New Blackbear Tune Installed Tonight

Spurshot · January 18, 2009

I just got home from having my Blackbear tune installed in my 08 Vmax. Lots of performance availability at a much broader range of driving conditions now. WOW!

Driveability at the lower part throttle settings is better. Not great, but better.

Shift control of the trans is much, much better aligned to real driving needs. Shift points for WOT seem to be up around 5800 rpm which seems to be up a bit from stock shift points. The big downshift delay inherent in the factory setup, in a "stomp to pass" situation, is all but gone. It now downshifts nearly as fast as a mechanically linked Hydramatic. Upshifting is smooth at part throttle and slightly firm (no jolt) at WOT. I'll have to see if I want a firmer WOT upshift after I drive it some more.

I asked for 87 octane tune and I didn't hear any pinging, but it was a cool 70F evening. The stock torque management or whatever was a real party pooper. It didn't allow full power until you were nearly all the way thru a gear on WOT acceleration. Then, when the upshift occurred, the thing seemed to reduce power again and start feeding you the power slowly, repeating the same power management scheme again. All that stuff is gone or nearly so. This tune gives all the power very quickly. I don't know how much Torque Mgmt Justin left in , but it feels like most if not all is gone.

I settled down on the power exploratory bursts after about halfway back from the 60 mile drive home and decided to farfegnugen a bit and see if the fuel burn changed noticeably. I had just driven a particular section of this road for a fuel burn test last week. So, I reset my DIC and drove with the cruise control as I did last week at the same speed. It looks like there may be about 1 MPG at 70 mph improvement using the DIC as the measurement.

Well thats about all I can say after only an hour of driving the Blackbear tune.

Thanks much to Reynaldo and his brother out there if you're keeping an eye on this bbs.

And thanks to Justin at Blackbear. His product seems to be great.

I'm planning on having Justin do an in-person or maybe the dyno tune tweak later when he gets out this way.

Since you can't see those new electrons, here's a pic of the truck.

alwcurlz · January 18, 2009

I just got home from having my Blackbear tune installed in my 08 Vmax. Lots of performance availability at a much broader range of driving conditions now. WOW!

Driveability at the lower part throttle settings is better. Not great, but better.

Shift control of the trans is much, much better aligned to real driving needs. Shift points for WOT seem to be up around 5800 rpm which seems to be up a bit from stock shift points. The big downshift delay inherent in the factory setup, in a "stomp to pass" situation, is all but gone. It now downshifts nearly as fast as a mechanically linked Hydramatic. Upshifting is smooth at part throttle and slightly firm (no jolt) at WOT. I'll have to see if I want a firmer WOT upshift after I drive it some more.

I asked for 87 octane tune and I didn't hear any pinging, but it was a cool 70F evening. The stock torque management or whatever was a real party pooper. It didn't allow full power until you were nearly all the way thru a gear on WOT acceleration. Then, when the upshift occurred, the thing seemed to reduce power again and start feeding you the power slowly, repeating the same power management scheme again. All that stuff is gone or nearly so. This tune gives all the power very quickly. I don't know how much Torque Mgmt Justin left in , but it feels like most if not all is gone.

I settled down on the power exploratory bursts after about halfway back from the 60 mile drive home and decided to farfegnugen a bit and see if the fuel burn changed noticeably. I had just driven a particular section of this road for a fuel burn test last week. So, I reset my DIC and drove with the cruise control as I did last week at the same speed. It looks like there may be about 1 MPG at 70 mph improvement using the DIC as the measurement.

Well thats about all I can say after only an hour of driving the Blackbear tune.

Thanks much to Reynaldo and his brother out there if you're keeping an eye on this bbs.

And thanks to Justin at Blackbear. His product seems to be great.

I'm planning on having Justin do an in-person or maybe the dyno tune tweak later when he gets out this way.

Since you can't see those new electrons, here's a pic of the truck.

I like your mascot.

Z71kris · January 18, 2009

thats awesome that you like it so much

Spurshot · January 18, 2009

I like your mascot.

That's Jasmine. She's a Lab outta a hunt kennel in Illinois. Got her at about 1 yr old with lots of training already under her belt. I just hunt her upland (phez, chukar, quail). Good nose, lots of speed and endurance and has a real sweet disposition. I wouldn't trade her for a new truck. My wife would kill me anyhow, and not for just getting another new truck, either.

txab · January 18, 2009

I just got home from having my Blackbear tune installed in my 08 Vmax. Lots of performance availability at a much broader range of driving conditions now. WOW!

Driveability at the lower part throttle settings is better. Not great, but better.

Shift control of the trans is much, much better aligned to real driving needs. Shift points for WOT seem to be up around 5800 rpm which seems to be up a bit from stock shift points. The big downshift delay inherent in the factory setup, in a "stomp to pass" situation, is all but gone. It now downshifts nearly as fast as a mechanically linked Hydramatic. Upshifting is smooth at part throttle and slightly firm (no jolt) at WOT. I'll have to see if I want a firmer WOT upshift after I drive it some more.

I asked for 87 octane tune and I didn't hear any pinging, but it was a cool 70F evening. The stock torque management or whatever was a real party pooper. It didn't allow full power until you were nearly all the way thru a gear on WOT acceleration. Then, when the upshift occurred, the thing seemed to reduce power again and start feeding you the power slowly, repeating the same power management scheme again. All that stuff is gone or nearly so. This tune gives all the power very quickly. I don't know how much Torque Mgmt Justin left in , but it feels like most if not all is gone.

I settled down on the power exploratory bursts after about halfway back from the 60 mile drive home and decided to farfegnugen a bit and see if the fuel burn changed noticeably. I had just driven a particular section of this road for a fuel burn test last week. So, I reset my DIC and drove with the cruise control as I did last week at the same speed. It looks like there may be about 1 MPG at 70 mph improvement using the DIC as the measurement.

Well thats about all I can say after only an hour of driving the Blackbear tune.

Thanks much to Reynaldo and his brother out there if you're keeping an eye on this bbs.

And thanks to Justin at Blackbear. His product seems to be great.

I'm planning on having Justin do an in-person or maybe the dyno tune tweak later when he gets out this way.

Since you can't see those new electrons, here's a pic of the truck.

I like your mascot.

That's his wingman.

VMax2007 · January 18, 2009

Chuck,

Keep in mind that your truck will get even better, especially the "normal" driveability as your ECM "learns". You will notice a steady improvement over the next several hundred miles of driving.

Also, based on my experience, a live street tune will be better for driveability than a mail-order only tune will be. I have both, so I am speaking from experience.

Congrats on your "new" new truck.