If you have an SCT X-Cal 2...

[BlackenedSVT]

I was wondering if you SCT 2 owners can give me some more in depth info about the tuner. I want to get one this summer but i am also wondering the following:

- Will this tuner work on other cars as well as mine? Like an explorer, an Acura Integra, Civic, G35 coupe, 350 Z?

- You hook the tuner up through the OBD II port, correct? Does it come with an OBD I connection as well?

- It says it will show you DTCs (trouble codes) if your car is showing a MIL, does it also tell you what hte code means? Or do you have to look it up in a service manual? ....just wondering

- Can you correct a high idling problem or hanging RPMs (or other such problems) with this tuner?

- What do you think of the tuner?


Thanks for any and all input guys.

 

[Mike97gt]

no it will not work on the brand X cars you mentioned. the sct is a ford product it will work on any 96+ ford that it's programmed to work on.

it does not have the ability to hook up thru a obd1 connection.

the hanging rpm's you are talking about can be fixed by adjusting the dashpot settings. you can not do this yourself, but a custom tune can be made on your sct2 that will do that.


I am not sure if it gives a code dscription. I will let you know in a few weeks

 

[propellerhead]

I like the fact that I can tweak my part throttle shift points with the Xcalibrator2. The Diablosport Predator had nothing on this feature. This is the biggest reason I got an Xcal2. It sucks that I can't tweak the converter lock/unlock schedule. It used to work but not it's broke. Apparently, the current version of Advantage saves the XTR file in a way that the end users can't tweak the lock/unlock schedule. I can't seem to get SCT to do anything about it, or even respond to my post.

I'm happy to have the choice of editing a tune on my PC or on the device, although the Predator's on-device user interface was far better. The bad thing is that if a tune is set up to edit it on the device, it cannot be edited with Extreme Tune. If a tune is set up to edit with Extreme Tune, you cannot edit it on the device.

It's cool that I can get a $200 wideband O2 sensor kit and plug that right into the Xcal2. I also like the fact that I can upgrade to the PRP. Diablosport had no upgrade options for end users.

The software interface (Extreme Tune, LiveLoad, etc.) looks like a high school C++ programming project. I wish SCT would open that up to volunteers. There are hundreds and thousands of amateur programmers out there that are dying for a worthwhile project to work on. Put it up on their forum. Let some volunteers take a stab at writing the user interface for nothing but recognition in the Help/About screen.

For MILs, it just shows you the code. It's really easy to look up the code on the web though.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

what about "tweaking" or tuning the car yourself with the SCT 2. Can you in fact custom tune the car yoruself with the SCT? or (as far as tuning goes) it will only LOAD the 2-3 tunes that you have programmed on there.

Like can you mess with your: A/F ratio, speedo-to-gear settings, wheel diameter settings and advance the timing, along with other semi-tune related things? Im sure of course you can't tell it you have a new X pipe with LT Headers and a blower, etc..because that is the "tune" you may have programmed on there, but i want to know about tweaking these other aspects. ....basically, outside of loading the tunes you specified when u order it, what else can u do with the SCT other than read DTCs?


EDIT: Kind of off topic, but who makes a tuner for a G35 or a 350Z then? Or how about a Chevy?

 

[propellerhead]

You can do more than just load the tunes. Yes, you can "tune" your car. See SCT's website for what you can adjust. The Pro Racer Package let's you go farther and deeper into tuning. There's end-user tuning with the Extreme Tune and pro level tuning with PRP.

Besides making adjustments to the tune and loading it on the car, I like datalogging and learning how the car works. It takes a fair amount of reading to correlate what you datalogged and what the car does. But not everyone is gonna get into that.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

so IF/WHEN i buy a spare set of wheels of 18s, and i want to use my 17s for the track... i can just switch wheel sizes on the tune for track days?

siiiiiick...


Need to get me one this summer with some 3.73s

 

[propellerhead]

so IF/WHEN i buy a spare set of wheels of 18s, and i want to use my 17s for the track... i can just switch wheel sizes on the tune for track days?

siiiiiick...


Need to get me one this summer with some 3.73s

You wouldn't have to, unless the overall tire diameter is different. Even then, it's only a small change that won't really matter.

 

[dsg_gt2004]

what about "tweaking" or tuning the car yourself with the SCT 2. Can you in fact custom tune the car yoruself with the SCT? or (as far as tuning goes) it will only LOAD the 2-3 tunes that you have programmed on there.

Like can you mess with your: A/F ratio, speedo-to-gear settings, wheel diameter settings and advance the timing, along with other semi-tune related things? Im sure of course you can't tell it you have a new X pipe with LT Headers and a blower, etc..because that is the "tune" you may have programmed on there, but i want to know about tweaking these other aspects. ....basically, outside of loading the tunes you specified when u order it, what else can u do with the SCT other than read DTCs?


EDIT: Kind of off topic, but who makes a tuner for a G35 or a 350Z then? Or how about a Chevy?

i know hypertech makes a tuner for chevy...im not sure about the others

 

[BooWFO]

It also depends on what you want to adjust. I took my car and had it tuned and talked with the tuner. He feels and I strongly agree, that most end users don't need all the features that are avaible on it, and they can set just what you can adjust in the tune file. Example, tuner may set the timing to a certain spot and have it where you can turn it down but not above that level.

 

[Stang|ess]

sorry to threadjack, but can you send them (MD, MPH) a copy of a dyno sheet and they can adjust for your a/f ratio? or would you need a dyno tune for that.

 

[Mike97gt]

sorry to threadjack, but can you send them (MD, MPH) a copy of a dyno sheet and they can adjust for your a/f ratio? or would you need a dyno tune for that.

I would find a decent local tuner to do that for you. they might be able to help a little based off a dyno sheet but I know i would not tune that way.