Custom tunes vs standard

[89Suburban]

Your inTune order has been placed!

It should ship out later today or tomorrow, directly from my supplier, and then UPS estimate is about 3 business days... I will also email you the tracking number once it's available.

Now, when you get it... the first thing you will need to do is download and install the Update Agent program - this program is used to update your inTune to the latest updates/fixes - https://www.holley.com/support/tuners/diablosport/

Once that is installed, then connect the inTune to your computer and let it start up and get to the main menu screen.

Then launch/run the Update Agent program. It will search for and find your inTune and will start downloading any new updates. The inTune will install the updates on itself, you may need to reboot it so follow its on-screen instructions -- and when it's done and everything is up to date, the Update Agent program will show that your inTune is now up to date.

After all the updating is done... then you can connect it to your vehicle and go to Tune Vehicle - Advanced Mode - and select one of the preset canned generic tunes -- either the "87 Octane Tune" -- if you use 87/89 octane gas most of the time, OR the "Diablo Tune" -- if you're going to use 91/93 octane gas all of the time....

Then it should ask you to select a TCM tune for the transmission, so select the "Firm Shift" tune...

then select Install/Apply Tune and install the tunes, and that's it for now...

Then you'll just need to drive it, however you normally drive it, for a few days, until you get at least about 150-200+ miles put on so that the fuel trims, emissions readiness tests, etc. can get relearned by the ECM and settle in.

After the 150-200+ miles have been put on the vehicle with the preset canned tunes installed, then you can record a steady driving log on the highway, and then send me all the files from the tool.

You do NOT record a data log for 150-200 miles! Every time you install a tune (or disconnect the battery), all of the learned items like idle, airflow, fueling/fuel trims, emissions readiness tests, etc. all get erased/reset... It takes days/150-200+ miles to be put on for everything to be relearned by the ECM/TCM and settle back in again before you'd be able to do a data log.

So after you've gotten the 150-200+ miles put on the vehicle with the installed preset canned tune, then you can find the info/instructions for doing the steady driving log for 1-2 minutes, and then getting me copies of all the files (data log file and all tune files), on my site www.diablewtune.net at #3 for the inTune.

You can download the Full inTune i2/i3 user manual to read how to record data logs, how to use the tool, etc: www.diablewtune.net/downloads/inTune_i2i3_manual.pdf


NOTE: If you are experiencing a functionality issue with your inTune/Trinity programmer, you must contact DiabloSport Tech Support - I can not do anything about the tool itself or how it functions/operates - that is a DiabloSport product issue. You can contact Diablosport Tech Support at [email protected] or 1-561-908-0040 for tech support... Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5pm (Eastern Time).

 

[89Suburban]

Here ya go!!

You need to save/download these custom tunes to your computer! Do NOT try to drag/drop directly from email to the inTune, it will not work!

So, you need to save/download these custom tune files to your computer harddrive...

Then connect your inTune to your PC.. make sure the tool is not doing any updates! If it is, let it finish any updating first, before importing tunes!

And then copy these custom tune files - ONE AT A TIME - from your computer harddrive and paste them into the main i2 or i3 drive that is on your computer... NOT into any sub-folder, just copy to the main i2/i3 drive.

MAC Users:
you need to copy the custom tune file into the root of the i3 drive - the main i3 drive itself, not into any sub-folders..., then you need to eject the i3 drive from the Mac.
Then you need to reboot the i3 device, and then copy the same custom tune file back into the main i3 drive again and it should import the file from there.

Wait a few seconds and then the inTune will show on its screen that the custom tune has been loaded... And the inTune will go back to the main screen/menu when it's done importing the custom tune..

Then you repeat the process for the other custom tune file...

 

[89Suburban]

Once that's done, you can go to your vehicle and hook up the inTune...

So, connect to your vehicle... --- Go to Tune Vehicle - Advanced Mode... Then go into the "Custom Tunes" menu... Your custom ECM tune will be listed there: "ECM_1_JohnHeavner" -- so select that, and then continue on.

Then it brings you back to menu so that you can select the TCM/tranny tune -- so select Advanced Mode... then select "Custom Tune"...

Then select the custom TCM tune file that is listed there... "TCM_1_JohnHeavner" -- so select that, and then continue on...

When it asks you if you want to modify the tune, select NO (red X)... When it asks you if you want to Install/Apply the tune, select YES (green checkmark)...

And it will install those 2 custom tunes that you selected...

IF it asks you to RESET PARAMETERS, make SURE you select YES/OK/green checkmark to reset them! Any previous changes you made are already in the custom tune or have been corrected and we don't want them to be added on top of my changes in the custom tune.

