Dyno Testing

in Great Falls, Montana

Dyno Request

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Thank you for filling out the Dooley's Diabolical Diesel Dyno Request Form. We will contact you, and let you know the status of your application. If approved we will set up a time to put your machine on the Dyno. Your vehicle must be in good working order. Your vehicle must be cleaned prior to dyno test, inside and out. We accept no responsibility for vehicle malfunction before, during or after the dyno test. We will put your vehicle under load. We will deliver your test results via email. Our technicians will be operating the dyno and the vehicle for the tests. No exceptions. We reserve the right to deny service to anyone at any time. We reserve the right to shut down the testing for any reason.

Dooley’s Diabolical Diesel offers Dyno Testing in Great Falls, MT to give your ride the edge you’re looking for:

If you want to get the most performance out of your vehicle, then Dyno Testing is one of the best ways to unlock your cars performance potential.

DOOLEY’S DIESEL is known to be one of the top rated Performance Shops for Performance Dyno Testing in Montana.

We will first get a baseline reading of your cars power, after that we then begin to make the needed adjustments using tuning software such as HP Tuners to increase your engines performance.

Once completed you will get a full print out of the increase in horsepower we were able to get for your vehicle. We always tune within safe operating parameters to ensure maximum performance , safety and reliability.

All of our Performance Packages include a Professional Dyno Tune for your vehicle.

Dyno X Hub Dynos are rated for 1800 HP 300MPH. Dynocom has introduced the world’s first affordable, truly compact, high performance and advanced bolt-on dynamometer system with integrated load utilizing advanced, high performing, revolutionary designed power absorption units (PAUs) incorporated within the dynamometer enclosure. This design allows for the first compact load-capable portable dynamometer by eliminating the need for expensive and invasive water-brake absorption units which may be a source of failure.

 

 

