Tuning DOES NOT fix mechanical issues or misfires. Tuning is for vehicles that are already in good running condition.  Tuning is for making aftermarket parts work properly together.

If you feel your car has any mechanical issues or is misfiring. Please contact us and we can schedule a time before your dyno tune to fix any problems it has. If we strap the car on the dyno and find misfires or other issues we will charge you the dyno rate of $225 an hour to repair the issues or remove the car from the dyno and reschedule your tune and charge you for the time on the dyno.

Checklist:

Fuel Related Pre Tune Checks

• Do you have the fuel octane you want to be tuned on in your tank? – It is critical you have the fuel you want to be tuned on in your fuel tank when you come in for the tune. We can only tune your car for the fuel that is in the fuel tank. If you tune on 93 octane you will make more hp but you can damage your engine if you boost with 91 or 92 octane in your vehicle. If you want to be able to run 91, 92, or 93 then you will want to tune your vehicle with 91 octane in it.
• Do you have nonoxygenated 91, a.k.a. no ethanol 91, ethanol-free 91 in your fuel tank? – We do NOT  recommend running 91 non oxy or non ethanol fuel (see images below for examples). We have found turbocharged Subaru’s do not like this fuel and it acts like a much lower octane in real life testing. We will tune your car on that fuel and you will make substantially less hp. If you decide to come back with a better fuel you will have to pay for a tune adjustment (dyno hourly rate). If you only have access to 91 non oxy, we have found an aftermarket intercooler can help keep the power where it’s supposed to be.
  • We have found that most Kwik trips in Minnesota have nonoxygenated 91 and the pump is not always labeled non oxy, so we recommend staying away from them for pump gas.
• Is your MAF (mass air flow) sensor dirty?– We recommend cleaning your MAF with MAF cleaner before your tune. If we tune your car with a dirty or bad MAF, if you ever decide to clean or replace it your tune will likely be off and you will need a new tune (we DO NOT recommend using aftermarket MAF sensors, even if it’s the same brand as the OEM they can read differently than stock and typically don’t last as long. Always buy OEM from the dealer)
• Does your front O2 sensor operate correctly?– If your front O2 sensor is not working we can NOT tune your car. (we DO NOT recommend using aftermarket O2 sensors, even if it’s the same brand as the OEM they can read differently than stock and typically don’t last as long. Always buy OEM from the dealer)
• Check or replace your fuel filter
• Check/set fuel pressure. (If you installed an aftermarket adjustable fuel pressure regulator you need to set it. All aftermarket fuel injectors are flow rated at 43.5psi. That is the recommended base pressure for you to use. Always set base pressure with a warm engine and the vacuum line disconnected from the fpr and plugged.)
  • Stock Fuel Pressure from the Manufacture
  • All turbo EJ Subarus- 41-46psi
  • 2015-2021 WRX- 49-58psi
  • BRZ/FRS/86- 51-72psi
  • EVO X/Ralliart- 45-50psi
  • EVO 8/9- 42-45psi
• For Single fuel tunes please come in with at least 1/2 – 3/4 tank of gas.
• For Dual Fuel/ Flex Fuel tunes please come in with at least 1/2 – 3/4 tank of gas but no more than half. No need to bring E85 as we supply it and the price is included in the flex fuel tune.

Boost Related Pre Tune Checks

• Verify no boost/vacuum leaks. If you recently installed a front mount intercooler / piping or had your engine apart a boost/vacuum leak test is a must!
• Clean or replace your air filter
• If tuning 02-14 WRX/04-07 STI models for over 22 PSI an aftermarket MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor is required
• If tuning 08-2021 STI models for over 26 PSI an aftermarket MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor is required
• If tuning EVO X models for over 30-32 PSI an aftermarket MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor is required
• If tuning EVO 8 / 9 models with Speed Density an aftermarket MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor is required
• If tuning BRZ/FRS/86 with added forced induction an aftermarket MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor is required

