okay i'm trying to get into this tuning stuff b/c coming up i'm going to do a major upgrade to my engine which will include heads/cam/intake/exhaust in general. i want to get started practicing now so i need to know which program would be best for my needs and skill level and what do i need to get it from my laptop to my car? thankx

 

Depends on your budget.
Top of the line:
For one vehicle, then the Prominator is tough to beat.
Multi vehicles then the AutoProm.
Both using Tunerpro software.
You can use TunerCat software also, which I've heard is easier for beginners. But it costs money.
A budget setup would be a Burn1 and associated cables with a chip adapter and some flash chips.
You'll need an adapter regardless of other hardware you use.
See Moates.net for hardware, and do a search on Prominator.
(sorry Bill)
There are some small differences depending on ecm.
Check out Traxions intro sticky up top.
You also need to post what bcc or mask you are running in your questions so that know what your running.
See the stickies to learn what I just said means.
That "should" hint hint keep you busy for a week or so.

 

i have a fairly decent budget, so Autoprom is good for multiple vehicels and that TunerCat is good for beginners? okay about cable is there a place to buy them cuz i'm very crappy at building stuff myself. and i was thinking about going with the EEPROM chips since i read that they last longer. any info on where i can get aldl cables from?

 

Don't need one if you get the Autoprom kit.
Has it all. Still need an adapter for your ecm though.
I don't know if TC works with an AP, but the AP comes with a
registration for TP included. So might as well see if you can use it.
If you don't have a laptop yet, might want to get one that can handle XP. Or at least get one with >64meg of memory and one USB port and run 98SE.

 

i have a dell 5100, its running slow lately but i'm sure it can handle whatever. its wireless too so i can sit outside in the car and be on the internet as well.

 

Im also trying to decide what will be best for me to get into tuning my 350tbi. Right now Im doing some datalogging with winaldl and and usb-serial adapter. Ive got a 8063 ecm but my laptop has no serial or parallel only usb. Just wanna know what my options are.

 

The AutoProm will let you datalog and emulate at the same time on the same USB port. It's good stuff.

 

too bad that autoprom kit is on back order at that moates.net. anywhere else i can pick this kit up from?

 

Nope. Unless you find somebody that wants to sell theirs but that's unlikely.

 

 

Do you need an emulator? Most likely no, I actually find it the only time it's useful is when I'm tuning idle. Other than that I burn, datalog, review, burn a new, rinse and repeat.
So just go for the adaptor, Burn1 and flash chips. Then for datalogging get a scanning cable and you're all set. Yes more wires but it's cheaper.

 

err, okay. sounds good. but how do i go about aquiring all this. i'm more of a complete assembled/kit guy, so if i need to track down individual parts i could use some more info if you wouldn't mind, thankx