Give us a call or stop by the shop for more info and pricing.
Dooley’s Diabolical Diesel :: 2012 13th St S :: Great Falls, MT 59405 :: (406) 781-0978
  • To ensure a seamless and successful tuning experience, we kindly ask that you thoroughly prepare your vehicle beforehand. It is vital to address any potential issues and ensure that all necessary adjustments have been made. Please ensure that the fans are in proper working condition and that all wiring is completed and ready for immediate use. It is important to note that excessive smoke or fluid leakage from the motor should be addressed prior to the appointment. Additionally, we require that the cooling system is appropriately bled to avoid any complications during the tuning process. By proactively addressing these aspects, we can create an optimal environment for tuning your vehicle.
  • Our primary focus is directed towards the tuning process of your vehicle, rather than addressing mechanical or electrical issues. While we may have the capability to rectify certain minor problems during the dyno session, it is important to note that such services will not be provided without associated charges. Should your car require repairs to attain proper working order, we may request that you bring it back once the necessary maintenance has been undertaken. Please be advised that customers will incur charges for any labor, or diagnostic time provided.
  • To maintain a professional environment during the dyno session, we kindly request that you limit the number of accompanying individuals. Typically, only the car owner is permitted inside the dyno room when their presence is necessary. We kindly ask that additional guests wait in the showroom or outside the designated area. Considering the prolonged duration of dyno tuning, we advise against bringing children, significant others, or individuals who may not share a keen interest in automotive matters. The process can be time-consuming and the noise levels may result in discomfort or boredom for non-enthusiasts.
  • To facilitate an efficient setup of our equipment and ensure seamless access to the ECU, we kindly ask you to clear the passenger seat and floor area of any items. Providing ample space for our team to arrange laptops and other essential tools will enable us to deliver a more streamlined and effective tuning experience for your vehicle. Your cooperation in creating a clutter-free environment is greatly appreciated and will contribute to the overall success of the session.
  • If your car spills excessive fluids on the dyno/shop floor, you may be charged a clean-up fee.
  • We kindly request that you refrain from utilizing our tools, shop supplies, or equipment without obtaining prior permission. Our tools and resources are essential for maintaining a smooth workflow and ensuring the highest level of service for all our customers. By seeking permission before using any items, you contribute to a well-organized and professional environment. We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to this policy.
  • Tires and Tire Pressure – Make sure all of your tires are at a proper pressure and equal.  30-40psi usually works the best on the dyno.  Don’t come with drag radials on your drive tires, unless you have already talked to us about it.  Hard compound street tires work the best on our dyno.  We have extra sets of wheels/tires that we can swap onto some cars (like Mustangs) for your dyno appointment.  Make sure your wheels are properly torqued down.
  • Fuel filters – Replace your fuel filter if it has 30,000+ miles on it.
  • Gas – Come in with at least half a tank of gas, unless we are going to be doing tunes on 2 different fuels.  Tune on the gas that you are going to run the car on.  Don’t put in octane booster, if you aren’t going to run it all the time.  Don’t tune on one brand or octane of race gas and expect to be able to run fine with a different brand of race gas.  If you are tuning on pump gas and have had any race gas in the car recently, make sure to run through 2-3 entire tanks of pump gas to get any mixed in race gas out of the system.  If your car has been in storage or sitting for a while, make sure to drain the fuel and put in fresh gas.
  • Clutch – Make absolutely sure that your clutch isn’t slipping and that it will hold the power that you want to make.  We can’t tune a car with a slipping clutch.  We have had to cut short many tuning appointments due to slipping clutches a couple hours into tuning.  Also, make sure your clutch pedal is properly adjusted with a small amount of free play.
  • Check Engine Lights – If you have any check engine codes, fix them before your tune or contact us about them.  We can turn some off in software on some cars.  Don’t just assume it’s an unimportant rear O2 sensor code.  We can’t tune cars with critical CELs running in limp mode.
  • Misfires – If your car has an ignition problem for a bad coil, bad wires, bad ground, bad igniter or some other problem and it is breaking up under load, then we won’t be able to get a good tune.  Some misfires are tune related and can be fixed during your dyno session, but a tune won’t fix physical problems with the ignition system.
  • Do a compression test – Make sure your engine compression is where it should be for your compression ratio and that all the cylinders are within 15psi of each other.
  • Boost/Vacuum Leaks – Check your car for boost leaks.  This is very important on cars with a MAS/MAF setup.  Any leaks will affect tuning and power output.  Fixing a boost leak on a MAS/MAF car after it has already been tuned will result in it running leaner during boost, which isn’t a good thing.  Speed density cars like a Honda or most standalone systems will run with huge boost leaks, but they will lose power because the turbo is having to work much harder.  Any boost/vacuum leaks after the throttle plate will cause idling issues on a MAS/MAF or speed density setup.
  • Timing Belt – Triple check your timing belt alignment before coming in for tuning.  Have someone else check it also, if you are not sure.  This is a very common problem on Hondas and DSMs.  Just because the car seems to run okay, doesn’t mean that the timing belt is on correctly.  We can’t tune a car with the timing belt installed wrong and we often don’t have time to fix it immediately.
  • Timing Covers & Crank Pulleys – On cars with adjustable cam angle sensors or distributors we usually need to set the base ignition timing.  We can’t set the timing without the lower timing covers on the car and a crank pulley with proper marks.
  • Spark Plugs – Run the correct heat range plug and gap for your application.  A boosted car will need a much tighter gap than an all-motor setup.  If you don’t know what plugs to run or what to gap them at, give us a call.  Bring an extra set, if you have a car like a Honda, DSM, Evo, 240SX, or Supra that is easy to change plugs on and often need new plugs when boosted.
  • Fluids – Make sure your oil is at the proper level, do not overfill, and your cooling system is full and bled.  Fix any oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.  If your engine oil and filter have more than 3000 miles on them, then please replace both.
  • Cooling – The car needs to have a perfectly working cooling system with fans.  WE CAN’T TUNE A CAR THAT IS OVERHEATING.  Don’t expect a stock cooling system designed for a 120HP car to work on a boosted car making twice that.  You should have a thermostat!  Not having a thermostat or restrictor plate(on race cars) will make a car hard to tune, inconsistent and overheat easier.
  • Battery/Alternator – Make sure your battery isn’t weak and that your alternator is producing the correct voltage.  Battery voltage can greatly affect your fueling and ignition strength.  A battery that requires a jump every time you start the car can cause problems during WOT tuning.
  • Wiring – Solder all connections.  Don’t have any exposed wiring or solder joints.  Heat shrink or tape over any bare wire.  Don’t just twist and tape connections, especially any important sensors or injector wiring.  If you are trying to run peak/hold or low impedance fuel injectors on an ECU designed to run high impedance injectors, then make sure to wire in a drive box, resistor box, or resistors before coming to your dyno appointment.  We usually don’t have time to do a proper install at the time of your dyno appointment.  Make sure your fuel pump is getting good voltage.  Small stock wiring can cause large voltage drops under high load.  A fuel pump rewire is a very common mod on some kinds of cars.  It can mean the difference between being able to make 525whp or 600whp on a single Walbro 255HP fuel pump.  We have gained 50whp+ worth of fueling capacity on Hondas by doing a fuel pump rewire.
  • Exhaust – Fix any exhaust leaks.  Leaks near your O2 sensor can cause idle and fueling problems.  Leaks before your turbo will increase lag and lower power output.  If you have a tuning system or setup that requires us to put our wideband O2 sensor directly into your exhaust system, make sure your stock O2 will come out or have an extra bung welded on, and make sure the opening into the pipe is as big as the bung.  A stock O2 sensor will often fit, while a wideband won’t.  With a lot of cars we can use a tailpipe sniffer, but if you have a standalone engine management, open exhaust system, or non-functioning stock O2 sensor then it is sometimes best to install the O2 sensor into the exhaust.
