anyone use the sniper tuning software for there mustangs yet. i'm considering this as opposed to the sct flash tuner and the predator flash tuner.
sniper special forces software
- Thread starter brian98gt
- Start date
Dan_Soprano
15 Year Member
BensBACobra
New Member
Uncle Meat said:DiabloSport for a close 2nd!
U.M.
Hey U.M. i see where RWTD tuned your cobra, I am thinking about letting them do a dyno tune on mine as well as some performance parts intallation. How would you rate them overall? (i.e. knowledge, professional, mechanical etc...)
BensBACobra
New Member
Uncle Meat said:
I have had them do some minor things before (brake swap and UD pulleys) but nothing major. it can certainly be intimidating when you dont work on cars, or race them and you are around people that have a great deal of knowledge. So i definitely am greatful they are a 15 minute drive for me!
so back to the sniper, it looks pretty neat cause you can create a program youself on your computer then plug it into the obd port and its the same price as other tuners. and if you ever change anything on your car you can just do a new program instead of having to pay someone to send you a new program. i think i might try it out.
If you really want to make your own tunes I highly suggest you go with the SCT Pro-Racer package. It will allow you to tune every parameter of the engines management system on a PC and then it will allow those changes to be uploaded through the OBD port just as the sniper does.brian98gt said:
Keep in mind there is a reason why you only see very few if any people using the "Sniper" products on their cars.... because it's JUNK!
U.M.
Uncle Meat said:
thank you, i appreciate the input. i just figured that the sniper software was relatively new and that why knowbody really knows too much about it. i will look into the sct pro-racer package, but i have a feeling its going to cost more than i want to spend. my car is not heavily modded, but i intend to add more mods as money allows. that is why i want something that i can keep changing and not have to have someone send me a new tune every time i add a new mod.
The Pro-racer package from SCT will run you about $900, but if you want to do it right it's going to cost you. Cheap software = bad tune every time.brian98gt said:
Having a reputable tuner send you new tunes via email is not a problem as long as you go through a reputable dealer/tuner from the start. Don't try to get cheap and buy a Predator or Xcal 2 off of eBay. Buy one directly from a good tuner and the benefit you receive in future support will be a big pay off. Many professional tuners have deals where you pay them $100-$150 on top of the cost of the tuner itself and they will then provide you with updated tunes for the life of your car! Many can build you a tune and email it to you within 48 hours or less! PM me if you'd like some specific recommendations.
U.M.
Uncle Meat said:
Or maybe because not enough people know how to use the software correctly, or not enough use it for it to get better.
i really wish someone could make a DSMlink like program for the Stangs. DSMlink is basically a realtime logger and can tune all functions of the ECU. from timing to fuel, to airflow and VE tables, all the way down to being able to turn on dome lights, fans, fuel pumps, auxilary systems(can activate nitrous/meth systems above certain rpm and throttle positions and vary the intensity if said system can vary).
i had a DSM for 2 years. DSMlink was by far the greatest 600$ investment i ever made. you got a ROM chip that plugged into a socket on the ECU that let you control the ECU like it was your bitch. you ran it off a laptop(but can be ran off of a capible palm pilot), and plugs into your obdII port only when you want to log or change settings, the rest of the time you can leave it disconnected and nobody is the wiser, the changes are saved to the chip.
if you wanted to run 1000cc injectors, you calculate the global compensation (stock injector size devided by new injector size multiplied by .1 if i remember), and then find the injector dead times online(usually listed) and plug both parameters in and viola, you now ran larger injectors like they were stock, within seconds you could pull out of your driveway and mash on it. but wait, theres more. you could add/remove fuel at every 500rpm increment. you can increase/decrease timing at 500rpm increments. you can increase/decrease airflow at 12 different tables(basically tell the ecu more or less air is coming in). and the logging part of the program is even more insane. 300 bits per second. you could log everything, i usually liked logging
-RPM
-Boost(actual boost readVia GM 3bar MAP Sensor input into the stock mdp harness)
-Boost Est(what the ecu sees coming in through the maf and bases its fuel/timing on. cross reference with 3bar to get airflow tables good)
-Timing
-Airflow(airflow makes the power, PSI is how it gets there)
-Coolant Temps
-Injector Duty Cycle(under 100% idc is perfect, injectors get unstable after that. if you are running at or past 100%, time for bigger injectors.)
