Can anyone that went from an off the shelf tune such as softronic to a custom tune share their experience? Thanks!

 

All depends on your setup my friend. If you are basically stock or have smaller turbos there is no real benefits. When you get to larger setups like my old setup or my current setup custom tuning is VERY much needed.

 

Do it right, call a tuner. I just installed EPL with awesome results.

 

I am running 16Gs with exhaust, intercoolers, EBC and a softronic tune

 

I doubt that a custom tune is really needed. If you feel something is up you could have someone like Steve Ott datalog it with the Durametric and send the information to Scott. If he feels there is something unusual he can correct it with another file. Usually on basic setups though there is not much that can be wrong.

 

we do offer custom tuning based on the logs you provide... do they make a difference?
Yes. I know of at least 5 guys here on 6speed that went that route and were very pleased with the results... Mind you that there are off the shelf generic flashes and tuner specific( aggressive) files as well.. thus a off the shelf tuner specific may be just fine vs one that is sold by third parties and or offered for nominal price...
Not referring to any specific tuner just saying ti how it is...

 

Oh I agree with you on that one Mark. I guess the way I look at it if you are running the generic amount of boost for that setup, usually a cookie cutter tune is ok. When you start adjusting boost to higher levels like the K24/18, K24/20, GT307X, etc.. cars is where you start noticing HUGE differences over a basic tune. Sometimes it's unsafe to run more than the specified boost for the file you have. If you have any questions always contact your tuner before you do anything different.

When I was running a complete EPL tune I always asked Tony before I did stuff just to make sure it was safe. Now that Tony controls some parts of the stock computer, but Justin controls the fuel, spark, etc.. I verify with Justin. Although sometimes I don't listen to Justin or I stretch the truth a little just to see if he catches on. In the end I follow exactly what they tell me to do. If Justin tells me to run my timing setting for pump gas and a max amount of boost I won't even THINK about going above them. With my race gas tune I keep the timing right, but boost is dependent on Brake boosting and weather. I do adjust accordingly if I do go higher. We do have some safeguards for higher amounts of boost then I am suppose to run. For those who think I run more boost than I say I can have a screenshot of the HKS software to show that it pulls timing above XXpsi. That is if Justin gets on AIM and has my file on the laptop he has with him at the moment.

 

yea for entry level K16s its Ok... but I, having gone thru 3 tuners myself long before I got into this, would do anything to have a custom tuned car back then had I know what I know now... it just wasn't available... or out of reach price wise...

 

It's amazing how much prices have come down over the years. I've been through a few tuners and wish I could have started with just one back then. I'd have a lot more money in my pocket!

 

If you feel bold, Revo will let YOU custom tune your flash accross several parameters.

 

No offense but I would not change a softronic tune for a revo .

 

What's the price difference between an off the shelf tune and a custom one? I don't want to know precise prices, just a rough % estimate.

If the difference is not big I can't see why one should buy an off the shelf tune..

 

Most people who buy an "off the shelf" tune, either don't know any better (usually not their fault, although they can do some searching ...like here...), or have no intentions of modding further. The price between the two could be the same or it could be 20%-30% more for custom (worth it). The old addage goes: you get what you pay for. You usually don't get "service" with an "off the shelf tune".

 

Revo is around $2600 with Revo Plus software (for your laptop to log data and program changes) that lets you alter the tune. This is not for everyone. But if you would like to tune your car for any specific situation, It is a must have. I am a hands on guy and do not need to send out mu ECU since I have stock turbos and only a few mods. But if I did choose a tuner with there custome tune, all of the sponsors on this board have great products and are priced well under Revo.

 

Not a problem my Greek friend. I am not selling anything I am only a user like you. I like the freedom to alter the ECU and maximise my performance for changing environments. It has always worked well for me and is not for everyone. For me price was not part of my purchasing factor when i was in the market for a flash.