Car is running really lean... :-(

[Sogwap55]

I had my first ever dyno done on past Sat but as you can see from the dyno sheet, the car is running SUPER lean. The dyno guy didn’t even want to do a full third pull due to it being off so much….. 

So here’s my question and sorry for the long read but want input from folks who have dealt with this. Car has o/r H pipe, Bassani race ab, SCT Xcal 3 and C @B cai…..

I got the tuner from American Muscle as I had a $200 off gift cert and just loaded the tune they put on it ( I did tell them what was on the car prior ). Now I know VMP and Brenspeed ( forget the third one ) are much better with tunes. The tuner shop I went to said he could custom tune it for $400 which seemed about going price. I could go with a VMP tune and then take it back to place I went and get a dyno pull to check to see if tune is correct or should I just go with a custom tune/dyno pulls for 400? I don’t care about a 3 hp difference if that’s all a $75 mailed tune is gonne be less then the $400 one…..

Also, I am considering adding a 62mm BBK thottle body, underdrive pulleys, frpp 4:10 gears and a JLT cold air intake ( to replace the S @ B ) just prior to getting tune done…… ( any suggestions on other brands for any of the above? )

I want the car tuned right and if need be, I will take it and get it custom tuned but if I can save a few bucks and spend $75 rather then $400, I’d be more inclined as long as the car is safely done…..

Sorry for the long read, first dyno I’ve been to wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for but better to find out now then have something happen to the car down the road. Thanks for your assistance….

 

[DarkFireGT]

Shockingly, my '07 ran that lean from the factory. A good tune cleared that up. Every car is a bit different, but Ford loads the same tune into each car.

The same can be said for email tunes. Usually, they are great, but sometimes they have their issues. The good thing is, most of the tuners will fix the issue right away. But it does mean that you will have to go back to the dyno to verify the tune is correct. If it is, you are done. If not, you will have to email the results and go back yet another time. Doug@Bamachips does live updates. If you take a laptop with you (and schedule the time with him in advance), he will make any changes needed on the fly, through the internet.

So the choice you gotta make is, if you trust the tuner enough to have them dynotune your car. How many S197s have they done? Many dyno guys like to brag about how great their stuff is, but in reality, they are just tweaking canned tunes (some to the point of detonation). If you trust them enough, and depending on what they charge you to run on the dyno, you may only spend $100-$200 more for a dyno tune. At the same time, VMP, Bamachips, and Brenspeed are recognized S197 tuners with thousands of satisfied customers.

 

[CRoberts91]

Personally, I would highly recommend Doug at Bamachips if you want a good tune. I have a JLT 2 intake and one of his 93 Race tunes. I dropped 2 tenths off of my 1/8th mile, and thats with my *****ty driving, haha. The car responds so much better and pulls harder all the way through the power band. He helped me out a lot.

 

[Sogwap55]

Shockingly, my '07 ran that lean from the factory. A good tune cleared that up. Every car is a bit different, but Ford loads the same tune into each car.

The same can be said for email tunes. Usually, they are great, but sometimes they have their issues. The good thing is, most of the tuners will fix the issue right away. But it does mean that you will have to go back to the dyno to verify the tune is correct. If it is, you are done. If not, you will have to email the results and go back yet another time. Doug@Bamachips does live updates. If you take a laptop with you (and schedule the time with him in advance), he will make any changes needed on the fly, through the internet.

So the choice you gotta make is, if you trust the tuner enough to have them dynotune your car. How many S197s have they done? Many dyno guys like to brag about how great their stuff is, but in reality, they are just tweaking canned tunes (some to the point of detonation). If you trust them enough, and depending on what they charge you to run on the dyno, you may only spend $100-$200 more for a dyno tune. At the same time, VMP, Bamachips, and Brenspeed are recognized S197 tuners with thousands of satisfied customers.

Yeah I was somewhat surprised to see it was so lean. Now I just have to decide, I have a couple good tuners avail local, and since I think I'm going to just do the underdrive pulleys, 4:10 gears, swap the CAI out and then get it tuned rather then a mail. It's gonna stay with those mods for a couple years until I've saved enough for a SC....

But I keep going back and forth, is it worth it for $200 difference? For peace of mind, I probably will. lol

Thanks for the imput Dark....

 

[stangzilla100]

you should have american muscle send you another tune. tell them your situation and see if they'll send you one to correct the a/f

 

[DarkFireGT]

AM doesn't do tunes. They send canned tunes that they get from the intake manufacturers or from SCT/Diablosport.

 

[stangzilla100]

AM doesn't do tunes. They send canned tunes that they get from the intake manufacturers or from SCT/Diablosport.

gotcha. just thought that might be a cheaper route, but vmp, brenspeed, bama are all good choices.

 

[Sogwap55]

Aye, I decided to go with Bama. Just ordered the 4:10 gears and underdrive pulleys and now researching spark plugs to replace before I get the rest of the work done....