Tuning

bozzchem said:

So, I've had my ATS-V for a grand total of 4 days and I'm already itching to get it tuned.

I'm in Franklinton, NC which is a bit north of Raleigh.

Does anyone know where I can get it tuned by a reputable shop?

Thanks....

Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother, unless you are willing to forfeit your warranty. If your ECM is tuned and you take the car in for service it will be flagged and the powertrain warranty will be denied.

Even if you flash it back to stock, GM has gotten very savvy and can still detect the alteration to the ECM.

So far, I've read two horror stories on other forums, where people are left with $75K bricks. So, unless you are prepared to assume the costs of repair yourself, I'd leave it OEM. And with a first year model car, foregoing your warranty is somewhat risky.

I was hot to tune mine and add intake and exhaust until I read through what happened to others. There is a LOT of potential to be unlocked, as it seems the car can run up to 550whp and torque before fuel becomes a problem. But, all that extra power will mean little if you have detonation in one of your cylinders that makes the engine take a dump.

Sorry to be a bummer... but unless you are loaded you may want to investigate what has happened to others.

Manasseh33 said:

I hear you on the warranty but that will not hold me back once some of these tuners get some experience under their belts and have a history of success. I have however heard that all most of the drivetrain supports 550hp pretty easily that there is an issue with not enough fuel being available without changing some parts? I briefly looked at Hennessey's package though and he makes no reference to an upgrade that would increase fuel availability and I would think they know what they are doing but I have never dealt with them.

Click to expand...

yep, these guys are finding you can get to about 550whp before the stock fuel system becomes inadequate. weaponX is working on some camshafts to address this; they have a test platform that is running in the 10s at the strip. guys are having issues in the upper gears at max throttle, high speed.

one guy modded his, made youtube vids of the dyno, etc. i think he was at the limit of the stock fuel systems and cams. he had detonation in cylinder 6 and basically tanked the motor. i don't think he listed what he was going to have to replace, but he posted a pic of the slip the dealership handed him- powertrain warranty voided. GM also sent the youtube vids of his dyno testing to the dealership's service dept.

i don't think this guy cares, he will just shell out the $$$ to fix it, plus i think he's pretty plugged in with the shop doing the mods.

it's crazy how much power the OEM config leaves on the table. i think he was only running a tune, intake, and exhaust and he had some seriously impressive dyno results.

weaponX is going to have a 600+whp package soon. according to them, this motor will make that with ease.

that henessey package looks cool. i emailed him and asked him to put a vid up on his youtube channel and he replied and said he was already planning to do a vid of the next build. should be cool. i would just wonder what he actually covers and how it would work out if you didn't live in TX.

sadly, mine is a lease and i need to leave it OEM.

in the end, i guess it depends on how much money you have. you play, you pay. if i was loaded and my car was a purchase i'd do it. but i'm not loaded, and my car is leased.. and since this is a first year model car with several issues, i'd hate to have a legitimate (non-mod related) issue denied warranty coverge because i tuned the ECM. this is my daily driver.