it out as they have a great reputation; was just looking for advice to see if I had done something wrong or skipped a step. I just uploaded tune from sct device to car without doing updates; should I have done that first? That type of question. I'm an o.t.r. truck driver, so if I don't get this straightened out tonite/today, it will be 3-4 weeks b4 I can work with them on this. Although I must say, the instructions suck and I am not initially impressed with their customer service...the option of returning the unit is still in my mind.

Your car is hard starting bc the tuner drains the battery so much, Bama can likely increase the timing and what not if you dont feel a difference, but on the race tune the throttle and pedal should be very touchy, maybe you just haven't ran it WOT, thats where it makes the most difference.

 

[JBert]

about the hard starting -- did you start it just once, or did that problem repeat?

the first time you start after downloading the tune it will have to crank a few times (I think it is because the fuel pump loses pressure during the tune download) but after that it should be back to normal in the starting department

not sure about not seeing any difference in performance; but yeah all of the tunes mainly make a difference at heavy throttle, you won't notice much difference at light throttle

and yeah personally I think the talk about "transforming your car into a different animal" is a little exaggerated

 

[Rockin' Blue's]

about the hard starting -- did you start it just once, or did that problem repeat?

the first time you start after downloading the tune it will have to crank a few times (I think it is because the fuel pump loses pressure during the tune download) but after that it should be back to normal in the starting department

not sure about not seeing any difference in performance; but yeah all of the tunes mainly make a difference at heavy throttle, you won't notice much difference at light throttle

and yeah personally I think the talk about "transforming your car into a different animal" is a little exaggerated

I can appreciate your opinion about saying it doesn't " transform your car into a different animal ", but the fact remains that my car never ran like it does now until I got my performance tune and it is a whole different animal ( It was like night and day compared to the stock tune ) I will stand by that !!! :bigthumbsup

 

[Oak Lawn Chris]

First of all, you shouldn't have ran three tanks of 93octane on the stock 87 tune. Running 93 on an 87 tune can hurt your performance.

Second, the hard start will be only the first time after the tune. It should not happen twice.

Third, you should notice that your gas pedal is completly changed for the better. If you have an auto you should notice new shift points (6500rpm with the race tune) and big time firmness.

Fourth, the overall performance gains on WOT are not extreme, but they do exsist, about a half second difference with the performance tune according to their website and some posters here.

You didnt have any problems loading it I assume as you got the hard start.

Load the Race tune today and drive it a while. Dont go right back to the stock tune after one drive. Look for the subtle changes, especially the gas pedal. My tuner has made my car much more fun and easier to drive.

If you really want to notice the tuner, you'll need to add the cold air intake. I too wasn't very impressed with the tuner alone (as far as wot performance gains) but when I added the CAI, I loved it!

Do you have any mods on your car? When you filled out the 19 questions, you did note them if you do?

As for AM's customer service, I dont know what you'd expect from them. Maybe to fly out and give you a new one? I've been nothing but overly impressed the two times I had to deal with their CS dept.

I did not do any updates before I loaded my tunes and had zero problems. The first time I pulled away I spun my tires leaving my driveway. Maybe your expectations are a bit high.

If you really didnt notice ANY difference, than something has GOT to be wrong somewhere.

Sorry it didn't live up to some of the hype. I read how people have said it's a "Night & Day" difference. Maybe the overall drivability is, but not on WOT. Only the 93 Race tune made a noticable difference on WOT to me, it pulls you into the higher speeds quicker.

All that said, I love my Bama tunes and wouldn't trade them for any others. Before I put the JLT on, I went back to the stock tune. Was going to keep it on a couple days. It lasted exactly one drive. It seemed soooooo slugish. I couldn't believe how different the car was for just normal driving. I never even floored it to see the difference cause I didnt care at that point.

BTW if you do have Auto, turn the o/d off. This will make it accelerate better on part throttle. Keep us updated please. Good luck to you.

-Chris

 

[Oak Lawn Chris]

Oh, and as far as updating goes, go to the SCT website and download the SCT Device Updater. This makes doing all updates and tune loads super simple. Dont use the instructions that came with it, just download the Device Updater and you'll see options for updating, firmware updating, tune loading, etc. You can even store your stock tune on your computer in case anything was to happen to your tuner.

 

[AMChrisRose]

I bought the sct from American Muscle with 3 tunes, loaded the 93R tune and saw no improvement at all. The car was hard to crank instead of instantly roaring to life so after a test drive, I returned it to stock. Just now, I updated the unit on the sct website but I doubt that would make a difference. So, am I missing something? Did u upload your tunes without any updates directly from the sct device?
Honestly, I am shocked after hearing how the tuner and CAI transforms the car, even though I just went the tuner route, to feel no gain in throttle response, performance,etc...AM is closed now but I contacted them when I first was unimpressed and some guy said hard starting was a natural part of their tune...w.t.f???He offered no advice whatsoever. If I don't get an answer here, I will be returning the unit.

It sounds like Oak Lawn Chris above really answered alot, but I wanted to make sure that someone from AM replied to you.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. The first thing I would recommend is that any time you're going to ask about tuning, you talk directly with one of our Bama Tuning Specialists. Tuning is something that takes years of experience and training in order to be able to perfect. While our Mustang Experts at the regular AmericanMuscle number are great in assisting you with parts, installation and tech advice, tuning is a completely different world. To get ahold of Bama directly, call them any time Monday-Friday from 9AM-5:30PM EST at 888.226.9764.

Now the "hard start" is correct, only on the first start up. When you flash the car, you wipe out any KAM "Keep Alive Memory" stored inside the vehicle's PCM. This happens when you unhook your battery for any extended amount of time as well. This KAM memory stores little learned values for idle, emissions, etc. When you wipe them out, the car has to learn them all over. This is completely normal. However, after starting the car once and letting the car learn for a little bit (maybe 10 minutes or so of idle and 10 minutes of regular driving), the car should start fine the second time.

It sounds to me like there might be an issue with the tune. Luckily, it's something Bama can handle with about 10 minutes of your time. We can email any adjustments, and even take remote access of your computer and load them for you if necessary. Don't worry about having to update any firmware, as it should have come with the latest firmware to your doorstep.

I'd give the Bama team a call Monday-Friday at 888.226.9764 from 9AM-5:30PM EST. They'll make sure that the tune form was filled out correctly on your end and that the tunes were written correctly on our end. That will rule out any human error during the tune creation process. They can start diagnosing from there. Either way, we'll get you fixed up for sure! We ship literally hundreds of these each week and have nothing but great results. We'll take care of this little hiccup for you!

Hope this helps! Update back and let us know how it goes.

Chris

 

[mustangdave2008]

Thx. for the response and direct phone no. Chris. Unfortunately it will be weeks b4 I can call as being a truck driver keeps me away from home most of the time. I will reload the tune today and get a few more miles on her b4 I leave. Thx for the response again.

 

[mustangdave2008]

problem solved!:bounce2: In case anybody else has this problem, here is what I did:
1) Returned to stock
2) Updated device on sct's site
3) Reloaded tune
I don't know why this made a difference or if it's just coincidence, but after reloading the 93R tune, it was immediately noticeable that performance was improved. Throttle response is much improved, throttle hang on shifts is reduced, and lots of giddy up and go. I find the throttle response with the race tune to be perfect so that will be my everyday driving tune. I don't foresee ever loading the 87 st. and perf. tunes unless gas hits $6.00 a gallon.

 

[AMChrisRose]

Awesome! Glad that it was that easy! Enjoy...