to tune or not to tune?

[John]

hello everyone. i've been debating for a while now on whether to tune my car or not. for a while i was worried because i didnt want to void my warranty but i recently found out i could tune a spare ecu and swap it out for the stock ecu if i ever need to bring it in to the dealership or if i decide to sell it.  it's more expensive going the spare ecu route but i get to retain my warranty so that is a plus. ive been thinking about it for a long time but never really felt the wanting to but for the past month i have been legitimately considering it. i initally wanted to purchase an Elantra N but after spending a month or two trying to find one, I give up. its going to take months to get one and i'm not really sure if i want to drop 38k on a car right now. i'd rather put that money towards a condo or something. so instead i'll spend $2000 to make my car more fun than it already is. i have some money saved up for a cancelled trip that i was going to take to the grand canyon so money isn't an issue. its just me pussying out. last night i had a fun 15 mile drive with some random fella in a 2020 sonata sport. i saw him creeping up in my side mirror but didnt think anything. he had some kind of intake because his turbo was whistling which was pretty neat. we played chicken for a bit and then i had to get off at my exit. my transmission is pissing me off more and more. it's a dual clutch transmission and i like it but it is the car's biggest weakpoint. its the first time hyundai really dabbled in dcts. my generation (2017-2018) has a dry dct whereas newer sport/n line models have the wet dct. sometimes it takes a while to downshift, sometimes if im going extra hard i can start smelling the clutch. the clutch is slipping ever so slightly. i'll have to get it serviced soon. part of me wishes i went with the manual version of my car but i enjoy the dct. manual would have been pretty fun though. definitely gonna go the dct route when i get the elantra n just because its so much better than the manual. this brings me onto the topic of also getting a tune for my dct. the company that i purchase parts from came out with a transmission tune recently and it's pretty awesome but its costly and im not sure if i want to spend that much on that. its around $800 with the spare transmission computer. maybe after some time

 

so for the tune itself. i was going to go with a sxth element tune. i have their short ram intake, intercooler resonator delete pipe, and axleback exhaust. big fan of their company and they make amazing products. to support the tune i'm going to have to get some colder HKS sparkplugs and their single catchcan system. i am also going to be upgrading my wastegate solenoid just because why not. ive been wanting to. also going to be doing an intercooler hot pipe upgrade soon. maybe along with it. i'll post some graphs for the tune and pricing and stuff. so the deal with the tune is that it would definitely be a lot cheaper if i send in my ecu and have them tune it but i would be without a car for who knows how long and i wouldnt have a spare stock ecu. theres also the option of purchasing their tuning access software which is similar to a cobb accessport which is common for subarus. its $800 and i have no use for it besides this one thing lol. so im going to purchase the spare ecu option. theres an option for pops and gurgles, pops and bangs, or none. right now my car gurgles quite a bit but its quiet and reserved and it will ever so rarely pop. typically when its cold. i hate those pops and bangs tunes. i think they sound ridiuclous and its obnoxious when youre driving on the highway and some retard flies past you and his exhaust pops right in your ear. or when youre stuck in traffic and some dude with a burble tune on his bmw is popping at 2 mph. it also fucks up your fuel economy. im going to be going with the pops and gurgles option since its more tame. im going to be going with a stage 1 tune. i think i might be good for stage 2 but i dont want all that. i just want some more power and freedom. so with the tune i would be getting better throttle response, increased boost pressure, and more torque and horsepower. 

 

heres a graph of the changes

 

 

is this a smart idea? probably not and thats why my gut has been giving me mixed feelings but i think after last night and the fun i had i remembered how fun it is to drive my car. ive been going out for drives more and more. its one of the only things that makes me happy nowadays. now that its getting warmer the seasonal depression stays but i get to drive around with the windows down hearing my turbo spooling and the exhaust echoing off of walls. so it makes me happy. and i think i'll go through with the tune. i've also looked into purchasing a fun project car but with recent car prices and the fact that everyone in new jersey is a crackhead when it comes to selling cars, im passing. i was interested in purchasing a mazda rx8 roller with no engine. it was prepped for a ls3 swap. after doing the math i realized it would cost me upwards of $15k and i would rather use that money elsewhere lol. ive also been trying to find decently priced miatas for the past couple of years but nothing. ir emember when i was younger and i'd peruse craigslist for miatas and i would see them for $3000. it sucks because now i have money and i cant go out and buy a miata for $3000. that same miata would be sold for $11,000 by some idiot. every now and then i like to go on craigslist and fuck with people who do that.

 

here is a price breakdown:

 

Item	Price
Tune	$895
Single Catch Can Kit	$249
Wastegate Solenoid Upgrade	$175
HKS M45XL Spark Plugs	$135
Intercooler Hot Pipe Upgrade	$199
Total:	$1,653

After taxes and shipping and all that jazz it'll probably be around $1,800. Not bad. I'm going to be changing my brakes this May. Going to respray the calipers the silver color they were. the salt kinda chewed up the paint. might just get some nice looking rotors. eventually im going to get a nice set of wheels but i havent been able to decide. theres a lot that i like but theyre pretty pricey. new wheels plus tires will run me atleast $2,000. also looking into possibly buying lowering springs but thats like a 25% chance. i like the height of my car right now and lowering it an inch all around will probably really suck around here with all the potholes and the driveways i have to go into and whatnot. i think i'll leave it alone.

 

thoughts?

 

[Steven.]

Do it.

