Dyno-Tuning Checklist
Here is a basic check list to go over BEFORE scheduling your tuning appointment. We will update this list from time to time. Any “issue” listed on this list has been a problem numerous times in the past, so if you experienced any of these issues during your tuning session we are not singling you out, these are all common issues. The point of this list is to save everybody time, and to SAVE YOU MONEY!
WHEEL LOCK KEY!!! We will have to take the wheels off of your car in order to put it on the dyno. Please make sure you bring your wheel lock key, and that you know where it is in the vehicle! It happens far too often that a half hour or more of time is spent digging through the trunk of a car trying to find it wasting everybodys time and money!
People think I am joking when I say this one, but make sure you have enough FUEL in your car. You use a lot of fuel on the dyno. (there will be a ½ hour labor charged plus the price of fuel if we have to put gas in your car for you once its on the dyno). If you are tuning on one type of fuel I would suggest having a minimum of a half tank of gas. If you are doing multiple fuels like pump gas and race gas, or pump gas and ethanol, we typically suggest you have between a ¼ and ½ tank depending on the set up (if your not sure, please ask) as we typically will need to drain the remaining fuel after finishing the tuning on the first fuel. If you are doing a flex fuel tune, you will want to start with fresh 93 octane in the tank. The 93 octane tuning will be performed first, then you will switch to ethanol. If you are doing a dual fuel tune and need to drain the fuel from your tank, if at all possible bring whatever you need to drain the fuel and bring containers to drain the fuel into. It typically works best to have some sort of a long hose with required fittings to run the fuel pump and drain the fuel from the fuel pressure regulator or something along those lines. Again, if you are not sure, please ask ahead of time!
Please make sure your vehicle has a battery that is in good working condition and isn’t old and worn out. During your tuning session the vehicle will be in a key on, engine off state for extended periods of time, especially on vehicles that require ECU flashing. If we have to stop to recharge your battery there will be an additional fee. We do not want to charge you an additional fee, we just want you to have a working battery! We can not complete the task if the battery is not working properly. It probably goes with out saying but also make sure the vehicles charging system is working properly. 16v cars or cars with no alternators, please bring whatever chargers/charging set ups you have with you.
The quoted prices for tuning, are for tuning only and DO NOT include any mechanical or electrical repairs or diagnostics. Any additional work needed to be performed during your dyno session will be billed at our hourly shop rate of $100/hr. Unforeseen things do happen on the dyno, so we always suggest you have additional funds available on top of the tuning price, just in case. Depending on the severity of a needed repair, we may or may not do the repair for you and each situation is handled on a case by case basis. We will discuss with you once we get to that point before we perform any work.
Please show up with the vehicle READY for tuning, and if it is not ready let us know ahead of time. It happens ALL THE TIME where a car comes in for tuning, then at that point they let us know that the boost controller still needs to be installed, or the wideband isn’t hooked up, or the oil needs to be changed. We schedule multiple cars per day frequently, so if you show up not ready and still need parts installed Etc. it may require you to lose your appointment and to reschedule at a later day either when you are ready or when we have time to finish the installs for you.
Sometimes it is not possible on new builds, but if at all possible please try to start and heat cycle your vehicle to make sure there are no leaks and everything is working properly. One commonly over looked thing we see pretty frequently is thermostats that are not opening and it can be a big pain to address when it happens. Again, on new builds it can be bit different, but on something that is already running just prepare for your dyno session as if you were going to the race track for a day, or driving across country. Spending a little more time and effort before your tuning appointment can save a lot of time, headaches, frustration, and MONEY.
In forced induction applications please make sure your intercooler piping is tight and secure with the ends of the tubes bead rolled if you are using silicone style couplers. We spend countless hours every year removing bumpers and re attaching intercooler piping. Again, repairing these types of problems are not included in the price of tuning.
make sure you know what spring(s) are in your wastegate(s) and make sure they are appropriate for what you are trying to do. You can NOT lower the boost below the wastegate spring. Example: if you have a 15psi wastegate spring, you can not lower it to 10psi with out changing the spring.
use 3 port boost solenoids when possible. The 4 port solenoids are extremely sensitive and the smallest possible increment of change can result in very large amounts of boost making fine tuning nearly impossible. 4 port solenoids are typically for cars that need to run small wastegate springs but also make really high boost.
