Would I Benefit From A Tune?

[11SecondHorse]

I just bought a 5.3L tahoe LT 4wd. Im not going to go crazy modding this thing for power, i have two muscle cars for that, but it is a slug and i would like to help it out a little bit. it has a k&n and came factory with 3.73s, so i basically want to do some cheap easy stuff just to give it a little boost. not gonna make it loud with exhaust but would change out an intake/tune it/ ect..
Any advice?

 

[ucsbguy19]

I just got a tune from Black Bear Performance. First tank of gas is getting me +3.5 mpg according to the computer, and the shifts are a LOT smoother/quicker. Had Justin remove 75% of the torque management too. Feels a LOT more responsive off the line. Best $200 i spent on my 'hoe so far. And i'm pretty sure he lives in VA too.

 

[EasyRyder]

yah everyone raves about black bear tuning. so yes you would benefit from a tune.

what kinda musclecars do you have? post up some pics!

 

[Zed 71]

Never heard of Black Bear. Is it a plug in unit to reflash the ECU?

 

[ucsbguy19]

Depends... Justin can either tune your truck in person if you set it up with him, or you can do mail order. THere are a few different options depending on what you're looking for. Check out http://www.blackbearperformance.com/ for the details.

I'm on my second tank of gas with the tune, and am so far (1/2 tank) averaging 17.6 mpg. And thats even with getting on it a lil more to really test out the improved performance.

 

[11SecondHorse]

Heres a few quick pics of my toys..

 

[Gambler]

Depends... Justin can either tune your truck in person if you set it up with him, or you can do mail order. THere are a few different options depending on what you're looking for. Check out http://www.blackbearperformance.com/ for the details.

I'm on my second tank of gas with the tune, and am so far (1/2 tank) averaging 17.6 mpg. And thats even with getting on it a lil more to really test out the improved performance.

Wow, I've heard you guys talking about this blackbear tuning before, I finally clicked on the link and was SHOCKED to find that it was cheaper than a programmer! A little more hassle maybe, but who cares... :thumbsup:

BTW, what was your mileage before?

 

[Gambler]

I've been trying to contact this justin guy at blackbear for the past 2 days, to no avail. Did any of you guys have problems getting a hold of him?

 

[11SecondHorse]

im gonna call him soon myself. if he isnt reliable then i wont mess with him..

 

[Gambler]

I've heard good things about him and that his customer service is excellent...maybe he is on vacation or something...

 

[ucsbguy19]

I think email is the best way to get ahold of him... when i was talking to him about my tune, it sometimes took a day or two to hear back, but i always did.

If you check out gmfullsize.com's forums, you'll see nothing but positive feedback.

 

[ucsbguy19]

Wow, I've heard you guys talking about this blackbear tuning before, I finally clicked on the link and was SHOCKED to find that it was cheaper than a programmer! A little more hassle maybe, but who cares... :thumbsup:

BTW, what was your mileage before?

I was getting a lil under 15 mpg before. I did go to a 285 tire instead of the stock 265, so that prolly had a lil to do with it, but i'm defintiely getting better mileage. This tank is 16.6 right now, but i've done a lot more city driving this week.

I waited till Justin came out to CA to get my tune, so i could get it done in person... he used kinda a base template based on some reading he took from my truck, then just kept tweaking stuff until both he and i were happy with the outcome. If you can wait for an in-person tune instead of mail-order, that would be my suggestion. After he makes little changes, we took a quick spin around the block, and jsut kept doing that until all the shift points, power, etc were maximized.

 

[Black Dog]

I think we could all benefit from a tune...
Went to the dealer yesterday to get first oil change at about 1000 miles, wanted sooner but whatever. Ordered a bunch of Amsoil for all the systems and wanted to use this a a flush. They give 1 free oil change and a tank of gas, but didn't want to do the oil change because it was too soon, but finally gave in. Anyway, talked to the Service Manger about mods, they're outlook on it was pretty good. He said a 4" high quality lift (CST) with 33s would not be a problem, they have warranty problems when guys come in with 7-10" and big tires. Told him I was putting GM Performance exhaust/intake and that I'd put a GM lift if they offered one, or let them install one if it helped. He said just let the CST do it, they just won't warranty the aftermarket parts but wouldn't try to void anyhing else. He even said that a tune would not void the drivetrain warranty unless it caused the failure, which is correct. Said just take it out if I bring it in. Told him I know GM is cracking down and can find evidence of it, but he said again he would not just void the powertrain warranty simply because I had one. Good news, hope he means it, but I think it really depends on the dealer, and if you talk it over and are friendly and sound like you know what you're talking about. Also told him I wanted only the best available everything, and wanted a tune mostly for optimized economy/performance, not just to strip away all the torque management and extreme parameters.

 

[Gambler]

I got a hold of Justin by phone, he said he has been swamped and is working through all the emails as we speak. I found out to my delight that he is located in Alexandria, VA which is within driving range. So I"m going to try to get it done Saturday. I'll give you an update afterwards.

 

[S.V.T.]

i like having a handheld, although more expensive if you have a warranty you can remove a tune. most likely they won't check to see that the ROM has been modified, if the ecu retains that information when you write/ remove a tune.

 

[Gambler]

According to Edge and probably the others, even reprogramming the stock tune leaves a footprint around that can be identified by GM. But they probably don't check that info unless something breaks.

 

[Ickulus]

Feedback....??

Hey all, what's the latest on your tune endeavors.....? Any chance of this getting done in TX? Gambler/others did you find anymore about warranty/dealer issues TIA!

 

[GMTech48]

Hey all, what's the latest on your tune endeavors.....? Any chance of this getting done in TX? Gambler/others did you find anymore about warranty/dealer issues TIA!

GM is cracking down big time on aftermarket tunes, we got a TSB on it a while back telling us how to find them and how to document it....in the end it comes down to your relationship with the dlr and what your warr. issue is.
Personally I would let a tune slide if the customer was nice, but if he/she gave me a hard time or had a 'tude, NO WARR.

 

[Gambler]

Got my tune done yesterday, and it is quite noticeable. Mileage is definitely improved as well. I'd recommend getting a tune! Any reasonable tune will net you a good performance/mileage gain, and there is no real danger of hurting your vehicle. If you are dumb and try to push the limits too much you can run into problems that are very well your own fault and the dealer may be able to void your warranty legally. Just having a tune is not grounds for voiding a warranty, don't let anybody try to tell you that.

 

[Black Dog]

GM is cracking down big time on aftermarket tunes, we got a TSB on it a while back telling us how to find them and how to document it....in the end it comes down to your relationship with the dlr and what your warr. issue is.
Personally I would let a tune slide if the customer was nice, but if he/she gave me a hard time or had a 'tude, NO WARR.

I understanding what you're saying about being considerate to considerate people, but don't really see how you can void or honor a warranty based on that alone. If you void something you don't have to based on that, then you're breaking the law. If you honor something you shouldn't, then your breaking GM policy. Shouldn't the decision under identical circumstances be exactly the same for 2 different people? I know I wouldn't want such a major decision based on someone's opinion of me personally, even though I usually stay cool. Not trying to start anything, but I think with that policy you'll eventually run into a jerk, whose warranty you void, and who it turns out knows the law and makes a lot of trouble for you. With that said, again I can see some obnoxious jerk not getting the service he expected, in many fields. Question though: when this happens, do you just send them on their way and they can try it elsewhere, or do you actually put in the computer that the drivetrain or whatever warranty is deemed void and will no longer be honored anywhere for any reason? How does that work? Thanks.