Engine Mechanical Related Pre Tune Checks

• Do you have any exhaust leaks?–
  • You must have an exhaust tail pipe that exits somewhere outside the vehicle and not underneath. I.E. the tailpipe must come to the edge of the vehicle and not terminate anywhere under the car. Our Exhaust Extraction System in the Dyno room uses a tube we put right next to the tail pipe to extract the exhaust from the room.
  • exhaust leaks can cause the dyno AFR sensor to read inaccurate and potentially cause the tune to be incorrect
• Perform a compression test– knowing the health of your engine before the dyno tune is critical to make sure you get the most out of your tune. Compression should be within 10% on all cylinders.
• How many miles are on your spark plugs?– If you don’t know the history of your spark plugs please replace them beforehand. If your car misfires from a bad or improperly gapped spark plug on the dyno we can not complete the tune until that issue is resolved. We can replace spark plugs/ coil packs on the dyno at the dyno rate of $225 an hour, plus the cost of the parts.
• We CANNOT tune with misfires
• Do you have any oil, coolant, or transmission fluid leaks.– All leaks should be addressed before your dyno tune. 
• When is the last time you changed your engine oil?–  We recommend having fresh engine oil to help prevent engine failure at higher RPMs. Mobil 1 and Royal Purple are NOT recommended in turbo Subaru engines.
  • For the EJ engines, we recommend Rotell T6 5w40, Motul 8100 X-cess 5w40, Motul 6100 Synergie 10w40 (good for E85), or Motul 300v 5w40, 15w50.
  • For the FA’s we recommend Motul 8100 X-clean efe 5w30.
• Does your car overheat at idle or under load?– Your cooling system should be properly burped and be able to keep your car form overheating at idle or when driving.
• Do you have any check engine lights on?– Your car should NOT have any check engine lights on when you come in for the tune.
• Walnut blasting is recommended every 25,000-50,000 miles (2015-2021 WRX and 2014-2018 FXT only)

Vehicle General Maintenance and readiness to strap on the Dyno Pre Tune Checks

• No large group of friends.
• Make sure your passenger seat has nothing on it.– We need to set our computer and other dyno tuning items on the passenger seat when tuning
• Are your tires properly inflated?– Make sure tires are fully inflated to the correct pressure (30-40psi recommend) Having low tire pressure can cause inaccurate power readings on the dyno
• Does your car drive strait down the road?– Your car should have a proper wheel alignment. If it pulls hard to one side we cannot tune your car
• Is your clutch up to the task of holding more power?– Make sure your clutch is not slipping and able to handle the torque for the upgraded mods
• Does your battery and charging system operate correctly?–If the battery dies while flashing a tune on the car it can brick the ECU, leaving you with a car that will not run. If your car has to be jumped every time to start it needs a new battery in order to be tuned.
• Vehicle must be road ready. We take the car for a test drive after so it needs up-to-date tabs and insurance.
• Vehicle brakes must be operating correctly.
• How old are your Transmission, Rear Diff, and Transfer Case(where applicable) fluids?– make sure these fluids are fresh and full . We take your car to 100+ mph on the dyno so your driveline fluids should be up to the task.
• If you have air ride please have the car raised as high as it can go.
• Are your front and rear splitters in the way of strapping down your car?– If you have a front splitter or rear diffuser please have them removed so we can strap the car down. As long as the rear diffuser doesn’t block access to the lower control arms it can stay installed.
• Vehicle must have a minimum ground clearance of 3.5″
• Vehicle must have normal street tires (summer or winter tires are fine). Radials and slicks do not work on our dyno
• Rally cars should have the rear lower control arm guards removed

We do offer pre-tune inspections (Call for vehicle pricing)

Our pre-tune inspections can include:

• Compression test / replace spark plugs
• Boost leak test
• Fuel pressure test
• Clean MAF
• Test front Oxygen Sensor