Help! I want to learn how to tune!

[Dark Ride]

I'm curious how hard this is to do, because I would like to start at least logging what my car is doing, and possibly getting into tuning. The three cars that I would like to tune are a '90 Turbo Grand Prix, a '00 Lumina, and a '98 Supercharged Grand Prix. What are my options/your suggestions as to what I need and how much it will cost. Is there a good resource to use when getting started?

 

Thanks, Mitch

[mra32]

I've done a little bit of this with Formula SAE at school. We have a really expensive datalogging unit, but it logs things like wheelspeed and steering angle and such. I assume what you want to to is to do engine. My best advice is to get a wideband O2 sensor. If you have any modification to the engine/exhaust/intake from what GM rolled off the assembly line, you're gonna have to tune it to make it run to its full potential. From what I understand, the O2 sensor will not only tell you if you are lean, rich or stoichiometric, but how far off you are. a car thats running stoichiometrically is theoretically running perfectly. The goal in tuning is to see how your car is running, adjust the settings, then see how it runs.

 

I'm sure you already know this if you want to get into tuning, you probably know more than me (I'm not on the engine team at formula sae, I'm on brakes and suspension/chassis).

 

I do know that piggyback computers can modify the signal for the fuel injectors (maybe spark advance depending on what you get and whats available). I'm doubtful of the kind of things made for our cars that do these things. If worst comes to worst, and you have the tuning bug, there is always Megasquirt. Megasquirt is where you pretty much build your own fuel injection control computer (and spark too, if you so desire) and tune it with open source software. Yes, it is very challenging, but the building the computer part is not the hard part, It's getting the fuel maps right. Its a big step into a slightly unknown world, but there are people out there who can help you. Megasquirt has tons of support behind it. That said, Megasquirt is a HUGE undertaking that could potentially yield some awesome results cheaply, but only with lots of dilligent work.

 

Hope I helped.

[mfewtrail]

Mitch, check out the TGP specific tuning section(on the other board) and you'll have the TGP and basic OBD-I stuff pretty much covered there(there are a few "getting started" posts from what I remember).

[slick]

Tuning the 90 TGP will be much different than tuning the 98 or the 00 car. The 98 and 00 car could possibly use the same software and tuner. The 90 car will be much different.

[Dark Ride]

Tuning the 90 TGP will be much different than tuning the 98 or the 00 car. The 98 and 00 car could possibly use the same software and tuner. The 90 car will be much different.

yeah, i spent about six hours last night researching and learning all about it, and came to the conclusion that I'll need two different setups, but I was thinking that the '00 Lumina and my '98 GP should be able to use the same stuff.

 

Mitch, check out the TGP specific tuning section(on the other board) and you'll have the TGP and basic OBD-I stuff pretty much covered there(there are a few "getting started" posts from what I remember).

Yeah, I forgot the TGPboard had a chip tuning section, there is A LOT of good info there.

 

 

A couple questions,

 

I was looking at DHP's Powertuner here:

http://www.wbodystore.com/grandprix/dhp-powrtuner-new-features-p-8.html

 

Has anyone used this, I was reading about it on ClubGp. How hard is it to use? I've never tuned or datalogged so I'm looking for something to get me started.

 

Also, If I converted my TGP to OBD2, which should also enable me to drop in a newer 4T65-E HD, would I be able to use the Powertuner, then I could have one setup for all three.

 

Thanks for the Replies,

Mitch

[Dark Ride]

A couple questions,

 

I was looking at DHP's Powertuner here:

http://www.wbodystore.com/grandprix/dhp-powrtuner-new-features-p-8.html

 

Has anyone used this, I was reading about it on ClubGp. How hard is it to use? I've never tuned or datalogged so I'm looking for something to get me started.

 

Also, If I converted my TGP to OBD2, which should also enable me to drop in a newer 4T65-E HD, would I be able to use the Powertuner, then I could have one setup for all three.

[z34Phoenix]

i have the power tuner and i love it! i have tuned my 3.4L DOHC and had very good results. and im tuning my buddy's GTP. there is a learning curve with the tuner. you get special forum access when you buy a tuner and you can research a lot. there are tutorials you can down load and posts to research. you have to do a lot of reading and hunting. the majority of questions have been asked. and they dont react well to newbi questions on stuff that is covered in the tuning guides. but follow what they list and provide you and you'll be fine.

 

took me a few months of research and scaning and tuning and i started seeing improvements. the biggest key is making only small changes at a time. that way you can see the effects in the data log and know if your making things better or worse. large changes are dangerous. also the best thing you can do with the tuner is not change anything without having a specific reason... pretend like your justifying to someone why you are making these chagnes... that will help you too from making too large of a chagne or a change in the wrong place.

 

yes the power tuner will work on the two newer OBD2 cars but wont work on the 90 gp. i guess you could try to swap to OBD2 but after you get usedto tuning with the newer cars, you will become familiar with the data you need to tune and what changes need to be made... then you can get things like a wide band O2 sensor and a scan tool for your OBD1 and then from that you can see what needs to be changed... then you can modify things physically like: diff plugs, thermostats, external fan triggers, injectors or boosting fuel pressure...ect.

[Dark Ride]

Awesome Thanks