neat

Ok, I bought my 1992 vette with a 383, and an LT4 hotcam. The shop that built the motor recommended a bigger cam, and sold me a 232/242, .565/.575 114 LS cam, based on a very expensive computer program's recommendation. I installed the cam, and paid for a chip from PCMforless.com. Prior to the new cam, the car made 370 RWHP.

I just lost to a stock O2 Z06. It wasn't even close. The guy pulled me probably 5 car lengths in third gear. It's a buddy of mine, so I know its stock. When I had the hotcam and the old tune, I was door to door with him. This is the 2nd attempt by PCMforless.com to tune the car. The first tune, the car had cam surge so badly it wasn't even driveable, and had way less power. This time, the surge is better, and it has more power, but the surge still makes 25 mph in 3rd gear an impossibility. Does anyone know of a way I can communicate what needs to be done differently with the tune to Alvin at PCMforless? I don't have any data logging equipment, and the only Dyno shop in the area charges $135 for a friggen pull with a wideband.

Any idea's?

BTW, I am about 4,500 ft. above sea level

scoobysnax83

I honestly cannot help you with the programming aspect of this. But I have a question. Have you tried the LT4 Hotcam chip with the new cam? Just a thought...

But in all honesty, you need to either find a way to log data or dyno tune it....:blah:

S.J.S.

Did you install it yourself??? I would check the valve lash. If thats cool I would go and get yourself a Dyno tune. Bryan is dead on with the Hotcam. I don't know about the bigger ones.

neat

I have tried the old chip, the car runs all right, but the cam surge is horrible. It also will not idle. If I keep it running with the accelerator pedal, and go for a drive it seems accelerate about the same.

Valve lash is good. That was my first thought as well.

ChevyIron

If I were you,I would dyno tune it you jsy spent all this money on the motor don't cheap out on the tuneing aspect.I to just finshed building a 383 with a 236-244 on a 112lsa cam xe.I had pcmforless make a program But soon as I get my exhaust finished I going to get it dyno tuned hopefully by Brian at PCMforless very nice guy pleasure to deal with.So save up the money for the dyno tune and goodluck with the vette nice big ol cam you got there to

neat

I would love to pay for a dyno tune. Unfortunately I am forced to live in Utah. The only dyno shop around here charges $135 for the wideband, and can't burn chips. Getting the wideband is only part of it too, the timing is another huge part. I can adjust the A/F ratio at WOT with my AFPR, but I can't do anything with the timing.

The cam surge is also a major annoyance that can not be fixed by simply adjusting the A/F ratio at WOT.

JIMS1999CONVZ28

Alvin did my tune on a 1993 Z28 that was in bad shape. My injectors were bad and I knew I was going to a 383 in the future so I got SVO 42# injectors. He got the A/F ratio perfect on the second down load program off an email he sent us.
I had a buddy with the chip burner, data analyser and a laptop.
We might could have done this without the dyno but A/F is a must so you won't damage parts or worse, blow the engine.

If I might suggest; buy the chip burner and analyser program, send Alvin the data files with detailed information on how the car performs. You might want to go to the drag strip and get performance results. If you're going to keep this "hobby" you need to get the tools to keep the car running at max performance.

One last thought, when we were at the dyno on "Dyno Day" (25 cars did a group purchase) and got two pulls for $40 with A/F. I was prepared to send Alvin a file and A/F ratio and get a new program sent to me within minutes via email, then download the data into the PC and burn the chip. When the A/F came in perfect, there was no need. I had the dyno guy push the car to 7,000 rpms. Maybe you could do a Group purchase with a car club.

Jim in Orlando Fl.

Gripenfelter

If its a custom cam, chances are you won't make the most hp unless you go with a dynotune.

neat

Ahhh yes, I can see no one here is familiar with the HELL that is Utah. The track won't be open until the middle of April, so track times are out for the time being. The information that can be gleaned from a track run here is all but useless in the real world of racing. A track the equivalent of 10,000 feet above sea level doesn not yeild real world results to 99% of the population. My car club does 2 dyno days a year, 2 pulls with AF ratio for $50. One in October and one in May. So that's out. I belong to the only V8 based car club in Uath it seems, so hitching a ride with another club is impossible.

I would like to buy some more stuff for my car, but the purchase of the car, and a couple other things has me pretty strapped for cash. If I buy the analyzer, and a chip burner, I might as well tune the car myself. I am pretty familiar with LS1 edit, and I think I could net a good tune after a couple hours. I went with PCMforless.com becaue I didn't want to mess with it. It was cheaper, and Alvin has a killer reputaion. Unfortunately, Utah struck again, and killed Alvin's tune by way of hellacious elevation. The elevation here is about 4,500 ft. But the DA is usually over 10k. Bandimere raceway in CO, is 1000 ft higher than the track here, and people there run an average .2 quicker than they do here. The super insane elevation makes the car extremely difficult to tune, as Alvin explained it to me. He also explained the he was not Wal-Mart, and I could not get my $$$ back when I found out he really didn't have a way of tuning the car without data logs, except for trial and error. The vette is my daily driver most of the time, and I really can't afford to have the car go down for 10 days at a time, 20 times until Alvin finds my tune.

So, I ask again. Is there no way to communicate what needs to be done differently with the tune, other than data logging. I realize a wideband dyno session is a good tool for tuning for max HP, but the driveability of the car can not be tuned on a dyno.

JIMS1999CONVZ28

Wow, what an education, I forgot it snowed in Utah. I am not a skier that is why I moved to Central Florida back in 91, too cold in North Carolina.
It appears you have your bases covered.

Good luck on the car.
On last thought..... do you have any idea how fast your car would be at sea level (hint to move to FL)? We look foward to Jan - Feb for the 40 degree temps at night and a mid to uppper 30 degree night is rare. A summer night at the track when it is 80 plus degrees is not great!

Jim
PS: Good luck with the tune.

Dan K

No.
No one can guess what you're car needs and if you aren't willing to buy the equipment to do it yourself or at least buy the equipment to be able to datalog for your chip burner you're SOL.

neat

OK, that's what I wanted to know. No need to be an a$$ about it.

The previous owner of my car lived in LA, and only ran the car a couple times at the track. He managed a best of 13.0 at 121 mph on street tires. The shop that built my car, ran it a couple of times in another state at about 2500 ft. above sea level. There it went 12.6 at 118 on street tires. Here it goes 12.6 at 110 on ET streets. 13.2 or so at 110 on street tires.