Hi all, I have a '05 Silverado, 4.8L gas, auto tranny. Pretty bone stock setup. I have touched a thing on this. Has about 75K miles on her. So I have two choices here in Minneapolis. One shop will sell me the Diablo Predator for my vehicle or sell me a HP Tuner license for 200.00 which he will use that to custom tune my truck. ?

I plan on doing a CAI, but I have no Idea which one, install a 160f thermostat and then have it tuned on their dyno. I don't expect big gains, but I do want to improve the tranny shifting, adjust TM if possible and see what else is available.I went from 265's to 285's so the added weightseems to have affected my shift point, ever so slightly. I don;t want to do the whole exhaust thing, I hear it doesn't add much to performance at all and no headers. Headers make a difference but are 5 hours to install and the cost isn;t worth it from what you get out of it, please correct me if I am wrong.

I am leaning towrd the HP Tuner, mainly because it's roughly the same price after dyno time and it's custom. Any thoughts ?

 

Predator: 2 "canned" tunes. One 87 octane tune and the other 91 + octane tune. Each of them capabale of being modified. On your truck you will be able to use the Predator to Log Data, and with help from Diablo, you can modify several engine parameters to "dial in" your truck using log data and some experimenting. You can dial it in to work much more efficiently with the mods you plan to make. Transmission settings are as detailed as you can get on a programmer and any custom tunes can be stored on the Predator itself. Everything from shift points, to line pressures, TQM removal and "how long the truck holds each gear". You can store up to three different tunes on the Predator, modify them, and install/uninstall them at will. You can even have tuner shops email you tunes or have a dyno tune using the Predator interface and store it on the unit for later use. One price will get you unlimited modifications to change tune parameters (on your own at home). Here is a list of parameters that can modify:

http://www.diablosport.com/index.php...lay&pid=65

HP Tuner: You can't beat a dyno tune. The precision you get with this software can't be beat. The biggest benefit is that you can dail it in perfectly the first time with no trial an error. HP Tunes are the best for GM vehicles as they meet or exceed GM requirements to maintian drivetrain durablility. The Predator states a warning on the tuning screen about "dangers to modifying parameters without professional experience", so they obviously cannot hold the same claim. Bad news is that you have to pay to get the tune dialed in again when you add another modification to your truck, just to get the 100% performance from the mod. Example, an intake, TBS and MAF mod on a truck can sometimes cause it to lean out too much so it has to be dailed in to make it give you the full hp promised by the manufacturer. Plus you cannot remove it anytime you wish or change anything at will, you have to go back to the shop. If you have a Laptop and the license to use it, you are set! You have the best of both worlds, but will need a dyno to get the 100% benefit from it.

Hope that helps!

 

I see you went with the predator tune. How long before you got it dialed in ? What differences did you see in HP and TQ ? Any Idea ? What did you notice the most after using the predator ?

What mods would do to the truck before you tuned with the predator ?

You said "You can even have tuner shops email you tunes or have a dyno tune using the Predator interface and store it on the unit for later use.You can even have tuner shops email you tunes or have a dyno tune using the Predator interface and store it on the unit for later use." Does the predator have full adjustablity for timing, fuel etc or are the windows of adjustment very small ?

 

If you don't know what one to get, you'll be lost using HP Tuners. HPT is for experienced tuners. And the prime tune is one you get on a street, not a dyno. A dyno doesn't replicate real-world driving conditions.

Your best bet is to hopefully have someone local that's experienced with HPT that will tune it on the street. Your second best bet is to have Allen Nelson send you a mail-order tune. Most reputable tuners will charge you a one time fee and you will get free tunes for the duration of owning your vehicle.

If you're planning on any performance stuff, you don't want a handheld. It's not a matter of opinion, it's fact. They can't come close to touching what HP Tuners can do.

 

Dose Allen Nelson have a tune for a turbo set up ive been looking at the STS allot lately

 

I don't plan on adding any perf mods really. Short of a CAI, and thermostat and tune for 91 octane. Good point on the road tune. I just went thru a tuning session this past weekend with about 7 Audi's, all were the twin turbo S4's and we tuned on the dyno then logged it on the street to compare data and tweaked as neccessary.

