How does a mail order tune work and how much do they usually cost? The guy I have used before is in the hospital and don't know anyone else locally. I have a laptop but need to know what cables or programs I need to buy and how much. Just had the engine built with the info in my signature. Does anyone know someone good in the Oklahoma City area in case I don't go with mail order.

 

Ed Wright/Fast Chip is in Tulsa. Very good - mail order or dyno tune.

http://www.fastchip.com/

Mail orders work several ways. To start, you fill out a detailed questionaire with the specifics of your car/engine. Then:

1 - Send the tuner your PCM, he tunes it, sends it back, you reinstall = downtime

2 - You pay a core charge, he sends you a tuned PCM, you send your old one back to him = no down time.

3 - Tuner sends you a file with the tune, and the software to load it into the PCM. Requires a cable.

Look at these tuners:

http://madtuner.com/

http://www.pcmforless.com/

They have the forms online, describe the process, and may actually have costs.

 

Ok thanks Injuneer for the info. I will give him a call. Rough estimate ($$) on a mail order tune?? I should have been more specific on the question of how do mail order tunes work. My question is how can you tune a car without having it running while it was being tuned. Last time we got the car tuned the guy had a laptop hooked up and had the engine running. Also, can a tuner do more for a car if they have the car at shop so they can tune while running? I'm use to old school tuning with old technology, ie. turn dist for timing and adjust carb.

 

Sure.... put it on a dyno with a wide-band A/F meter. Then take it to the track and tweek it real-time. That will get you a more accurate tune than you will from someone sitting at a desk a thousand miles from your car and reading the answers to the questionairre.

But the mail-order guys have done the same type of real-time dyno tuning and can correlate most popular mod combinations to get you to a decent point. I don't see anything in your mods list that would present any difficulty. But even there you might see another 10HP on a dyno tune.

 

Cool, thanks. Whats your guess on RWHP?

 

I heard Ed sold his dyno and shop and only does mail order tunes from his home these days.

 

Disappointing.

 

Any other suggestions on tuners in Oklahoma?

 

Decided to go with mail order from Mad Tuner. Placed order today. Hopefully I answered all of the questions right.