THE TOURING TUNER.

Tuning a car is something that has been happening around Australia since

the dawn of time… Or at least since people wanted more power and torque from

their motor vehicle.

From a tickle up in the garage on your EH changing jets & power valves. Right

through to modifying the intake pipes on your HQ increasing intake airflow to the

intake manifold.

This is something I like many of you rev heads have grown up with, except in my case the EH was

turbo charged and EFI, the 490 big block Ford was a Blown Alcohol and in a drag

boat and the HQ…. Well that was a HQ raced in the "HQ Racing Series". 

(We still work with HQ's to this day.)

However the tuning was carried out on a Dyno, to accurately measure not

only A.F.R’s but intake and exhaust flow, ignition timing and acceleration.

This was a must even in the early 90’s.

Fast forward 27 years and it’s  2017. Dyno shops are no longer rare or

hard to come by, every second workshop is a Performance shop and even

some tyre shops you will find have a dyno on site.

Dyno’s are now understood and needed as an important piece of

equipment for even the most basic tuning or diagnostic workshop.

This is due to the advancement in technology with some late model vehicles

having 7 different computers to run different operations. E.C.U’s have

advanced to the point where you can no longer “listen and smell” to tune a

vehicle. (This exact quote was used by a customer the other day to

describe the only accurate way to tune an Austin Healey)….Neither can

you trust the expert standing

on the fence of a race track saying well that thing "sounds lean." Even

after over 1 million dyno runs, I rely on my $15k AFR meter, it’s the only

real way of telling rich from lean!! ….. Well that’s my professional opinion.

So with this knowledge in mind we can sit down and agree that Live tuning

a vehicle on the dyno is the most accurate way to tune all vehicles, old or

young.

From a 1933 roadster to a 2017 Toyota Landcruiser watching and

measuring what you manipulate LIVE is the only way.

This of course brings me to the point of the touring tuner, we have seen

many of these guys getting around. They use an internet based forum and

advertise where they will be, what they can tune, and when.

Quite a few of these guys popped up when LS1 edit, (this is one of the

very first LS GM tuning software to become available). They would travel

around town or up and down the east coast of Australia offering their

tuning expertise. (I use that term loosely.)

Now aside from the fact that most of these guys meet you at a Coles

carpark, or service station… or even the hotel where they are staying for a

couple of nights… It brings to light so many questions.

1. How do you know what you are getting?
2. What about the locals? ( The local’s in rural areas have a wealth

        of knowlege and are switched on blokes who own their own shops

        and are very capable of tuning with the right equipment. )

3. What if something goes wrong down the track? Who will help?  
4. How does your warranty stand?
5. You own a $80,000.00 car do you really trust a guy from the

         internet?

I am not saying these people do not know what they are doing, nor am I

saying they are not skilled. I am just trying to give you guys, the consumers

some advice and some questions to ask.

From my vantage point in the industry I see people come and go all the

time, I hear horror stories and hear some very tall tales.  

Protect yourself and your asset, ask questions and be sure that the people

who you see to tune your vehicles tune are trained, qualified, know what

they are doing & are using the correct equipment.

Learn from other people’s mistakes, do it right the first time.