I have a 2001 lightning with a sloppy tune on it at the moment. I havent been able to even figure out what tuning software was used or who exactly tuned it. all i know is that it runs rich alot of the time and also has a missfire when getting into the throttle ( about three quarter ). The wideband readings are all over the place as well. I have it in my garage right now and am going through a few things on it just to cross out any possible causes to its strange behavior. I'm changing the COPS as well as the plugs while im at it i plan to pull the kenne bell and clean the inter cooler. im also either going to get an oil seperator or crank case breathers as well as check for any vacuum leaks. its running 10 lbs of boost right now and has the following bolt ons. 2.3 kenne bell, egr delete, accufab TB, kooks headers to borla cat backs and full aeromotive fuel system. Basicaly what i am wondering is that am i limited to getting a proper dyno tune at this level of modification? or can i simply change the pullies and run stock boost pressure and then simply get a canned tune from an sct tuner ? im not sure which direction to go in exactly.. this truck has been more of a headache for me so far and i would like to get it running right so i can at least enjoy it or sell it without taking a massive hit on something that isn't running right.

Also i want everyone who has helped me so far with my questions how invaluable your knowledge has been to me and i truly appreciate it.

 

With regards to “Chips” and “Tuners”, years ago it was the best that most could do to enhance the ignition timing, fuel curve, transmission shift points, etc. It was (and still is) very important that a person verifies that the “Tuner” is ASE certified in both ECM and Transmission programming and IMHO be have current certification by the OEM whose vehicle you want to modify. There are plenty of persons who advertise their programs to be the best and even offer custom tunes, but in all reality, very few actually have credentials in these areas- but that’s not to say that some of these “geniuses” haven’t really caused damage to a few vehicles- just jump over to flatratetech.com and read just some of the comments from the MSE techs!. Perhaps what is equally important is the parameters that can be adjusted are set by the oem vehicle software…so there is really no “magic” in what they are doing anyway. What is important is that you are supercharged and it must be tuned correctly because as you know there is much less margin for error than in a normal-aspirated version. What I would do is contact kenne bell and either use their recommended tuner or id a local dyno tuner they recommend.

 

the closest place for me to actually have it dyno tuned is Vancouver, 5 hours away. i was told that the brown brothers ford does in house dyno tuning and is a supplier of kenne bell. i imagine i will probably be shelling out some serious cash to have it done there.. and i also cant imagine what else they will find if i do take it there. although at the moment is seems to be my best option..thanks for the reply