are they worth the money? is it possible for them to do any damage to the car's computer? and how much of a performance gain are we talking?

 

Don't know if they work any better/worse for an LT1, but for my LS1, I had the Hypertech "Power Tuning" programmed in, and it made about ~1 HP difference on the dyno (basically worthless) and it also REQUIRED me use 94 octane fuel at a MINIMUM otherwise the engine would ping excessively pretty much all the time . On the dyno, however, the tech noticed pinging above ~5000 RPM, and that was running 94 octane!? I pulled the tuning, did 2 more pulls, and got the same amount of power. The A/F ratio was slightly richer WITH the program, but it wasn't too lean without either, so no big gains/losses either way .

I used it mainly to compensate for my 3.73's/4.10's, and at the end, 3.23's (factory were 2.73's). I also used the shift point adjustment for at the track, and bumped the rev limiter up ~200 RPM so I could cross the line in 2nd gear w/2.73's (when they were still in the car).

I think you can do so much more with some of the other programmers on the market, and/or get mail order tuning from guys like MadZ28.

 

yeah thanks man. i've kinda heard some mixed reviews of these. i guess you either hate 'em or love 'em.

 

i havent read ONE good thing about yet.

 

Read my second paragraph above . It was VERY useful for those purposes .

 

You can also use them to re-program your cooling fans, compensate for tires of different diameters, and remove the 110 MPH speed limiter (if your car came from the factory with a 115MPH speedo).

I like my Hypertech, but if you're planning on using it primarily to "increase power," I don't think it's worth it... performance gains on LT1s appear to be minimal.

 

Also FWIW, I saw a guy at a local dyno shop with a low mileage, bone stock '02 SS Collector's Edition M6 ... he dyno'd around ~320 rwhp / ~335 rwtq ... then he used his Superchips tuner (same idea as a Hypertech) and dyno'd again ... the numbers hardly changed at all .

Again, they're only good for changing the settings that have already been stated, but NOT for "power tuning" ... if you need to tweak your computer for air/fuel to compensate for headers/heads/cam/etc., then custom programming is the only way IMO .

 

Go with a mail order tune, either from Jeff Creech or our very own Ion.

http://www.madz28.com/

http://www.carolinaautomasters.com/



You'll actually see some real results for your money.

 

I believe the LS1 tuning with the HPP3 mainly changes the torque power curve and unfortunately you won't see anything at the extreme edge. This can affect performance positively if you have the traction. I had mine dyno'd with and without the powertune and got the same results as you saw. My engine was A/F tested and is running dangerously lean; hence the consensus was the PE was drawing its numbers from a less than optimum cell in the long term matrix. The LS1 apparently is tuned aggressively enough that peak HP and TQ aren't in the advantage with the HPP3.

For b_lesy, the hypertech tuners are for novices and if buying new my advice is to spend a little more and get the Crane or Granatelli handhelds. They are considerably more versatile and can be worth the investment. Send off programmers apparently hit the mark well enough that if you aren't into owning hardware then they definitely have positive reviews and I'm certain are worth the money. $500 on a dyno is for serious spenders but that is the best way to go if you can find a good tuner. The last thing I will say about the Hypertechs, of which I own two, is that their non-customer support (2nd owner) is pathetic. If you aren't the original purchaser of the unit then you will not be treated with much consideration.