Custom Tunes are like Custom Cams (Edge cts ???)

[Gearhead2012]

So...I've kind of reached an epiphany, the same conclusion that perhaps others have already reached. In the gas engine performance world, solid roller custom ground billet camshafts are now "all the rage"...suddenly on mustang forums no off the shelf camshaft is good enough, none of the literally hundreds, if not thousands of available camshafts for say a 302 ford have specs that match what anyone needs, if it's not a custom ground it must be some garbage profile a computer picked at random...or so it seems.

I see a similar trend on a lot of these diesel sites about custom tunes...don't get me wrong, I'm not in the very least knocking or trying to take away from good quality tunes (and in fact I'm looking for recommendations for a good tuner to get in touch with)...however I find it hard to believe that it can be said in an all inclusive manor that all of Banks, or edge, or hypertech or stock "canned" tunes are crap.

I run a banks tuner because I got a good deal on it, and seemed relatively safe...but that's it, so please don't look at my sig and think I'm a huge Banks advocate. That being said, I very seriously doubt that anyone else other say maybe ford motor company has done as much R&D as banks on their diesel tuning stuff.

That being said...I want something that will display much more info than my banks pda, and the pda really is kind of a piece of crap..I can elaborate if anyone wants to know why... plus now some have cool feature like back up cameras, namely the Edge CTS. I don't really want to try to run it in conjunction with my banks stuff, and would rather run the whole edge programmer all in one. I've read more times than I can count how "edge tuners are trans killers" a stigma likely not easily shaken from their early tuners that didn't touch the transmission...but, I've also heard almost as many times that the insight cts or whatever is one of the best monitoring devices out there. I'm not so much worried about puttin down 500hp or anything crazy to the rear wheels, honestly mileage is a bigger turn on...but, it is nice to blow the doors off a camaro.

I don't care if one custom tune makes an extra 12hp in part of the rpm range I never use...I don't even care if it makes in extra 12hp in the rpm range I DO regularly use, lol. The main deterrent from not going with what seems to be a popular combo: custom sct tuner, and a insight for the monitoring- is really just simply that it would be nice to be able to change the tune, or whatever all in the same device that is used to keep an eye on everything...as long as it doesn't smoke the trans. Also, cant someone write "custom tunes" for the edge software? I don't know if sct stuff backs down the fuel at certain egt's or if that's even an option, except for their higher end stuff...another benefit of an all in one unit.

I guess I could have just summed all this up from the start and said, I want an Edge cts tuner, the newer ones with dedicated trans tuning too...does anyone have experience with those? If they still produce across the board trans failure, who is a knowledgeable person to write a good custom tune for the sct...a true custom tune, where in I describe in detail to them my intentions, uses, and modifications, and they actually tailor a tune to that...not plug some numbers in to a table and slap me with some off the shelf cam.

it's become apparent that late at night on this website I am fairly long winded...sorry, but thanks if you've read this far. I feel that the better the description is, the less confusion, and less questions there are going to be. Thanks all...and I have been searching the crap out of this stuff, but have found very little on the "Edge Juice with Attitue CTS" tuners being used as tuners, seems most use the insight deal simply as a monitor. Thanks.

[Backwoods Electric]

SCT now makes a monitor and tuner in one. All your problems are solved.

SCT Performance - Livewire TS Performance Programmer & Monitor**Part Number: 5015

[Gearhead2012]

Originally Posted by Backwoods Electric

SCT now makes a monitor and tuner in one. All your problems are solved.

SCT Performance - Livewire TS Performance Programmer & Monitor**Part Number: 5015

Well isn't that just fantastic...thanks for the fast response btw. I've kinda heard the live wire sucks...but I dont think it was this version. I tried to find it on the link, but will it monitor everything the edge insights will? If so, sounds good to me. Anyone on here use this setup? I'll be doing some researching...thanks.

[KUGSS]

Well i can tell you that the live wire is OK. Almost every where i mount it the overly big wires sticking straight out the bottom get in the way. If they would come out the back it would be so much better. And the fact that it doesnt turn off when you shut the truck off sucks. And if you do take the 20 seconds to hold the button down to shut it off it will flash a bright blue led say come, break the window and steal this gps. As for the custom tune vs canned. my canned tunes made the truck surge and buck real bad.

[Gearhead2012]

Originally Posted by KUGSS

Well i can tell you that the live wire is OK. Almost every where i mount it the overly big wires sticking straight out the bottom get in the way. If they would come out the back it would be so much better. And the fact that it doesnt turn off when you shut the truck off sucks. And if you do take the 20 seconds to hold the button down to shut it off it will flash a bright blue led say come, break the window and steal this gps. As for the custom tune vs canned. my canned tunes made the truck surge and buck real bad.

Is this the same livewire ts posted above...or an older model?

[KUGSS]

Originally Posted by Gearhead2012

Is this the same livewire ts posted above...or an older model?

The older one i think It has a smaller screen thats all blue.