  • Supercharged Cars – Tighten your supercharger belt.
  • Make Sure the car is 100% ready to be tuned and the bugs are worked out! – Don’t stay up all night working on your car and expect things to go smoothly on the dyno.  Fans need to be working.  Everything should be already wired up and ready to go.  The motor shouldn’t be smoking excessively or leaking fluids.  The cooling system should be properly bled.
  • Our main objective is to tune the car, not have to fix mechanical or electrical problems on it.  We may be able to fix some minor problems during the dyno session, but not for free.  If your car is not in proper working order, you may be asked to bring it back once the repairs have been completed.  Customers will be charged for any tuning or labor/diagnosing time.
  • Please do not bring your whole crew of friends for your dyno session.  We normally only allow the owner of the car to be in the dyno room when needed.  Other people will have to wait in the showroom or outside.  We do not recommend bringing your kids, girlfriend, boyfriend or other non car enthusiast friend.  Dyno tuning can take many hours and they will mostly likely be bored or driven crazy by the noise.
  • Remove any items from the passenger seat/floor.  We usually need some room to setup our laptops and other equipment.  Also, we often need to access the ECU.
  • If your car spills excessive fluids on the dyno/shop floor, you may be charged a clean-up fee.
  • Please don’t help yourself to our tools, shop supplies or equipment unless you are given permission.
  • Tires and Tire Pressure – Make sure all of your tires are at a proper pressure and equal.  30-40psi usually works the best on the dyno.  Don’t come with drag radials on your drive tires, unless you have already talked to us about it.  Hard compound street tires work the best on our dyno.  We have extra sets of wheels/tires that we can swap onto some cars (like Mustangs) for your dyno appointment.  Make sure your wheels are properly torqued down.
  • Supercharged Cars – Tighten your supercharger belt.
  • Vacuum Lines – Secure all vacuum hoses on boosted vehicles with clamps or zip ties.  A vacuum line popping off your FPR during boost could mean the end of your motor.  The lines and ports on many factory non-turbo car were not designed to handle boost and might need lines or to be secured.
  • Turbo Wastegate – Have the right spring and right size wastegate for your setup.  You can’t run boost lower than the wastegate spring, even with a boost controller.  Having too small of a wastegate can cause uncontrollable boost creep.  Wastegates are often rated for a HP, which is purely for marketing.  Running lower boost or having a bigger displacement motor will require a bigger wastegate than someone trying to run higher boost or with a smaller motor.  It has nothing to do with power.  Don’t get a 6psi wastegate spring, if you are trying to run 20+psi.  A manual boost controller can usually increase the boost to around twice that of the spring.  An electronic system that pushes boost to the top port of the wastegate might be able to do 2-3x the wastegate spring.
  • Oil Feed/Return Lines – Too big of a feed line or too small of a return line can blow your turbo/supercharger.  The oil in the return line is not pressurized and relies on gravity to work.  Make sure the line isn’t crimped, going too far down and then back up to the oil pan, too small, or not a smooth transition back to the oil pan.  The oil return on the pan should normally be above the oil level in the pan.  Too big of an oil feed line can cause your oil return to back up and ball-bearing turbos usually require some form of restrictor in the line or turbo.
  • Do not non-reinforced couplers meant for intake pipes or from Home Depot/Lowe’s on your charge pipes.  They will usually rip or melt from heat.  Use good quality couplers of the correct size.  Don’t try to double up couplers or use tape on a charge pipe.
  • Turbo Dumptube – Put a dumptube on your wastegate and make sure it isn’t blowing on your radiator or at your turbo inlet/air filter.  You want clean, cold, oxygen rich air going into your turbo, not exhaust.
  • Pump Gas Tuning – Don’t expect to match the numbers of Joe Blow on the internet with our local pump gas.  Our pump gas does not compare well with the quality 93/94 octane pump fuels found in many parts of the country.  Usually the premium pump gas from stations like BP are a better quality/octane than the same 91 or 92 octane gases from places like Holiday or Super America.  If you are going to run SA gas all the time though, then dyno tune on it.  Do not run special non-oxy or non-ethanol pump fuels on boosted cars.  We won’t be able to run as much boost or ignition timing.  Ethanol and boost go well together. If you want to make the big power, run a high quality race gas or E85.
  • Fuel filters – Replace your fuel filter if it has 30,000+ miles on it.
  • Gas – Come in with at least half a tank of gas, unless we are going to be doing tunes on 2 different fuels.  Tune on the gas that you are going to run the car on.  Don’t put in octane booster, if you aren’t going to run it all the time.  Don’t tune on one brand or octane of race gas and expect to be able to run fine with a different brand of race gas.  If you are tuning on pump gas and have had any race gas in the car recently, make sure to run through 2-3 entire tanks of pump gas to get any mixed in race gas out of the system.  If your car has been in storage or sitting for a while, make sure to drain the fuel and put in fresh gas.
  • Clutch – Make absolutely sure that your clutch isn’t slipping and that it will hold the power that you want to make.  We can’t tune a car with a slipping clutch.  We have had to cut short many tuning appointments due to slipping clutches a couple hours into tuning.  Also, make sure your clutch pedal is properly adjusted with a small amount of free play.
  • Check Engine Lights – If you have any check engine codes, fix them before your tune or contact us about them.  We can turn some off in software on some cars.  Don’t just assume it’s an unimportant rear O2 sensor code.  We can’t tune cars with critical CELs running in limp mode.
  • Misfires – If your car has an ignition problem for a bad coil, bad wires, bad ground, bad igniter or some other problem and it is breaking up under load, then we won’t be able to get a good tune.  Some misfires are tune related and can be fixed during your dyno session, but a tune won’t fix physical problems with the ignition system.
  • Do a compression test – Make sure your engine compression is where it should be for your compression ratio and that all the cylinders are within 15psi of each other.
  • Boost/Vacuum Leaks – Check your car for boost leaks.  This is very important on cars with a MAS/MAF setup.  Any leaks will affect tuning and power output.  Fixing a boost leak on a MAS/MAF car after it has already been tuned will result in it running leaner during boost, which isn’t a good thing.  Speed density cars like a Honda or most standalone systems will run with huge boost leaks, but they will lose power because the turbo is having to work much harder.  Any boost/vacuum leaks after the throttle plate will cause idling issues on a MAS/MAF or speed density setup.
  • Timing Belt – Triple check your timing belt alignment before coming in for tuning.  Have someone else check it also, if you are not sure.  Just because the car seems to run okay, doesn’t mean that the timing belt is on correctly.  We can’t tune a car with the timing belt installed wrong and we often don’t have time to fix it immediately.
  • Timing Covers & Crank Pulleys – On cars with adjustable cam angle sensors or distributors we usually need to set the base ignition timing.  We can’t set the timing without the lower timing covers on the car and a crank pulley with proper marks.
  • Spark Plugs – Run the correct heat range plug and gap for your application.  A boosted car will need a much tighter gap than an all-motor setup.  If you don’t know what plugs to run or what to gap them at, give us a call.  Bring an extra set, if you have a car like a Honda, DSM, Evo, 240SX, or Supra that is easy to change plugs on and often need new plugs when boosted.
  • Fluids – Make sure your oil is at the proper level, do not overfill, and your cooling system is full and bled.  Fix any oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.  If your engine oil and filter have more than 3000 miles on them, then please replace both.
  • Cooling – The car needs to have a perfectly working cooling system with fans.  WE CAN’T TUNE A CAR THAT IS OVERHEATING.  Don’t expect a stock cooling system designed for a 120HP car to work on a boosted car making twice that.  You should have a thermostat!  Not having a thermostat or restrictor plate(on race cars) will make a car hard to tune, inconsistent and overheat easier.
