Tapout Tuning

LF4 Performance Tuning Specialists

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Tapout Tune of the Week!

Today we are taking a look at a Remote Tune we completed for Jorge in Florida.  He has a 2016 ATS-V and just like Maverick, he was feeling the need, the need for speed! Jorge was the winner of our Facebook contest and received  a complimentary Remote Tune, so we were ready to help him achieve his goals! Our Remote Tune can be completed no matter where you are in the world. We’ve completed Remote Tunes as far away as Israel or as close as the next state over.

Jorge’s ATS-V was completely stock, so he was excited to make some huge power gains. As with every remote tune, we begin with a safe starting point calibration, then work from there using scan date to get everything dialed in perfectly for your car. As Jorge uploads each new tune to his car, we are able to fine tune each specific table within the scan until we have the ideal tune. He was happy to let us know, “I can’t thank Tapout Tuning enough for spending so many hours to look over and re-tune each revision within an hour of sending logs.” We know that the quicker we can work to complete your tune, the quicker you can be putting your ATS-V to the test!

We also want to congratulate Jorge on running 11.834 @117.10 mph his very first outing with the car. His ATS-V is completely stock, including the tires, and he was running 93-octane fuel. Density altitude was 1,869′ and his only modification was his Tapout Tune. Way to go Jorge!

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Tapout Tuning Keeps your Engine Safe

Making more power in your ATS-V is great, but what’s even better is when you can do it safely. At Tapout Tuning we know there are a multitude of factory settings implemented to ensure your LF4 engine is performing flawlessly and safe from damage. It is very important to us that those factory safety settings are still in place, even when your car is making significantly more power than when originally designed. Below we have outlined just a few of the things we do to keep your ATS-V safe when running our tune:

  1. We leave all Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) fully functional, except ones related to catalytic converters in cases where catless downpipes have been installed.  This allows your CHECK ENGINE light to illuminate and make you aware of any engine, transmission and/or sensor problems.
  2. We maintain OEM Knock Retard operation and settings.  This allows the ECM to reduce ignition timing in case of bad fuel, low octane, or other conditions where ignition timing is excessive.  Some tuners disable Knock Retard, and this can cause catastrophic engine failure.
  3. We maintain OEM fuel trim learning functionality.  This will allow your ECM to use feedback from the stock narrow band oxygen sensors to automatically adjust idle, cruise and part throttle air/fuel ratio for different atmospheric conditions, brands of fuel, etc.  Leaving fuel trim learning enabled will also allow the ECM to set a CHECK ENGINE light if something is wrong with your air/fuel ratio.  In fact, we set tighter limits than the factory, by using boundaries in the 15 to 20% range instead of 35 to 40%.  Some tuners disable fuel trim learning to mask improperly tuned mass airflow (MAF) tables.
  4. We leave DTC P228C enabled.  This allows the ECM to switch to Reduced Engine Power mode in cases where fuel rail pressure is less than desired for an extended period of time.
  5. We can set the electronic throttle to automatically close in case of excess boost.  This is recommended for anyone who really wants to push the limits with tuning.
  6. We can set the electronic throttle to automatically close in case of excessive post intercooler temperature.  This can be used as an intercooler failure ‘circuit breaker’ and is also useful in hotter regions and/or with drivers who thrash their cars exceptionally hard (i.e. half or standing mile racing, and/or repeated high-speed floggings).

This all adds up to a tuning company that is looking out for your car’s well being. These cars were meant to be driven hard, and with a Tapout Tune we provide you with huge power gains that are safe on and off the track.

Take a look below to see a recent scan from a customer who did repeated high speed runs less than a minute apart. By his fifth time the intercooler was no longer keeping pace, and the Tapout Tune automatically reduced boost as soon as manifold air temperature reached 148 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Throwback Thursday!

This week’s throwback Thursday features Scott Cook’s 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi. This was the first 3800 FWD Bonneville to ever run a twelve second quarter mile. Then eleven seconds. And then ten seconds! The best time was 10.711 @ 125.71 mph with Ed Morad as the driver.

In the drag racing world FWD cars are certainly outnumbered  by RWD cars. In RWD cars, weight transfer at launch works in your favor. In FWD cars, it’s the opposite of what you want to happen. It took considerable engineering in order to achieve  these impressive quarter mile times.

If you could see through all that tire smoke, you would notice that custom designed wheelie bars fabricated by Bob Cook. However, what is different about these wheelie bars is that rather than keeping the front of the car from lifting too far off the ground, they are actually being used to apply downfroce to the front wheels to improve traction. These are some of the intricacies you have to consider when you’re building the quickest 3800 FWD Bonneville in the world. You have to shift your mindset from what you consider to be a typical drag car, to one that is going to act in a completely different way.

Overcoming challenges like this is what has lead to Tapout Tuning’s success, solving problems and making solutions!