No, I can't make it sounds any more simplistic - in fact, I can't make it sound any more difficult. That is the exact process I use to tune any vehicle. Whether it's a rough street tune on a 3rd gen RX-7, a BMW E30, or a 3 hour dyno session with an R32 GT-R. If anyone wants my help with their VQ, I would use the same method. There aren't any big secrets to tuning a car! There is no magical AF ratio that a motor is going to want that produces a lot more power or alot better driveability - in fact AF ratio has very little to do with power output but a lot to do with preventing detonation.

Back before anybody knew anything about tuning EFI vehicles, tuners made their money by giving off the idea that EFI tuning was something of a black art with lots of mysteries, secrets, and private methods that only the super experianced knew. Tuning AF ratios is very simple, in fact, and absolutely every shred of knowledge you need on the subject can be found from a combination of a book called How to Tune and Modify electronic fuel injection systems by Jeff Hartman and by reading the Tuner Rescources section of Innovate Motorsport's (maker of the best, IMO, Bosch sensor using Wideband lambda meters on the market) website, especially the Newsletters section. Tuning the ignition timing is where you will unleash the power and the driveability of the car, and the 'secret' really lies in knowing how to use a load-brake dyno to monitor instantaneous torque and being able to tune to MBT. With higher power cars you need knock detection equipment like det cans and the knowledge of how to use them. That's really all their is.

I don't know why you have such a problem finding a good tuner up here -Horsepower Connection and Dyno Authority both have good tuners that use those methods. I am a newcomer to tuning, but I know how to use these methods and the cars I have tuned or help tune haven't blown up and are driven constantly and have the sh*t beat out of them in various environments with absolutely no problems.

A tuner does not make power. I feel I've been pretty clear on that point. The power is in the physical components, head, cams, machine work, turbos... The tuner just gives the engine the amount of fuel it wants and the amount of ignition timing it wants at hundreds of different load points. Tuning a vehicle takes practice and the ability to monitor a lot of things at once. If the tuner doesn't have a lot of dyno time but knows what he is doing, it will take a bit longer than a tuner with a lot of time who knows what to do. Tuning a vehicle on the street, or tuning a vehicle quickly, those things require experience with similar setups, to have a feel for what kind of ignition timing the motor is going to want. It does take a bit of experiance to tune the butt dyno if you are trying to tune ignition on the street (not recommended) without a dyno at all, or a combo of a wideband and an EGT gauge. Experianced tuners can tune efficiently because they have a huge laundry list of basemaps at their disposal - basemaps that they have because they have made and refined them as they have been in business and learned how similar setups performed. None of what an experianced tuner does is impossible or even extremely difficult for any other good tuner "worth his salt" to end up with.

Experienced tuners with good reputations like XS Engineering, Evans Tuning, Bob Norwood Supercars, AMS performance, use these methods that I just outlined. On a smaller scale, so do Dyno Authority and Horsepower Connection. Of course when doing high power cars you need an expensive shop, an expensive dynometer (and the right type, which is not very common to find), expensive knock-detection equipment, and depending on the EMS, expensive hardware and software and expensive agreements with companies to be dealers and exclusive rights granted. There are shops here that have the equipment. There are tuners here who have the knowledge.

 

+1 ^^

on that note, john reed of rrev

 

Speaking of dyno authority, Im going down to dyno authority wednesday Going to see if they can locate my exhaust leak, fix it, and then get a tune there!

..Stay tuned.... no pun intended haha..

 

Right on. Let us know how it goes!

I'm thinking of applying for a job at Dyno Authority - but I'd have to relocate...

 

I can't wait to hear about your results. If all goes well, I'll take my car up there too.

 

Nismo350ZRT, what else do I have to say to convince you that I'm not lying about this?

 

GTM in SOCAL is a beutiful drive down and even better up

 

I'm sure they are, but you always want to tune a vehicle for the fuel that it will be driven on. Not Cali pump **** on a car driven in Washington. If you tune the car in so cal, you will end up with less power when you bring it back to WA.

 

Im praying this tuner is a reliable tuner here in WA that would solve a lot of problems.

 

Talking with Garet @ WorldOne about possibly flying Sam up here. He says it shouldn't be a problem.

 

Worldone=Good people.
Its always fun to see a professional at work. The workflow and efficiency of a pro tuner is pretty amazing for a medium-skilled tuner like myself to watch. I'll get there some day, but I need a few years of experiance first. Time to buy a dyno, oh dear...

 

No need to convince me. You obviously possess tuning knowledge way beyond anything I know so I'd lose any tuning argument easily. My only point is that us Z/G owners feel more comfortable with a tuner that has tuning experience with our cars. Even tuning one car will go a long way towards convincing everybody here. I'm just waiting for somebody to find this capable tuner.

 

+1

He needs to get more involved in the Z community.

RREV is an authourized HKS Fcon V-Pro dealer / installer / tuner

...located just off of I-5 in PDX

Yes folks, no need to fly people up here.
Besides, RREV's introductory prices on the HKS VPro system (with needed components) with tuning is hundreds of dollars less than what vendors are advertising in their signatures here at this forum.

PZ

 

Yeah but I already paid Sam@GTM. And I trust that he will do a good job so whatever . . . .

If I didn't pay already I would go to RREV. If he would've offered his package and EMS options earlier then I would have went there. There's people out there besides me that want tuning. So it's a good thing for them if John wants to get more involved in the Z/G community.

 

I've been waiting so long to find a tuner that I'm feeling resigned to leave my car as is. I think I'll just get a crotch rocket and be done with my need for speed.

 

If you don't jump on the bandwagon when it starts, don't expect people to pay too much attention. The best thing the RRev crew can do is become a sponsor on the site and start getting attention, maybe do a couple of Z's and G's and post some dynos.

 

If you help me figure out what equipment I need to tune your car and meet up with me a few hours before the dyno time is scheduled I will tune your car for free just for the experience, then maybe after I am done you can let everyone know how comparatively the car drives & performs.

 

Yeah, I agree.
I did my best to emphasize the importance of this website and associated Z community to the owner of the shop. He agrees, it is just a time issue. I think he does his best to visit various message boards, but he and his shop were traditionally aimed towards the Supra market...they're trying to break into the Z market.

As far as dynos go, mine will be posted in a few months....

PZ

 

If his shop is as known for producing high HP Supras as other shops, such as Sound Performance, then he shouldn't have much issue breaking into the Z/G world.

If I were him I'd do a couple of cars, maybe with a few different TT kit, or even trying to become APS/JWT certified. I dunno, up to him. I do wish him good luck as it would be nice for everyone in the PNW to have a good tuner that knows wtf he is doing and cares about customers' cars.

 

Supras = history . .

Z = future.