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OK to drive with bolt ons and no tune?

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Old 01-23-2017, 03:58 PM
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Sebastian777
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Default OK to drive with bolt ons and no tune?

So I recently had a CBE, HFCs, Spacer, and MREV2 installed. Can't get the car tuned until next Friday though. I have only driven the car a few miles home, but no CEL as of yet.

I know I won't get the full benefit until the tune, but is my car ok to drive for two weeks (600-800 miles) until I get it tuned? I have another vehicle to drive, so am I unnecessarily running my car lean if I drive it while waiting for it to be tuned? Or am I being overly cautious?
Old 01-23-2017, 04:18 PM
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bealljk
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youre fine, yeah, you're being overly cautious but if you do drive it easy accelerations, try to stay under 50% throttle...The ECU will self-correct as best as it can and the knock sensor will pick-up detonation, retard timing, and flip the check engine light if you are pushing it too hard.

an engine is pretty resilient to a variety of air:fuel ratios...timing, not so much...

back in the day, my supercharger installer tuned my car off a narrow band...the car was running 18:1...meanwhile I'm throttle'ing the **** out of it...

Last edited by bealljk; 01-23-2017 at 04:21 PM.
Old 01-23-2017, 08:49 PM
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MicVelo
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Originally Posted by bealljk
youre fine, yeah, you're being overly cautious but if you do drive it easy accelerations, try to stay under 50% throttle...The ECU will self-correct as best as it can and the knock sensor will pick-up detonation, retard timing, and flip the check engine light if you are pushing it too hard.

an engine is pretty resilient to a variety of air:fuel ratios...timing, not so much...

back in the day, my supercharger installer tuned my car off a narrow band...the car was running 18:1...meanwhile I'm throttle'ing the **** out of it...
^^^ Totally this.

You've added just a few simple breathing bolt ons, not boost. You haven't added enough hardware to put you out of the range of ECM self adjust. There really isn't even anything you've done where you have to be mindful with the right foot. Those mods are supposed to give you the flex and freedom to go about your way with a heavy foot. Without tuning even.

The way to look at it is tuning will ADD to the equation of fun but there's nothing in it that is needed to protect anything in normally aspirated/no internal modifications mode.

Last edited by MicVelo; 01-23-2017 at 08:50 PM.
Old 01-23-2017, 09:36 PM
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terrasmak
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I tracked mine for 3 years with bolt ons and no tune
Old 01-24-2017, 02:51 AM
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Sebastian777
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Thanks guys.
Old 02-13-2017, 07:13 PM
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Sebastian777
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Figured I should update this. Took my car to get tuned and found that I was running with an AFR of close to 15 at WOT.
Tuner said just driving it around wouldn't have been a big deal, but a track day might have caused some problems.






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