i've got a 2000 coupe. i'm thinking about getting it tuned using one of the kits. does anyone know anything about the diablo. there's a shop in town that will do the tune with a diablo. are they any good? what kind og horsepower gain could i expect? are there better ones out there? any input buy you experienced heads would be appreciated. also do the bolt on gizmos like a throttle body air duct, 1000 cfm mass air flow housings, vara ram velocity stacks,etc really add any noticeable hp?

Have it tuned by a professional - an amatuer or first time do it yourselfer can reall screw things up.

I prefer a tune down with LS1-Edit to anything else. A real pro working with that can find a few HP in a stock car and really wake up a modified car.

As to the HP increase you get. Do not expect a lot from a stock car: GM is not run by idiots in spite of what you hear -- they don't leave a lot of Hp just sitting in there for nothing. Generally, the factory does set all cars so that the average one runs just a tad rich this assures that even if one is a bit off spec it will not run lean, which would be bad (for warranty repair costs).

So there is often up to 12 HP waiting to be untapped to run just a bit leaner than the factory tune (but usually less). Then on top of that, if you are running a really good grade of gasoline rather than average premium grade, the tuner might be able to find a few more ponies (but now you have to run good gas all the time). And they can often improve throttle response, so the car feels more alert and quicker to respond to the throttle. But don't expect a lot. Usually you cannot feel the difference in power although you might feel the better throttle response.

And, with it tuned like this, if the "check engine" light comes on, see to it immediately: the car no longer has that 'run rich" safety factor in it which means you can go a few weeks before having it lookied at.

thanks Lee for your input. do you have any thoughts on the bolt on stuff. hardluck

Hey Harluck,

My experince was pretty good with a few changes. I am not a tech, but did some reading and am lucky enough to have a good speed shop here close to my home. Guys who love engines and have the tools and flow benches etc. I bolted on a Blackwing air intake myself then bought a higher flow throttle body on ebay. I never put it on because I started talking to the guys at Race Prep here and they ported my stock throttle body and came up with more flow than the one I bought, they also ported the MAF sensor and took out the screen, put colder plugs and thermostat, and ran it on there dyno, hooked it to the computer and did the remaping and shift changes so it would be more responsive. I was very happy from what it had been, when it shifts from 1st to second it wants goes sideways (its an auto). I don't think the hp is alot greater, maybe 15 to 20 but it is very responsive. I think it was a good first step.

Yo Bobalou

Thanks for your input. I'm still doing some research on the diablo hand held tuners. Lee said he liked the Ls1 edit but i couldn"t find a link to them. Lee if your looking at this do you have a site for the Ls1? I'm looking at Eckler<s catolog that shows their 1000 CFM MAS housing and the VaraRam Velocity Stack plus a high performance thottle body air duct. I just wonder if these bolt on's really add horsepower as advertised.

Try all the sponsors of this forum, then Go to Fingelfelters or MTIs or SLPs sites.

The mods to add usually are, in order:
cat back - does not add as much as many people claim but the sound is always nicer.
headers - long tube, buy a good set -- performance is about the same with any set of long tube headers but those with good reputations fit well.
cold air intake
larger throttle and maf
1.8:1 rockers (if this is as far as you are going - you can't do them and the rest below).
A high performance cam
Ported high flow heads (if you are going to do thse, do these and the cam at the same time.

Your welcome Hardluck, just sharing my personal experience. My car is way better and noticalbly quicker with what My shop did for me. Your talking to the right guy in Lee, I have been reading his posts and he is very sharp on all aspects of these cars, you will do well with his advice.

Hey all,

I'm new here to the 'vette' forums as I'm in the process of looking for a C5 to play around with. But after browsing the forums I've noticed that alot of people do CAI's, Exhaust, and 'Out of the Box' Tunes...

I typically frequent CZ28.com as that's what I had (until I sold her), but anyhow - seems to be the norm for Camaro owners as some of the first mods to jump right in and do a head/cam swap. Usually a nice 230/236 from TR or equiv cam supplier, and a set of LS6 or if they have the $$$ some AFR's, etc...

I've noticed that alot spend big money on CAI's, Tune, even exhaust as first mods (granted exhaust is good) - but with a set of ported LS6 heads and a 'decent' cam you can be upwards in the neighborhood of 400hp with an LS1 for not much more then some of these "Tunes", "Expensive CAI's", "SS Exhaust" etc...

Just wondering if there is a reason it seems like hardley anyone goes for the Cam/Heads as a typical /first/ mod. That's what I did on my Camaro - along with exhaust of course, but the Corvette factory exhaust is miles ahead of the Camaro's so I wouldn't even think you'd HAVE to mess with that.