 

Don't get a mazda rx8 they might fit your liking but they're commonly disliked throughout the community (ofc that shouldn't waiver you on how you feel about the car) and if you do get an LS for it or even put a rotary back in it's just gonna drink gas up and with the gas economy right now... yeah no thanks, plus that investment isn't even worth it right now I would rather buy a car with an engine already that I can do some tuning on and modding rather than have to fight a whole engine in, check the electricals, make sure everything is working properly and then do the small changes here and there. 

 

Also if you want to lower your car don't get statics just save up for awhile and get air suspension so then you can enjoy the low ride but also change the ride height if you know you're gonna be in a hole infested part of town. But for the tune I'd suggest getting the spare, stock ecu so if you do have to go on a long trip and don't want to burn through gas because shit expensive then you can always swap it out and also the warranty of course, but I'm a big fan of gurgles and occasional pop but every downshift should not be a loud ass pop. 

 

 

[Gentoo]

Could you go a bit more in depth on the cost breakdown of the tube?

 

-$895 is more than a typical protune (where your car is tuned for specifically what you want using your car specifically, not their model car which will vary from yours from factory, depending on climate, parts etc.)

-most OTS tunes are going to try to push as much power as possible out of a build without instructing you to get other supporting mods that would be helpful or necessary to improve reliability (catchcan and cold +1 plugs are a good start)

-Im not sure how similar the device mentioned is to an accessport, but it's more useful than just installing maps; checking boost PSI, knock, temps, AFR etc are all useful to know what your car is doing and how healthy it is as well as diagnosing issues or seeing if your tune is performing properly

-if you are doing other engine/performance mods, these will not properly be supported by an OTS tune. OTSs generally work off lowest common denominator so you won't necessarily be getting the best bang for your buck or proper reliability with new parts or those you've already installed outside the recommended/required.

-Im would advise against a gurgle/pop/ak tune as the sound comes from unburnt fuel igniting after leaving the engine. I'm sure you already know this, but whether it's 5k or 50k miles down the road, it's putting undue stress on your turbo, cat, etc and will degrade things. If you aren't driving stick, you're not even getting the functional aspect of antilag. It's your car and you can do what you want, but just something to consider. I do like how some of the more conservative ones sound, just wouldn't go for it personally

 

My recommendation would be to wait until you have all of the performance mods you'd like completed, beefier intercooler, headers, downpipe, wastegate, injectors or whatever else. Take it to a shop and ask for a 'conservative tune. They know your car is modified and you want something peppy but aren't going to blow your car up to push numbers or make it feel like a racecar.

 

Warranties are weird. I've heard most people say a tune per se won't void you warranty, but damage 'resulting from a tune' may cause claims to be rejected. Call your dealer if you want or try asking around if you're worried about it or curious.

[John]

7 minutes ago, Gentoo said:

Could you go a bit more in depth on the cost breakdown of the tube?

 

-$895 is more than a typical protune (where your car is tuned for specifically what you want using your car specifically, not their model car which will vary from yours from factory, depending on climate, parts etc.)

-most OTS tunes are going to try to push as much power as possible out of a build without instructing you to get other supporting mods that would be helpful or necessary to improve reliability (catchcan and cold +1 plugs are a good start)

-Im not sure how similar the device mentioned is to an accessport, but it's more useful than just installing maps; checking boost PSI, knock, temps, AFR etc are all useful to know what your car is doing and how healthy it is as well as diagnosing issues or seeing if your tune is performing properly

-if you are doing other engine/performance mods, these will not properly be supported by an OTS tune. OTSs generally work off lowest common denominator so you won't necessarily be getting the best bang for your buck or proper reliability with new parts or those you've already installed outside the recommended/required.

-Im would advise against a gurgle/pop/ak tune as the sound comes from unburnt fuel igniting after leaving the engine. I'm sure you already know this, but whether it's 5k or 50k miles down the road, it's putting undue stress on your turbo, cat, etc and will degrade things. If you aren't driving stick, you're not even getting the functional aspect of antilag. It's your car and you can do what you want, but just something to consider. I do like how some of the more conservative ones sound, just wouldn't go for it personally

 

My recommendation would be to wait until you have all of the performance mods you'd like completed, beefier intercooler, headers, downpipe, wastegate, injectors or whatever else. Take it to a shop and ask for a 'conservative tune. They know your car is modified and you want something peppy but aren't going to blow your car up to push numbers or make it feel like a racecar.

 

Warranties are weird. I've heard most people say a tune per se won't void you warranty, but damage 'resulting from a tune' may cause claims to be rejected. Call your dealer if you want or try asking around if you're worried about it or curious.

 

tune is $895 because im purchasing a spare ecu from them. if you're sending in your own its around $450. im not doing anymore mods than the ones i mentioned. stage 1 for them is "Stage 1 Calibrations are designed for stock or lightly modified setups. We increase the boost pressure slightly, and make small adjustments to driveability. Perfect for those wanting a bit more power out of their daily driver." heres the website for the tune with more info https://sxthelement.com/ecu-calibration-g1-es/ and heres a link for the tuner https://sxthelement.com/ek1pro/ i just want a little more pep while retaining my warranty. people have done this in the past with no issue. $895 is a lot but the extra ecu is half of it. sxth element is a reputable company. i know a fella who has ran a sxth element tune on his ES. no issues and he's been driving with it for around 20k miles.

 

also i just bought it

 

[delirium]

Feel you on the dual clutch.... the 13 veloster has one and about once a month I get a check engine light for a few days because I'm pretty sure 2nd is still slipping but I'm too lazy to fix it until it completely shits the bed.

 

As for the tune... really it's all up to preference. You enjoy driving your car so I would say go for it, worst case scenario you're out a couple grand and have to reinstall your stock ecu.