Newb with Newb ??

[maccoy316]

So I'd like to know more about my car than how to take it apart. I want to get into tuning my own car rather than have someone tune it for me and me having to rely on the tuner to be available. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on where to start, what to read up on, things like that. I am no where computer smart so I'm kind of afraid I'll mess things up. I have a 2009 cobalt SS/TC, so if anyone had input I'd appreciate it.

[C Del]

I just got started and I find it fairly straightforward, but I have some background in engineering and I'm a software developer by day, so most computery things are fairly natural for me. It also helps that I have an '02 Camaro (Z28), which has a simpler PCM than newer cars, and no silly automatic transmission to worry about.

I have Greg Banish's book "Engine Management: Advanced Tuning", which has helped to fill in my knowledge of the general mechanics of the engine and fuel injection management, as well as to teach me the general progression of tuning. I would recommend the book highly. Perhaps you could read through the book and decide whether you want to proceed based upon how well you are able to understand the concepts. The HPTuners help files are informative, but they usually (not always) stop short of holding your hand and guiding you through everything, so I wouldn't recommend just plunging in headfirst. Banish's book can be found on Amazon for fairly cheap (~$15 if I recall correctly), so it wouldn't be a tragedy if you read it and decided not to continue.

Tuning can be a daunting task when you're getting started, but if you like to learn and are patient about figuring it out, I think it's very rewarding. I love that I now have a much better understanding of how the engine is managed by the PCM, and I very much enjoy how much more control I have over the vehicle.

[omega_5]

Have you looked in the I4 section yet?

Lots of good information about LNF tuning in this thread;
http://www.hptuners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38357