2013 ZL1 -- Im Green -- I have no tunning experience -- Starting with my own Car LOL

OK, So here is the Deal. I own a 6.2 LSA supercharged Camaro and it didn't take long after my first mod, Cold Air Intake to want more, kinda like your first tatoo. Long Story, I made a few mods:

Kooks Headers
Catalytic Converters Deleted
Solid Isolator for the charger
2.55 Supercharger Pully gives me 15 psi boost
Cold Air intake
Cooler Spark Plugs
MSD Spark Plug wires and Sleeves
Larger inner Cooler and Reservoir ( Since its exposed to extreme AZ Heat )
Catch Can

I had this Car tuned by a local tuner with a dyno for test runs. They normally tune Ford Mustangs and Trucks based on their reviews. I was never really happy with the cars tune after I paid $600 and they tuned it a second time after I expressed my concerns they blamed it on High AIT's. I had no idea what that was but am slowly learning... At any rate I am a mechanic and want to get in to tuning. I did all the mods to my car myself and would like to start tuning it myself.
I know nothing about tuning other than tuning helps power by adjusting A/F Mixture and Spark timing, primarily. I would like to eventually add bigger injectors and fuel pump along with a sensor for E85. Before I do that I want to be happy with my current tune.

All that to ask, can you guys take a look at my current tune please and see if their is anything that sticks out that my tuner may have over looked?
I do understand there is no right or wrong way for tuning, its more art and style than anything else. Then end objective is more power.
Attachment 96045

Also, is their a simple tweak that I can or need to make if I wanted to try 110 unleaded before I move to E85?

Thanks in advance guys, and hopefully I don't blow my engine before I'm done learning.

If you want another 20rwhp get a set of cheap highflow cats, gut them and stick them behind the headers... Don't know why exactly, but they always did better this way than straight piped ;)

MAF only tune that they yanked some timing out of only under boost... Nice...

And then there are these:
- rev limiter is now spark cut instead of fuel cut ... personal preference, but I'd use the stock fuel cut, or fuel cut and ETC in combination.
- initial knock level raised by 40% ... no big deal, I guess, I know the knock sensors are really sensitive, but I doubt they had a set of knock ears while they were tuning...
- LTFT's turned off ... personal preference again, but let the trims do their thing, man
- didn't bother to get the fans to come on sooner
- didn't bother to touch the trans tuning
- interestingly, they did re-scale the spark g/cyl, though

You're not gonna blow your motor based on that tune, but it's sort of a bare minimum tune.

Throw a wideband in the rear O2 port on the driver's side, and start learning! I'd suggest starting with checking the MAF in open loop and go from there- it's a good way to start learning the scanner, charts/graphs/filters, and just getting used to the "adjust, save, re-flash, re-log, repeat" process. Lots of good info and how-to's right here on the forum.

Regarding the 110 octane: If you're looking for power, you'd have to get it by increased timing advance on the 110, which will allow you to get closer to MBT. Tuning timing is something I wouldn't touch until you are more comfortable with the scanner, and the log/interpret/adjust/repeat process. If you get the timing wrong, you'll most definitely run the risk of detonation and things going boom- especially on e85 when you get there. On a boosted car like yours/mine with e85, you'll really need a dyno to figure out where MBT is. E85 isn't going to tickle the knock sensors like non-alcohol fuels, so you can't use that as a poor man's "dyno substitute" like you can with 93.

Wow, really.... so all they did was basically a MAF tune where they removed or lowered timing only when its being boosted... hmmm not kool.
No wonder I am not happy with the tune. Goes to the old adage, "if you want something done right, you have got to do it yourself".
What would you suggest? Would you be able to help with the Tune?

Its not straight Piped. I kept the stock mufflers for some back pressure, I did have High Flow Cats but the same guys at the Tune Shop that did the tune told me to eliminate them and just keep the Stock muffler.

Needing back pressure is a myth. Why is this still a thing?

@RobZL1
Thank you for your Reply good information. I appreciate your suggestions and guidance.
The Tool I have does not have the option for the Wide band unfortunately.
Although most of this went over my head, I would at least get a general idea of what you meant. Not sure why you think its interesting that they rescaled the spark g/cyl tho. I am not familiar with this measure or the concept of it.
The tuners kept telling me that I had done something wrong with my mods, blamed me for the pull back in timing. Said that I was pushing too much hot air in the engine, and raising the AITs... Since I didn't know better, I wouldn't argue.

@5FDP
I have a muffler shop next to my shop, and that's something that I keep hearing, "Back Pressure". Specially on Mustangs for some reason. Myth or not, seems to be a common idea that these guys that go there talk about. Maybe it has to do more with a bad Tune than anything else.

