I'm not ready to drop the money for a CAI and programmer, so would it be worthwhile to order just an XCal by itself? I've got a standard transmission and for my 03 GT 5 speed a programmer didn't do much, so I never got one.
I'm not ready to drop the money for a CAI and programmer, so would it be worthwhile to order just an XCal by itself? I've got a standard transmission and for my 03 GT 5 speed a programmer didn't do much, so I never got one.
thats what i did, i got the predator first. i did notice a small difference w/ throttle response. but it wasnt till i installed the c&l a few months later when i realized how much that stock air box restricts air flow. good luck.
you could do that, but also be aware that you will pay more in the long run. unless you find a vendor that will sell you the tuner now, CAI later, and update the tune for free. some will, some wont.
just the tuner will cure the throtle lag, so that could be a bonus all by itself.
I bought just the tuner (DiabloSport Predator) from www.rpmoutlet.com. It came with several tunes preloaded (87 octane, 91 octane, 93 octane, and Firm-Shifting) for my 07 GT Automatic. It also has tunes already in the tuner for all the popular CAI's and some superchargers, so no need to get a custom tune later should I add one of those.
The tuner by itself, using the 93 octane or firm shifting tunes, gave me a gain of about 25hp. The stock airbox flows fine on a stock motor, thank you, so I'm holding off on buying any kind of CAI until after the car has some serious airflow mods (i.e. cams, headwork, and/or supercharger). Typical 05-08 GT automatics run high 13's to low 14's in the 1/4 mile at 99-100 mph. My car - with just 4.10 gears and the tuner - runs 13.40's at just shy of 103 mph. That's with no CAI, no exhaust mods, and the heavy 18" factory wheels and stock tires.
Trust me, you'll be happy with the results you get with just the tuner. Not necessarily the case with previous generation cars, but the 05+ GT's really wake up with just tuning.
I installed a Brenspeed tuner by itself and feel it was worth the $. Aside from completely removing the throttle lag it also allows tuning to specific fuel octanes.
you could do that, but also be aware that you will pay more in the long run. unless you find a vendor that will sell you the tuner now, CAI later, and update the tune for free. some will, some wont.
just the tuner will cure the throtle lag, so that could be a bonus all by itself.
That really all depends on which vendor, the tuner is purchased from..For ie, when I purchased my preloaded X-CAL II ? it did NOT get rid of the throttle lag. Which was my main reason, for updating to my Bamachips tune files, in which I also had to re-format my 9415 X-CAL, from a preloaded tuner.. into the standard 9400 custom tuner..
So if I order from Brenspeed or someone like that for a stock car and change to 4.30's, will I have to have a new tune e-mailed to me or will I be able to adjust it myself for the gears?
If I'm not mistaken ? you should have the ability to go into the user adjustability menu, of the X-CAL II and select the 4:30 gear option..Otherwise yes, you will then be required to have Brenspeed e-mail you that option, in the tune file itself...
So if I order from Brenspeed or someone like that for a stock car and change to 4.30's, will I have to have a new tune e-mailed to me or will I be able to adjust it myself for the gears?
With a Predator tuner, you can alter all sorts of parameters yourself. You can change the tunes that are pre-written and included with the tuner. If you screw something up, you can reset the pre-written tunes. I have already done the following changes to the canned tunes that came with my Predator tuner by myself without having to get a "new" tune sent from anyone or anywhere....
Changed the axle ratio from 3.31 to 4.30
Changed the tire revolutions per mile to account for a different tire height
Raised the rev limiter from 6000 to 6800 rpm's
Eliminated the top speed limiter
Raised the shift rpm (automatic trans) from 6000 to 6200 rpm's for "Drive."
Additionally, there are other parameters I can change within the existing tunes by myself without the need of getting a new tune written by someone else....
I can change spark advance globally, or within the 2-4K and 4-7K rpm range
I can add/remove fuel globally, or within the 2-4K and 4-7K rpm range
I can change when the fan turns on and off
I can add a popular CAI kit and simply add it from a list that's already in my tuner, as well as a few supercharger kits
and I'm sure there are other parameters I can't remember off the top of my head
In summary, there are a lot of changes you can do yourself with a tuner to modify the existing tune(s) in the tuner. You will need a custom tune done for you if you do some mods not listed within your tuner, but many popular changes are already available within most tuners.