The tuner’s job is to develop and refine a specific calibration for your vehicle, not to fix everything that’s wrong. If your car needs mechanical repairs, these can be performed by our mechanic/installer and will be charged separately from the tune.
A tune cannot correct any mechanical or electrical limitations on its own. For example, if your car’s fuel pump can’t deliver enough fuel to make more than 400 horsepower, no amount of computer tuning will allow the car to produce 600 horsepower. NO TUNER IN THE WORLD can’t fix mechanical issues with a keyboard. The same can be said for mass air flow (MAF) sensors, ignition systems, O2 sensors, supercharger bypass valves, poorly designed hoses causing MAF turbulence, slipping clutch, radiator fans, water pumps, vacuum leaks, clogged exhaust systems, bad engine grounds, alternators, wiring, or a host of other problems and limitations.
If you are unsure of the condition of any of these items, please schedule an appointment for us to inspect the vehicle prior to tuning. However, some issues may not be apparent until the vehicle is tested. As the owner of the vehicle who has decided to modify your vehicle, you are responsible for the repairs or modifications necessary to overcome these limitations, whether you choose to pay Falcon Motorsports to repair them or take the vehicle back and repair it yourself. The cost of time spent tuning will still be charged even if we are unable to complete the tune due to a mechanical or electrical limitation of your vehicle.
Things You Must Have for a Proper Tune
Proper registration, insurance, license plates, working seat belts, headlights, turn signals, brake lights, safe suspension and brakes, so we can do a road test to make the final tuning adjustments. A real-world test drive is included in the price of your tune. However, if we are unable to safely test the vehicle during your initial tuning appointment, you will be charged for any subsequent necessary adjustments.
New fuel (less than 2 months old) of the same type and octane you plan to use when performing your tune.
At least half a tank of fuel or more. All power-adder vehicles, big cam cars, E85 or any car that takes a lot of tuning time should come with a full tank. If we have to use tuning time to fuel your car, it will cost you more than the price of the fuel.
A fitting in the exhaust for our wideband air/fuel ratio sensor (O2 bung). In some cases, we can use one of the factory O2 sensor covers. In other cases, we will need a separate sensor bung attached. Call us for details prior to your tune date.
Wires and/or coils in good condition. Ignition without burning, no cracked insulation and tight connections at all plugs
Good new plugs of the correct type, heat range and gap. Time spent tuning/calibrating is expensive. Spark plugs are relatively cheap. If the car is misfiring, even slightly, it will degrade the quality of your tune. When in doubt, change them. Call us for advice before your fitting appointment.
No exhaust leaks between the engine and the muffler. ANY leak located from the engine within 1 foot of the rearmost O2 sensor will compromise the accuracy of the tune/adjustment.
No excessive fluid loss (oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, and rear axle fluid). You will be charged for the cleanup.
No fuel leaks.
The fuel filter should not be blocked. Check your owner’s manual for recommended maintenance intervals. If you have modified your vehicle to significantly increase its power, you will need to change the fuel filter more frequently to ensure proper fuel flow through the factory-sized filter. (For example, if the factory service interval is 30,000 miles, you should change it every 15,000 if you add a turbo/supercharger.)
No vacuum leaks (air leak) anywhere in the intake manifold or air intake tract from the air filter to the engine. We have special equipment to check for leaks. Call us in advance to make an appointment if you are unsure.
No outstanding trouble codes (check engine lights). Unless the check engine light is related to a problem that you have specifically discussed with us in advance, do not assume that it will be fixed by tuning alone. To properly calibrate the setting, all sensors and devices must be working properly and there should be no error codes.
Tires with enough traction for the level of power you plan to produce. Don’t go with 5 year old all season tires if you plan to make more than 450 horsepower. If you can’t get traction on the road in third gear, Get some drag radials.
Matching tires of the same diameter on RWD or AWD vehicles to be in good condition, no cracks or dry rot, and no exposed cords.
Driveshaft bolts are tight. Universal joint in good condition. All driveline components and connectors are tight, secure, and in good condition. This should go without saying, but we have had to stop more than one tuning session because the car’s axle was about to fall off.
The cooling system must be working properly. We cannot fix a car that is overheating with a tune. We can fix your cooling system for you, but you will need to make an appointment for this before your tune.
The alternator must be in good working order and the battery in good condition.
For supercharged vehicles: or any vehicle equipped with an intercooler pump, make sure your coolant pump is working before you arrive. You should be able to see coolant flowing into the reservoir when the engine is running.
The engine, engine computer and wiring harness must be properly grounded, clean and tight connections. All factory grounds must still be present.
If your vehicle is over 7 years old or has not been used for more than 6 months, we strongly suggest that you remove the fuel injectors and have them professionally cleaned. During the tuning process, the tuner/calibrator measures the air/fuel ratio from one (or two) location(s) and assumes that all fuel injectors are flowing at the same rate. If you have one or more low flow fuel injectors, some cylinders will be short of fuel while others will be overfed. This condition will result in reduced performance and possible engine damage. Engine damage due to irregularly flowing fuel injectors is NOT the tuner’s responsibility.
An oil and filter change is a good idea before tuning if more than 3,000 miles have passed since the last oil change or if the engine has been constantly flooded due to improper tuning or for any other reason.
If you are unsure of the condition of your engine, schedule us to perform a visual compression and fuel injection check of the engine prior to your tune appointment. If we discover a problem with the engine during the tune/calibration, you will still be responsible for the majority of the cost of the tune session. It is best to check things out in advance.
Important Notes for New Builds and Cars That Have Been Sitting for a Long Time
If the engine or cooling system has been disassembled, bleed all air from the cooling system before your tune appointment. Preferably, warm up the engine and let it cool completely at least twice to check for leaks and repair the coolant before you arrive for your service. We have a vacuum fill system to service these cooling systems in advance if you need it.
We can perform the first start of your new engine to ensure safe fuel, ignition timing and oil pressure and to drain the cooling system, but you must BOOK AN APPOINTMENT. Starting and initial engine setup are separate operations from tuning.
Check all ground connections. The engine, engine computer, and wiring harnesses should be properly connected with good, clean, and tight connections. All factory grounds should always be present. Ground wires cannot do their job if they are bolted to a painted or powder coated surface. The computer uses the difference between ground and the reference voltage signal for almost all of its sensors. Poor quality measurements will cause incorrect computer readings, poor performance, possible errors, and poor tuning results. THIS is probably the most common problem we see with older cars that have been serviced by other people.
