That's the whole point of having an in-house dyno for tuning. You get a baseline, then he tweaks the tune based on his analysis of the log data, re-runs the dyno, rinse & repeat. And all this in the same afternoon.

If he's good, you'll end up with a smoother running car and a little extra, noticeable power. That said, temper your expectations. It's not a can of spinach, Popeye.

 

LOL thanks Rochester

 

Ok. ecutek dyno tune next Thursday. I was hoping to be present but it is a drop off and pick up situation. I would like some input if you guys don't mind sharing. Should I replace the spark plugs at 40K and 11 years old? What should I expect to have when they are done? Just a OBD connector to switch through a few different maps with my iphone?

This is what I get from the service advisor because I don't think the tuner speaks English.

:So Ahmed will tune the car while on the dyno & will give you a dyno sheet with the results (horsepower to the wheels & torque ) it will come with the ecutek dongle that you can control your different maps & he will go over that with you after he is done tuning your car.

Any input is greatly appreciated

 

Typically you can rotate through multiple maps using the cruise control switch. But I bet almost nobody really does. It's been a couple of years, but I think I've got 2 maps... one for 93 octane and one for 91, but I've only ever tried switching a few times when it was first done, just to see how to do it. And then I forgot about it. Also typically you'll get a "valet" map, which I don't think I have. Again, don't care either.

Shame you can't watch them work.

BTW, you'll probably be pumping 93 after the tune. Big $$$ at the pump, Patrick.

 

Once again, Thank you Rochester.

 

What do you guys think about spark plugs/throttle body cleaning?

 

To be honest I have never had a low mile older car. Just high mile older cars LOL!

 

I guess that is not true. In 2015 my wife and I bought a 2006 Subaru Outback XT with 50K miles. Super duper car. 2.5L with 250hp is pretty impressive. Turbo failed at 80K because of the stupid filter screens at the turbo but was replaced under warranty. We just traded it in a 2019 Q50. The Q50 is a really nice car but come on that is the replacement for the G? My personal opinion is it is lame AF. Just saying.......... She thinks my car is obnoxious LOL

 

We basically got "new to us" cars within 3 months of each other this year.

 

I missed the end of your post Rochester. I have never pumped anything but 93 in any vehicle including my 97 Landcruiser which supposedly can run on 85 in 3rd world countries since my MKIII supra and LS400 days. It's just part of the equation in my mind. Spend a bunch of $$ on your mods and run 89 or 91? WHY????

 

I have 2007 Miata with a 2.5L "big block" with an EcuTEK tune. It has four maps accessible via the cruise control switch. I have never used any but the 91-octane tune. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

I just don’t understand not using the best fuel available???

 

Octane is a fuel additive, there to reduce pre-ignition (knock) in a high compression engine... typically that means boosted or otherwise high performance engines. You should use the octane level gas specified for your car, because using higher octane gas does absolutely nothing except cost more. The reason it costs more is simple economics... fewer cars require it than otherwise. The tuner will advance the timing throughout the map, which could cause pre-ignition, which is why you'll be needing 93 octane gas instead of 91.

There's also a marketing component at play, which are people who think the more expensive gas is best. It's not, it just has more octane in it.

 

Your logic is sound as usual sir. But after using premium only for 30 years I don’t even think about it. Living in the St Louis area gives me some of the cheapest fuel in the country I believe. 93 octane is $3.30 here right now. My Landcruiser is a pig with 35” tires. 89 octane equals 12mpg while 93 nets 14mpg. Our cars say premium fuel only on the gas door but I realize in some areas 91 is the only premium option. I don’t like buying the most expensive stuff because it might be better. I’m actually pretty frugal except when it comes to my cars and equipment. I truly appreciate your and everyone’s input. I like it here 🙂

 

Off topic but kind of amusing. There is a small airport just outside of St Louis where we could pump 110 octane (red) and 108 octane (blue) straight into our cars lol. That was around 1990. They charged it to only being able to pump into approved tanks/containers. We put some 110 in our lawnmower and the muffler was molten and dripping off the engine 10 minutes later 😂😂