Tune comparisons? - JDM vs. Blow by Racing vs. Bama
 

Anyone have any feedback on JDM tune vs. Blow by Racing or Bama? Are there differences or is it just hype. Obviously, I want the best for my car to get max performance.

Any information is appreciated.

Dad and I currently have JDM Tunes in our E-Cars. The tune is a result of lots of R&D. Thats for sure and each tuner will have different characteristics because of the copious amount of data points to change. We have also had a chance to get to know the D'Amore Father and Son and they are passionate about their work. Conversations about details and slight changes always seem fruitful.

In concept, posting here is a great idea so people can talk about priorities. HP and reliability results are one thing and troubleshooting/customer service is another. Location is important as well. If they have to troubleshoot over the phone through someone else, the results might not be optimized. If they are close, then you could drop in with your latest modification and they could retune the car for you.

Erik,

I strongly encourage everyone to find a local dyno shop if at all possible. While many have had varying results from good to bad with mail-order tunes, it is IMO that nothing beats having the car calibrated on a dyno which takes into consideration your car, the actual condition its in, the climate you live in, the fuel that you use and the list goes on. I understand that in rural areas finding a good tuner can be a challenge making mail-order tunes absolutely a necessity. We had a customer in this week with an E car and his tune was from a tuner back East and logistically making changes has proven to be time consuming and problematic. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

My .02 said, find a reliable dyno tuner local to you and stick with them – on the average it will make things easier and certainly better fine tuned.

I agree. A store-bought tune is better then the Saleen stock tune, but one size does not fit all. You really need a dyno tune.

maybe the dumb question of the day. I have several tunes for my car. One from Brenspeed, and one from BBR, I also have a JDM tune but it no longer will work as I have changed the CAI system since the tune was written. If I have the car dyno tuned how is that tune saved? Is it saved to my tuner? I'm thinking if something happens and I want to reflash my computer how is that done. I wouldn't want to spend the money to have a special tune done only to have it get dumped by accident or changed at the dealer.


Thanks,

Why are Saleen tunes so bad?

We might have touched base on this before, but Saleen tuned vehicles towards emissions and warranty.

Depending on the vehicle, sometimes they did not idle well or run the best.

Saleen tuned vehicles that would not idle or run good?

Well, some of the S7 Twin Turbo models behaved better with an aftermarket tune. Same goes for the S331 S/C and 2005 S281 S/C.

Thank you for your feedback Jason. After recent events I wanted to revisit this post to only recommend local shops/tuners to do the work. Shop around and get to know the individual doing the work. It seems that having a good relationship with your tuner is crucial so that when times are tough all parties are mutually invested.

Well said Erik!

If they were emailed to you, you can always re-install them on your tuner and re-install them in the car, that's why I always save them for my customers when they've bought email tunes. If this doesn't make sense, give me a call and I'll be happy to better explain.

I'm really up a creek, I live on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Does anyone know of a good tuner here? Might add some stuff while I'm here, you never know.

I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone. If you ever wanted to ship your car in to the mainland, we'd handle all the logistics for you once it got here. We do that for a customer who lives in Kona and stores his car here.

I'll be back to the mainland sometime in the next 1 1/2 to 2 years when I retire from the Army. I'll do a dyno tune then. It costs around $2K to ship but it's free when the Army moves me back. I'll gather parts and add everything at once. Nowhere to open it up here anyway.

Lol, that's to bad about the lack of roads.

The roads would be great if they would rais the speed limit. I drove 83 around Oahu and that road was killer, too bad the spped limit never went above 45.

Smylie,
Since you are in NY I would recommend JDM, take the time and drive down there if you can. It will be worth it. I agree that you want to try to go somewhere that has experience locally with tuning if possible because of altitude and gas being different in each region. However if you are just looking for a mail order tune Brenspeed has a great amount of experience and is a recommended SpeedLab center.

JDM all the way. I have had several in my car and they always work well. They worked closely with Saleen a few years back and knew there cars inside and out.

My car is tuned by JDM and im ok with it (need to get a retune soon due to adjustments), but Jim Sr tuned my car personally out here in CA. If he had not done that I would be looking for a local tune. You just can't beat a tune that's adjusted for local variables by tuners that are familiar with them.

I purchased my tuner through Stage3motorpsorts.com. They have been patient and great to work with. I datalogged my car with my tuner and laptop and we got a pefect tune for day to day driving, and an amazing race tune that has more timing etc. It has been a blast. A datalog is about the best way to go other than a dyno. It is under a load and everything, you just don't know your HP you are pushing.. Good luck.