How long have you had your Black Bear tune?

[Dank Denali]

Thinking of getting a tune from Black Bear for my 2013 Denali in the next month or so. I just bought her and she only has about 40k miles. She is my daily driver and plan on having her for a long long time so before I pull the trigger on the AutoCal I wanted to see how long everyone has had their tunes, and what kind of maintenence they have had to do since?

I'd also like to hear what everyone asked for with their tune? Right now I'm thinking of changing tow mode to sport mode, remove speed limiter, 91 octane, adjust to 22" tires, normal shift adjustments...any thing Im missing? Is it typically recommended to disable AFM on the 2013 6.2 engines? It seems like all the AFM problem threads are all older models and mostly the 5.3's.


Pretty much everything I've read says the tune shouldn't negatively effect the life of the car as long as you are not driving it like you stole it all the time (which I certainly won't be) but I would like to hear everyones experiences. I also have an extended warranty on the car so that makes me more cautious against the tune, but being able to flash back to stock makes me feel better.

 

[Leevon]

Justin has done some live tunes for me and a few via Autocal for customers. Various mileage on them, but I've never had any issues. The biggest decision you'll have to make is how much torque management to remove, and it can impact your drivetrain at some point (engineers put it there for a reason). I'd say what you are looking for is pretty standard, he'll take it from there. I would disable AFM purely from a potential maintenance standpoint, the cylinder de-activation can lead to eventual valve train and other issues. The design has not changed much. Not to mention is does jack squat for mileage.

He did an 8.1L Silverado for me which had the Allison 6 speed auto...and WOW that truck far exceeded my expectations. It was a blast to drive. By far the biggest gains on a tune I've had.

 

[02Burgundybeast]

I have had my 02 and my 07 Denali tuned by him. My 02 had 130 or 140k when I tuned it. Drove the shit out of it all through college. Sold it with 200k on it and never had a lick of trouble. Did my 07 the same way, tuned at 70 or 80k miles and drove it for another 70k. Had the normal 07 problems but were nothing that black bear did or could have prevented. It is a night and day difference.

 

[07Burb]

I've had my tune on my 07 burb for the last 50,000 miles or maybe a little more with 0 problems whatsoever. And the difference in how the vehicle drives compared to before tune vs. after tune is night and day. The driveability is a million times better after BB tunes it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!!

 

[SidewaystheSeven]

Had a '08 Silverado and an '02 Suburban tuned by BB. More than 50K miles on each after the tune with no issues. I don't know about the AFM issues for sure, but that could be what killed the original engine in my '07 Suburban I have now (fortunately the engine was replaced under warranty). There's enough of a risk IMO that I'm having it disabled with the tune on this one.

 

[Fosscore]

My 06 Tahoe 4.8L was tuned in person by Justin and it is a lot more responsive at every parameter that he adjusted. It will never outrun a 6.0, but from where it was stock to the updates via his tweaks, it was worth it. It is fun to drive and when it's time to go WOT, she picks up and goes through the full range of the extended RPMs. Would do it again and have contemplated it on my 13 Suburban as well.

 

[07Burb]

My 06 Tahoe 4.8L was tuned in person by Justin and it is a lot more responsive at every parameter that he adjusted. It will never outrun a 6.0, but from where it was stock to the updates via his tweaks, it was worth it. It is fun to drive and when it's time to go WOT, she picks up and goes through the full range of the extended RPMs. Would do it again and have contemplated it on my 13 Suburban as well.

should definitely tune the burb!! A tune really makes the big girl much nicer to drive.

 

[Fosscore]

Yes. That big ass is sometimes a bit slow out of the hole. Did you do in person or via AutoCal?

 

[07Burb]

Yes. That big ass is sometimes a bit slow out of the hole. Did you do in person or via AutoCal?

autocal because when I was getting ready to do the in person thing one of my stupid AFM lifters failed so it was in the shop when Justin came through town. SOOOO glad to have that stupid AFM tuned out now. I also have it setup for a "sport tune" via my tow/haul button. The yacht moves pretty darn good with that sport tune engaged

 

[Fosscore]

As an added info to other guys maybe reading this and curious about the process, Especially since I had an in person tune, but maybe interested in picking up an AutoCal, not only for my already tuned Tahoe, but for my possible to-be tuned Suburban.

If I pick up an AutoCal either used or from BB direclty, what is the process to get the tune from me collecting the files, sending to them, BB sending back to me and loading them and then any successive changes that might be necessary. Thx 07Burb.

 

[ScottyBoy]

Justin tuned my 01 Suburban in person back in 2010. Removed most of the torque management, adjusted the shift points, and set a "sport mode" on the "Tow/Haul Ass" button. I've put about 50k miles on it since the tune, maybe a bit more. I did happen to have a major transmission failure, but I can't say that it had anything to do with the tune. I WAS driving it like I stole it, and I did have problems with the spider gears in the rear end which contributed to the transmission failure. Regardless, it's all good now since the transmission and rear end have been rebuilt, and drives MUCH better than bone stock.
Oh, and I did add a Vette servo to my transmission right before the tune also. I made sure that the builder knew to keep it in there when he rebuilt it.