And do NOT make any changes to the tunes... you just install and drive... ;-)


After you install the new custom tunes into the vehicle, connect the inTune to your PC again, and get me fresh new copies of the "last tune written" (LTW) files from the Tunes folder, and email them to me. I can compare them to my actual custom tune files to make sure they got imported and installed correctly to your vehicle.

Then you'd just put on some miles over a few days with the custom tunes installed. Just drive it however you normally do for a few days until you get at least about 150-200+ miles put on it -- it will take about 150-200+ miles for the fuel trims, idle, emissions readiness tests, shifting adaptives, etc. to get relearned by the ECM/TCM and settle in, and the vehicle will get better and better as more miles are put on ;-) ...



After the miles are put on, then get me a new WOT log to check...

When doing WOT logs, you would log the same parameters/gauges as you did for the steady cruise log.

To get a good WOT log, get a nice warm day, and you need to have traction control & stabilitrak turned off/disabled..

Make sure you have driven the vehicle for at least 15-20 minutes first to get the engine/tranny up to normal operating temps...

Then start from a dead stop if you can, or at least from as slow of a roll as possible, and get a good launch - roll into it quick, but so you don't have a lot of wheel spin, and as you get up to a little more speed, then just GET ON IT!!

Pretend you're on a drag-strip racing someone - get a good launch - then hammer-down and go for as long as you can, through as many gears as you can - at least all the way through 3rd gear if possible...

BUT, BE SAFE!! And you only need to do one good WOT run in the log. Then send me that WOT data log whenever ya get a chance...

 

[hagar]

The obvious: pre-written / cookie cutter tunes can be good or bad, depending on the 'resolution' of the template.
Less obvious: MOST pre-written tunes focus hard an what is immediately obvious to the driver, usually engine-throttle (ecm) & transmission-throttle response (tcm).
In other words, some pre-written tunes ONLY address one or both (?!) of the spark maps (?!), and one or more of the shift tables (?!),
because that'd be all it takes to impress most customers, especially if they'll be selling the vehicle in the near future.

Some of you may even know my Engine Half@$$ tuning story. Very briefly, leased a 2012 YXL in 2013.
Tuned it to be even more likely to use V4 mode more AND more often than GM OE, especially by Half@$$ing in 3rd & 4th as well as 5th and 6th.
Was trying to save even more gas while still being barely noticeable to anyone else EXCEPT me (maybe 1 out of 10 clients noticed IFF windows were open).
It did save a bit more gas for about two years, until it didn't, at which point it also increased oil consumption.

However I ALSO specified to use V4 mode as an overheat failsafe; it saved me and a client from stranding, plus it likely saved that engine, so ...

Point of that digression is that there is a lot of stuff that lots of drivers / owners may not immediately consider or possibly ever notice,
that is more likely to be addressed by a custom tune written specifically for each driver, vs a pre-packaged off-the-shelf tune template.

If y'all want an idea of how many potentially tune-able variables exist, click this link:

VCM Suite Online Help

(then double it for Direct Injected engines, which GM made far more difficult to tune anyway ...)
Some of them don't need to be tuned by anyone ever, others only get tuned by some custom tuners, the vast majority will be ignored by off-the-shelf tunes.

Long story short: If you can afford a custom tune, look for the custom tuner who wants your vehicle's powertrain to last even longer than GM intended,
especially if you're willing to accept shifts that are ever-so-slightly more noticeable than GM OE.
If you think you cannot afford a custom tune, think again.Why sell yourself short?

Any other questions, anybody?

I am surprised you notice shifts more after done properly. Everytime I hop in a stock vehicle, the first thing I notice is how ****** they shift. Quicker and firmer shifting in my experience, while timed at the correct rpm and throttle position, make the shifts almost CVT feeling. The only reason I can see for the way they shift stock, is for planned failure.

 

[mikez71]

Hagar, did you find yourself lowering 2-3 shift speeds? I found that to be the biggest change for me to achieve smoother upshifts (with TCC unlocked). Speeding up the shift time definitely helped too, but even there I actually slowed down a few negative torque cells which seems to have cured my lift/upshift clunk I sometimes get going downhill.. (1-2 and 2-3)

I thought I liked my early tunes, but driveability quirks became more apparent over time..
Think I'm finally happy now. Just a daily driver tune.
I am guessing GM didn't put that much time into the tables. If you look at earlier tables, they're more basic.
They seem to mostly start at even km/h, sort of like they picked a good enough number to start with, but didn't actually fine tune it.
I adjust in .25km/hr steps, not saying my resolution is quite that good, but better than 1km/hr at low speeds.
I'm not bashing GM engineers here, they have their production schedule, and I've been dicking with this for over a year still have more left.

OR they loaded down their truck, and once my truck is loaded down, it will shift like crap

08 escalade vs 09 escalade, you can see where GM fine tuned it a little bit.

 

[Marky Dissod]

GM OE shift maps p!$$ me off.