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Old 01-13-2012, 10:59 AM
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MTZL MTZL is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Mountain Zone Lancer (MTZL)
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Tuning - What Normal Owners Need to Know

"Does XX mod require a tune?"
I personally don't recommend 90% of mods without a proper tune. You are modifying expensive and complex equipment. I would not cheap out just because you want to save $350-$500.

The biggest misconception is that our ECU is smart and auto-adjusts to some mods. Yes it auto-adjusts, but that is NOT for you to save from a tune. That auto-adjust variation is there for safety/reliability - mainly weather and temperature conditions. It is not wise to rely on this to save money on a tune.

This also means intakes that don't require a tune don't flow enough air to throw the ECU off - as in they don't flow much more air at all than stock.

"I don't have a tuner/dyno near me!"
Internet, or "e-tuning", is becoming more and more popular these days. With a tactrix cable and wideband gauge set to datalog to your laptop, you can easily gather all the data a tuner needs to change a tune. The tuner will simply email you the new rom after adjustments until done. Any well respected tuner can do this, so don't feel like you're stuck with only tuners that openly offer this service like AMS. And don't feel like you're stuck without tuners at all!

Poor Tuning WILL destroy your SST
There are, surprisingly, a LARGE number of mediocre tuners out there. Previous Evo's are much easier to tune than SST platforms, and they require a high level of experience and guidance to tune properly. Because we don't have full control of the TCU yet, and since it's a separate unit from the ECU, an improperly tuned ECU will leave the TCU making outrageous and harmful adjustments to be in a comfortable zone of operation. Tuning your Ralliart requires an experienced tuner, and since e-tuning is so popular these days, there's no reason not to be tuned by one of them.
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