BADalanche
Full Member
I researched tuning for a while and came to the usual suspects Blackbear and Diablew. I never really heard any bad things about either, so it really came down to cost for me. Unfortunately, BB was $599 for the Autocal, and there wasn't an event anywhere near me on their schedule. I found a used unlocked Diablosport intune I1000 for $200. This is an older model, but it will work on all years of Avalanche, and it tunes same parameters as the newer I2030.
So I started by adding 93 octane to the tank, and ran most of that through. The truck actually ran a lot better; as BB states in their FAQ page - these engines were really made for 89+. The knock retard bogs the LC9 down with wide open throttle running 87. Programming with the intune is actually very easy, and I had zero issues. I didn't update it first since I was going to get a custom tune anyway. I made sure I disconnected my amp/sub from the battery before starting, and never touched anything while it did its thing (all sorts of lights and chimes go on while it tunes). After adding the diablo tune, I could actually feel the motor bog a little bit again on WOT - I'm pretty sure the canned tune is too robust with the timing advance.
So after 150 miles to adjust to the can tune, I logged some runs on the intune & emailed the files to Diablew. His custom tune is $150. I went to lunch, and Ill be damned if he didn't have the tune ready by the time I got back home. Back to the truck and the same 5 min program then that was it! DEFINITELY worth every penny. Why the heck doesn't GM tune like this from the factory? More responsive, better shifts, no bogging, and AFM delete. I still have one more log to do (WOT log after 150 miles), but I'm really happy with the absolute ease and $350 total price I paid...
So I started by adding 93 octane to the tank, and ran most of that through. The truck actually ran a lot better; as BB states in their FAQ page - these engines were really made for 89+. The knock retard bogs the LC9 down with wide open throttle running 87. Programming with the intune is actually very easy, and I had zero issues. I didn't update it first since I was going to get a custom tune anyway. I made sure I disconnected my amp/sub from the battery before starting, and never touched anything while it did its thing (all sorts of lights and chimes go on while it tunes). After adding the diablo tune, I could actually feel the motor bog a little bit again on WOT - I'm pretty sure the canned tune is too robust with the timing advance.
So after 150 miles to adjust to the can tune, I logged some runs on the intune & emailed the files to Diablew. His custom tune is $150. I went to lunch, and Ill be damned if he didn't have the tune ready by the time I got back home. Back to the truck and the same 5 min program then that was it! DEFINITELY worth every penny. Why the heck doesn't GM tune like this from the factory? More responsive, better shifts, no bogging, and AFM delete. I still have one more log to do (WOT log after 150 miles), but I'm really happy with the absolute ease and $350 total price I paid...