programmer/ module questions

[Ramsey]

has anyone had any experience with any programmers hypertech etc or any jet performace chips or modules? i have a 09 tahoe just looking to get a little more power and better mpg. they all claim to do that as far as the hypertech econ claims 2-6 mpg gain. the owner of my local offroad shop told me they were all a bunch of crap, that he would sell them to me but it would be a waste of money. Just lookin for some feedback from somebody that actually had some experience with any of these on their vehicles

 

[D_R_C]

has anyone had any experience with any programmers hypertech etc or any jet performace chips or modules? i have a 09 tahoe just looking to get a little more power and better mpg. they all claim to do that as far as the hypertech econ claims 2-6 mpg gain. the owner of my local offroad shop told me they were all a bunch of crap, that he would sell them to me but it would be a waste of money. Just lookin for some feedback from somebody that actually had some experience with any of these on their vehicles

I'm surprised that no one responded to your thread sooner.

I've had Hypertech in a 06 Yukon Denali with the 6.0, it was pretty good.
You could adjust the shifting firmness and shift points with pretty much any of the GM engines up to the 8.1 including the 6.0, but NOT the 6.2
I would not go Hypertech on my 6.2 because they could not do anything with the trans and shifting.
And from my research NON of the other can tuners can help with the trans.

Your best bet for tuning is EFI, EFI is pretty much the only way you can go and alter the trans shifting.
EFI will cost a little more but you will be happier going with EFI over pretty much any of the canned tuners available.

My 6.2 was pretty much a dog and the shifting sucked, until I now with EFI and a few other mods.

Forget the mileage gains claims, if your real lucky you might gain 1.0, maybe.
On all the vehicles I have modded and had tuned over the years, I've never seen more than a .5 MPG increase on any of them, mine and others.
Now if your looking for more power and good shifting EFI all the way.

 

[Ramsey]

ok thanks for the advice. and yeah im surprised there hasnt been more of a response to this thread since programmers are a pretty common thing now days

 

[TheFuzz]

Ramsey, contact Justin, Jenna, or Julie over at Black Bear Performance. They are one of the premier tuning companies in the country when it comes to late model GM trucks. They use EFI Live, which is a very in-depth tuning software/diagnostic suite. Using their equipment, you can scan your truck via the OBDII port and create data logs, which you then return to them, and they take that data and custom tune a PCM to YOUR specific truck's needs, as well as your preferences for shift firmness, shift points, torque management reduction/elimination, etc. Off the shelf tuners are pre-programmed to edit a very specific set of parameters most of the time; a "cookie cutter" tune, if you will. A custom EFI-Live tune is a much better option. They can also tell you if you have any maintenance issues that need to be taken care of, recalibrate your speedo for different tire sizes, adjust active fuel management settings or turn it off completely, among other things.

I have been using them for a long time (first tune on my old Yukon was done back in 08, IIRC) - they are awesome, and have a large forum presence here. Jenna (JennaBear) and Julie (Julie@BBP) are on here regularly answering questions. PM them if you need more info.

ETA: No, I don't work for them. Just a happy customer.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I just got my tahoe yesterday, but kept my tune from my sierra. I have a Diablo InTune. I didn't see much difference in stock and tuned on my sierra (2005 NBS), but when I tuned my tahoe with the 93 octane Diablo Tune, it really reacted a lot different. I went for the hard shift tune as well, so not only does it have great throttle response, it shifts nice and firm now. I also disabled AFM on mine, since I've seen so many people on another site have fantastic results without it on their trucks. FWIW, I drove my tahoe the day before yesterday to work and back and averaged 18.1 mpg round trip (about 50 miles). Today, I averaged 19.8. These are both numbers from the DIC, so take those as you wish, but I'll have a better idea of the true mileage once I fill it up again. Regardless, it's really fun to drive now... no hesitation, no 4cyl to 8 cyl delay, and quick shifting.

 

[D_R_C]

I just got my tahoe yesterday, but kept my tune from my sierra. I have a Diablo InTune. I didn't see much difference in stock and tuned on my sierra (2005 NBS), but when I tuned my tahoe with the 93 octane Diablo Tune, it really reacted a lot different. I went for the hard shift tune as well, so not only does it have great throttle response, it shifts nice and firm now. I also disabled AFM on mine, since I've seen so many people on another site have fantastic results without it on their trucks. FWIW, I drove my tahoe the day before yesterday to work and back and averaged 18.1 mpg round trip (about 50 miles). Today, I averaged 19.8. These are both numbers from the DIC, so take those as you wish, but I'll have a better idea of the true mileage once I fill it up again. Regardless, it's really fun to drive now... no hesitation, no 4cyl to 8 cyl delay, and quick shifting.

For you a basic can/generic tuner works, they are pretty much universal for several engines.
I'm glad it works good for you.
If any of these type tuners would had stated they could make changes to the trans shifting along with tuning I would have went that route.