Poll: What type of Tune do you use and what have been your experiences.

What type of Tune do you use?

  • TwEECer

    Votes: 13 59.1%

  • P.M.S.

    Votes: 3 13.6%

  • Custom Chip

    Votes: 4 18.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 2 9.1%
  • Total voters
    22
illwood

illwood

Member
Apr 3, 2004
636
1
19
Worcester, MA
#1
I figured that I would be the first to post a thread in this section as I am going to be going the personal tune route this summer.

I think it is important for everone that is interested in learning to tune their own car to know what people are using, the ease of use of it, and the level of success they have had with it.

So, everyone that is running something other than a stock tune, please vote in the poll and give a quick rundown on your personal experience with it.
 
#2
illwood said:
I figured that I would be the first to post a thread in this section as I am going to be going the personal tune route this summer.

I think it is important for everone that is interested in learning to tune their own car to know what people are using, the ease of use of it, and the level of success they have had with it.

So, everyone that is running something other than a stock tune, please vote in the poll and give a quick rundown on your personal experience with it.
Click to expand...


noper, I was the first :D :SNSign:
 
#5
I'm running a Tweecer R/T and I absolutely love it. I was running a JMS chip for many years wich worked great on my H/C/I 302. But I'm planning on stepping up to a 408W stroker motor so I knew I would need something more. I didn't want to have to keep sending my chip back in to get it tweaked and my friends that have had chips burned at a dyno still have driveability issues in conditions that are different than the dyno.

The Tweecer has a pretty steep learning curve and requires patience but it can be very rewarding. I've learned ALOT about my car and how it works over the last few months.

Edit: I should note that if this car was still my daily driver that I relied upon, I would have gone with a PMS unit. But in reality my car has always been driveable with the Tweecer.
 
#6
Im running a pre04 PMS. I was stuck between a tweecer and PMS. Im glad i got the PMS. I have MUCH respect for guys who figure out how to tune the tweecer...that takes dedication.

The thing i love MOST about the PMS is how easy it is to use. You hit buttons on a controller as you drive or sit in the driveway and see instant results. The PMS itself does all the calculations and charts for you...it doesnt expect you to be a genius like those guys running a tweecer:p

The PMS has a much less steep learning curve compared to the tweecer. It can get as good of tune and probably in less time. The pre04 versions can be found for as much as, if not less than, the tweecer r/t. I paid $325 for mine.

I love it!:SNSign:
 
#7
I bought the base TwEECer model when I did my HCI and SC project. I worked on getting it to idle descent before going to the dyno, and dialed in the A/F ratio on the dyno. It wasn't too bad doing that part. I spent a month reading any tuning information about the TwEECer before I installed it, so that helped a lot.
 
#8
Over the years I've been asked this Question many times. :D

For my answer this time, I decided to save myself some typing. :nice:

I pasted several of my earlier posts to this thread. :)

Well

I like the Tweecer but it is not perfect.

The newest version has data drop outs during datalogging and for that reason I use V1.20.

There are a few bugs like ect & act are somehow mapped together (I forget the details) but on the whole it is a tool that is effective and I think a pretty good value for the money spent cause you not only get an interface that allows you to manipulate the pcm's data values but you also can gather data from the various sensors on the car to see the big picture of what is going on.

There is a learning curve you will have to deal with but if the truth be told, the focus is not on how to use the tuning device but how your pcm works. When you START to see the light on the basic operation of the pcm it all kinda sorta falls in place as to why your car behaves the way it does.

If you don't know, the knowledge that has been gained about the Stang pcm's has been obtained by the hack method. That is why you have to dig out the knowledge for yourself.

A few things based on my findings.

Later
Grady



I went the self tune route cause I wanted complete control of the tune.

When self tuning you can spend as much time as needed to reach your expectations. As you learn more about how the pcm works you also gain the ability to improve the tune more.

If self tuning, you can change the tune without spending more money if you change the combo.

In the end, the laptop, wb, & tuner is just like any other tool you use to get the most from your car.

Later
Grady



IMHO, the major focus of self tuning is about manipulating the values in the pcm's cal file for good drivability. When you start to get a basic grasp of how the pcm works you also start to see how you can use your tuning device to get back some of the drivability that has been lost due to all of those hot rod parts that now are on the car.

You really can regain most of your drivability if you will take the time to learn the basic operation of your pcm.

Using my car as an example:

I have a rock steady idle at 800 rpm. I can go down to 700 but the cam lopes too much.

On a level road I can cruise in fourth gear at 1200 rpm with no surging or bucking and pick up rpm & speed with no ill effects by just using the skinny pedal.

When at idle in the garage, just like a stocker, you don't get forced out due to the over rich smell.

BTW, I am using my original 95 GT pcm with a J4J1 cal file which basically means I'm using a 95 Cobra pcm.

Tuning for max power at WOT is cake compared to the first issue as it is nothing more than spark and fuel. Again, if you have a wb and the ability to datalog you can verify your a/f ratio.

Later
Grady
 
#10
P.M.S. because it's just easier to learn then the TwEECer. Like Nate said, I too have respect for you guys who mess with all the stuff the Tweecer has to offer. I owned the R/T two years ago and I was way overwhelmed.
 
#11
zenboy99 said:
:( What are these?

Like dropping your Kam values at idle?
Click to expand...

Chad

Have you never seen in your dlogs a single data event with a spike or drop out in value?

Here is an example from a V1.30 dlog I looked at the other day.