  • Battery/Alternator – Make sure your battery isn’t weak and that your alternator is producing the correct voltage.  Battery voltage can greatly affect your fueling and ignition strength.  A battery that requires a jump every time you start the car can cause problems during WOT tuning.
  • Wiring – Solder all connections.  Don’t have any exposed wiring or solder joints.  Heat shrink or tape over any bare wire.  Don’t just twist and tape connections, especially any important sensors or injector wiring.  If you are trying to run peak/hold or low impedance fuel injectors on an ECU designed to run high impedance injectors, then make sure to wire in a drive box, resistor box, or resistors before coming to your dyno appointment.  We usually don’t have time to do a proper install at the time of your dyno appointment.  Make sure your fuel pump is getting good voltage.  Small stock wiring can cause large voltage drops under high load.  A fuel pump rewire is a very common mod on some kinds of cars.  It can mean the difference between being able to make 525whp or 600whp on a single Walbro 255HP fuel pump.  We have gained 50whp+ worth of fueling capacity on Hondas by doing a fuel pump rewire.
  • Exhaust – Fix any exhaust leaks.  Leaks near your O2 sensor can cause idle and fueling problems.  Leaks before your turbo will increase lag and lower power output.  If you have a tuning system or setup that requires us to put our wideband O2 sensor directly into your exhaust system, make sure your stock O2 will come out or have an extra bung welded on, and make sure the opening into the pipe is as big as the bung.  A stock O2 sensor will often fit, while a wideband won’t.  With a lot of cars we can use a tailpipe sniffer, but if you have a standalone engine management, open exhaust system, or non-functioning stock O2 sensor then it is sometimes best to install the O2 sensor into the exhaust.
  • Set your base timing to 10 degrees on cars with a distributor.
  • Set your TPS to slightly under 1 volt.
  • Supercharged Cars – Tighten your supercharger belt.
  • Make Sure the car is 100% ready to be tuned and the bugs are worked out! – Don’t stay up all night working on your car and expect things to go smoothly on the dyno.  Fans need to be working.  Everything should be already wired up and ready to go.  The motor shouldn’t be smoking excessively or leaking fluids.  The cooling system should be properly bled.
  • Our main objective is to tune the car, not have to fix mechanical or electrical problems on it.  We may be able to fix some minor problems during the dyno session, but not for free.  If your car is not in proper working order, you may be asked to bring it back once the repairs have been completed.  Customers will be charged for any tuning or labor/diagnosing time.
  • Please do not bring your whole crew of friends for your dyno session.  We normally only allow the owner of the car to be in the dyno room when needed.  Other people will have to wait in the showroom or outside.  We do not recommend bringing your kids, girlfriend, boyfriend or other non car enthusiast friend.  Dyno tuning can take many hours and they will mostly likely be bored or driven crazy by the noise.
  • Remove any items from the passenger seat/floor.  We usually need some room to setup our laptops and other equipment.  Also, we often need to access the ECU.
  • If your car spills excessive fluids on the dyno/shop floor, you may be charged a clean-up fee.
  • Please don’t help yourself to our tools, shop supplies or equipment unless you are given permission.
  • Tires and Tire Pressure – Make sure all of your tires are at a proper pressure and equal.  30-40psi usually works the best on the dyno.  Don’t come with drag radials on your drive tires, unless you have already talked to us about it.  Hard compound street tires work the best on our dyno.  We have extra sets of wheels/tires that we can swap onto some cars (like Mustangs) for your dyno appointment.  Make sure your wheels are properly torqued down.
  • Fuel filters – Replace your fuel filter if it has 30,000+ miles on it.
  • O2 Sensors – Make sure you have working O2 sensors.  We commonly have to replace them on Fords.
  • Gas – Come in with at least half a tank of gas, unless we are going to be doing tunes on 2 different fuels.  Tune on the gas that you are going to run the car on.  Don’t put in octane booster, if you aren’t going to run it all the time.  Don’t tune on one brand or octane of race gas and expect to be able to run fine with a different brand of race gas.  If you are tuning on pump gas and have had any race gas in the car recently, make sure to run through 2-3 entire tanks of pump gas to get any mixed in race gas out of the system.  If your car has been in storage or sitting for a while, make sure to drain the fuel and put in fresh gas.
  • Clutch – Make absolutely sure that your clutch isn’t slipping and that it will hold the power that you want to make.  We can’t tune a car with a slipping clutch.  We have had to cut short many tuning appointments due to slipping clutches a couple hours into tuning.  Also, make sure your clutch pedal is properly adjusted with a small amount of free play.
  • Check Engine Lights – If you have any check engine codes, fix them before your tune or contact us about them.  We can turn some off in software on some cars.  Don’t just assume it’s an unimportant rear O2 sensor code.  We can’t tune cars with critical CELs running in limp mode.
  • Misfires – If your car has an ignition problem for a bad coil, bad wires, bad ground, bad igniter or some other problem and it is breaking up under load, then we won’t be able to get a good tune.  Some misfires are tune related and can be fixed during your dyno session, but a tune won’t fix physical problems with the ignition system.
  • Do a compression test – Make sure your engine compression is where it should be for your compression ratio and that all the cylinders are reading close to each other.
  • Vacuum Leaks – Check your car for vacuum leaks.  This is very important on cars with a MAF setup.  Any leaks will affect the tuning and power output.  Fixing a boost leak on a MAF car after it has already been tuned will result in it running leaner during boost, which isn’t a good thing.  Speed density or most standalone systems will run with huge boost leaks, but they will lose power because the turbo is having to work much harder.  Any boost/vacuum leaks after the throttle plate will cause idling issues on a MAF or speed density setup.
  • Spark Plugs – Run the correct heat range plug and gap for your application.  A boosted car will need a much tighter gap than an all-motor setup.  If you don’t know what plugs to run or what to gap them at, give us a call.
  • Fluids – Make sure your oil is at the proper level, do not overfill, and your cooling system is full and bled.  Fix any oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.  If your engine oil and filter have more than 3000 miles on them, then please replace both.
  • Cooling – The car needs to have a perfectly working cooling system with fans.  WE CAN’T TUNE A CAR THAT IS OVERHEATING.   You should have a thermostat!  Not having a thermostat or restrictor plate(on race cars) will make a car hard to tune, inconsistent and overheat easier.
  • Battery/Alternator – Make sure your battery isn’t weak and that your alternator is producing the correct voltage.  Battery voltage can greatly affect your fueling and ignition strength.  A battery that requires a jump every time you start the car can cause problems during WOT tuning.
  • Wiring – Solder all connections.  Don’t have any exposed wiring or solder joints.  Heat shrink or tape over any bare wire.  Don’t just twist and tape connections, especially any important sensors or injector wiring.  If you are trying to run peak/hold or low impedance fuel injectors on an ECU designed to run high impedance injectors, then make sure to wire in a drive box, resistor box, or resistors before coming to your dyno appointment.  We usually don’t have time to do a proper install at the time of your dyno appointment.  Make sure your fuel pump is getting good voltage.  Small stock wiring can cause large voltage drops under high load.  A fuel pump rewire is a very common mod on some kinds of cars.  It can mean the difference between being able to make 525whp or 600whp on a single Walbro 255HP fuel pump.
  • Exhaust – Fix any exhaust leaks.  Leaks near your O2 sensor can cause idle and fueling problems.  Leaks before your turbo will increase lag and lower power output.  If you have a tuning system or setup that requires us to put our wideband O2 sensor directly into your exhaust system, make sure your stock O2 will come out or have an extra bung welded on, and make sure the opening into the pipe is as big as the bung.  A stock O2 sensor will often fit, while a wideband won’t.  With a lot of cars we can use a tailpipe sniffer, but if you have a standalone engine management, open exhaust system, or non-functioning stock O2 sensor then it is sometimes best to install the O2 sensor into the exhaust.

