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Got some 3.42 gears ready to install, gonna do some TPS long tubes and X pipe. So I’ll need a tuner. Who is the best in the state as far as drivability tunes go. Don’t mind the travel, they just got to be good.
Got some 3.42 gears ready to install, gonna do some TPS long tubes and X pipe. So I’ll need a tuner. Who is the best in the state as far as drivability tunes go. Don’t mind the travel, they just got to be good.
I’ve heard about redline but no one else.
10 or 15 years ago, I would've given Howard Tanner a call. However, I've seen quite a few negative reviews on him in the last several years. Sorry I can't help you more. I'm sure you'll get a few suggestions from other members. Best of luck to you, and please post up the results you do get, and who you got the results from, good or bad.....
10 or 15 years ago, I would've given Howard Tanner a call. However, I've seen quite a few negative reviews on him in the last several years. Sorry I can't help you more. I'm sure you'll get a few suggestions from other members. Best of luck to you, and please post up the results you do get, and who you got the results from, good or bad.....
I appreciate the help. Having a “don’t go to” list is just as important. I like the price I got from redline to do the tune and diff install. But being my first LS I don’t want to chose the wrong shop. Ar this point I’d even be willing to travel out of state for a damn fine tuner.
gotta be a good drivable tune since I auto X/HPDE and mostly daily.
Geoff at Nextlevelperformance in Orlando tuned my old C6 after full exhaust install (about 1 year ago). Not a cheap guy to go to, wouldn't give me a quote for dyno tune on my C5 because I was installing parts myself....C6 tune cost $700, ouch. Felt like I definitely overpaid for the tune but previous owner paid for the entire exhaust just before selling to me so I decided to eat the cost since NLP is local to me.
The C6 tune was perfect drivability wise. He was able to squeeze 8 more hp out of the baseline pull and added a good bit of torque. Tried to tell me the car was breaking up on the top end and blamed it on shell premium gas...idk mixed opinions on my experiences but tune was good.
A great tuner is just as important as a great builder, at least in my opinion. I've heard good things about Next Level. Most times, if you want the very best, it's not going to be the very cheapest, either. Sorta like going to Earl Scheib, and expecting a $10,000 showcar paint job for $500. Not going to happen. My Tuner is very, very good. He uses a Mustang dyno. One thing he once told me still rings true. He told me he won't fudge numbers. He said you can use certain things/tricks to get a higher, but not necessarily accurate, reading. He told me he uses the same protocol for every car, and the numbers are what they are. He charged me (3 years ago) $250.00 for a maximum, open loop tune, as the rest of the tune, done somewhere else because I'd lost track of Rich, was pretty fair. He said all MAF cars go into open loop@WOT. NOW-To do a complete, street driving, around town, all around tune, he wants the car for at least 5 days. He said probable cost would be another $300-$400, for a total of $550.00-$650.00. He also told me cams with a tighter LSA, say 112° or smaller, are more difficult, and the price will be higher, because it will take longer. Rich is damn good. He was damn good 17 years ago when he was the tune go to guy at Wheel to Wheel Powertrain, in Madison Heights, Michigan. Now he's the go to guy at Motor City Speed/Billy Briggs Racing Engines. REALLY good tuners aren't that easy to find. Oh yeah-That previous "pretty fair" tune I had was done at Thomson Automotive. The tune Rich did for top end picked up 40whp over the other tune! Enough said......
Rich sounds like a great tuner for the Michigan area! I agree you pay for what you get...my problem being the price I paid related to the time it took to tune, car spent a maximum 1-2 hours on the dyno, stock cam. Really all it needed was the fuel tables adjusted so it didn't run lean up top. NLP gives me the "money grab" vibe, which is ok I guess since they do good work. But I think it's certainly possible to get the same outcome from a tune in my scenario for far less money.
It's a shame Corvette Masters in Orlando no longer has their tuner drive over from Tampa, good guys there. Not to say they're cheap but certainly seem more down to earth and honest.
@Spicywolff Try giving Corvette Masters a call and ask where their old tuner is working, last I heard he was still in Tampa.
A great tuner is just as important as a great builder, at least in my opinion. I've heard good things about Next Level. Most times, if you want the very best, it's not going to be the very cheapest, either. Sorta like going to Earl Scheib, and expecting a $10,000 showcar paint job for $500. Not going to happen. My Tuner is very, very good. He uses a Mustang dyno. One thing he once told me still rings true. He told me he won't fudge numbers. He said you can use certain things/tricks to get a higher, but not necessarily accurate, reading. He told me he uses the same protocol for every car, and the numbers are what they are. He charged me (3 years ago) $250.00 for a maximum, open loop tune, as the rest of the tune, done somewhere else because I'd lost track of Rich, was pretty fair. He said all MAF cars go into open loop@WOT. NOW-To do a complete, street driving, around town, all around tune, he wants the car for at least 5 days. He said probable cost would be another $300-$400, for a total of $550.00-$650.00. He also told me cams with a tighter LSA, say 112° or smaller, are more difficult, and the price will be higher, because it will take longer. Rich is damn good. He was damn good 17 years ago when he was the tune go to guy at Wheel to Wheel Powertrain, in Madison Heights, Michigan. Now he's the go to guy at Motor City Speed/Billy Briggs Racing Engines. REALLY good tuners aren't that easy to find. Oh yeah-That previous "pretty fair" tune I had was done at Thomson Automotive. The tune Rich did for top end picked up 40whp over the other tune! Enough said......
