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Dyno Proven Tune Numbers, Who's on top??

17K views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  PowerHungry 
#1 ·
I know this will be hard to compare with the competitors due to different vehicle setups. Just curious as to whos tunes are packing the most punch. I offen find myself stumbling when trying to recommend a tuner to somebody for the reason that i havnt heard any bad from the big name tuners on here. Fire away.
 
#2 ·
As you indicated, that's a really loaded question since how a vehicle is set up can have a major impact on both performance and drivability. With that said, I'm going to offer what I can based on testing that we've done on *stock* trucks and basic tuning.

Most of the tuners right now have about the same power output on any given vehicle. In most cases this is around 420-440 HP on a hot tune. In looking at the tuning from several tuners, most of the files are relatively close if not pretty much identical. This would explain much of the similarity in performance numbers.

Now, if we were to look at drivability, that's where things start to change dramatically. Since shifting is highly subject to interpretation, each tuner seems to handle transmission tuning differently based on personal preferences. Some are more aggressive with very firm shifts and high shift points, some are more moderate with shift points that are closer to stock. All of this relates not only to how comfortable it is to drive a vehicle, but also how the power is actually applied to the ground.

There are also some differences in how the throttle curve is handled, and this can way quite heavily on the drivability aspect of a vehicle. We've heard customers in the past indicate that their tunes would have the throttle feel like a "light switch", with no real linearity in the pedal. The pedal would feel kind of flat through the mid-throttle section and then as soon as you approached full throttle the truck would take off. Great for racing, but not very useful for a street truck.

All in all, it's really going to come down to personal preference. There are a number of good tuners out there... Matt, Chris, Eric, Vivian, and others... Just pick the one that you feel works the best for your needs and go with it.

Take care.
 
#3 ·
I agree, each tune has it's own "character". Some of these characteristics are necessary to extract the results we need.

We've built our tunes, like most others, based on customer feedback. We offer a wide variety of tunes with different names that relate to the feel or style of the tune. For those who want a high power tune with stock like driveability, there's a tune for that. Others want all the response and power they can get safely, there's also a tune for that.

Just reading through the forums, calling the shop, and even trying a couple different versions of tunes will help you decide. We dial in the tune to the customers liking, so if you order a tune, it's not complete until you're happy.
 
#5 ·
I'm with both of you there, but neither answered his actual question of which has dyno proven the highest hp...
 
#6 ·
In that case, I'll go with this...

[Click image to enlarge]


Peak HP
-w/Water Meth - 484.327
-wo/Water Meth - 443.658

Peak TQ
-w/Water Meth - 1024.834
-wo/Water Meth - 898.483

Here is the test data from the dyno...

http://www.gopowerhungry.com/images/php_truck/black_truck/dyno/php_black_6_0_dyno_data.txt

This was my personal truck. The testing was on a Mustang Dyno MD-250 Load dyno, 5th gear locked. The truck was modified as follows:
  • Head Studs
  • Stock Injectors
  • Stock Turbo
  • Stock Airbox
  • Stock Exhaust
  • EGR Delete
  • Water Meth at 49%/51% concentration (Used on the indicated run)
We've tested and tuned a number of other trucks on the dyno... Some with heavy modifications, some stock. Some with higher numbers, some with lower numbers. There are a number of variables that can affect tuning as well as the power results. Even dyno differences can make a fair comparison difficult, if not impossible. The point Eric and I were trying to make is that HP numbers are not necessarily an accurate reflection of tuning quality, but merely a guideline into what can be achieved. Drivability and, above all, reliability should be primary considerations of equal, if not greater, importance.

Take care.
 
#8 ·
That's impressive to say the least , do either of you foresee any small gains from exhaust in this exact scenario ?
 
#9 ·
The biggest thing I got from an exhaust system was noticeable drop in EGTs. My power curves changed very little, with the exception of not falling off as much in the upper RPM range do to improved flow characteristics. Overall, I didn't gain any peak HP from the exhaust. I sure like the way it sounds, though! For reference, the exhaust was a full Diamond Eye kit from Little Power Shop.
 
#10 ·
I respect all replies. The numbers were higher than I had expected. I know hp is only number but was just kind of curious what could be achieved. Better yet seeing the gains on a totally stock platform is pretty cool. Thanks for the info guys!
 
#11 ·
Matt or Eric, do you guys have any numbers you want to throw up here?
 
#13 ·
i would love to see that, i have ran matts SRL file for quite awhile until i sold my 05. i had the hotter SRL file after i had my truck studded, never had a chance to dyno it though.
 
#15 ·
I'm going to check with a few local trucks to get an idea of what tunes were on their trucks when dynoed. I know that we had a few running Matt's tunes, some running Eric's, some running Vivian's, and some running Chris' tunes. I just don't know who had what at the time.

All our dyno testing is on a Mustang MD-250 Load Dyno, 5th Gear Locked, with roughly 8000 Lbs load. This is how we test every 6.0L that comes in the door. This way we can have consistent comparison numbers.
 
#16 ·
Right on. So if i may ask, whats the biggest parameter change in the tuning? Is it the pw change that does all the work?
 
#17 ·
Good question! I am curious to the differences in how you tune like 6.0 vs a 6.4. I've Been told there is a ton more things to play with in the injection cycles , but never any specifics. Not asking you guys to spill how each one of you make it happen, just curious as to how it works basically. I know there's more to it than just add more fuel.
 
#18 ·
There's more to tuning 6.0L than just PW. ICP, SOI, Torque Control, and about 80 other things go into making the 6.0L perform. Granted, PW is a pretty important aspect, but there are some basic fundamentals in the 6.0L tuning that need to be addressed in order to achieve the desired results.

As for the 6.4L, that is a COMPLETELY different animal, with dozens of maps just to control fueling, pressure, and SOI. With PRE-injection and POST-injection events, temperature controls for different maps, and other such complications, there is considerably more time and effort involved in tuning a 6.4L than there is a 6.0L or 7.3L. However, there are considerably larger gains as well, with a stock 6.4L achieving as much as 575-600 HP on just tuning. Of course, this involves disabling some of the injection events and effectively turning injection system into a "single shot" system, but that's how such high numbers are able to be achieved.

Anyway, just some food for thought.
 
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