Do I need a tune?

Texas Silver · July 11, 2016

I've done the following switches on the truck and I'm thinking about getting a tune/program:

My Truck:

2016 Crew Cab 4x4, 5.3L w/8 speed tranny

Swapped the factory Goodyear all-terrains for BFG AT-K02. Great ride improvement, very smooth very quite. New tires are 265/70/R18, little bigger than stock. I also put on Gibson catback 315628 side swept exhaust and K&N series 63 CAI. Exhaust sounds great and CAI gave a little better jump off the line.

My goal was to try and squeeze any more MPG I could while making it more responsive as I'm on the highway a lot. I've seen 2-3 increased MPG according to the MPG calculator in the instrument cluster.

So, do I need a tune? If so which one? Looking at the Diablo's as they seem to have tunes for 2016's but not sure if I'll need a custom. Anyone have any tips or advice?

arcasey · July 11, 2016

I've done the following switches on the truck and I'm thinking about getting a tune/program:

My Truck:

2016 Crew Cab 4x4, 5.3L w/8 speed tranny

Swapped the factory Goodyear all-terrains for BFG AT-K02. Great ride improvement, very smooth very quite. New tires are 265/70/R18, little bigger than stock. I also put on Gibson catback 315628 side swept exhaust and K&N series 63 CAI. Exhaust sounds great and CAI gave a little better jump off the line.

My goal was to try and squeeze any more MPG I could while making it more responsive as I'm on the highway a lot. I've seen 2-3 increased MPG according to the MPG calculator in the instrument cluster.

So, do I need a tune? If so which one? Looking at the Diablo's as they seem to have tunes for 2016's but not sure if I'll need a custom. Anyone have any tips or advice?

My advice, after owning the diablo sport trinity tuner, you will get better results and gains from a custom tune. The Diablo Sport Trinity was nice but it changed the shift points so much that I felt like the tranny was going to break in half when it shifted at WOT. I didn't mind it because it felt like it would just jump into gear but then I started to notice the tranny was slipping a lot more than usual as time went on so I removed the tune. I did play around with all the settings that the tuner will allow you to change but I could go from one end of the spectrum to the other and it didn't feel like it changed a whole lot. Also, if you get the truck tuned and then you have issues with the truck while under warranty and they have to hook it up to the computer they may give you grief about altering the programming which they say can void the warranty. Just wanted to point that out to you but there has also been a lawsuit that says if they can't prove 100% that what you modified caused the issue you are trying to fix under warranty, then they have to cover it so just something to be aware of. Also, I have 2-3 friends who used after market tuners and they were somewhat satisfied with them but they are also convinced that some of there mechanical issues were caused by the tuners.

AZRenegade · July 11, 2016

If you're happy with the way your truck performs, why mess with a tune? Most users of aftermarket tuners (myself included) have done so due to the poor performance of the OEM motor and transmission programming, i.e. acceleration lag, transmission hunting for the proper gears, and so on. Black Bear is big on this site. I don't know much about it. The people here seem to like it a lot. I use inTune and had a custom tune prepared by a gent that goes by the name Diablew. His real name is Lew and he pretty much delivers a first rate product and first rate customer service. But, like I stated above, if you are happy with the way your truck performs you really should consider spending your money on something else.

Texas Silver · July 12, 2016

Thanks for the feedback. I think the truck drives great but I am curious if the tune would help anything. My thought was if a tune to the bigger tire size would change anything drive wise or even make the odometer/speedometer accurate?

Rawyzf · July 12, 2016

Custom tune will help with shifting, mpg, power, etc. If you don't mind warranty concerns, I'd recommend it.

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arcasey · July 12, 2016

Thanks for the feedback. I think the truck drives great but I am curious if the tune would help anything. My thought was if a tune to the bigger tire size would change anything drive wise or even make the odometer/speedometer accurate?