Turbocharged Cars

  • Vacuum Lines – Secure all vacuum hoses on boosted vehicles with clamps or zip ties.  A vacuum line popping off your FPR during boost could mean the end of your motor.  The lines and ports on many factory non-turbo car were not designed to handle boost and might need lines or to be secured.
  • Turbo Wastegate – Have the right spring and right size wastegate for your setup.  You can’t run boost lower than the wastegate spring, even with a boost controller.  Having too small of a wastegate can cause uncontrollable boost creep.  Wastegates are often rated for a HP, which is purely for marketing.  Running lower boost or having a bigger displacement motor will require a bigger wastegate than someone trying to run higher boost or with a smaller motor.  It has nothing to do with power.  Don’t get a 6psi wastegate spring, if you are trying to run 20+psi.  A manual boost controller can usually increase the boost to around twice that of the spring.  An electronic system that pushes boost to the top port of the wastegate might be able to do 2-3x the wastegate spring.
  • Turbo Oil Feed/Return Lines – Too big of a feed line or too small of a return line can blow your turbo.  The oil in the turbo return line is not pressurized and relies on gravity to work.  Make sure the line isn’t crimped, going too far down and then back up to the oil pan, too small, or not a smooth transition back to the oil pan.  The oil return on the pan should normally be above the oil level in the pan.  Too big of an oil feed line can cause your oil return to back up and ball-bearing turbos usually require some form of restrictor in the line or turbo.
  • Do not non-reinforced couplers meant for intake pipes or from Home Depot/Lowe’s on your charge pipes.  They will usually rip or melt from heat.  Use good quality couplers of the correct size.  Don’t try to double up couplers or use tape on a charge pipe.
  • Turbo Dumptube – Put a dumptube on your wastegate and make sure it isn’t blowing on your radiator or at your turbo inlet/air filter.  You want clean, cold, oxygen rich air going into your turbo, not exhaust.
  • Pump Gas Tuning – Don’t expect to match the numbers of Joe Blow on the internet with our local pump gas.  Our pump gas does not compare well with the quality 93/94 octane pump fuels found in many parts of the country.  Usually the premium pump gas from stations like BP are a better quality/octane than the same 91 or 92 octane gases from places like Holiday or Super America.  If you are going to run SA gas all the time though, then dyno tune on it.  Do not run special non-oxy or non-ethanol pump fuels on boosted cars.  We won’t be able to run as much boost or ignition timing.  Ethanol and boost go well together. If you want to make the big power, run a high quality race gas or E85.
  • Make sure your engine oil level is where it should be.  The boxer motors go through oil faster than most engines.  This can lead to spun rod bearings. Do not use Mobile 1 Synthetic oil in these engines.
  • Make sure your AWD system is working properly.  We can’t run your car on the dyno if the front wheels won’t spin at the same speed as the rears.
  • Check for and fix any boost leaks.  We can’t tune the car will boost leaks and it can be hard for us to check for them quickly on the dyno on non-rotated turbo setups.  Common spots for leaks are TMIC to throttle body coupler, the turbo to TMIC coupler, and the BOV flange on a TMIC.
  • Try to verify if your front/primary O2 sensor is working properly.  It is common for them to be bad on turbo Subarus, especially if there has been a previous engine or turbo failure.  ECU codes related to the front O2 sensor or sensor #1 are a sign of a bad primary O2 sensor.  This is the sensor typically located in the header before the up-pipe and turbo.
  • If you plan on running over 20psi of boost, we recommend upgrading your factory MAP sensor to one that can read higher, like the Perrin 4-Bar MAP sensor.  The stock MAP sensor can only read to 22.x psi and you will want some head room for minor boost spikes.
  • Make sure that your intake / MAF housing is large enough diameter to support the power that you want to make.  It is common to max out the airflow readings to the ECU, when using a stock or close to stock sized intake pipe and you are running a larger than stock turbo.  Try not to go too much bigger than you actually need.  The bigger the intake pipe used, the worse idle and part throttle drivability and tuning will become.  Using a Cobb Accessport and converting to a speed density airflow measurement system is the best option for higher HP cars and gets rid of the limitations of using the MAF.
  • If you have an adjustable wastegate arm like the stock turbo on the 2.0l WRX, please remove any heat shields in the way.
  • Make Sure the car is 100% ready to be tuned and the bugs are worked out! – Don’t stay up all night working on your car and expect things to go smoothly on the dyno.  Fans need to be working.  Everything should be already wired up and ready to go.  The motor shouldn’t be smoking excessively or leaking fluids.  The cooling system should be properly bled.
  • Our main objective is to tune the car, not have to fix mechanical or electrical problems on it.  We may be able to fix some minor problems during the dyno session, but not for free.  If your car is not in proper working order, you may be asked to bring it back once the repairs have been completed.  Customers will be charged for any tuning or labor/diagnosing time.
  • Please do not bring your whole crew of friends for your dyno session.  We normally only allow the owner of the car to be in the dyno room when needed.  Other people will have to wait in the showroom or outside.  We do not recommend bringing your kids, girlfriend, boyfriend or other non car enthusiast friend.  Dyno tuning can take many hours and they will mostly likely be bored or driven crazy by the noise.
  • Remove any items from the passenger seat/floor.  We usually need some room to setup our laptops and other equipment.  Also, we often need to access the ECU.
  • If your car spills excessive fluids on the dyno/shop floor, you may be charged a clean-up fee.
  • Please don’t help yourself to our tools, shop supplies or equipment unless you are given permission.
  • Vacuum Lines – Secure all vacuum hoses on boosted vehicles with clamps or zip ties.  A vacuum line popping off your FPR during boost could mean the end of your motor.  The lines and ports on many factory non-turbo car were not designed to handle boost and might need lines or to be secured.
  • Aftermarket Turbo Wastegate – Have the right spring and right size wastegate for your setup.  You can’t run boost lower than the wastegate spring, even with a boost controller.  Having too small of a wastegate can cause uncontrollable boost creep.  Wastegates are often rated for a HP, which is purely for marketing.  Running lower boost or having a bigger displacement motor will require a bigger wastegate than someone trying to run higher boost or with a smaller motor.  It has nothing to do with power.  Don’t get a 6psi wastegate spring, if you are trying to run 20+psi.  A manual boost controller can usually increase the boost to around twice that of the spring.  An electronic system that pushes boost to the top port of the wastegate might be able to do 2-3x the wastegate spring.
  • Aftermarket Turbo Oil Feed/Return Lines – Too big of a feed line or too small of a return line can blow your turbo.  The oil in the turbo return line is not pressurized and relies on gravity to work.  Make sure the line isn’t crimped, going too far down and then back up to the oil pan, too small, or not a smooth transition back to the oil pan.  The oil return on the pan should normally be above the oil level in the pan.  Too big of an oil feed line can cause your oil return to back up and ball-bearing turbos usually require some form of restrictor in the line or turbo.
  • Do not non-reinforced couplers meant for intake pipes or from Home Depot/Lowe’s on your charge pipes.  They will usually rip or melt from heat.  Use good quality couplers of the correct size.  Don’t try to double up couplers or use tape on a charge pipe.
  • Pump Gas Tuning – Don’t expect to match the numbers of Joe Blow on the internet with our local pump gas.  Our pump gas does not compare well with the quality 93/94 octane pump fuels found in many parts of the country.  Usually the premium pump gas from stations like BP are a better quality/octane than the same 91 or 92 octane gases from places like Holiday or Super America.  If you are going to run SA gas all the time though, then dyno tune on it.  Do not run special non-oxy or non-ethanol pump fuels on boosted cars.  We won’t be able to run as much boost or ignition timing.  Ethanol and boost go well together. If you want to make the big power, run a high quality race gas or E85.
  • Tires and Tire Pressure – Make sure all of your tires are at a proper pressure and equal.  30-40psi usually works the best on the dyno.  Don’t come with drag radials on your drive tires, unless you have already talked to us about it.  Hard compound street tires work the best on our dyno.  We have extra sets of wheels/tires that we can swap onto some cars for your dyno appointment.  Make sure your wheels are properly torqued down.
  • Fuel filters – Replace your fuel filter if it has 30,000+ miles on it or you recently switched to E85.
  • Gas – Come in with at least half a tank of gas, unless we are going to be doing tunes on 2 different fuels.  Tune on the gas that you are going to run the car on.  Don’t put in octane booster, if you aren’t going to run it all the time.  Don’t tune on one brand or octane of race gas and expect to be able to run fine with a different brand of race gas.  If you are tuning on pump gas and have had any race gas in the car recently, make sure to run through 2-3 entire tanks of pump gas to get any mixed in race gas out of the system.  If your car has been in storage or sitting for a while, make sure to drain the fuel and put in fresh gas.
  • Clutch – Make absolutely sure that your clutch isn’t slipping and that it will hold the power that you want to make.  We can’t tune a car with a slipping clutch.  We have had to cut short many tuning appointments due to slipping clutches a couple hours into tuning.  Also, make sure your clutch pedal is properly adjusted with a small amount of free play.
  • Check Engine Lights – If you have any check engine codes, fix them before your tune or contact us about them.  We can turn some off in the software on some cars.  Don’t just assume it’s an unimportant rear O2 sensor code.  We can’t tune cars with critical CELs running in limp mode.
  • Misfires – If your car has an ignition problem from a bad coil, bad wires, bad ground, bad igniter or some other problem and it is breaking up under load, then we won’t be able to get a good tune.  Some misfires are tune related and can be fixed during your dyno session, but a tune won’t fix physical problems with the ignition system.
  • Do a compression test – Make sure your engine compression is where it should be for your compression ratio and that all the cylinders are close to each other in psi reading.
