i apologize as i know there are lots of other threads in here that talk about tuning, but i am looking for some specifics owing to my particular situation.

1) i am the "lucky" owner of a 1997 z28 (details in signature) w/the oddball 1-off obd2 pcm that isn't supported by products like hptuner
2) LT1edit, which i heard was really good, is no longer available and was "sold" to jetchip.com (they sell their jet dst tuning and -say- it supports my car, but i've yet to find someone using it to get any feedback)
3) i hope to hear from another 97 z28 obd2 owner who is actively involved in tuning their own car so i can find out what you are using
4) i'm not interested in mail order tunes. i got a mail order tune initially with my build, but it is just a "black box" transaction - i have no idea what was done, how it was done, what sort of tune is there and if it is anywhere close to optimal. they were given my engine/powertrain specs by my engine builder, and i assume that's what they based it on, but i don't *know*.
5) i've seen other forums discussing replacing the obd2 pcm with a 94-95 obd1 z28 pcm, and i've read everything from "you'll be sorry - your obd2 pcm is far superior" to "obd1 swap is greatest thing ever". i have no idea what to believe

i'm not looking to tune a race setup. i want my car to be a nice, efficiently tuned high performance street/daily driver. it is driveable now, and drives pretty well. there are no major problems so far as i can tell. i just don't like the not knowing what's there, and having no idea what if any options there are for me to at the very least read what's there, do some data logging and get some visibility into how things are working, i may never even attempt to change anything.

hope this all makes sense.

 

2 - It was TunerCATS that sold their tuning software to JET.

Would have to agree there are well known mail order tuners who don’t get very good results.

Why not look to a highly experienced mail-order tuner, with proven results, who will ask YOU to fill in his data sheet with your mods, so he knows what it needs? You would need flow numbers for your heads, if not stock, and the cam card showing duration,lobe separation angle, lift, etc. If you don't have that info, your engine builder should supply it to you. I can provide the contact info for the tuner. That way, you would have a good base tune, that you could play with while learning how to do it yourself.

If you aren’t looking for a *****-out, can’t squeeze another HP out of it race tune, you will not need an experienced tuner AND a dyno tune. But for a reliable, performance tune, meeting your stated goals, it can be accomplished by the right mail order tuner. Sure, you can invest a lot of time and money in buying tuning software, or doing an OBD-1 swap. Then invest a lot of time learning how to tune. Alternatively, the are aftermarket engine management systems the include data logging and tuning software. Or, the 24X conversion, eliminating the Opti, and using the superior LS1 PCM. Also expensive.

I probably know as much as anyone about how the LT1 PCM's work, have been reviewing data logs for people and helping them solve problems for 20+ years. But I have never been tempted to get involved with tuning an LT1 PCM. My choice (made 20 years ago) was an aftermarket system with data logging and tuning capabilities. But there was no way I felt qualified to tune a race engine that runs street friendly on straight motor, but does a Mr. Hyde when the 300-shot of nitrous hits. I let an experienced shop tune it on an engine dyno, again on a chassis dyno, then tweak it on the track. No way I could have done that myself.

Maybe others can give you a more positive view of their self-tuning experience. I'm just trying to provide an alternative approach.

 

thanks very much for the reply. i assume that the "aftermarket system with data logging and tuning capabilities" you refer to either no longer exists, or isn't available for my 97. the place that did my mail-order tune did have all of my engine build specs (including all the details you mentioned), so i assume that explains why the tune i have has the car running pretty well. whether they had a tune already sitting on the shelf that matched all of my specs or whether they fiddled with the dials to set everything up? i've no idea...

again, given my stated goal i doubt all of the expense associated with taking it to a dyno tuning shop (assuming i could find a reputable one willing to work on my "old" 97) is justified, *and* i'd likely still be in the dark with little/no understanding of what they did and how. maybe a 50,000 ft view of the overall process and ideas, but that'd be about it.

the curious part of me really would like to be able to hook up my laptop to the obd2 port and read my pcm and do some data logging during a drive just to be able to look at things.

 

btw, i do have a "fisher price" (lol) obdlinx obd2 reader that i use with the torque pro android app, so i can get at any codes that pop up, and monitor some engine vitals, but it doesn't support much beyond those very basic (but useful) functions.