It will re-calibrate the odometer/speedometer for the increase in tire size. Here's my real thoughts on custom tunes: in order to get the most out of a tune you need real time data for the specific vehicle you want to tune, i.e. carry it to a shop that can put it on a dyno and see exactly how it performs. Even though all these engines and drive line components are supposed to be the same there will always be small differences in the way each vehicle performs from one to the next (flaws of mass production). The Diablew Tune that was mentioned uses a diablo tuner to record a data log and then a tune is written from that data. I've heard it works pretty well (and I may be wrong on this next statement) but I do not think it is as accurate as getting one tuned on a dyno.

AZRenegade · July 13, 2016

It will re-calibrate the odometer/speedometer for the increase in tire size. Here's my real thoughts on custom tunes: in order to get the most out of a tune you need real time data for the specific vehicle you want to tune, i.e. carry it to a shop that can put it on a dyno and see exactly how it performs. Even though all these engines and drive line components are supposed to be the same there will always be small differences in the way each vehicle performs from one to the next (flaws of mass production). The Diablew Tune that was mentioned uses a diablo tuner to record a data log and then a tune is written from that data. I've heard it works pretty well (and I may be wrong on this next statement) but I do not think it is as accurate as getting one tuned on a dyno.

You're absolutely correct. The optimum would be an actual tune on a dyno, no question about it. A custom Diablo tune was my second choice. It really cleaned up the motor/transmission programming and made my truck a pleasure to drive. The real advantage to an inTune is that it gives me the flexibility to do a lot of other things that a dyno won't. It allows me to calibrate my speedo, read malfunction codes, turn off the V4 - V8 mode, etc. whenever I want and to return to OEM if the need arises. The utility of the inTune is where the value is in going this route. For strictly performance optimization, a dyno is the only way to go.

kstruckcountry · July 13, 2016

For tuning the engine, dyno is great. But for the transmission part of the tune, which is what you'll really notice driving in the real world, a dyno is useless. A strictly dyno tune generally doesn't drive well.

In my opinion, if you're looking to a tune for fuel mileage, you're looking the wrong way. But it will make the pickup drive exactly how you want it. Whether or not it voids warranty is a whole other can of worms.

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Rawyzf · July 13, 2016

Dyno tune / street tune, can't be beat.

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steveneddy · August 14, 2016

I've done the following switches on the truck and I'm thinking about getting a tune/program:

My Truck:

2016 Crew Cab 4x4, 5.3L w/8 speed tranny

Swapped the factory Goodyear all-terrains for BFG AT-K02. Great ride improvement, very smooth very quite. New tires are 265/70/R18, little bigger than stock. I also put on Gibson catback 315628 side swept exhaust and K&N series 63 CAI. Exhaust sounds great and CAI gave a little better jump off the line.

My goal was to try and squeeze any more MPG I could while making it more responsive as I'm on the highway a lot. I've seen 2-3 increased MPG according to the MPG calculator in the instrument cluster.

So, do I need a tune? If so which one? Looking at the Diablo's as they seem to have tunes for 2016's but not sure if I'll need a custom. Anyone have any tips or advice?

You don't need a tune with those minor mods.

The truck's PCM has the ability to learn how it should run to compensate for minor upgrades such as you performed.

New cam - headers - rear gear changes - those will require a tune.

You may want to try pulling the fuses for the Engine Control Module Ignition, Miscellaneous Ignition, Engine and Engine Control Module - all under the hood.

Leave them out for about 30 minutes or more - reinstall and go drive the truck. It will be back in learn mode and will relearn with your new mods and will run better since it will learn WITH the mods installed.

Enjoy.

tyrich88 · August 22, 2016

You don't need a tune with those minor mods.

The truck's PCM has the ability to learn how it should run to compensate for minor upgrades such as you performed.

New cam - headers - rear gear changes - those will require a tune.

You may want to try pulling the fuses for the Engine Control Module Ignition, Miscellaneous Ignition, Engine and Engine Control Module - all under the hood.

Leave them out for about 30 minutes or more - reinstall and go drive the truck. It will be back in learn mode and will relearn with your new mods and will run better since it will learn WITH the mods installed.

Enjoy.