Before you spend another dollar...
Before you spend another dollar adding parts to your car, you should seriously consider taking a class (this class: The Tuning School) on EFI tuning. Sure, using your brain for an entire weekend is not nearly as fun as bolting on a blower or installing a new cat-back.
And, yes, your friends in the parking lot won't notice your new books or technical abilities, but this is much more important than those things. This is about actually understanding what goes on in your computer as you drive down the road. Ever wonder why your big-cammed LS1 stalls when you get to a stoplight, even though your tuner says it's normal? Ever wonder what your car might do with a little more timing or a little less fuel? We did, so we sought out some of the best tuners in the southeast and begged them to let us join in one of their upcoming classes. Little did we know just how much we would learn and how much better off we would be for knowing it.
Even if you never plan on tuning your own car, a strong working knowledge of what goes on inside your computer will make you a much better and more educated customer. While we often work with the best in the business on the dyno, we now have the ability to accurately describe a problem or diagnose a tuning issue without wasting valuable time. In all honesty, I truly believe this should be mandatory learning material for anyone making over 350 hp in a late-model LSx-powered vehicle. While it is possible to acquire this knowledge on your own, the amount of time and money it would take is staggering. Plus, why not benefit from the work of others and get the correct answers the first time, instead of wading through internet babble and half-written tutorials?
Of course, to learn something worthwhile, you need a good teacher. Luckily for us, The Tuning School is run by a renowned tuning author, an education-training specialist, and controls engineer/rocket scientist. It is a somewhat strange mix, but the classroom style and pace lends itself nicely to each individual style, which made everyone from car guys to engineers understand what was going on. We were impressed by the ease of absorption, given such tough topics. Bob Morreale and crew do a great job of breaking down complex concepts, making them easy to understand and then build upon them. The course promised to take us through everything from the complete basics of how an engine works all the way to actually tuning a 500-plus-horsepower car on the dyno, and it did not disappoint.
The actual school itself is broken into two separate days, of which the first is spent in the classroom and the second on the dyno. The material was definitely well thought out and flowed down a smart and predictable path. Upon arrival, we were given a large amount of supporting material, which was well presented and easy to use. The main manual, Tuning the Right Way, is over 215 pages, each of which contained helpful and relevant information. Each student was also given a Quick Start Guide, several laminated tuning checklists and a copy of The Tuning Tree, an almost invaluable workflow checklist.
If you can't attend any of these schools, we suggest you check out the Learn-at-Home courses offered by The Tuning School. All of the techniques are included in the "at home" workbook, along with a CD full of valuable tune files, scan files, and step-by-step movies. Either way, you get a full year of email support along with three months of phone support. Bob Morreale and Ian Thomson are there full time to answer any questions, which is something we plan to abuse over the coming months. Whatever you choose, we highly recommend getting up to speed on EFI tuning. This stuff is never going to go away and what you learn in a weekend at school or a couple months at home will prove invaluable.
When we first arrived at The...
When we first arrived at The Tuning School, we really didn't know what to expect. I immediately booted up my laptop thinking we would delve right into the tuning aspect, which, in retrospect would have been a pretty bad idea. If you attend, you need to bring your own laptop with an updated version of HP Tuners.
After some brief introductions...
After some brief introductions and some morning coffee, The Tuning School crew handed out our course work. This box contained a nice Quick Start Guide, an extremely in-depth tuning book, a MAF and VE guide, and several helpful laminated checklists to use once you get going on the dyno. We were also given a CD to use during the class, which contained screenshots of some datalogs and a couple of tune files for us to use.
Since this class was for everyone...
Since this class was for everyone from beginner to advanced students, Larry Neville started out by showing us how an engine works and, more importantly, how this would relate to our tuning. While it may seem simple (suck, squish, bang, blow), it is very important to understand valve events, spark advance, and just how fast everything happens within a cylinder. Building a strong mechanical foundation is key to making smart changes in the computer; so remember to pay attention here.
With the firm grasp on the...
With the firm grasp on the mechanics, Scott Seifreit walked the class through the basics of fuel injection, including what sensors are used, how they work, and why a VCM needs them to operate. Knowing what a knock sensor actually is and how it works cannot only help in tuning, but may save some troubleshooting time, which is always a good thing.
Next, we moved on to learning...
Next, we moved on to learning about the importance of datalogging and how to read an HP Tuners' scan file. The Tuning School walked us through using the scanner, setting up a quality configuration file and modifying some scanner parameters. While not as "cool" as the actual tuning portion of HP Tuners, the scanner will turn out to be your best friend, if you know how to interpret the data.
Here you can see some of the...
Here you can see some of the available Parameter IDs (PID) that HP Tuners can display for a particular vehicle. You have the option to add your own custom PIDs (such as a wideband) using a number of inputs, or modify existing ones to your liking. HP Tuners comes with a couple of stock configuration files, which are a great base to start from.