bump.

 

getting an AP will get you an off the shelf map that works very well with most of the cars out there. it's fairly conservative, so that it will work with more variances between downpipes and cat-backs, and leaves some power on the table because of that. others have mentioned that these maps have caused their cars to run too lean.

i didn't have that problem, and when i went in for my tuning, i found that i got about 40 HP and 50 TQ increase from stock with it. My car wasn't running lean either. Agile Automotive tuned my car and got me an additional 30 HP and 30 TQ on top of what the off -the-shelf map got me.

Your protuner will get you more power, and ensure safety of the tune by making a fuel / timing / boost map that is reflective of your actual mods.

 

The AP is an off-the-shelf tuner that will do well on most vehicles with VERY specific modifications and fuel types.

A self-tune will allow the experienced tuner to modify their own vehicle. There is discussion that self-tuning (on the street) is much more realistic than on a dyno, however, there is a certain amount of risk unless you have someone you really trust driving.

A Pro-Tune will allow an experienced tuner to tune your vehicle on a dyno given the modifications and response your vehicle has to the variation of tuning parameters.

 

Thanks for the information. The only other thing I'd like to know that I haven't been able to find out is the prices for dyno/pro tunes vs buying an AP. I realize that an AP wont pull the most HP out of your car, but I'm trying to be cost effective, and don't know if it would be better to shell out a few hundred on an AP or to just get it tuned by a reputed shop.

 

from what i have seen, expect a pro tune to run 400 bucks or so on your stock ecu. (PRE Performance in Portland, OR is about that much i think) same goes for the AP, but you get the ability to have multiple maps, among other things. the AP is worth it IMHO. i am getting one and then getting a pro tune later on.

 

Sounds good. Is there a way to tell if my car has been remapped already? I purchased a pre modded, and although I'd like to believe the previous owner did things right, I want to make sure she's tuned correctly before I put too many miles. That and I don't want to remap for no reason!

 

i dont know of any way to tell if your car was already tuned. do you happen to know what parts the previous owner had on it? usually (if they are smart) heavily modded cars or even semi-modded cars have some sort of tune. however, if the previous owner used a Cobb AP, then they might have returned the car to the stock mapping when the parts were removed

 

Hey Tachypsychia! im in SC. Ive been to Boone numerous times for snowboarding trips, love the area!! About the pro tune, whats the closest city that has a tunner up there? im still looking for a repitable one.... I went the cheap route and bought a traxix set-up and threw a stage 2 xpt map into my ecu. the map info says use invidia Dp but i have the bellmouth HKS one and in big pulls im getn the cels poppin up in 4+ gears. Im tired of reseting the ecu and in need of a protune, im done modding for a while! let me know if you go for the protune, maybe we can get a group discount!! lol

 

The mods are all still on there... I just don't want to cross my fingers and assume. I've never driven an STi before, so I wouldn't know the difference in power between the stock and performance mappings.

Terrsti- I've found 3 or 4 tuners, and I'm still not sure what to go with yet. Epic Motorsports in Fayettville (too far away in my opinion) and MotionLab Tuning in Charlotte have had good reccommendations. I'm staying away from Draco Performance. There seems to be a lack of communication between customer and shop that I don't care to deal with. There was one tuner I came across that was located in Ashville, but I can't seem to find it anymore.. I ran across them advertising on a forum. you can try Flat4NC.com. I've found a lot of support for the carolinas there.

Found the Asheville tuner: Boxer4racing.com. The shop is located in Marshall, but its in the Asheville area. I've checked out NASIOC and other sites, and I've seen good feedback. Since this is closest to my area, I'll probably be in contact with them. POC is Dale Teague.

 

hmmm. well if the parts are still on there, you might be tuned. but just in case, i would go for a pro tune. a pro tune will set you up for the parts that are on your car versus the generic Cobb AP. however, i happen to think that the cobb AP is worth the $$$ due to its many functions, being able to hold up to 20 maps, etc.
however, if you dont need any of that, then skip it and get yourself an open source Pro Tune

if you are still in contact with the guy you bought the STI from, you should ask if he ever got it tuned or used to have a Cobb AP.

 

Find out the current status of your car before you go to a shop and get re-tuned.

Why get retuned if it was already tuned?

 

If I could find the info out from the original owner I'd have no reason to post this. I'd have tuned or been happy with what I had. If I were to get an AP then get a Protune, would the AP be able to store my protune, so i could alternate to stock or the various other maps?

 

yes, the AP will allow you to use custom maps (pro tune) as well as other maps from Cobb with features like flat-foot shifting, launch control, and other things (read Cobb's website for info about those maps). the Ap can hold 20 maps... anything you want really. and will also be able to return your car to the stock/current ecu tuning...

also +1 for looking at a local shop to check out your tune. probably the only way to know for sure

 

See if you can find a DIY tuner in your area who is willing to pull your tune and give it a look. It might be obvious from the tune if it's not stock.

Then the question is whether or not you have a safe tune. For that, there's logging. You can do it with the AP or with a Tactrix OpenPort. If the logs show the car making reasonable boost without knocking, then you've got at least a decent tune.

Here's a little more info:
RomRaider • View topic - How To: Make useful data logs
RomRaider • View topic - How To: Get started with tuning and logging

 

Great. I see no reason why I shouldnt get an AP and have it protuned then. I'll have a shop check everything out first and go from there. Thanks guys