  • Boost/Vacuum Leaks – Check your car for boost leaks.  This is very important on cars with a MAF setup.  Any leaks will affect tune and power output.  Fixing a boost leak on a MAF car after it has already been tuned will result in it running leaner during boost, which isn’t a good thing.  Speed density cars or most standalone systems will run with huge boost leaks, but they will lose power because the turbo is having to work much harder.  Any boost/vacuum leaks after the throttle plate will cause idling issues on a MAF or speed density setup.
  • Spark Plugs – Run the correct heat range plug and gap for your application.  A high boost or E85 car will need a tighter gap than a stock setup.
  • Fluids – Make sure your oil is at the proper level, do not overfill, and your cooling system is full and bled.  Fix any oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.  If your engine oil and filter have more than 3000 miles on them, then please replace both.
  • Cooling – The car needs to have a perfectly working cooling system with fans.  WE CAN’T TUNE A CAR THAT IS OVERHEATING.   You should have a thermostat!  Not having a thermostat or restrictor plate(on race cars) will make a car hard to tune, inconsistent and overheat easier.
  • Battery/Alternator – Make sure your battery isn’t weak and that your alternator is producing the correct voltage.  Battery voltage can greatly affect your fueling and ignition strength.  A battery that requires a jump every time you start the car can cause problems during WOT tuning.
  • Wiring – Solder all connections.  Don’t have any exposed wiring or solder joints.  Heat shrink or tape over any bare wire.  Don’t just twist and tape connections, especially any important sensors or injector wiring.  If you are trying to run peak/hold or low impedance fuel injectors on an ECU designed to run high impedance injectors, then make sure to wire in a drive box, resistor box, or resistors before coming to your dyno appointment.  We usually don’t have time to do a proper install at the time of your dyno appointment.  Make sure your fuel pump is getting good voltage.  Small stock wiring can cause large voltage drops under high load.  A fuel pump rewire is a very common mod on some kinds of cars.  The fuel pump control module on some Legacy GT’s may need to be upgraded to one from an STI.
  • Exhaust – Fix any exhaust leaks.  Leaks near your O2 sensor can cause idle and fueling problems.  Leaks before your turbo will increase lag and lower power output.  If you have a tuning system or setup that requires us to put our wideband O2 sensor directly into your exhaust system, make sure your stock O2 will come out or have an extra bung welded on, and make sure the opening into the pipe is as big as the bung.  A stock O2 sensor will often fit, while a wideband won’t.  With a lot of cars we can use a tailpipe sniffer, but if you have a standalone engine management, open exhaust system, or non-functioning stock O2 sensor then it is sometimes best to install the O2 sensor into the exhaust.
  • Make sure your timing belt is lined up correctly.
  • Check for and fix any boost leaks.
  • Do not use Magnecor spark plug wires.
  • Evo X Spark Plugs – Make sure you have the correct spark plugs in your engine, we recommend using the OEM NGK spark plugs.  The 2011-2015 Evo X use a different spark plug than the 2008-2010 Evo X.  This is very important to get right, many online retailers sell the wrong spark plugs.
  • Make Sure the car is 100% ready to be tuned and the bugs are worked out! – Don’t stay up all night working on your car and expect things to go smoothly on the dyno.  Fans need to be working.  Everything should be already wired up and ready to go.  The motor shouldn’t be smoking excessively or leaking fluids.  The cooling system should be properly bled.
  • Our main objective is to tune the car, not have to fix mechanical or electrical problems on it.  We may be able to fix some minor problems during the dyno session, but not for free.  If your car is not in proper working order, you may be asked to bring it back once the repairs have been completed.  Customers will be charged for any tuning or labor/diagnosing time.
  • Please do not bring your whole crew of friends for your dyno session.  We normally only allow the owner of the car to be in the dyno room when needed.  Other people will have to wait in the showroom or outside.  We do not recommend bringing your kids, girlfriend, boyfriend or other non car enthusiast friend.  Dyno tuning can take many hours and they will mostly likely be bored or driven crazy by the noise.
  • Remove any items from the passenger seat/floor.  We usually need some room to setup our laptops and other equipment.  Also, we often need to access the ECU.
  • If your car spills excessive fluids on the dyno/shop floor, you may be charged a clean-up fee.
  • Please don’t help yourself to our tools, shop supplies or equipment unless you are given permission.
  • Vacuum Lines – Secure all vacuum hoses on boosted vehicles with clamps or zip ties.  A vacuum line popping off your FPR during boost could mean the end of your motor.  The lines and ports on many factory non-turbo car were not designed to handle boost and might need lines or to be secured.  Even cars like the Evo that run 19psi stock, often have vacuum lines pop off when we turn the boost up a bit.
  • Turbo Wastegate – Have the right spring and right size wastegate for your setup.  You can’t run boost lower than the wastegate spring, even with a boost controller.  Having too small of a wastegate can cause uncontrollable boost creep.  Wastegates are often rated for a HP, which is purely for marketing.  Running lower boost or having a bigger displacement motor will require a bigger wastegate than someone trying to run higher boost or with a smaller motor.  It has nothing to do with power.  Don’t get a 6psi wastegate spring, if you are trying to run 20+psi.  A manual boost controller can usually increase the boost to around twice that of the spring.  An electronic system that pushes boost to the top port of the wastegate might be able to do 2-3x the wastegate spring.
  • Turbo Oil Feed/Return Lines – Too big of a feed line or too small of a return line can blow your turbo.  The oil in the turbo return line is not pressurized and relies on gravity to work.  Make sure the line isn’t crimped, going too far down and then back up to the oil pan, too small, or not a smooth transition back to the oil pan.  The oil return on the pan should normally be above the oil level in the pan.  Too big of an oil feed line can cause your oil return to back up and ball-bearing turbos usually require some form of restrictor in the line or turbo.
  • Do not non-reinforced couplers meant for intake pipes or from Home Depot/Lowe’s on your charge pipes.  They will usually rip or melt from heat.  Use good quality couplers of the correct size.  Don’t try to double up couplers or use tape on a charge pipe.
  • Turbo Dumptube – Put a dumptube on your wastegate and make sure it isn’t blowing on your radiator or at your turbo inlet/air filter.  You want clean, cold, oxygen rich air going into your turbo, not exhaust.
  • Pump Gas Tuning – Don’t expect to match the numbers of Joe Blow on the internet with our local pump gas.  Our pump gas does not compare well with the quality 93/94 octane pump fuels found in many parts of the country.  Usually the premium pump gas from stations like BP are a better quality/octane than the same 91 or 92 octane gases from places like Holiday or Super America.  If you are going to run SA gas all the time though, then dyno tune on it.  Do not run special non-oxy or non-ethanol pump fuels on boosted cars.  We won’t be able to run as much boost or ignition timing.  Ethanol and boost go well together. If you want to make the big power, run a high quality race gas or E85.
  • Tires and Tire Pressure – Make sure all of your tires are at a proper pressure and equal.  30-40psi usually works the best on the dyno.  Don’t come with drag radials on your drive tires, unless you have already talked to us about it.  Hard compound street tires work the best on our dyno.  We have extra sets of wheels/tires that we can swap onto some cars for your dyno appointment.  Make sure your wheels are properly torqued down.
  • Fuel filters – Replace your fuel filter if it has 30,000+ miles on it or you recently switched to E85.
  • Gas – Come in with at least half a tank of gas, unless we are going to be doing tunes on 2 different fuels.  Tune on the gas that you are going to run the car on.  Don’t put in octane booster, if you aren’t going to run it all the time.  Don’t tune on one brand or octane of race gas and expect to be able to run fine with a different brand of race gas.  If you are tuning on pump gas and have had any race gas in the car recently, make sure to run through 2-3 entire tanks of pump gas to get any mixed in race gas out of the system.  If your car has been in storage or sitting for a while, make sure to drain the fuel and put in fresh gas.
  • Clutch – Make absolutely sure that your clutch isn’t slipping and that it will hold the power that you want to make.  We can’t tune a car with a slipping clutch.  We have had to cut short many tuning appointments due to slipping clutches a couple hours into tuning.  Also, make sure your clutch pedal is properly adjusted with a small amount of free play.
  • Check Engine Lights – If you have any check engine codes, fix them before your tune or contact us about them.  We can turn some off in the software on some cars.  Don’t just assume it’s an unimportant rear O2 sensor code.  We can’t tune cars with critical CELs running in limp mode.
  • Misfires – If your car has an ignition problem from a bad coil, bad wires, bad ground, bad igniter or some other problem and it is breaking up under load, then we won’t be able to get a good tune.  Some misfires are tune related and can be fixed during your dyno session, but a tune won’t fix physical problems with the ignition system.
  • Do a compression test – Make sure your engine compression is where it should be for your compression ratio and that all the cylinders read close to each other..
  • Boost/Vacuum Leaks – Check your car for boost leaks.  This is very important on cars with a MAS/MAF setup.  Any leaks with affect tune and power output.  Fixing a boost leak on a MAS/MAF car after it has already been tuned will result in it running leaner during boost, which isn’t a good thing.  Speed density cars or most standalone systems will run with huge boost leaks, but they will lose power because the turbo is having to work much harder.  Any boost/vacuum leaks after the throttle plate will cause idling issues on a MAS/MAF or speed density setup.
  • Timing Belt – Triple check your timing belt alignment before coming in for tuning.  Have someone else check it also, if you are not sure.  This is a very common problem on DSMs.  Just because the car seems to run okay, doesn’t mean that the timing belt is on correctly.  We can’t tune a car with the timing belt installed wrong and we often don’t have time to fix it immediately.
  • Timing Covers & Crank Pulleys – On cars with adjustable cam angle sensors we usually need to set the base ignition timing.  We can’t set the timing without the lower timing covers on the car and a crank pulley with proper marks.
  • Spark Plugs – Run the correct heat range plug and gap for your application.  A high boost or E85 car will need a tighter gap than a stock setup.  If you don’t know what plugs to run or what to gap them at, give us a call.  Bring an extra set of spark plugs.