Although, I do see Blowers are popular... ;)

Hello all, I am new to the forum (just joined yesterday). I am currently in Baghdad, Iraq with the 1st Cavarly Division, but I am a native Texan and stationed at Fort Hood. I am on my second Corvette, a Machine Silver 2004 Coupe. I have been reading some of the threads on here and I am very impressed with the depth of useful knowledge on this particular forum. Anyway, this subject looked like a good one to jump in on and I have one question somewhat related to the subject but with a little twist. I have a GM warranty on my Vette and I am not really looking for radical upgrades, I plan to leave the car pretty much stock to include keeping the run-flats that everyone seems to hate. The only performance change I had in mind was a tune. I am only looking at either LS1 Edit (professional dyno tune) or Superchips (hand-held). I was looking very hard at the latter of the two options since its supposed to download and store your stock tune (for later upload before taking to a dealer for service, since I think custom tunes void warranties, a feature I like) and upload a custom tune. Any thoughts. Thanks in advance for anyone who replies.

I would advise against anything but a good tune by a professional shop with lots of experience. An amateur just can't get it right, and even a pro can't do it well unless the car is on the dyno when being scanned and tuned and tested.

Any good shop will have a computer re-programming system that will store and retain your original code if you ever want to go back to stock: you simply go back, pay a little money, and have the original programming re-loaded.

Thanks for the advice! I kind of thought that hand-held tuners are a recipe for disaster. There is only one place in Killeen that does LS1 Edit so I will check them out when I get home. You seem to really know your stuff, so thank you very much for pointing me in right direction! I do have another question for you that I am very confused on. If you have GM warranty and just looking for a little "seat of the pants" torque (I am not remotely interested in street racing or 1/4 mile times or drag racing). I know the C5 was engineered to have a power curve that is little low in the 1500-3500 RPM range with tremendous top-end potential (which most of us guys like me will never reach :) In researching these forums, I have come to the conclusion that anything I do to up the torque in the low end will ultimately void my warranty. For the record, my Vette had an excellent owner beforeI bought it. Only 13,975 miles, 2004 coupe w/every option including satellite radio and 12 disc changer, and a dealer-installed Corsa Touring exhaust. I think I was very fortunate to find this Vette after all the problems I had out of my previous one (electronic problems out the wazzu) so I am quite leery of doing anything extreme in order to protect my $1900 investment in extending my warranty. I know my question is a little off-subject, but I appreciate any advice given. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ORIGINAL: Chemdawg99

Hello all, I am new to the forum (just joined yesterday). I am currently in Baghdad, Iraq with the 1st Cavarly Division, but I am a native Texan and stationed at Fort Hood. I am on my second Corvette, a Machine Silver 2004 Coupe. I have been reading some of the threads on here and I am very impressed with the depth of useful knowledge on this particular forum. Anyway, this subject looked like a good one to jump in on and I have one question somewhat related to the subject but with a little twist. I have a GM warranty on my Vette and I am not really looking for radical upgrades, I plan to leave the car pretty much stock to include keeping the run-flats that everyone seems to hate. The only performance change I had in mind was a tune. I am only looking at either LS1 Edit (professional dyno tune) or Superchips (hand-held). I was looking very hard at the latter of the two options since its supposed to download and store your stock tune (for later upload before taking to a dealer for service, since I think custom tunes void warranties, a feature I like) and upload a custom tune. Any thoughts. Thanks in advance for anyone who replies.


Hey, Chemdawg99!
We are honored to have you here with us, even if only in Cyber-Space. In this Forum, you will find a whole lot of American pride and deep appreciation for our military. Myhusband is a war veteran, as is my father. This country would be in a world of hurt without our brave people in the military. God bless them all.

When you can, sign-on with us. You will find the greatest people here, whom are also extremely knowledgeable. BTW - I'm not one of them, but I have done extensive research on handheld programmers and think the Diablo Sport is better than the Hypertech Programmer. If you do a search you will find considerable info on this topic. Your best source is Lee and if your time is limited,you canrefine your search to his posts. :)

Well, again, WELCOME ABOARDChemdawg99
and thank you for your service.

Take care. Stay safe.
RJ

ORIGINAL: rjensen

ORIGINAL: Chemdawg99

Hello all, I am new to the forum (just joined yesterday). I am currently in Baghdad, Iraq with the 1st Cavarly Division, but I am a native Texan and stationed at Fort Hood. I am on my second Corvette, a Machine Silver 2004 Coupe. I have been reading some of the threads on here and I am very impressed with the depth of useful knowledge on this particular forum. Anyway, this subject looked like a good one to jump in on and I have one question somewhat related to the subject but with a little twist. I have a GM warranty on my Vette and I am not really looking for radical upgrades, I plan to leave the car pretty much stock to include keeping the run-flats that everyone seems to hate. The only performance change I had in mind was a tune. I am only looking at either LS1 Edit (professional dyno tune) or Superchips (hand-held). I was looking very hard at the latter of the two options since its supposed to download and store your stock tune (for later upload before taking to a dealer for service, since I think custom tunes void warranties, a feature I like) and upload a custom tune. Any thoughts. Thanks in advance for anyone who replies.


Hey, Chemdawg99!
We are honored to have you here with us, even if only in Cyber-Space. In this Forum, you will find a whole lot of American pride and deep appreciation for our military. Myhusband is a war veteran, as is my father. This country would be in a world of hurt without our brave people in the military. God bless them all.

