Westers custom tuning - updated info!

tbyrne · February 15, 2005

We have new detailed information about the Wester's custom tuning. This should cover most of the questions that come up -

Octane level. Wester's performance tunes are now available with these octane choices:

1) Dual 87-91 Octane tune -- automatically adjusts for octane. Our basic working truck tune. Many improvements over stock. Using the higher octane will usually increase the gas mileage in all our tunes!

2) Dual 89-93 Octane tune -- automatically adjusts for octane. More performance than the 87-91 tune, but requires using 89 minimum octane. (These dual octane tunes are recommended for all dual purpose (work/play) trucks.

3) 91 Octane HOT tune -- much more aggressive than the 87-91 dual octane tune. (Recommended for performance trucks where higher than 91 octane fuel isn’t available, like in California.)

4) 93 Octane HOT tune -- much more aggressive than the 89-93 dual octane tune. 93 octane is recommended. (Recommended for performance trucks. No, or very limited, heavy towing or hauling for both these Hot tunes!

5) Dual 89-91 Octane HOT tune...The most aggressive and hottest tune available for 91 octane limited area’s! Eliminates pinging issues with some engines running 91 octane by automatically adjusting to 89 octane tuning if pinging is detected. 91 octane is recommended. Suitable for areas where only 91 octane is the highest available.

(Recommended for performance trucks. No, or very limited, heavy towing or hauling!)

5) Dual 91-93 Octane HOT tune...The most aggressive and hottest tune available! Eliminates pinging issues with some engines running 93 octane by automatically adjusting to 91octane level tuning if pinging is detected. 93 octane is recommended. Suitable for areas where 93 octane is available, but this tune will run fine on 91 octane occasionally.

(Recommended for performance trucks. No, or very limited, heavy towing or hauling!)

6) Diesel tunes in all HP levels from mild to wild.

Of course Westers can custom tune any of the basic program tunes to your specific requirements and modifications.

The new 87/91, 89/93, 89/91 and 91/93 dual octane tunes will be able to run with the lower octane in MOST conditions with good performance, or with the higher octane or anything in between when even more performance is wanted. The dual octane tunes are capable of tuning themselves automatically for a higher octane, and retuning again automatically again when a lower octane is used. The factory tune will only advance the timing to the limits set in the original spark tables. Filling the gas tank with at least 5 gallons of gas will trigger the automatic octane detection and re-tuning feature in the Wester’s tuned PCM. It’s like getting a custom dyno tune every time you fill your tank!!!

Under MOST conditions, all the tunes will run fine with the octane programmed for, but altitude, towing, load, condition of the engine, temperature, poor fuel quality, oxygenated fuels, or sensor variations may require choosing a higher octane. Just be aware that under certain conditions a higher octane fuel may be required, and that more performance and sometimes better fuel mileage is available just by using higher octane.

Torque management. Torque management is GM's effort to reduce transmission wear by reducing engine output through timing retard during “abusive” maneuvers. The problem here is that GM believe acceleration from a stop is an “abusive” maneuver, as is punching the throttle during a highway merge. Both of these maneuvers cause an immediate reduction in engine power – the characteristic fraction-of-a-second delay you experience when you try to make your truck . We reduce this approximately 75-80%, which still leaves enough TM to protect from the most abusive maneuvers. We believe it makes for a safer and more responsive truck without introducing unnecessary wear on the drivetrain. The “Remove most all” option on the order form is appropriate for most owners.

Transmission shifting. This refers to how long of a delay there is between gear shifts. The “firmer” the shift, the shorter the delay. GM sets shifting for smooth shifts, which gives their trucks more of a “car-like” ride. While this might appeal to some customers, the flip side of a smooth shift is that it actually shortens the life of the transmission due to the slip between shifts. We can increase the line pressure to give you a firmer-than-stock shift and reduce the shift timing to eliminate delay between gears. An ideal setting for most customers is midway between “Normal” and “Firm”. Select “Normal” if you have installed a shift kit or other transmission shift modification.

Shift RPM. The RPM at which an upshift occurs at wide open, or full, throttle (WOT). The stock setting for our trucks is usually 5200 RPM. Some customers will want to leave this stock, but we recommend 5600 as the best all around shift point. 5800 RPM is the maximum recommended value for this parameter with stock cam and valve springs, but we can and will set this to any RPM you desire.

Speed limiter. GM trucks come programmed from the factory with a speed limiter set at appx 100 MPH

Most customers choose this to 130MPH, effectively eliminating the speed limiter. We can set this to any speed you request, just be sure your tires are rated for the speed you actually go!

3D mapping. This is an optional proprietary tweak to the tune that we can perform to increase gas mileage. If you're concerned about gas mileage, you will want to select this. Otherwise, leave it blank for maximum power/torque gains. Most customers will experience modest mileage gains of 1-2 mpg around town, and 2-3MPG on the highway with the higher octane tunes without selecting this option.

Tow/haul button. We can program this button for firmer shifting and a higher shift RPM. If you plan on towing with your vehicle, leave this blank. Otherwise, check “Race” for added performance! We will normally set “race” to shift at 5800 RPM with one step firmer shifts than were chosen in the tune itself

Speedometer calibration for tire diameter. Most assume that tires of the same size are the same diameter between manufactures. This is not always true, and diameters can vary as much as an inch, causing your speedometer to read incorrectly. If you have replaced your tires, even with the same size that originally came on the truck, do a rollout test or at least measure the loaded diameter of the tire to determine a true circumference. This will assure that your speedometer will get the correct calibration and will show your true speed.

Standard with all performance tunes -

Complete reflash of the PCM to your VIN, with all factory updates.

Dyno developed performance tune optimized for your exact engine and transmission combination.

Raised and optimized shift points.

Firm, but not harsh, shifts.

Elimination of all torque management that can be safely removed

Some of the more common modifications to ask for.

Raising the top speed limiter to any speed you specify.

Specifying the exact shift points you want in every gear.

Firmer (or softer) shifts.

Specific tuning for your modifications, like larger than stock tires, gear ratio change, supercharger, turbo, headers, cam change, higher stall converter, engine modifications, etc.

The Guarantee -

Westers will get your tune right, or they will re-tune it their own expense (with the exception of core return shipping) until it is!

Lifetime warranty (no cost or fees, even if the dealer re-flashes it!)

Lifetime updates for all future mods (nominal shipping and handling fee)

Lifetime full price paid credit toward your next custom tune for your next vehicle (nominal shipping and handling fee)

“Dual Octane tuning” and the term “Hot Tune” was developed by and is a trademark of Wester’s Garage & Advanced Products 2/2005 A/P

Horsepower gains -

Customers have been seeing about 24-34hp from the 5.3 28-50hp from the 6.0 and 25-55 horsepower from the 8.1 motor. The spread depends on how aggressive the tuning is along with other modifications that are done to the vehicle. Fine tuning for other mods will sometimes make more of a different than just running those with the stock programming.

I think this should cover everything!