SteveMasterZerox9

Why doesnt anyone just dyno tune their cars at a shop and that would give you a tune and fix your knocking in one session.

Upsh1ft

well it's been a month since that last revision and request for final fine tuning and I never got a ghost of a reply from the Bama guys, I even emailed them again yesterday to request some status and so far nothing. This is dissapointing as I feel I have been abandonned. I will look up local dyno tuning once the budget permits it.

Upsh1ft

I actually got the tune two days ago! However it was knocking WORSE than the one before. As I'm having a terrible week already as is I won't bother datalogging it right away and will wait before I notify Bama. I just don't have any patience or motivation right now.

AMChrisRose

The tough part is that we're dealing with 87 octane, here. Even the stock tune will show as much as -5 degrees knock on 87 octane with no audible signs of knock. This is all part of adaptive spark, and not necessarily "aggressive timing". I took a look at one of the versions of the tune that they sent over, and they left all of the timing tables and knock retard/advance stock, so I think we might be fighting an uphill battle. Further more, some of it may be false knock, which over time the PCM may learn. So if you just load the tune and go out and datalog, you may notice knock gets a little better each time you repeat WOT without reflashing (which gets rid of everything the PCM learned).

Now if this was a premium 91/93 octane tune, premium fuel, we can get the car almost dead silent with no knock in most cases. 87 octane is so unreliable and different throughout the country, it needs to have active knock sensors for just this exact reason.

My suggestion would be to datalog with a stock tune, the same exact way you datalogged our tune, and I'm willing to bet you'll see the same or very close amount of factory knock retard.

Also, whenever you need something - just give us a call. The Bama tuning specialist team hours are Monday-Friday from 9AM-5:30PM EST and the direct number is 888.226.9764. If you call us, we can send revisions out in 10 minutes, usually. Instead of waiting for emails that could take 24-72 business hours, and could be getting blocked by SPAM, etc. etc.

We'll take care of any problems, and you'll be happier than any custom dyno tune you put us up against. There's nothing they can see that we can't, even wideband air/fuel ratio. With 87 octane, they'd have the same struggle, and if you datalogged it when you left the dyno, you'd be running into the same thing, unless they wen't more conservative than stock timing until knock retard was gone, in which case - the car will feel VERY sluggish.

Hope this helps!

Upsh1ft

I remember my original tune felt like it outright died past 5000rpm and the log showed up to almost -6 degrees. I had had the tune in for over 1000km. Although no audible knock was ever heard. I also stay away from any brand of gasoline that isn't Esso, Shell or Petro-Canada(our top 3 brands).

After I had done that first datalog I loaded the stock tune and had ZERO knock on the same test circuit. It felt weaker in low RPM obviously but was much stronger past 5000rpm.

I will admit a recent tune(not the last one but the one I got just before that) felt very good throughout the RPM range and never peaked beyond -2 degrees.

So from what you are saying, maybe I should grab that revision, run with it for a few days at various types of loads for the engine PCM to "learn" and then datalog? If not that revision then which one do you personally recommend I do this? And is -5 degrees dangerous if there is no audible knock?

Finally I would like to thank you for providing your input and responding to this thread as well as Dann Menna for the support he has provided so far. It may not seem like it but I do appreciate it. I would just like to end up with a tune that works and isn't going to grenade my engine or add some unnecessary wear.

D BERRY

Like you I'm a street tune fan! When I first got mine it felt a lot better on the bottom end, and better throttle response and trans shifting. Without the street tune my eighth mile times were in the 9.50 to 9.60s. With it they were in the 9.0s, the only other non stock thing on this car is the 3.55 gears. I have tried the performance tune and was disapointed as it didn't feel as good as the street tune. Running the eighth, which is all there is around here the street tune is tops.

Dave B

hogasswild

Sounds like even more reason to run with 93 octane.

Upsh1ft

yeah but running an 87 tune with 93 octane kind of defeats the purpose no?

87 octane is prices to 4.69 a gallon(converting the price from 1.24$ a L to $ per US gallon)
91 octane is about 5.30$ a US gallon
93 octane well, at places WHERE I can find it is gonna be 5.50$ a US Gal and I'm not even sure those are conservative estimates, It could be more.
Oh and that's with a recent price drop, 87 was 10c a L more last week.

My typical fillup is about 14 gallons, so that's 65$ a fillup which is well pretty typical. That's 77$ with 93 octane.

I typically average 11L/100km because of the chunk of city driving and stop and go traffic I get, which is close to 19-20mpg and drive about 4000km(2500 miles) a month. That comes to 440L(116.24 US Gal) of fuel a month. Thats 545$ a month on 87 and at least 640$ on 93.. Again the 93 octane estimates are lowballed. 100$ a month is a lot of cash. I have a good job with good income but I still don't want to throw 100$ away if I can avoid it. 1200$ a year is nice to have.

Welcome to the fuel prices of Canada lol

aero86

glad they are working with you, but i could only imagine the tuning nightmare would be with 87. does the 87 there have ethanol in it too? here in the US we have up to 10% ethanol..

Upsh1ft

yes we do.

There isn't too much of a difference between good 87 here and good 87 in the states.