Some tuning questions

[S2Knott]

ok so im a little confused here.

what are the differences between tuning a car on a dyno, and getting a programmer such as the Xcal 2/3.

I here tons of people at my school saying that they are going to some shop to tune there car, and i just want to know what is different between the two, i would amagain with the tuner you can do more, and be able to change tunes whenever but what else is different?

Basically, if i got a dyno tune on UTI's dyno, would be good enough for the 3L to run properly?

and what can you expect to pay for a tune at a speed shop?

[SVTJON87]

the xcal is whats used to put a new tune on your car. dyno tunning would use a xcal. with the dyno you can play with a base line tune for the best performance and efficiency.

[beyondloadedSE]

An X-CAL is a mail order tune. At a dyno, a dyno graph can be read with air/fuel readings and can be adjusted accordingly. Mine my PCM was just reflashed through the OBD-II port. You could get a chip or get an X-CAL. I would guess if it were being tuned on a dyno, it would be the first two options since thats quicker. Generally first time dyno tunes run about $500.

[Ray]

ESSENTIALLY?

The only differences are:

the dyno you don't own so you pay for time on that machine
the Xcal you own, so you can physically tune it all you want (with the PRP)

A dyno allows top speed pulls to "see" (with a wideband) what the car does at those loads.
an XCAL must be tuned with a "datalog" drive.. possibly at higher than speed limits.

So.. a dyno vs. an xcal?

one you stay still.. the other you don't.. really all it boils down to.

At a dyno they put you on the rollers, "datalog" your car whiie being loaded and then "tune" it by some means (xcal, chip, etc)

Xcal, you simply skip the "roller" part and substitute an actual drive.

[striker2]

ESSENTIALLY?

The only differences are:

the dyno you don't own so you pay for time on that machine
the Xcal you own, so you can physically tune it all you want (with the PRP)

A dyno allows top speed pulls to "see" (with a wideband) what the car does at those loads.
an XCAL must be tuned with a "datalog" drive.. possibly at higher than speed limits.

So.. a dyno vs. an xcal?

one you stay still.. the other you don't.. really all it boils down to.

At a dyno they put you on the rollers, "datalog" your car whiie being loaded and then "tune" it by some means (xcal, chip, etc)

Xcal, you simply skip the "roller" part and substitute an actual drive.
The Dyno has the added advantage that once the car is tuned you walk away with known power numbers. obviously cant do that on the street.