[PGreenSVT]

There is a good reason we run Insight CTS's for monitors and use SCT for tuners. This isn't the Mustang world and the 6.0 isn't a gasser.

Want a Juice with Attitude, buy it. You're stuck with the canned tunes. You want a real custom tune take it to the Tuner and let him tune it live. That's how you get the best driveability out of your truck. All of the custom Tuner's mail order tunes are very close in power for any given configuration but driveability is different.

[hollowpoint468]

Originally Posted by PGreenSVT

There is a good reason we run Insight CTS's for monitors and use SCT for tuners. This isn't the Mustang world and the 6.0 isn't a gasser.

Want a Juice with Attitude, buy it. You're stuck with the canned tunes. You want a real custom tune take it to the Tuner and let him tune it live. That's how you get the best driveability out of your truck. All of the custom Tuner's mail order tunes are very close in power for any given configuration but driveability is different.

Exactly, every tune will make your truck feel different, and every truck reacts differently to every tune. Think of your truck having a mind/personality of its own, there are some some tunes it just wont feel right running. It all comes down to how YOU like your truck to run and how YOU like your trans to shift.

Like Pgreen stated you cannot compare a custom 6.0 tune to a mustang cam, it would be more comparable to a complete personality change... kinda like taking a mellow, dazed person on xanex and changing them into a roid raged body building animal in 10 mins with nothing more than a sct tuner

[HVAC SuperTech]

these few guys have said EXACTLY what i was thinking as I read your post. and in fact, in my mustang Id never had gone and ordered a custom ground cam, i would have just bought one out of the box, but thats completely different when you talk about the drivability of a truck and your style of driving. each tuner can make your truck feel totally different with really no huge power number differences between them all.

[Kyleu890]

Originally Posted by Gearhead2012

So...I've kind of reached an epiphany, the same conclusion that perhaps others have already reached. In the gas engine performance world, solid roller custom ground billet camshafts are now "all the rage"...suddenly on mustang forums no off the shelf camshaft is good enough, none of the literally hundreds, if not thousands of available camshafts for say a 302 ford have specs that match what anyone needs, if it's not a custom ground it must be some garbage profile a computer picked at random...or so it seems.

I see a similar trend on a lot of these diesel sites about custom tunes...don't get me wrong, I'm not in the very least knocking or trying to take away from good quality tunes (and in fact I'm looking for recommendations for a good tuner to get in touch with)...however I find it hard to believe that it can be said in an all inclusive manor that all of Banks, or edge, or hypertech or stock "canned" tunes are crap.

I run a banks tuner because I got a good deal on it, and seemed relatively safe...but that's it, so please don't look at my sig and think I'm a huge Banks advocate. That being said, I very seriously doubt that anyone else other say maybe ford motor company has done as much R&D as banks on their diesel tuning stuff.

That being said...I want something that will display much more info than my banks pda, and the pda really is kind of a piece of crap..I can elaborate if anyone wants to know why... plus now some have cool feature like back up cameras, namely the Edge CTS. I don't really want to try to run it in conjunction with my banks stuff, and would rather run the whole edge programmer all in one. I've read more times than I can count how "edge tuners are trans killers" a stigma likely not easily shaken from their early tuners that didn't touch the transmission...but, I've also heard almost as many times that the insight cts or whatever is one of the best monitoring devices out there. I'm not so much worried about puttin down 500hp or anything crazy to the rear wheels, honestly mileage is a bigger turn on...but, it is nice to blow the doors off a camaro.

I don't care if one custom tune makes an extra 12hp in part of the rpm range I never use...I don't even care if it makes in extra 12hp in the rpm range I DO regularly use, lol. The main deterrent from not going with what seems to be a popular combo: custom sct tuner, and a insight for the monitoring- is really just simply that it would be nice to be able to change the tune, or whatever all in the same device that is used to keep an eye on everything...as long as it doesn't smoke the trans. Also, cant someone write "custom tunes" for the edge software? I don't know if sct stuff backs down the fuel at certain egt's or if that's even an option, except for their higher end stuff...another benefit of an all in one unit.

I guess I could have just summed all this up from the start and said, I want an Edge cts tuner, the newer ones with dedicated trans tuning too...does anyone have experience with those? If they still produce across the board trans failure, who is a knowledgeable person to write a good custom tune for the sct...a true custom tune, where in I describe in detail to them my intentions, uses, and modifications, and they actually tailor a tune to that...not plug some numbers in to a table and slap me with some off the shelf cam.

it's become apparent that late at night on this website I am fairly long winded...sorry, but thanks if you've read this far. I feel that the better the description is, the less confusion, and less questions there are going to be. Thanks all...and I have been searching the crap out of this stuff, but have found very little on the "Edge Juice with Attitue CTS" tuners being used as tuners, seems most use the insight deal simply as a monitor. Thanks.

The Canned tunes aren't crap if you like a lot of smoke, good power, and blown transmissions, we go with custom because it get us as safe and reliable power as you can get while keeping our rigs safes safe as possible.


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