I'll have to ask my local shop if they will do that, tune on the street.

 

Like DamnYankee said HP Tunes are more professional. If the Predator is a steak knife, the HP Tuner is a Scalpel...and if you don't know how to use it you can really make a mess, lol.

I have a Predator because, beside putting an exhaust system on it sometime soon, Im pretty much done with my truck. Gas and insurance have been denting my wallet too much to dump anymore into my daily driver. So if you want to get some performance, play with your own timing, injector slope, PE, TQM, etc than go with the Predator. Otherwise do a HPT or other dyno/custom tune.

Predator in my mind:

Pros: I can screw with it anytime I want. I can back off the performance to get better gas mileage or crank it up to smoke the tires. I can remove it or try different types of tunes. I have guy online who gives me ideas on trying different parameters for the tunes I have. Its fairly cheap to do. It doesn't give it all to you but enough to play and boost performance. Its for the day to day play, not the weekend warrior I guess.

Cons: Not the best for performance, but Im not that far from stock so I don't need *****-to-the-wall. You'll get more from HPT or custome tune. You can get your truck fine tuned to the point where it runs 100% of the way you want it to. Predator is only good for so many mods. But can handle more than other handhelds. After awhile you will need a custom tune anyways if you build your motor up with cams and heads and sh*t like that.

IN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTIONS:
GAIN -
I can't put down numbers, but I have noticed a significant increase in drivability. It will shift less than before. It pulls hills much easier. It will merge into traffic without mashing the pedal. I can cruise 65 to 80 mph on our hilly highways without downshifting. It will smoke the rear tires. The biggest difference was smashing the pedal. Reducing the Torque Management helped alot with acceleration, especially at a dead stop. Punch it and there is was no delay, the tires spin like mad and you're off! Not like overwhelming speed but definately quicker than before.

WHAT SHOULD YOU MODIFY BEFORE BUYING? -
Buy it now if you want, because you can "dail it in" everytime you add something to your truck. Just bolt on something like an intake. Run her on the highway, mash the gas for 30 seconds and log the data on the predator. You can then go home, plug it into your PC and look at the values. Use the Diablosport forum and they will tell you how to make the adjustments to timing, PE, injector slope, shift points, rpm vs. throttle position, max rpm, etc... in order to dail in your truck. Its not perfect but its much better than stock or other handhelds.

HELP WITH TUNES -
There is a guy on the forum named Jason (MonteSS). He has a new monte SS and tuned his car to get an increase in hp, torque and fuel mileage. Ask him for his hp and tq gains, I can't remember off hand but for 87 octane? It wasn't bad at all.

WINDOW OF ADJUSTMENT -
Full adjustability for timing? I can't remember but it gives you two rpm ranges to adjust the timing. Look at that link I posted for details on that. I haven't screwed with timing, just TQM, PE, transmission settings and injector slope. These settings are a window of adjustment, however. Some are just enough of a window, but most are considerable. Example, you don't need an injector slope of anymore than -15 to +15 points (1 point = one step up or down in injector size) unless you plan on building a monster. But on their window of adjustment for RPM vs. Throttle Position, I wish it went slightly higher for my "*****-to-the-wall" setting. A few steps higher on that adjustment would allow me to sort of shift like a manual transmission. (I was go

 

Wow, that's a lot of information. I book marked this page ! thanks. I do like to tweak things and know enough to be dangerous. I will see about enlisting the help of someone else here locally should I go this route. Thanks for all the info, you have been very helpful. JG

 

Allen is one of the best tuners there is and he's ton tons of turbos. I don't know his stance on mail order tuning for turbos, I would think you would want to do that in person. Swing by ls1truck.com and post it up or ask Melissa and you'll get an answer.

 

I want to swing by in fact ive been wanting to swing by for 2 weeks now but im having problems with registration.