I'm trying to weigh all the pros and cons of each choice...
On one hand we have the GM stage kit installed for a ballpark $750-800 dollars with warranty. Then we have Trifecta who has, as of now, been able to cloak the tune to say stock and have a little more horse/torque for $250-350 and possibility of losing the warranty if, for whatever reason, the tech2 picked it up. I only have 3,500 miles on my SS so I want to get something quick but I'm in a toss up. Any advice would help!

 

Get the GM stage kit and you will be happy.

 

Stage kit only because it is really worth it. Or I would say trifecta tune!

 

Ok, on that note... how hard of an install is it? Better to leave it to the stealership or do it myself? Problem being... I'm a college kid on a budget... the extra $180-200 bucks for the install through GM would be a car payment...

 

Unfortunatly you HAVE to pay some shop rate, even if you install the sensors yourself. The ECM requires a reflash as part of the install and this must be done by a dealer.

 

Unless you are really good mechanically do it your self, but you do have to splice wires to install the new sensors and such. If you think you can do it with out messing it up then do it. If there is a slight worried thought of doing it, have the dealer do the install. This is my personal opinion!

 

I understand... but a flash should take, correct me if I'm wrong, around 30 minutes whereas an install/flash around 2 and half - 3 hours all together... that's where I got the $180-200... using figures from other posts saying that GM charges about $90-100 an hour for labor.

 

i would bring the gms1 to the dealer i herd they use diff color wires so they can tell if the dealerinstalled them. the upside about the stage kit is you can still NLS and be under warnatee but with a tune i wouldnt recomend on NLS

 

Using the Solstice and HHR guys as an example, it looks like you can count on at least 1 hour of shop time usually for the flash. Your estimate of $90-100 in that case could be reasonable.

 

Yes Bill clarified that the wires are different colors!

 

Ok, Thanks for all the info guys... One last thing. I've read places that the flash is extra $$$ on top of the kit. That being said, it's $550 on CED for the kit itself, $100-200 for labor, and at that what does the flash cost? Are we going to be at my original estimate of $700-800?

 

No body really knows because the kit has not been installed on a cobalt yet.

 

In the Solstice and HHR kits, the flash itself is part of the kit... the 1 hour of labor I'm pitching to you is them installing that. So it should be whatever you pay for the kit + labor to flash if you installed the sensors yourself.

 

Go Trifecta, the stage kit is a joke with little gains for the money. With what you would spend on the Government Motors stage kit you could get a nice custom tune, & charge pipes (something GM shouldn't have cut corners on to begin with...plastic crap). Go aftermarket if you want solid performance. Alot of folks are pushing in excess of 300 HP with tune alone and not blowing their cars to pieces. Don't let folks scare you away from aftermarket tunes IMHO.

 

trifecta tune....honestly the gms1 kit isnt worth the money at all. understandably you can be under warrenty with the new kit but honestly for such a small gain i dont see paying the price. also from what i hear our stock sensors are good to 28psi so whats the need for new sensors when the turbos maxed at 25psi?

 

I'm getting the stage kit plus Trifecta tuning on top of it

 

Coming from someone who hasnt test drove the stage kit. How can you make assumptions about something that you have not even driven?

 

Buy the GM Stage 1 kit and find someone with HP Tuners. I've heard good and bad about Trifecta, but as far as I'm concerned. Some one who knows what they're doing sitting there with you will ALWAYS produce a better tune then Trifecta merely because they can see the problems then and there, adjust for them, and you have to wait no time at all.

 

I was sorta in the same boat as you, but ive decided now. http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/results.cfm here i found the stage kit for about 480 and i went into my dealer today and they told me that it would take anywhere from 1-3 hours at 50 bucks an hour. They said expect to pay anywhere from 100-150 for labor. so ill be spending about 480 plus shipping and about 150 in labor at the most, but i def decided to get the stage kit instead. So i guess id advise you to do the same lol

oh yea im also a college student so i hope this helps you since money is an issue for me

 

You know what would really help this debate out? An actual dyno graph thread if each individual tune available. BEST trifecta, BEST HPTune, BEST ZZP, BEST Superchips, BEST HAHN, BEST GM Stage, and BEST whatever else is out there. I know dynos are different and cars are different. But maybe just maybe we can get enough members to post before and after dynos in 1 single thread, and then decisions can be made based on actual numbers, and not the "how it feels" "butt dyno". I would compose such a thread, but I'm to lazy. Anybody want to "not be lazy"?

 

Because they have posted the Crank #'s which equals crap for the price, that's how. Have you driven a Trifecta car?

 

you know if you buy a GMPP part yourself and bring it into a dealer and they install it, its a different warranty than if you buy it through them and install it? Im assuming this applies to the Stage 1 kit, as it is a GMPP kit, and some of the people who have called there dealers on this sight have replied that their dealers were also reflecting this. Just look it up about the GMPP, think if you get it and bring it in its 1year /12k and otherwise i think its whatever your bumper to bumper warranty is...

 

were can i find the stage kit for my TC.

 

I've run both the SCt and Trifecta on my sstc and liked both. Drewboo posted dyno sheets with the SCT at about 280+ whp (not crank) and 300+wtq and countless others on here show well over 300 whp with trifecta with the exception of a few. I have run against a SCT Cobalt with my Trifecta tune and pulled several cars on him by the end of third gear. The SCT is good for anywhere between a 13.7 - 13.5 from what i've seen (good cheap reliable safe tune) and Trifecta tuned cars have produced great times in the low 13's to low 12's. I seriously doubt the over priced GM tune will produce the #'s Trifecta does. If anyone thinks a new MAP and flash is worth the $'s then be my guest, but I put my money on folks (HPT included) that have a true passion for perfomance not regulated by a company that begs for taxpayer handouts to stay afloat.

 

ok guy and girls im in MD and i need help finding stage kit and tunner can only one help me. web sites would do thank you.