When you can, sign-on with us. You will find the greatest people here, whom are also extremely knowledgeable. BTW - I'm not one of them, but I have done extensive research on handheld programmers and think the Diablo Sport is better than the Hypertech Programmer. If you do a search you will find considerable info on this topic. Your best source is Lee and if your time is limited,you canrefine your search to his posts. :)

Well, again, WELCOME ABOARDChemdawg99
and thank you for your service.

Take care. Stay safe.
RJ



Thank you very much for your kind words of support and know that it is folks like you who make our mission here worthwile! I will heed your sage advice and I welcome any knowledge I can gleen from the group here. Although I am on my second Vette, I am still very much a newbie to the vehicle, I didn't get much of a chance to drive it before I came over here so I will have more questions than answers for a while. Again thanks for the warm welcome :)

Hello everybody,
Its been awhile since I posted here last and thought I would take this thread to the top:)

On another forum, I found out from a certified GM tech as well as a former GM tech buddy I met over here in Iraq that reprogramming you PCM is not recommended due to the fact that should you need service from a dealer, you cannot receive critical updates from GM. Additionally, reflashing your PCM could lead to GM potentially voiding your warranty (I have and extended one from GMPP). It can also lead to powertrain issues.

IMHO, unless you are going to track your Vette often or really don't care about maintaining a warranty due to major mods, what is there to gain from reprogramming your PCM ?

ORIGINAL: Chemdawg99

Hello everybody,
Its been awhile since I posted here last and thought I would take this thread to the top:)

On another forum, I found out from a certified GM tech as well as a former GM tech buddy I met over here in Iraq that reprogramming you PCM is not recommended due to the fact that should you need service from a dealer, you cannot receive critical updates from GM. Additionally, reflashing your PCM could lead to GM potentially voiding your warranty (I have and extended one from GMPP). It can also lead to powertrain issues.

IMHO, unless you are going to track your Vette often or really don't care about maintaining a warranty due to major mods, what is there to gain from reprogramming your PCM ?


No warranty for me and I would never take my vette to a GM or Chevy dealer. The last time I did and the final time they sliced one of my oil lines. Woke up to a huge puddle of oil in my garage. I only take my vette to vette shops, they do nothing but vettes and are closely priced to the chevy dealers as far as labor rates go. Oh and the Chevy dealer actually called me and asked me how to take the supercharger off........ If I know how to take it off shouldn't a trained mechanic know how to?

ORIGINAL: chargedvette02

ORIGINAL: Chemdawg99

Hello everybody,
Its been awhile since I posted here last and thought I would take this thread to the top:)

On another forum, I found out from a certified GM tech as well as a former GM tech buddy I met over here in Iraq that reprogramming you PCM is not recommended due to the fact that should you need service from a dealer, you cannot receive critical updates from GM. Additionally, reflashing your PCM could lead to GM potentially voiding your warranty (I have and extended one from GMPP). It can also lead to powertrain issues.

IMHO, unless you are going to track your Vette often or really don't care about maintaining a warranty due to major mods, what is there to gain from reprogramming your PCM ?


No warranty for me and I would never take my vette to a GM or Chevy dealer. The last time I did and the final time they sliced one of my oil lines. Woke up to a huge puddle of oil in my garage. I only take my vette to vette shops, they do nothing but vettes and are closely priced to the chevy dealers as far as labor rates go. Oh and the Chevy dealer actually called me and asked me how to take the supercharger off........ If I know how to take it off shouldn't a trained mechanic know how to?


I agree with you somewhat. There are a LOT of Chevy Service departments out there that know nothing about Vettes. I am lucky to have a great dealer service department in my area (Killeen, TX).I know the Vette tech pretty well and I know he knows his craft. My first Vette was a PITA and this tech was a great help during that time. I would love to add a supercharger to my Vette down the road, but Vette parts are mucho denero so I won't be willing to compromise my warranty in case something major goes down in my Vette (went through that with my first one, no warranty). I would never take my Vette to just anyone for service, however. The key is knowing what kind of mechanics you are dealing with.

I currently am running a Diablo Sport Tuner. The tuner came with my car whenI purchased from the previous owner. The Diablo is basically designed to maximize performance with all stock parts. I have a few upgrades on my Vette, ie, air induction, long tube headers, performance cats, and B&B exhaust. I contacted Diablo via email and inquired about my upgrades and they squared me away with a modified tune and the car runs great. I was experiencing some check engine lights coming on prior to the modified tune and I have not experienced any problems since the modified tune has been installed. Very satisfied with my Diablo. I'm sure there may be better ones out there, but since this one came with the car and my choices were made for me I would say all in all with customer service I received I would recommend Diablo. I haven't done any internal mods to my LS1 and can only estimate that I've added about 25hp with my current mods. I've done some research and there are some easy upgrades for the LS-1, but as usually the other answer is how much do you want to spend. Edelbrock makes a set of heads for the LS-1 that they claim is a bolt on 100hp. There about $2500 for a set the last I checked. You could also upgrade your intake and your throttle body to add some horses. I think I'm gonna stand pat with my current configuration.