dperkins1988

Ok I just wanted to know if anyone on here has purchased the ZZP or Intense pcm's. I am currently running K&N typhoon, ZZP header/downpipe combo w/ cat-back/ Stg 2. Would these pcm's benefit me? How much would they help if anyone knows? Thanks a lot -Dustin

D4u2s0t

well, the general concensus is it's better to NOT have a canned tune. You're better off just having a dyno tune done, because most likely you'll have to have the pcm you buy tuned anways. may as well save the money, and avoid the headache by just going straight to the tune.

07SSCharged248

no idea.... free bump...

dperkins1988

Ok cool thanks for your time. I really wasn't sure I guess that's like cutting corners though. The best tune for your car would be a custom tune your right that way you know its right.

D4u2s0t

exactly. lots of people get a canned tune, and then end up retuning it anyways. so basically you bought a pcm for nothing when you could have just used the stock one.

dperkins1988

True well the only other question was will the dealership be able to tell that I have had my pcm altered with for warranty purposes?

Evil C

Outa curiosity Where are you getting this "most people end up sending back their canned tune" ive seen like 4 posts about how much they like their VMS tunes but i primarily roam general and 2.4 sections. Not callin you out or any thing i just wanna read up on these bad tunes.

LopsidedJester

thats one reason why i was thinking about keeping my stage 2 tune pcm and buying a ZZP tuned PCM to swap out, just in case i wanted to put the stage 2 untouched back in. I know some people say that you can reload your old tune with HPT, but i don't have it yet, wouldn't want to mess up any settings that i wouldn't be able to change back exactly and can't afford it at the moment anyways .

I figured ZZP tuned PCM is a step up from stage 2 without putting the car in danger as long as I keep the mods under control (nothing smaller than 2.9" pulley, no crazy port jobs). Then when i have the money and time to buy HPT and tune, i can start with ZZP canned which is already set up better than stage 2, and log some numbers and make slight changes to increase performance.

dperkins1988

Yeah bro that is what I planned on doing was keeping my pcm and buying the ZZP or intense and then not touching my car anymore cuz its fast enough for me...It could easily run a mid 13 now without that upgraded pcm (I keep up pretty good with my buddy's SRT-4s now and they are modded mildly) Anyways thanks for the input. I think I am going to go with your idea and keep stage 2 pcm for security

Badju587

Just getting another PCM is nice simply because you don't have to mess with your canned S2 or stock tune, and for us warranty-minded people being able to go back to what looks like stock is important.

But, for the best benefit and least likelihood of wearing out your engine prematurely, definitely get a dyno tune or a custom HPT job from someone who knows what they're doing. You'll be glad you did later on. Plus, you can do like some have, and do an MPG tune below 3500 RPM, and a performance tune above that. You'll have a good DD if you keep the revs low and a screamer if you go WOT.

dperkins1988

Yeah I rarely get on it during the week because I just go straight to work and straight home. So on the dyno they can do that huh? Thats pretty cool I guess they can do anything as long as the pcm allows it. That would be awesome for regular under 2500 cut me down to like 200HP

Badju587

PM An0malous, he's got a tune like that I believe. Not sure on specifics as I'm running a canned S2 tune, but if my info's right he knows the inside of a PCM pretty well. It's not so much about cutting HP necessarily, for example we run rich on the S2 tune, so leaning out a bit would help.

dperkins1988

Yeah we do run rich with S2 for sure. You can tell, GM doesnt wanna be fixing any blown up engines

Badju587

Thank piston #4 and our return-less fuel system for that. Stage 2 commands an AFR in the 10's IIRC, which is definitely rich, not gonna blow the #4 piston when you have un-burned fuel coming out the pipe.

Canned tunes from GM have to be designed to work at sea level in sub-zero temperatures, and also up in the mountains of CO at 10,000+ feet on a 100-degree day. Custom tunes usually take advantage of the fact that you're not likely to swing that much in terms of air density, so the tune can be more aggressive. GM has to think about everyone who's going to buy the car, not just people at sea level, so that's why the canned tunes generally suck.