The cams DO NOT need to be broken in, so your fine there. As for the gears some do and some dont. Personally I didnt and mine are fine. They were even removed and looked fine.
Why are the majority of the shops switching from Diablo to SCT? The software might not be as important as the person tuning it, but the software is definitely an important part of the process.
I had a predator once and I hated it. For example when you change the timing it changes by a % instead of a whole #, so you cant even get 1 full degree out of it. All the tuners around the country are changing to SCT, I wonder why? Heres another example of why you should go SCT...
Bring it into a shop and see if your alignment is off. If it is then see if they can align it without cc plates. If you take out the rivits in the stock plates then youll have more adjustment and might not even need new cc plates. If you do need new ones then I highly recommend MM 4 bolt.
Mac LT's, Mac o/r H, Magnapack catback here. I dont know how itll sound with the x, I dont like x pipes myself. But yes the Mac LT's will fit with the auto tranny and youll notice the difference in power. Check out my site for some sound clips.