  • Fluids – Make sure your oil is at the proper level, do not overfill, and your cooling system is full and bled.  Fix any oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.  If your engine oil and filter have more than 3000 miles on them, then please replace both.
  • Cooling – The car needs to have a perfectly working cooling system with fans.  WE CAN’T TUNE A CAR THAT IS OVERHEATING.  You should have a thermostat!  Not having a thermostat or restrictor plate(on race cars) will make a car hard to tune, inconsistent and overheat easier.
  • Battery/Alternator – Make sure your battery isn’t weak and that your alternator is producing the correct voltage.  Battery voltage can greatly affect your fueling and ignition strength.  A battery that requires a jump every time you start the car can cause problems during WOT tuning.
  • Wiring – Solder all connections.  Don’t have any exposed wiring or solder joints.  Heat shrink or tape over any bare wire.  Don’t just twist and tape connections, especially any important sensors or injector wiring.  If you are trying to run peak/hold or low impedance fuel injectors on an ECU designed to run high impedance injectors, then make sure to wire in a drive box, resistor box, or resistors before coming to your dyno appointment.  We usually don’t have time to do a proper install at the time of your dyno appointment.  Make sure your fuel pump is getting good voltage.  Small stock wiring can cause large voltage drops under high load.  A fuel pump rewire is a very common mod on some kinds of cars.
  • Exhaust – Fix any exhaust leaks.  Leaks near your O2 sensor can cause idle and fueling problems.  Leaks before your turbo will increase lag and lower power output.  If you have a tuning system or setup that requires us to put our wideband O2 sensor directly into your exhaust system, make sure your stock O2 will come out or have an extra bung welded on, and make sure the opening into the pipe is as big as the bung.  A stock O2 sensor will often fit, while a wideband won’t.  With a lot of cars we can use a tailpipe sniffer, but if you have a standalone engine management, open exhaust system, or non-functioning stock O2 sensor then it is sometimes best to install the O2 sensor into the exhaust.
  • Make sure your timing belt is lined up correctly and that your lower timing cover in on the engine.  We commonly get Honda’s in with the timing belt installed wrong.  We need the lower timing cover on the engine to be able to set the base ignition timing.
  • Have your resistor box and fuel injectors installed BEFORE your dyno session.  Do not run low impedance injectors without a resistor box.  This can ruin your ECU and the car won’t be tuneable.
  • Have your IAT hooked up.  Do not get your IAC and IAT plugs mixed up, this will burn up your IAT sensor and can damage your ECU.
  • Use a stock temperature thermostat.
  • Make sure VTEC is working, if possible.
  • Run a big enough radiator for your power and have a working fan on it.
  • If you plan on running 10+psi of boost, you will need an aftermarket MAP sensor like an Omnipower 4 bar or Hondata 4 bar MAP sensor.  The stock Honda MAP sensor stops reading at a tad over 10psi.  At that point it stops adding additional fuel and retarding timing, which can lead to engine failure.  It is usually best to have some room between the max the MAP sensor will read and the boost you want to run, to leave room for any small over boosts and for us to set a safety boost cut.  If you want to run 10psi on the stock MAP sensor or 29psi on a 3 BAR MAP sensor, then we might not be able to setup a working boost cut.  We highly recommend the Hondata 4 bar MAP sensor, it performs very well.  We have had numerous problems with no name or DIY eBay 3 and 4 bar MAP sensors.
  • Make Sure the car is 100% ready to be tuned and the bugs are worked out! – Don’t stay up all night working on your car and expect things to go smoothly on the dyno.  Fans need to be working.  Everything should be already wired up and ready to go.  The motor shouldn’t be smoking excessively or leaking fluids.  The cooling system should be properly bled.
  • Our main objective is to tune the car, not have to fix mechanical or electrical problems on it.  We may be able to fix some minor problems during the dyno session, but not for free.  If your car is not in proper working order, you may be asked to bring it back once the repairs have been completed.  Customers will be charged for any tuning or labor/diagnosing time.
  • Please do not bring your whole crew of friends for your dyno session.  We normally only allow the owner of the car to be in the dyno room when needed.  Other people will have to wait in the showroom or outside.  We do not recommend bringing your kids, girlfriend, boyfriend or other non car enthusiast friend.  Dyno tuning can take many hours and they will mostly likely be bored or driven crazy by the noise.
  • Remove any items from the passenger seat/floor.  We usually need some room to setup our laptops and other equipment.  Also, we often need to access the ECU.
  • If your car spills excessive fluids on the dyno/shop floor, you may be charged a clean-up fee.
  • Please don’t help yourself to our tools, shop supplies or equipment unless you are given permission.
  • Tires and Tire Pressure – Make sure all of your tires are at a proper pressure and equal.  30-40psi usually works the best on the dyno.  Don’t come with drag radials/slicks on your drive tires, unless you have already talked to us about it.  Hard compound street tires work the best on our dyno.  We sometimes have extra sets of wheels/tires that we can swap onto some cars for your dyno appointment.  Make sure your wheels are properly torqued down.
  • Fuel filters – Replace your fuel filter if it has 30,000+ miles on it.
  • Gas – Come in with at least half a tank of gas, unless we are going to be doing tunes on 2 different fuels.  Tune on the gas that you are going to run the car on.  Don’t put in octane booster, if you aren’t going to run it all the time.  Don’t tune on one brand or octane of race gas and expect to be able to run fine with a different brand of race gas.  If you are tuning on pump gas and have had any race gas in the car recently, make sure to run through 2-3 entire tanks of pump gas to get any mixed in race gas out of the system.  If your car has been in storage or sitting for a while, make sure to drain the fuel and put in fresh gas.
  • Clutch – Make absolutely sure that your clutch isn’t slipping and that it will hold the power that you want to make.  We can’t tune a car with a slipping clutch.  We have had to cut short many tuning appointments due to slipping clutches a couple hours into tuning.  Also, make sure your clutch pedal is properly adjusted with a small amount of free play.
  • Check Engine Lights – If you have any check engine codes, fix them before your tune or contact us about them.  We can turn some off in software on some cars.  Don’t just assume it’s an unimportant rear O2 sensor code.  We can’t tune cars with critical CELs running in limp mode.
  • Misfires – If your car has an ignition problem from a bad coil, bad wires, bad ground or some other problem and it is breaking up under load, then we won’t be able to get a good tune.  Some misfires are tune related and can be fixed during your dyno session, but a tune won’t fix physical problems with the ignition system.
  • Do a compression test – Make sure your engine compression is where it should be for your compression ratio and that all the cylinders are reading close to each other.
  • Boost/Vacuum Leaks – Check your car for boost leaks.  Speed density cars like a Honda or most standalone systems will run with huge boost leaks, but they will lose power because the turbo is having to work much harder.  Any boost/vacuum leaks after the throttle plate will cause idling issues.
  • Timing Belt – Triple check your timing belt alignment before coming in for tuning.  Have someone else check it also, if you are not sure.  This is a very common problem on Hondas.  Just because the car seems to run okay, doesn’t mean that the timing belt is on correctly.  We can’t tune a car with the timing belt installed wrong and we often don’t have time to fix it immediately.
  • Timing Covers & Crank Pulleys – On cars with adjustable cam angle sensors or distributors we usually need to set the base ignition timing.  We can’t set the timing without the lower timing covers on the car and a crank pulley with proper marks.
  • Spark Plugs – Run the correct heat range plug and gap for your application.  A boosted car will need a much tighter gap than an all-motor setup.  If you don’t know what plugs to run or what to gap them at, give us a call.  Bring an extra set of spark plugs.
  • Fluids – Make sure your oil is at the proper level, do not overfill, and your cooling system is full and bled.  Fix any oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.  If your engine oil and filter have more than 3000 miles on them, then please replace both.
  • Cooling – The car needs to have a perfectly working cooling system with fans.  WE CAN’T TUNE A CAR THAT IS OVERHEATING.  Don’t expect a stock cooling system designed for a 120HP car to work on a boosted car making twice that.  You should have a thermostat!  Not having a thermostat or restrictor plate(on race cars) will make a car hard to tune, inconsistent and overheat easier.
  • Battery/Alternator – Make sure your battery isn’t weak and that your alternator is producing the correct voltage.  Battery voltage can greatly affect your fueling and ignition strength.  A battery that requires a jump every time you start the car can cause problems during WOT tuning.
  • Wiring – Solder all connections.  Don’t have any exposed wiring or solder joints.  Heat shrink or tape over any bare wire.  Don’t just twist and tape connections, especially any important sensors or injector wiring.  If you are trying to run peak/hold or low impedance fuel injectors on an ECU designed to run high impedance injectors, then make sure to wire in a drive box, resistor box, or resistors before coming to your dyno appointment.  We usually don’t have time to do a proper install at the time of your dyno appointment.  Make sure your fuel pump is getting good voltage.  Small stock wiring can cause large voltage drops under high load.  A fuel pump rewire is a very common mod on some kinds of cars.  It can mean the difference between being able to make 525whp or 600whp on a single Walbro 255HP fuel pump.  We have gained 50whp+ worth of fueling capacity on Hondas by doing a fuel pump rewire.
  • Exhaust – Fix any exhaust leaks.  Leaks near your O2 sensor can cause idle and fueling problems.  Leaks before your turbo will increase lag and lower power output.  If you have a tuning system or setup that requires us to put our wideband O2 sensor directly into your exhaust system, make sure your stock O2 will come out or have an extra bung welded on, and make sure the opening into the pipe is as big as the bung.  A stock O2 sensor will often fit, while a wideband won’t.  With a lot of cars we can use a tailpipe sniffer, but if you have a standalone engine management, open exhaust system, or non-functioning stock O2 sensor then it is sometimes best to install the O2 sensor into the exhaust.

