I am new to all of this and I hope that I have this in the right place.

I recently got a 2002 Chev. K3500 CC, DRW, 4x4, with an 8.1L and Allison. I would like to have a tuner so that I can change my applications for daily driver to towing. I am not into hi-performance anymore. I am looking at better mileage when empty and be able to tow a 14,000# trailer when needed.

I like the Hyper pak, with its engine monitor, ease of making changes to the adjustments in the tunes. However their techsupport says that they can not make changes to the Allison.

I would like a stand alone unit that can be mounted to the dash, rather than have a computer sitting next to me, unless that is what I have to do.

I would really like a Tech II, but I hear they are unavailable. What tuners are available to suit my needs?

"Doc"

I just heard that the Tech II is available but it costs $4000.00. Is this true?

That is way to rich for my shallow pockets. Isn't there anything out there for us gasser guys? Most of these tuners do not state that they work for the Allison. Is that because of the Allison programing?

Thanx:

"Doc"

You will be very limited in finding a handheld programmer that will make Allison changes as well. I'm yet to hear of a handheld that will.

There are a couple of options depending on how you want to go. Our scan tool covers 95% of the most used features of a Tech II at a fraction of the price. (our scan tool only covers ECM and TCM, not other modules like a Tech II). FlashScan V2 currently has standalone features for DTC clearing. This retails for $399. We have a cheaper version again on FlashScan V1 hardware, but this requires laptop connection.

From a tuning perspective, you could use EFILive and tune yourself - this gives you access to the ECM and TCM to create your own custom tunes. Most resellers give away a custom tow tune with every purchase to assist you in your learning curve. FlashScan V2 Tuning tool ($749) will have standalone reading/flashing capabilities in our next full release, until then a laptop/PC connection is required.

Our final solution would be a product that we currently have in development called AutoCal. AutoCal is the future for mail order tunes - where a tuner shop sells you an AutoCal unit, you download your vehicles data and email it to the tuner. The tuner can then make your custom tune and email it back for you to flash in. This could be one or many tunes depending on your requirements. Autocal will contain datalogging and scanning abilities so it's more than just a way of flashing custom tunes into your vehicle. Pricing and release details are yet to be finalised.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Cindy

Cindy:

Sorry, I just didn't glean much from the EFIlive site. As a matter of fact, I was more confused after I looked at it than I was before.

As I said, I was looking at the Hyper pak, mainly because of the screen shots that I could have during driving. I see that the screens on the EFIlive equipment is very small and there is no mention of screen shots. When I read about the V1 model, I didn't even see a reference to being used with a laptop. Maybe that is why I was confused about this product.

Can you explain what all the V1 can do? I am not adversed to utilizing my computer while driving, as I am set up to use it for GPS already and during tuning I could switch to use that program. As long as I don't have to leave the computer hooked up 24/7, I could live with that.

1) What type of input is displayed on the computer once it is hooked through the V1?
2) How are changes made to the tune?
3) Can changes be made on the fly with the V1 and computer combination?
4) Does the computer display a virtual dashboard while hooked up?

To increase my mileage, I try to keep an eye on my Air-fuel ratio, Vacuum while driving. Will I be able to keep track of these parameters while driving?

What my eventual goal will be is to have a unit that will be able to set up the engine for city driving and towing. I also would like to be able to set shift points and firmness for these two driving styles. Also, eventually I will be changing my from 235/85R16 to 225/70R19.5 for weight issues. I will be keeping the smaller tires for the winter and the larger tires for towing. There is going to be over an inch difference in the height of these tires and I would like to correct the speedometer error and shifting characteristics.

Am I starting to get in the right direction or am I still lost? Sorry, I come from the old school of mechanics, long before computers. I retired in 1990 from the trade and the only problem we had was to reset (manually) the check engine light.

I know that I need to become more familar with computers, but the problem with this forum is that to many people use acronyms in their description and it takes me more time to decipher their codes. Unfortunately, I get disgusted which has something to do with my service connected disability ... but that is another story.

Thank you for your help and hopefully we can do business together.

God Bless:

"Doc"

Both FlashScan V1 and V2 allow you to modify engine and transmission parameters. The difference is they way in which they will communicate with your vehicle. For LS1 based engines, there are over 600 modifiable parameters.

V1 requires PC-FlashScan-Vehicle connection to work. This means you need a computer within reach of your vehicle to download your existing tune, and to reflash your modified tune.

V2 will be updated in our next release to operate in standalone mode; requiring just FlashScan-Vehicle connection.

In both cases, PC will be required to modify the parameters of the tune and to view logged data.

While you can setup your laptop display in vehicle to view what is actually occuring with your vehicle as you drive, we suggest that users use our datalogging capabilities and record actual data and use this to determine changes to be made to your tune. This way you are not trying to concentrate on 2 tasks - it can be reviewed in the comfort of your home at a later point of time. Most customers rarely view live data in their vehicles. In answer to your question, you can log and change your Air/Fuel ratio - for gassers it is advisable you hook up a WBO2 (wideband O2).

In answer to your numbered questions

1. Vehicle displays can be in the form of a virtual dash board, strip charts, data tables - it depends what your trying to acheive. Again, most customers don't have a PC hooked up in their vehicle to view data, they create logs of data and review and modify once outside of the vehicle.
2. You download the tune in your vehicle, load this into our software, modify the parameters you want to change, and upload this modified file to your vehicle.
3. Changes on the fly are only available for Duramax customers due to the differences in the ECM's. You would need to stop and flash another tune to change while on the road. Plus, with the Diesel Air / Fuel ratios are not as critical as with a gas motor and on the gas PCM they already have adaptive spark timing in the programs.
4. Virtual dashboards do exist. You can view these in our Dashboard customization PDF document http://www.efilive.com/download.aspx#downloads6

The engine computer (ECM) and transmission computer (TCM) are two seperate modules. To accomodate your different driving styles and to change shift points, you will need to modify both the TCM tune and the ECM tune. Changing parameters for tire size and speedo recalibration is accomodated in our software.

For further reading, you might like to read our Frequently asked questions (FAQ) guide which may help place some of this into perspective. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109517

We also have some interactive tutorials on how to use our products (specifically there is one on how to calibrate your speedo, and download/read your tune). These can be found http://www.efilive.com/download.aspx#downloads7

Our software is available for free download, the links are in my signature.

Cheers
Cindy