-A/F Est(estimated air/fuel based on stock o2 sensor. .92v is perfect, .94-up is rich, .90 and down is lean)
-A/F Actual - Wideband (0-5v) o2 Input through rear o2 harness. cross reference with estimated a/f to get your fuel maps where they should be.
i will look into the SCT pro-racer package. I do not trust shops with tuning my car, i learn nothing and they could dick with me if i wasnt smart enough to know what they were talking about. does it work with 03/04 cobras? does it have logging ability as well? my cobra came with a 2.93" pulley and amazon diablochip tune, which i am severly doubting its greatness because i just used half a tank in 2 days and ive kept it under 3k and limited myself to WOT runs in 2nd only(scared to pull 3rd to redline lol). id like to get back into tuning myself and not using these decroted handheld garbage devices.
No. The sniper stuff is just cheap garbage.thomas91169 said:
Yes the SCT Pro-Racer Package does work with the 03/04. When you buy it you'll need to specify whether you want the version that allows you to burn your own chip, or the version that uses the X-Cal 2 to upload the tune to the ECM. This is NOT a simple piece of software, but a professional tuning program that allows you to change ANY PARAMETER of the tune. You can do major damage to your engine if you are not fully versed in what every table and value within the EEC does or controls.thomas91169 said:
Welcome to the world of forced induction where the A/F ratio is kept fat for safety and engine longevity. Downside to this is fuel consumption. What, you want your cake and eat it too or something?thomas91169 said:
Not sure what decroted means, but the handheld tuners from Diablo and SCT are great little devices for the novice to use in order to make small changes to basic engine management parameters. They also are a great tool used to upload custom tunes from a professional, and they will datalog too! Many of us went with the handheld flash tuners instead of a chip because,
1) Chips instantly void factory warranties and can be found by the dealer easily. A flash tune to the engines EEC won't be noticed by the dealership unless they dig deep into the internal programming of the computer and are specifically looking for it.
2) Chips have to be installed. Removing the kick panel and disconnecting the ECM, cleaning the protective wax off the contacts just to install them is a pain. Flash tuners just connect to the ODB port and 3 minutes later you're done.
3) With a chip you need to snail mail it to a tuner to have it updated when you install a new mod. With a handheld tuner you just email your tuner with your new mods and they email you back a new tune. Fast & simple.
That SCT Pro-Racer package will do everything your DSMlink did and then some. Go ahead and get the SCT package and lean that A/F out yourself so you can get a few extra miles per gallon... just be prepared for the possibility of burning the motor up.
U.M.
Uncle Meat said:No. The sniper stuff is just cheap garbage.
Yes the SCT Pro-Racer Package does work with the 03/04. When you buy it you'll need to specify whether you want the version that allows you to burn your own chip, or the version that uses the X-Cal 2 to upload the tune to the ECM. This is NOT a simple piece of software, but a professional tuning program that allows you to change ANY PARAMETER of the tune. You can do major damage to your engine if you are not fully versed in what every table and value within the EEC does or controls.
Welcome to the world of forced induction where the A/F ratio is kept fat for safety and engine longevity. Downside to this is fuel consumption. What, you want your cake and eat it too or something?
Not sure what decroted means, but the handheld tuners from Diablo and SCT are great little devices for the novice to use in order to make small changes to basic engine management parameters. They also are a great tool used to upload custom tunes from a professional, and they will datalog too! Many of us went with the handheld flash tuners instead of a chip because,
1) Chips instantly void factory warranties and can be found by the dealer easily. A flash tune to the engines EEC won't be noticed by the dealership unless they dig deep into the internal programming of the computer and are specifically looking for it.
2) Chips have to be installed. Removing the kick panel and disconnecting the ECM, cleaning the protective wax off the contacts just to install them is a pain. Flash tuners just connect to the ODB port and 3 minutes later you're done.
3) With a chip you need to snail mail it to a tuner to have it updated when you install a new mod. With a handheld tuner you just email your tuner with your new mods and they email you back a new tune. Fast & simple.
That SCT Pro-Racer package will do everything your DSMlink did and then some. Go ahead and get the SCT package and lean that A/F out yourself so you can get a few extra miles per gallon... just be prepared for the possibility of burning the motor up.