if you are running c02 boost control, make sure you have a full bottle and that you have no leaks. A majority of cars that come in have c02 leaks and in some instances will empty a bottle before the dyno session is over. If your solenoids and going crazy with the key on and engine off, you have a leak even if you can not hear the actual leak anywhere.
make sure your vacuum lines are secure and properly routed. A vacuum line popping off of a fuel regulator can destroy an engine, and improperly routed boost control hoses can make the boost go the maximum which can also result in engine damage. If your not sure you have them correct let us know before we get started and we can double check them.
supercharged applications, its usually not a bad idea to make sure you have a new belt installed or even bring a new belt with you. I have lost count of how many supercharger belts I have seen shred or fly off over the years.
Spark plugs: please make sure you have the correct spark plugs in your vehicle and that they are in good shape. Most of the 4 cylinder cars the plugs can be swapped in just a few min and its not that big of a deal, but some of the v8 cars can take an hour or more. Do not install your new spark plugs then start or drive the vehicle if it is running poorly, especially if you just installed new fuel injectors and have not calibrated the ECU for them yet. Simply starting the car and driving it onto a trailer can be enough to kill them and they will need to be replaced again. You have probably noticed a trend by now, but changing spark plugs is not included in the price of tuning (exceptions to some of the 4 cylinder cars, like honda’s, that just take a few minutes).
Wiring: With out a doubt, the number one problem that makes dyno sessions go poorly is wiring problems. Sometimes things just wear out or pop up out of nowhere, but a majority of the time wiring problems are self-inflicted. What I mean by that is, usually laziness or carelessness causes the issue. What we hear all the time is, “I am going to go back and clean that up later” but you see 99 out of 100 of those cars 4 years later and everything is exactly the same. Spend a few extra minutes to make proper connections. Twisting wires together and slapping a used piece of electrical tape on them is just going to cause problems. Route the wiring nicely and properly. Nothing worse than hitting the gas pedal for the first time just to have 20 wires pull out of a harness. Use properly sized fuses. Use relays when needed. Use proper size cables for fuel pumps etc. Spending a little bit of extra time on your wiring can save you a ton of money and a ton of headaches. Generally speaking, when a cars wiring looks bad, the likely hood of the dyno session going poorly is really really high.
Show up on time for your appointment. This obviously means dont be late, but it also means dont be too early. We do a lot of grudge race cars, that do not want anybody else around to see their cars on the dyno. If you show up an hour early to your appointment while i have another car on the dyno, it puts me in a bad spot and i will have to ask you to leave, i do not want to have to do that. We do not allow people to just “hang out” at/in our shop so please just show up at the appointment time. Also, we are in the MD/DC/VA region of the USA, which means there is ALWAYS traffic. please PLAN ACCORDINGLY. If you get into the area a little early, grab some food or something and come back at the time of your appointment.
Cancellations/rescheduling. We try to schedule our appointments in a way that eliminates cancellations/rescheduling. it can make scheduling a little frustrating i know, but its far less frustrating than having to schedule each appointment a bunch of times, which used to happen endlessly. If something does come up and you need to reschedule please let us know AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. If you are a no call / no show and then try to reschedule again in the future (yes this happens) you will be required to pay your full tuning amount when making your next appointment, which will be non refundable.
Have realistic expectations. Believe it or not, not everthing you see on facebook or youtube is true. Make your horsepower goals realistic, and also keep in mind different dynos read different. there are tons of shops that are known for manipulating dyno numbers, and particular brands of dynos make that very easy to do. We highly suggest not getting caught up in the numbers. having a fun reliable car is far more important.
If your project car is just that, and you have additional, reliable, transportation than maybe you can be a little more aggressive than if your project car is your only way to get to and from work and if your car breaks you will get fired or be unable to pick your kid up from daycare. Keep in mind things dont always go 100% on the dyno, it doesnt do anybody any good if you totally freak out and make everybody uncomfortable if things dont go totally as planned. I have really seen some crazy things over the years.
I know you do not want to come to the dyno and have to spend more money than you planned. We also do not want that to happen, so please do your best to be prepared.
If you have any other questions or would like any help or guidance please contact us so we can make your tuning session go as smooth and enjoyable as possible, thank you!