Rich sounds like a great tuner for the Michigan area! I agree you pay for what you get...my problem being the price I paid related to the time it took to tune, car spent a maximum 1-2 hours on the dyno, stock cam. Really all it needed was the fuel tables adjusted so it didn't run lean up top. NLP gives me the "money grab" vibe, which is ok I guess since they do good work. But I think it's certainly possible to get the same outcome from a tune in my scenario for far less money.
It's a shame Corvette Masters in Orlando no longer has their tuner drive over from Tampa, good guys there. Not to say they're cheap but certainly seem more down to earth and honest.
@Spicywolff Try giving Corvette Masters a call and ask where their old tuner is working, last I heard he was still in Tampa.
sign they offer tuning services themselves, I doubt they would give me the contact info. Why would they send someone else business
I hear you. I was just trying to emphasize how much a good tuner is worth. It took Rich longer to hook the car up to, and strap it down on the Dyno, than it did to wring the extra power out of it. I'll bet the actual tuning time didn't take more than 1/2-3/4 of an hour, and IIRC, 3 pulls. 40hp is pretty substantial in my book, especially for only $250!!
Rich sounds like a great tuner for the Michigan area! I agree you pay for what you get...my problem being the price I paid related to the time it took to tune, car spent a maximum 1-2 hours on the dyno, stock cam. Really all it needed was the fuel tables adjusted so it didn't run lean up top. NLP gives me the "money grab" vibe, which is ok I guess since they do good work. But I think it's certainly possible to get the same outcome from a tune in my scenario for far less money.
It's a shame Corvette Masters in Orlando no longer has their tuner drive over from Tampa, good guys there. Not to say they're cheap but certainly seem more down to earth and honest.
@Spicywolff Try giving Corvette Masters a call and ask where their old tuner is working, last I heard he was still in Tampa.
Well thats Jeremy Fasrweproms.
He is in Lutz, call him.
Mike Norris of Norris Motorsports Indiana
use to travel to Florida in the winter. Very
good and very fair.
Good luck
Mike Norris built and tuned my first C5 about 15 years ago, he was awesome. I was disappointed when he moved to Indiana from the Orlando area. I would drive over from Tampa in a heartbeat, I didn't know he started coming down here in the winters.
that is such a amateur level install and tune, it's difficult for an average LS capable shop to mess that up. until you get a cam, I wouldn't overthink it.
Phil at Tampa Tuning really knows his stuff when it comes to the LS engine, he tuned my 800 hp Camaro and also my current C5 with a cam, headers and intake all with no issues plus he isn't terribly far from you
I hear you. I was just trying to emphasize how much a good tuner is worth. It took Rich longer to hook the car up to, and strap it down on the Dyno, than it did to wring the extra power out of it. I'll bet the actual tuning time didn't take more than 1/2-3/4 of an hour, and IIRC, 3 pulls. 40hp is pretty substantial in my book, especially for only $250!!
t
rust me, a good tuner being key has not escaped me. Doesn’t matter if I use the best parts $$ can buy. If the tuner sucks it’s all worthless
Phil at Tampa Tuning really knows his stuff when it comes to the LS engine, he tuned my 800 hp Camaro and also my current C5 with a cam, headers and intake all with no issues plus he isn't terribly far from you
how’s the drivability of the tune? My main concern is how the engine and auto ply together. Being I’ll be auto X a lot and HPDE. Ultimate rosier isn’t my goal rather a super responsive ride is
A great tuner is just as important as a great builder, at least in my opinion. I've heard good things about Next Level. Most times, if you want the very best, it's not going to be the very cheapest, either. Sorta like going to Earl Scheib, and expecting a $10,000 showcar paint job for $500. Not going to happen. My Tuner is very, very good. He uses a Mustang dyno. One thing he once told me still rings true. He told me he won't fudge numbers. He said you can use certain things/tricks to get a higher, but not necessarily accurate, reading. He told me he uses the same protocol for every car, and the numbers are what they are. He charged me (3 years ago) $250.00 for a maximum, open loop tune, as the rest of the tune, done somewhere else because I'd lost track of Rich, was pretty fair. He said all MAF cars go into open loop@WOT. NOW-To do a complete, street driving, around town, all around tune, he wants the car for at least 5 days. He said probable cost would be another $300-$400, for a total of $550.00-$650.00. He also told me cams with a tighter LSA, say 112° or smaller, are more difficult, and the price will be higher, because it will take longer. Rich is damn good. He was damn good 17 years ago when he was the tune go to guy at Wheel to Wheel Powertrain, in Madison Heights, Michigan. Now he's the go to guy at Motor City Speed/Billy Briggs Racing Engines. REALLY good tuners aren't that easy to find. Oh yeah-That previous "pretty fair" tune I had was done at Thomson Automotive. The tune Rich did for top end picked up 40whp over the other tune! Enough said......
Ahh, a blast from the past! Wheel to Wheel was for sure the place to go back then, they tuned quite a few friends cars. Could make a Grand National wickedly fast..
11-10-2022, 03:54 PM
Best tuner in FL