U.M.
lol ive been through the wonderful world of FI before. i had a dsm for 2 years. ive tuned various cars, from hondas/acuras/dsm's with palm pilots to log and safc's/piggybacks to tune, to dsmlink in 12 and 11 second dsm's, all the way to playing around with AEM EMS on a LS1 RX7 and a Evo MR with a gt35r(built to ams' evo specs).
at part throttle no boost scenarios, the fuel system should be providing the same amount of fuel as it did before, especially when its still running stock fuel system(injectors, fuel pumps). there is no reason to add fuel under 50% throttle or 2k rpm's, unless you like to go WOT in 6th gear at 35mph.
besides, i know where i should be at a/f wise, i usually shoot for 11.5-12:1 with zero knock/timing retard. might be a little harder, i know the GT had no knock sensor so the ecu doesnt know to pull timing, so i might have to get out the stethoscope and listen for knock myself at 90mph. but if you can log a wideband o2 intot he sct pro software, then itll make it pretty dam easy.
factory warranty does not apply to me. even if it did apply, i know ford better and the second a 22 year old brings a cobra in for warranty work theyre gonna try every excuse in the book and raise every "driven hard/streetraced/modded" flag in the book.
though theres alot of other things i need to adress before i start needing to tune more aspects than a mail-order can give me. gotta do up the rear to take launches(sticking with IRS though) but still be able to carve corners, upgrade the cooling system(larger heat exhanger/resevoir, and radiator), and send out the eaton for porting.
I agree. At part throttle or cruise the ECM should attempt to maintain a stoic A/F ratio of 14.7. It's when you make those short 2nd & 3rd gear pulls when she's slurping up all the juice!
I'm still running the stock pulley with only a CAI and full exhaust (headers/X/Cat-back) and if I baby my Terminator I can squeeze 25MPG on the highway. Although I average around 17 city.
U.M.
I'm still running the stock pulley with only a CAI and full exhaust (headers/X/Cat-back) and if I baby my Terminator I can squeeze 25MPG on the highway. Although I average around 17 city.
U.M.
lol maybe its cause i run the A/C 24/7?
cali heat and whatnot. actually i think its possible whatever the guy put in the tank was crap gas(bay area pisswater), cause its probably getting the same mileage as my GT now.
regardless, im still looking for shops in my area that do diablo tuning, just to check and make any necessary changes if need be. it has a mail-order amazon tune, but the guy said it was dynotuned even more so he prolly got it tuned on the super safe side for bay area gasoline.
or maybe im just looking for an excuse to see numbers on the 2.93" pulley.
cali heat and whatnot. actually i think its possible whatever the guy put in the tank was crap gas(bay area pisswater), cause its probably getting the same mileage as my GT now.
regardless, im still looking for shops in my area that do diablo tuning, just to check and make any necessary changes if need be. it has a mail-order amazon tune, but the guy said it was dynotuned even more so he prolly got it tuned on the super safe side for bay area gasoline.
or maybe im just looking for an excuse to see numbers on the 2.93" pulley.
BensBACobra
New Member
thomas91169 said:
Cali heat? thats a laugh. Try the humid south in august, your clothes will be sticking to you within minutes every time you walk outside. I was in Cali last June and considered it chilli
Uncle Meat said:
What information do you base this on? I know for a fact, not assumption, that amazon (a well known tuner) offers all three tuners. Diablo, SCT and Sniper. They say the tuners are about the same, the only difference is preference. Some offer more features than others. Personnaly I think the sniper package offers more than diablo and sct do, and if amazon will give me a good tune using it, then I might just buy the sniper kit over the other two. I don't think amazon would sell cheap garbage like you say, so I say B.S.
Uncle Meat said:
Can you be more specific? What specifically have you read that "pales" in comparason? It sounds like you really know very little about these softwares. I myself know very little also, but I will not say bad things about their software if I have no facts behind it. Especially if someone is asking for advice on where they should spend their money.
http://www.snipertuning.com/new/product.phtml?p=21
If you check out their link above, you will find more value for your dollar than diablo or sct. I have personally used sct, not the others. But I do know the fall backs on sct and some of those are not prevelent on the sniper software. So to restate my point, do us all a favor and don't give bad advice over no advice just to increase your post count.
cold96snake
20+ Year Stangneter 
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