Turbocharged Cars

  • Vacuum Lines – Secure all vacuum hoses on boosted vehicles with clamps or zip ties.  A vacuum line popping off your FPR during boost could mean the end of your motor.  The lines and ports on many factory non-turbo car were not designed to handle boost and might need lines or to be secured.
  • Turbo Wastegate – Have the right spring and right size wastegate for your setup.  You can’t run boost lower than the wastegate spring, even with a boost controller.  Having too small of a wastegate can cause uncontrollable boost creep.  Wastegates are often rated for a HP, which is purely for marketing.  Running lower boost or having a bigger displacement motor will require a bigger wastegate than someone trying to run higher boost or with a smaller motor.  It has nothing to do with power.  Don’t get a 6psi wastegate spring, if you are trying to run 20+psi.  A manual boost controller can usually increase the boost to around twice that of the spring.  An electronic system that pushes boost to the top port of the wastegate might be able to do 2-3x the wastegate spring.
  • Turbo Oil Feed/Return Lines – Too big of a feed line or too small of a return line can blow your turbo.  The oil in the turbo return line is not pressurized and relies on gravity to work.  Make sure the line isn’t crimped, going too far down and then back up to the oil pan, too small, or not a smooth transition back to the oil pan.  The oil return on the pan should normally be above the oil level in the pan.  Too big of an oil feed line can cause your oil return to back up and ball-bearing turbos usually require some form of restrictor in the line or turbo.
  • Do not non-reinforced couplers meant for intake pipes or from Home Depot/Lowe’s on your charge pipes.  They will usually rip or melt from heat.  Use good quality couplers of the correct size.  Don’t try to double up couplers or use tape on a charge pipe.
  • Turbo Dumptube – Put a dumptube on your wastegate and make sure it isn’t blowing on your radiator or at your turbo inlet/air filter.  You want clean, cold, oxygen rich air going into your turbo, not exhaust.
  • Pump Gas Tuning – Don’t expect to match the numbers of Joe Blow on the internet with our local pump gas.  Our pump gas does not compare well with the quality 93/94 octane pump fuels found in many parts of the country.  Usually the premium pump gas from stations like BP are a better quality/octane than the same 91 or 92 octane gases from places like Holiday or Super America.  If you are going to run SA gas all the time though, then dyno tune on it.  Do not run special non-oxy or non-ethanol pump fuels on boosted cars.  We won’t be able to run as much boost or ignition timing.  Ethanol and boost go well together. If you want to make the big power, run a high quality race gas or E85.