anyone get a tune on a 5.3?

quickvert1 · January 19, 2014

Im not too impressed with the power..I have 5.3 w 3.42s..thinking about getting it tuned for more power and throttle response..

Any results from anyone whos done it?

40 hp sounds good)

Danthaman69 · January 19, 2014

I like the power of the 5.3l just throttle response sucks. Black bear does custom tunes. Ask them about what horsepower and torque to expect. I would expect 20-30 HP gains 30-40tq numbers. I'm looking for a custom tune I just don't know yet.

quickvert1 · January 19, 2014

I think a tune and a good exaust will wake it up being a destroked corvette engine..it should have alot of potential

Danthaman69 · January 19, 2014

It does. Gm always de-tunes the factory motors. Still a lot to play with.

CorvetteOJ · January 19, 2014

I'm taking my 6.2 Denali to Charlotte tomorow for a Performance Tune. I have an appointment @ 9:30am on Tuesday. Although they are 6 hours away, I have had good luck with them in the past. They tuned a Hummer H3, with an I5, and it ran like a V8 afterwards. They also tuned my 5.3 Silverado I sold to get this Denali. I can't wait to see what they can do with the 6.2. They are actually in Mooresville, about two miles from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. The shop is PCM for Less. They do use HP Performance software, which is one of the few available for the new 6.2. I have installed the Airaid CAI, and the 22" Magnaflow cat back duals. When they finish, it should run pretty good. I will be driving back to Montgomery immediately afterwards, so I will have about 6 hours of Interstate driving to find out. I'll post my thoughts on it, in this thread, when I return.

In an effort to pre-empt some typical questions: Yes, this is a one & done tune. When I drive out, all I have is what is on the truck. Should the dealership ever have to reflash it, i would have to go back to Charlotte to get it redone, which they would do for no charge, however, there is of course, the 6 hour one way drive involved. I do have a great rapport with my dealership service department, so I don't anticipate any problems. They would never reflash anything without discussing it with me first. As a matter of fact, on Friday, they worked to ensure there were no outstanding TSBs or recalls on my VIN that might involve reflashiing of the ECM. If there were anything open they were going to take care of it immediately, so I would have a clean "bill of health" for the tune. They told me I was good to go! As I mentioned on a few previous threads, I do use my local Chevy dealer for service because I have no rapport with the GMC service department where I bought the truck. I have no access to the shop or technicians. At the Chevy dealer, I have open access and have gotten to know most of the technicians by first name.

Yes, there is some risk involved here, but as they say, no risk, no reward, so based on my past experience with the tuner and my service department, in my case, the reward outweighs the risk. In the worst case scenario, it's just another road trip to Charlotte.

Truck13 · January 19, 2014

OJ, what does it do to your warranty. Say you have a transmission problem... can they say that it is not covered because you tuned it? I know that if you reflash it before they get it, they won't know, but if the transmission or something goes and you can't get there to reflash it first, what happens?

Bbowen826 · January 19, 2014

I'm taking my 6.2 Denali to Charlotte tomorow for a Performance Tune. I have an appointment @ 9:30am on Tuesday. Although they are 6 hours away, I have had good luck with them in the past. They tuned a Hummer H3, with an I5, and it ran like a V8 afterwards. They also tuned my 5.3 Silverado I sold to get this Denali. I can't wait to see what they can do with the 6.2. They are actually in Mooresville, about two miles from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. The shop is PCM for Less. They do use HP Performance software, which is one of the few available for the new 6.2. I have installed the Airaid CAI, and the 22" Magnaflow cat back duals. When they finish, it should run pretty good. I will be driving back to Montgomery immediately afterwards, so I will have about 6 hours of Interstate driving to find out. I'll post my thoughts on it, in this thread, when I return.

In an effort to pre-empt some typical questions: Yes, this is a one & done tune. When I drive out, all I have is what is on the truck. Should the dealership ever have to reflash it, i would have to go back to Charlotte to get it redone, which they would do for no charge, however, there is of course, the 6 hour one way drive involved. I do have a great rapport with my dealership service department, so I don't anticipate any problems. They would never reflash anything without discussing it with me first. As a matter of fact, on Friday, they worked to ensure there were no outstanding TSBs or recalls on my VIN that might involve reflashiing of the ECM. If there were anything open they were going to take care of it immediately, so I would have a clean "bill of health" for the tune. They told me I was good to go! As I mentioned on a few previous threads, I do use my local Chevy dealer for service because I have no rapport with the GMC service department where I bought the truck. I have no access to the shop or technicians. At the Chevy dealer, I have open access and have gotten to know most of the technicians by first name.

Yes, there is some risk involved here, but as they say, no risk, no reward, so based on my past experience with the tuner and my service department, in my case, the reward outweighs the risk. In the worst case scenario, it's just another road trip to Charlotte.

Nice to see people who add accessories then tune their vehicles afterwards. I can't wait to hear how it turns out. I got a feeling the 6 hour drive back is going to be more fun and quicker then the drive their was. HaHa. Good luck.

CorvetteOJ · January 19, 2014

OJ, what does it do to your warranty. Say you have a transmission problem... can they say that it is not covered because you tuned it? I know that if you reflash it before they get it, they won't know, but if the transmission or something goes and you can't get there to reflash it first, what happens?

Yes, there is always a small chance of the inevitable happening. I guess I have always been pretty lucky in that respect. I did numerous mods to my Vette and never had an issue. I never keep any vehicle after warranty has expired. I have kept my Vette (03) because I have too much invested in it. I have never had a warranty issue where my mods or accessories came into question. It's safe to say my last 25 or 30 vehicles have been modded to some degree. I just hope the luck continues. I would never consider driving it for four years without mods and tune.

2014 Sporty Shorty · January 19, 2014

The 20 or so hp you will pick up from the tune isn't what you will really notice. The biggest gain you get from the tune on a stock truck will be transmission tuning. Changing shift points, pressure, and playing with tq management will make biggest difference.

CorvetteOJ · January 19, 2014

Nice to see people who add accessories then tune their vehicles afterwards. I can't wait to hear how it turns out. I got a feeling the 6 hour drive back is going to be more fun and quicker then the drive their was. HaHa. Good luck.

You're right Bryan, at least I am hoping it is more enjoyable to drive home. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for your comment.