IMHO ...... that last part ...... Well let me say it like this ........
That is a mistake
That is a big mistake
That is a big bad mistake
That is ... if you are gonna use a Tweecer to tune
That kind thinking is (again IMHO) exactly opposite to what you should be thinking
The phrase outta go something like ...............
I'm gonna choose the most aggressive cam I can find that would still be considered to be a street cam
I don't have ANY concern for the pcm not playing nice with my cam choice since I got a device (Tweecer) that can take care drivability issues
I'd even go so far as to tell you to NOT believe the internet myth of a cam choice with a narrow lsa is gonna drive the pcm nuts
and
you can't do ANYTHING about it.
Been there ... done that ... got the t-shirt
The Tweecer can take care of all that kind of thing
If you give consideration to the pcm due to it might cause drivability issues with your choice of combo parts ...............
Your gonna leave power on the table
That is based upon a NA combo and my findings with my 95
On the other hand I could add a supercharger.
Which will be harder to tune? Will i need a tweecer for both, or only for one?
The blown combo will be more of a challenge than NA
and
For a beginner at self tuning ..........
I would not advise trying to learn on a forced induction combo
Heck
For a beginner ... I'd advise you to get started now and learn the ropes of self tuning before you do the h/c/i thing.
So, should I buy a Tweecer first and see how I manage with it? I have an old laptop, i'm just worried about the expenses adding up. I'm also not to tech savy, and with the limited info i hear about scalars, graphs, and tables it seems it could be a bit overwhelming at first.
You'll have to gauge how much effort you want to put into learning how to tune a car and balance that with the risks of making mistakes (which can be costly).
A chip and tune around here from a reputable SCT tuner here in Baton Rouge is $500 - great deal if you want to get your combo setup without worrying about breaking parts and just leave the modifications alone. I think a re-tune is somewhere around $200.
On the other hand if you're like me and disassembled your toys as a kid to figure out how they worked then self tuning may be an option for you. You'll spend a LOT of time spent reading and researching but it is a very fun process (at least for me).
The cost of the twEECer should be added to the cost of a laptop and also wideband O2... it's not the cheaper route if you plan on setting up your combo once and then not changing it.
I chose to go the self-tune route for my N/A (blown in a couple months) daily driver and I'm glad I did.
On the other hand if you're like me and disassembled your toys as a kid to figure out how they worked then self tuning may be an option for you. You'll spend a LOT of time spent reading and researching but it is a very fun process (at least for me).
This says a whole lot about how it might be for those who are considering self tuning.
It has a lot to do with ones personality or viewpoint on things I believe.
If you are like the above type of peep Wes is talking about, you most likely will find self tuning to be something you enjoy learning.
I myself have had a lot of enjoyment with it
On the other hand ................
If you have reservations or possibly feel a bit intimidated by this kind of thing, you may find the experence to be somewhat exasperating, frustrating, or irritating.
Only you can decide for yourself
You can usually get around 75% of the original purchase price of a Tweecer if you wanna sell it. I guess you could always try it and would not get all that much hurt speaking from a financial point of view if you found it was not for you.
If you wanna try it, I would not get into a wide band until you decide to stick with it or not