You're on the hunt for more power, and why not? Either you've gotten used to the back road pulls, added some new parts, or have seen that more power can easily be extracted with just a simple tune. Better yet, you see on facebook that you can get a flash tune for only a few hundred bucks!
Vehicle tuning has come a long way over the past few years, with flash tuning getting more accessible and available on more cars. Gone are the days of needing a dyno or sketchy road tuning. But are those cookie cutter maps really what you think they are? Is that E tune actually maximizing your cars performance? Do you really need to drive to a tuning shop and get on a dyno? Today we look at the pro's and con's of these three ways to get tuned and examine which might be best for you! Might I add that we offer all three of these options, so whichever you think is the right choice be sure to browse or contact us for your next tune.
OTS Tune
OTS tune stands for an Off The Shelf map, that is a tune that they have developed and is ready to go without any customization. Tuners will typically use their previous experience tuning a particular vehicle, look at how those cars have reacted to certain tune adjustments, and find a happy medium of performance and safety.
Positives:
- Cost. Typically this will be the lowest cost you'll get a tune for as it has minimal input from the tuner. You will usually have to purchase the interface weather a Cobb Accessport, bluetooth dongle, OBD plug, etc.
- Time. This tune is immediate, no taking time to drive to a shop, no emailing/calling back and forth, no sending data logs.
Negatives:
- Lack of data. Typically tuners will use all of the tools available to them to ensure the car is making power as efficiently as possible without running the risk of pushing too far. With an E-Tune, the tuner will be able to monitor specific data to ensure the car is reacting well to the tune as they increase output. Its not uncommon for them to see a possible mechanical issue for you to inspect based on your data logs. On the dyno, there are even more ways to monitor; listening for knock, using an external wide band (Air-Fuel Ratio) sensor, and then gradually increasing boost, timing, and fuel. There is a certain peace of mind that comes with the other avenues.
- Power. No tuner wants to see a car have a mechanical failure due to a tune that is too aggressive. Due to the items I've outlined above, they will usually leave their OTS map more conservative.
E-Tune
When you hear E-Tune, think E-mail. Not only are both done electronically, or via the internet, but you're going to be doing a fair share of emailing with your tuner. Tuners will once again, typically use their previous experience tuning a particular vehicle to create a "Base Map" based on your vehicles modifications. A base map will typically be a super safe, low boost tune in order to start the process of data logging your vehicle. A data log is exactly what is sounds like; a record of certain measurements while the car is running in different scenarios. Your tuner will more than likely have you data log different driving scenarios to ensure your vehicle runs smooth in any condition. Once the tuner can see how your car is running and reacting, they can start the process of chasing power.
Positives:
- Custom tune for YOUR car. Every car is different, and especially as you modify it, the same tune that works great for one is not going to be the best solution for another. A tuner will customize your tune for your exact modifications, as well as how your car reacts to those modifications.
- Feedback from a pro. This might be undersold but having a professional look over your data logs can really help diagnose unknown issues. They can also make recommendations on what to do next to achieve your goals because lets be honest, you're going to want more at some point.
Negatives:
- No power numbers. Everyone likes knowing what their car is putting down, and please don't pretend like you don't care because you're probably the same person that tells people what the tuner thinks your car made when people ask you how much hp it makes as though its fact. Monitoring power on a dyno will allow the tuner to directly see the outcome of the adjustments they make, not just monitor the side effects. That is, tuning until you start to encounter knock or other limitations.
- Time. E-Tunes require you to flash the new map you're sent, from your computer to the car, data log the car driving in certain conditions, upload those data logs to your computer, email them to your tuner and then wait for the next one. While this can be fairly quick, its not uncommon depending on your tuners experience to have 10+ revisions.
Dyno Tune
A dyno is simply a tool to measure your car before making adjustments, or a base line pull, and then see how adjusting different tables in the cars ECU can increase the cars output. A dyno does NOT BEAT YOUR CAR UP any more than driving it wide open on the street, which is a common misconception. If anything, on a dyno your car is in a controlled environment with a professional at the wheel monitoring everything as its happening.
Positives:
- Complexity is no issue. If you have a pretty complicated setup, or one that has manual adjustments like cam gears, waste gate springs, etc, it may be worth your time to have the tuner get their hands on it.
- You're at a professional tuning shop. I can tell you with certainty that close to a majority of cars come in for a tune with an issue. These could be as simple as a loose coupler causing a vacuum leak to an engine issue. Our shop offers pre-dyno inspections but even if customers don't take us up on it, if we notice an issue while on the dyno we will pause the tuning session to investigate further. If its simply tightening something loose or changing spark plugs, we can ensure that our customers cars will perform as well as they can during and after the dyno session.
- Tuned with one foul swoop. With a dyno tuning session you either drive in or drop the car off, the tuner does their thing, and you drive the car home finished. No back and forth or data logs. If you do have a question or issue with the tune you also have a physical place to go to get it resolved, the shop. Another last point is alternative fuels, whether E85 or others. Most shops have these fuels on tap and can easily concoct and verify the fuel you're tuned on for later fill ups.
Negatives:
- Price. Dyno tuning will almost always be more expensive than the other options due to the fact that you tuner is using very expensive equipment to ensure your calibration is the best it can possibly be. This additional cost can vary but includes pulling the car on, attaching it to the dyno, and the time your car spends on the dyno.
- Travel. If you don't have a shop or dyno close by you may be in for a drive or even a hotel stay.
So which tuning option is right for you? Only you can make that decision. From my experience a lot of people who have purchased an OTS map or E-Tune want to defend those options, especially E-Tunes who claim that its even better than a dyno tune. When aiming to gain anything the true test is some sort of measurable; Learning in school and take a test, practice a sport and track your score, go for a run and track your pace. The same is true with tuning your vehicle to put those modifications to use. My opinion is that you can only really know if you have some sort of measure.
Be sure to check out our other videos, all of the parts we offer for your car, and the OTS, E-Tune and dyno tuning options today.