I don't want to derail the thread but this video sums it up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjPeP_Nn2B4

The back pressure thing is total crap. It's been proven time and time again. I think people misunderstand that exhaust wave tuning and scavenging is a desirable thing, but back pressure is not.

Not sure what you mean about the tool and a wideband? You can buy an OBD2 wideband (like an AEM 30-0334) and use it with the MPVI2. You'll need a wideband to do your own tuning, otherwise you are just guessing in the dark at WOT tuning. A wideband also makes part-throttle/non-PE tuning faster in my opinion.

Scaling the spark tables has to do with how much air is entering the engine. The stock tune stops at 1.36g/cyl. A lot of shops will just populate that 1.36 row with their WOT timing, because the ECM will use that row for any amount of air >= 1.36g/cyl. With your mods, you are likely over 1.36. Re-scaling changes the axis so it reads higher and gives you more resolution. Takes time and effort, which most places don't do on a pulley/bolt-ons build. You can log g/cyl during a pull and see how high it goes.

A 2.55 upper will raise your IAT2's, certainly, but with a stock lower, that pulley ratio is a pretty standard setup, and is nothing compared to what some people run. Unless you have a collapsed brick or failed HEX pump or something, you shouldn't have IAT2 issues. Do you know what the IAT2's were on the dyno? If not, a good exercise in learning the scanner would be to go do a couple of pulls and log IAT2 to see how high they get.

EDIT: 5FDP- great video. I was typing this original post while you posted I guess. Much better detail in that video than my two sentence explanation. LOL.

@RobZL1
I called HP Tuners and they explained that the main difference between their two devices was that one had a connection for wide band and the other did not.
But from what you say you can purchase one that works with the MPVI2 which is what I have.

I don't remember what the AITs were. I think the numbers I remember was the Spark Timing.
They dropped once I added the bigger inner cooler, pump is working fine. That was the first thing I checked. I was going to upgrade to a bosch but read somewhere that it was not much of an upgrade unless I was adding it in a rear trunk reservoir. So I decided against it and just added an under hood reservoir.
Good point, now that you make it, that I should spend more time on the scanner side and get used to the graphs and the way live data is displayed.

Since we like the "Back Pressure" straight pipping subject... Question in regards to tuning.
I get that you would want to tune most higher HP cars and truck, Just like you would want to adjust a carb and distributor for where you are running it, where factors like Temp and altitude play a factor. My question is, would you tune for a cat delete or straight piping like you would for headers; and or like you would for a Air intake? In order to see benefits of straight piping, and only straight pipe, would a tune be recommended?
Reason I ask is because next to the shop I work at there is a muffler shop and see kids every day straight piping trucks and cars and that's all they do or maybe an Air Intake. In my mind I just think all they are doing is making their car loud with no hp benefit until they tune it. Right ? Wrong ? Comments …

@5FDP
Thanks for the vid... makes a point.

I had not paid much attention to the Mil that came on once I did my first Read of the program.
The Mil came on right away. The key was on and I had a charger on it set at 13.5V when I did the read.
I thought it would go away after I cleared it or disconnected the battery. It does go away but it keeps coming back.
The Code is P062F . Do you guys think I would have a separate problem not related to the programing or the way I did the Read?

In regards to the back pressure comments - the whole reason these things make another 20rwhp is because the factory exhaust makes a sudden 90 and then immediately another 90 just past the factory cat locations - gutted cats provide a chamber for the exhaust to expand into improving scavenging and flow... Proved this time and time again with people on the dyno with these cars ;) The gutted cats will also provide a nice place to add in your wideband without having to delete an O2 sensor... Another thing you can do is unhook and cap the vacuum line going to the bypass for you mufflers in the right rear corner of your car. Make sure to leave the solenoid plugged up though - you can also unplug and cap the nipple at the blower, but there's less chance of blow off at the solenoid at the rear of the car...

IAT2 = intake air temp (2 or second location) this is post cooler brick internal to the supercharger - this is the air temp controlling and effecting your spark timing

IAT1 = intake air temp (1 or first location) this is in your intake tube built into the MAF sensor

If IAT's are an issue after the bigger cooler was added, just make sure the system is fully bled... Air pockets cause more issues than anything else on these - your logs will reveal if this is actually a problem or not ;)

The P062F code - you can try writing entire with a good battery and seeing if it goes away - if not most likely an ecm issue unfortunately...

This is what you need:

https://www.aemelectronics.com/produ...and-uego-OBDII

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvO2Urchn3c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozJz-pNFCuo

https://www.aemelectronics.com/produ...o2-sensor-bung

https://www.phastekperformance.com/2...-pod-12214.htm

Please get a wideband O2 and linked up with a reputable tuner. There are a few solid remote tuners, Justin White and Pat G. come to mind.

You also need injectors.

I'd look at getting a reputable tunner to tun it.