The log was about 20,500 total data events.
To show my point here, I'll use just the first 1500 data events. :D

Event# 808 ... the guy was at a steady cruise of about 2100 rpm
Spark value was 7,264 degrees turning 12.25 RPM's

Event# 1,479 ... the guy was at idle
Spark value was 4,096 degrees turning 5,699 RPM's

That kind of erroneous data plays havoc with your ability to accurately analyze data when you attempt to load it in other programs such as Log Analyst, EEC Analyzer, and the like.

Have you ever seen the phrase ...... "filtering data logs"?
that is what that is all about :)

Having to find all those errors and then delete them before you can get started to look at your data is not acceptable in any way, shape, or form from my way of thinking.

I'm just not gonna deal with any of that myself :nono:

You don't get any of those hosed up data events in V1.20 and as I said before ...... That is just one of the reasons I did not jump on the upgrade band wagon with everybody else when it came rolling by.

Rant Now Over :rlaugh:

Grady
 
#12
I run the tweecerR/T here....

Thanks to people here and the tuning forums and BIG thanks to eec annalizer or analizer however it is spelled:p . I realy have not been TOO frustrated...more so at the new combo than anything.

Data drops/spikes are fairly common in 1.3. I use EA to filter out the extreme ranges though yet another plus of that program
 
#14
zenboy99 said:
If EA filters it out, thats probably why I'm not seeing it. I looked over a few data logs in calcon last night and didn't see anything. I'll be sure to be on the lookout for them though.
Click to expand...

Chad

You may very well not see the spikes/drop outs in EA:shrug:

I use a version of EA that is quite old so I may not be on the same page as you are so to speak.

I just know I've seen many of the V1.30 software guys talk about filtering out the spikes.

Again, I use MS Excell and Log Analyst at various times to look at my data and those errors totally hose my efforts from the get go when using those programs.

Grady
 
#18
HPLouis said:
I use the SCT Pro Racer Package. I was a Tweecer R/T user and liked that too. I went with SCT because of the support that you get with the PRP.

Henry
Click to expand...

Henry

I'm pretty sure I saw some guys using your PRP on tv the other day.

Looked pretty slick if you ask me. :nice:

Did you have probs getting help when you were using your Tweecer? :shrug:

Grady
 
#19
I didn't really have any problems when it came to getting help with the Tweecer. I was actually able to call Mike Glover a couple of times and he was helpful. I've also been to EECTuning.org and they've been very helpful there too. The thing that made me go with the PRP was the base tune and the support. I've called Don LaSota (Don95Vert) and kept him on the phone for close to an hour several times. I've also spoken to people like David Posea and Ryan over at SCT and they've always taken the time to talk and I've even emailed my tune over there and they would tweak it for me. I remember one time I sent over my tune and A/F ratio datalog to Don and he emailed me back a tune with changes.

SCT has two forums for support over at SCTflash.com and ModularDepot.com.

I feel that the Tweecer should the advantage over SCT's software for the EEC-IV cars but it doesn't because it needs better support and more updated software. The Tweecer has a datalogger and it's cheaper than the SCT software. SCT's software is easier to use however and the suppport is better. I still have CalCon and CalEdit on this computer alongside SCT's Advantage software. The SCT software is more user friendly. It's not cheap though.
 
#20
HPLouis said:
I didn't really have any problems when it came to getting help with the Tweecer. I was actually able to call Mike Glover a couple of times and he was helpful. I've also been to EECTuning.org and they've been very helpful there too.
Click to expand...

Thats good to know. I've had a good experience with most of those guys. I always got help when I needed it :)

The thing that made me go with the PRP was the base tune and the support. I've called Don LaSota (Don95Vert) and kept him on the phone for close to an hour several times.
Click to expand...

I can understand that. Don and I have talked on a pm or two and IMHO, he is a walking database about things other than tuning when talking about Stangs. I have learned so much from him over the years :hail2:

I've also spoken to people like David Posea and Ryan over at SCT and they've always taken the time to talk and I've even emailed my tune over there and they would tweak it for me.
Click to expand...

I always wondered what happened to David. Learned a good bit about how the pcm does its thing from his involvement in the old EEC Tuner way back in the day ...... it had to be sometime like late 2000 or early 2001 :shrug:

I remember one time I sent over my tune and A/F ratio datalog to Don and he emailed me back a tune with changes.
Click to expand...

Sounds like excellent customer service.
I've heard nothing but good from all those peeps and what they do.

SCT has two forums for support over at SCTflash.com and ModularDepot.com.

I feel that the Tweecer should the advantage over SCT's software for the EEC-IV cars but it doesn't because it needs better support and more updated software. The Tweecer has a datalogger and it's cheaper than the SCT software. SCT's software is easier to use however and the suppport is better. I still have CalCon and CalEdit on this computer alongside SCT's Advantage software. The SCT software is more user friendly. It's not cheap though.
Click to expand...

If I have a correct general understanding about how the SCT self tuner works, it would be on my short list of possibilities I would consider going to in the future.

Support or ease of use does not really motivate me all that much
but
I do wanna point out that is just me.

I only feel that way because I've been in the self tuning thing from almost its beginnings. I do have to remind myself of my warped perspective :rlaugh: from time to time when working with other peeps :shrug:

I told a guy the other day that the best way to view the Tweecer was

The Tweecer is to self tuning
what
Dos is to personal computer operating systems

I guess I'm just a hands on kinda guy :shrug:

:banana: User Friendlyness is Good Too :banana:

Thanks for the info on the SCT stuff Henry :nice:

Grady
 
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