Paul came to us after having his ATS-V tuned by a well-known competitor. He went to a local dyno to see what kind of numbers he was making after their tune and found that his ATS-V was peaking at dangerous levels of boost and running far leaner than it should have been. He brought this up with his original tuner but was disappointed when they gave a two-sentence response and didn’t acknowledge the fact his engine was in serious danger.

A Tapout Tune can be completed anywhere in the world so when Paul (Florida) reached out to us with his  concerns we immediately began working on a remote tune. After he completed his first data log we found all kinds of red flags in his KR (knock retard) table and made Paul aware of the situation. “Scott answered every one of my questions and worked out all the kinks” he said. At Tapout we want to make sure each customer completely understands what we are doing, and our logic behind it. The more each customer knows, the better informed they are down the road as they continue to make modifications.

Competitive Tune Average Knock Retard                         Tapout Tune Average Knock Retard

                                

After multiple iterations and several tune revisions, Paul’s ATS-V runs smoother, responds better, and most importantly, his engine is no longer in any danger. He also let us know he will be ordering colder plugs and will be working with Tapout Tuning again as he adds more mods to the car. At Tapout we’re here to make more power, safely!

Like so many of our customers, John from Texas loves his ATS-V but felt it wasn’t quite living up to its potential. John came to us to see if we could remedy the situation, and we had the perfect solution to unleash the full potential of the ATS-V, a Remote Tapout Tune!

Aside from AFE intake filters, John’s ATS-V was completely stock. He knew the filters had provided additional power, but it certainly wasn’t enough. We completed a preliminary scan of John’s car to see the current state of the engine and found that even though the AFE filters had helped him pick up power, the car was actually running too lean and was dealing with knock retard as well.

We recommended installing the stock filters, so we could see how the car would perform after its first initial tune. After checking the scans completed on John’s car we were able to determine the best course for tuning his car remotely. John is now running a set of NGK spark plugs and is making significantly more power than stock or with the AFE filters, all while keeping the drivability of the car intact. We want to ensure that no matter how much additional power we can bring out of your ATS-V, you can still drive it anywhere, anytime and any distance. These cars were meant to be driven to their limit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable when they’re not.

On a side note, we’re curious what John is working on with that engine block in the corner of his picture.

Check out the new wheels and tires on our 2018 ATS-V. We love the stock rims, but we wanted wheels and tires for every occasion! This beauty is covered for winter driving with our all-season Continental Extreme Contacts mounted on our stock 18″ rims. For the drag strip we run Mickey Thompson drag radials in the rear, and what you see below is a staggered set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S’s. These are mounted on our custom 19 x 11″ CCW CL565 wheels with P305/30ZR19 in the rear and P275/30ZR19 on 19 x 9.5″ rims up front.

This new wheel and tire combination is perfect for straightening the curves on a back road or even just highway cruising (with a few hard pulls thrown in of course). Plus with the superior grip of summer treads and the added size of the tires and wheels, this ATS-V is going to hug the road like it’s on rails!

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.