 

[07Burb]

As an added info to other guys maybe reading this and curious about the process, Especially since I had an in person tune, but maybe interested in picking up an AutoCal, not only for my already tuned Tahoe, but for my possible to-be tuned Suburban.

If I pick up an AutoCal either used or from BB directly, what is the process to get the tune from me collecting the files, sending to them, BB sending back to me and loading them and then any successive changes that might be necessary. Thx 07Burb.

The AutoCal process is easy but does take time just because of the process. You buy the AutoCal and it comes with a set of instructions. The good news is that the AutoCal can hold up to 8 tunes and can be used for several other GMs if need be. Anyway, the instructions tell you how to grab your stock tune parameters. You get those and send that file back to Blackbear. At some point in the process Justin will ask you what your goals are for the tune whether it be better mpg or better performance or whatever. A few days later (or whatever. Timeframe depends on how busy they are) you'll get the new tune files.

 

[JKmotorsports]

I had Justin do a live tune on my 5.3 roughly 8 yrs ago and then again when I swapped in my supercharged 6.0.
On the 5.3, I had just basic exhaust and intake upgrade. Along with the pcm retune for more power, I had Justin remove TM, speed governor, and correct the odometer for the bigger wheels. Huge improvement over stock calibration.
After my s/c 6.0 swap a few months later, I had Justin return my pcm again. He adjusted all necessary parameters along with trans line pressure and shift points and corrected speedometer for 4.56 gears. Again, very happy with his customer service and expertise. He and Jenna are great people and definitely on my vendor list of best customer service and field of expertise.

 

[SidewaystheSeven]

autocal because when I was getting ready to do the in person thing one of my stupid AFM lifters failed so it was in the shop when Justin came through town. SOOOO glad to have that stupid AFM tuned out now. I also have it setup for a "sport tune" via my tow/haul button. The yacht moves pretty darn good with that sport tune engaged

I'm trying to avoid having any issues with my AFM in the future since mine has a new engine in it. Did you tune for 87 or 91/93? I'm thinking of keeping mine on 87 since I drive it about 80mi/day for work, unless there's a significant difference with the higher octane. Also, is yours flex fuel?

 

[07Burb]

I'm trying to avoid having any issues with my AFM in the future since mine has a new engine in it. Did you tune for 87 or 91/93? I'm thinking of keeping mine on 87 since I drive it about 80mi/day for work, unless there's a significant difference with the higher octane. Also, is yours flex fuel?

I tuned it for 91 because that's what I was putting in it anyway to keep it from pinging. So I just stuck with that. But then again it's my wife's DD and we drive it maybe 500 miles per month so the extra cost is not significant. Mine original came as a flex fuel motor but I had Justin tune that out as well just cuz. So I run 91 octane exclusively. I CAN run 87 with it (and have on accident a time or two) and it doesn't hurt anything.

 

[SidewaystheSeven]

I tuned it for 91 because that's what I was putting in it anyway to keep it from pinging. So I just stuck with that. But then again it's my wife's DD and we drive it maybe 500 miles per month so the extra cost is not significant. Mine original came as a flex fuel motor but I had Justin tune that out as well just cuz. So I run 91 octane exclusively. I CAN run 87 with it (and have on accident a time or two) and it doesn't hurt anything.

Gotcha, thanks for the info! I'll probably just stick with a 87 tune then. Mine came without Flex Fuel, but I kinda wish it had it because E85 is readily available around here and I had good results with it my last 2 trucks.

 

[07Burb]

Gotcha, thanks for the info! I'll probably just stick with a 87 tune then. Mine came without Flex Fuel, but I kinda wish it had it because E85 is readily available around here and I had good results with it my last 2 trucks.

You might ask him if he can add the E85 capability Not sure if that's possible or not but might be worth asking about.

 

[SidewaystheSeven]

You might ask him if he can add the E85 capability Not sure if that's possible or not but might be worth asking about.

I think the fuel system is different. Injectors , at least. Thing that sucks is the fiance's truck is FF and she couldn't care less. Lol

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

 

[Dank Denali]

Thanks for all the input guys, keep em coming! You guys have pretty much confirmed what I've been thinking about the AFM: something being activated and deactivated that frequently is bound to cause wear, so will definitely have that tuned out. Ill have to do some research on the torque management...or maybe ill just tell Justin I want performance without sacrificing engine/transmission life and let him do his magic

 

[Rocket Man]

I bought the Autocal and installed the tune about a year and a half ago. I'm considering a blower and if I do, it will be easy to install a new tune myself without sending out my ECM. Highly recommended.