It's best to put ALL your mods in and then get the PCM tuned. Otherwise, each time you have it re-tuned (unless you are doing the tuning yourself), it will cost you $$$.

 

Think of it this way. Your car has a lot of sensors that tell the computer what to do. And the computer is programmed to read those sensors and make adjustments based on a set table as to the possibilities of the amount of air/fuel/etc.

So as you modify your car, further than the stock tune can comprehend (meaning you put in an intake, port some exhaust, port the heads, etc) the computer doesn't know what to do with that AMOUNT of air. So you need to give the computer a new tune, so it now knows what to do with the higher amounts of air going in, or leaving.

It can only adjust itself so much, before you need to give it new parameters to work with.

 

HPtuner FTW! Learning the system can be a pita but in the end it's worth it and it saves you a ton of money in the long run, and you avoid having to send your PCM away for tuning, avoiding the "oops, my bad" when the tuner messes it up and the extra shipping. You can also become a beast at tuning and tune (and charge) for tuning other cars, although that's a bit of a stretch since it can cost an arm and a leg for the credits needed. But if you understand the concept and become good, who knows, you may end up tuning for a living.

 

Is there anyone on here that has knowledge that they would be willing to share and teach someone that has never tuned before? Buying would be cheaper and better in the long. I wouldn't want to ruin mine or anyone else's engine for that matter.

 

I'm not a teacher type, no patience, but I'll recommend 3 books that will make it easier for you to learn how to tune.
1. High-Performance Fuel Injection Systems by Greg Banish 2009
2. Engine Management Advance tuning by Greg Banish 2008
3. How to Tune and Modify Engine Management Systems by Jeff Hartman 2003

The last one is a bit old but it's very informative. You can find them at Hastings, Borders, or on line.

 

i have helped many in the past learn to tune. i use a DHP so my knowledge of what is in the HPtuners is limited. but the basics of tuning is the same. scan the car and log the data. review the data to see if your fueling is rich or lean and adjust the correct table to balance it.

what makes the difference is learning what tables do what and how they all work together... a change in one table can effect all the others.... and if you make a change it could cause a problem somewhere else.... so when tuning and learning we always tell people make one change at a time and get another data log to be sure that change had the desired effect... if not change it back.

 

I think learning how to read the information and how it all relates would be the most difficult. It would all look Greek until its learned. Sometimes fast sometimes slow to learn.