Trifecta has a GM Stage 3 calibration that is supposed to be the same thing from the GM Stage 3 reflash with air conditioning enabled.

Trifecta Performance Shop - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt - 2.0L SC w/ GMS3 Operating System

I am not a huge fan of canned tunes either, becuase every car is different. But if it is infact an exact copy of what the GM Stage 3 is down to the tee with air conditioning turned back on, it should be reliable and safe with no doubt. This is the only reason why I am looking at this option for remote tuning. I'd never consider their custom tuning option


Trust me, I know the that tuning is everything along with a well maintained and taken care of car. There are excellent tuners, and **** poor ones that think think they are. The thing is in the LSJ community, the number of **** poor tuners outweight the good ones by a huge margin. Area47 is one of the few guys out there that I have 100% confidnce in tuning my car, but he lives quite a ways away from me. I think that he will only tune your car in person (I could be wrong on that), and will not do remote tuning. I don't live close to any of the trustworthy tuners, so it kind of hard to do this option. So basically for me at this point, it is either the Trifecta tune of nothing at all

 

I know that, he put a statement out. The logs when they're turned in are accurate and the numbers are good. If something happens after the tune "down the road" and blows the motor can fully be blamed on the tune.

There you go again with your "we've been around awhile" thing. How can the number of cars tunned have nothing to do with experience? Also why dose vince have a tune out already for the regal and hpt doesnt? How come vince came out with tunes for the cruze and sonice 6 months ahead of hpt. I think he has more expirence than any tunner on here. He created his own program and cables, did you make hpt? I'm not lying with the two persons I spoke of that they flat out told me the parts wernt installed properly or they didnt have the proper part for the tune they asked for. Yes I also realize that things happen, so show me proof that after installing the trifecta tune the motor blew right after the install of it, while data-logging it

Right I understand that, my car has been tunned for 20k+ miles and no issues

I also agree with you, I ask people if they're vehicle is running good and no cel's and do a once over on it if they have a concern. How can he not when the log comes back with the numbers?

 

Right no one is a fan of canned tunes. Why wouldn't you consider the custom tune? I'm asking because of the interrest of your answer.

 

price could be a big deal. it's 150$ more (350$) just for a custom tune that may give me 10-20hp more. When spending that kinda money i'd like some proof im getting alot more power per buck

 

Not if he orders through a dealer, it is more like 10-20whp, plus the ability to update it. You'll have to pay for another fee besides what you already paid for the stg3 tune as well if you want to have the stg3 pcm custom tunned.

 

do you do compression tests, or balance tests before you do anything related to tuning the vehicle? do you look over everything on the car before you tune the car? does vince?

most likely no you do not.

i do not do remote tunes. why? simple. you can't feel what the car is doing. you can't see an odd surge at xxxx rpms.

short and to the point. you datalog. you do not change the cal files. end of discussion. your argument is void on anything related to tuning. until you actually start changing the cal file itself, you can defend your almighty "tuning" god all you want too. if you honestly think they sit there and tweak each file from a stock cal to the final outcome and each one is a different cal then the next, you need a reality check.

 

Wow, someone has a BIG head. As I stated before, I do look over them if they have had any work done to it. Yes i know how to compression test. But apparently you know me and know I dont it seems. Well sir I can see the data logs, and hopefully if Vince ever finishes his next step will be calibrating the files. Also when I do near real time tunning with vince he sees the log right away to make any adjustments. Wow again, "tunning" GOD I know he uses a base file and adjusts the numbers depending on what the customer wants, thus why I'm a re-seller, ya I log, I NEVER SAID I DID tunes, you sir need the reality check

 

Ive had trifecta for almost a year now with 0 issues. never found a thread on here saying that trifecta ever "ruined" there car either. if there is one or a few, i would love to see it. Ive seen more people complain of HP Tuners than anything. that could just be related to who is doing the tuning, but still. Ive got a buddy that has a turboed 2.2 and he ran trifecta but was hard for vince and him to dial it in (issue was then traced to the ebay turbo he had and bad injectors) IMO vince knows what he is doing and will help out with whatever he can. Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages of both tunes (trifecta/hp) so one or the other will suit somebody better than the other one. IMO for the OP the best bet would be trifecta

 

I think the big problem is they compare hpt to trifecta but the real comparison should be Vince against another single tuner. Trifecta is a single person tuning no matter how many people he has loading tunes for him it is only Vince doing the tunes. There are many tuners better than him and probably more around that are worse than him.
There are a few tuners that combine the mechanical knowledge of high performance engines along with the tuning knowledge to be able to get the maximum out of an engine. They don't just follow other but actually request things they would like added to hpt in order to improve their ability to tune an engine. Area is one of those people. You might not like his attitude but you need to remember you are only repeating what others are telling you whereas he was there when this platform was starting out. People on this forum as well as others respect his opinion not because he demands it but because he has earned it. All the info is on the net if you are willing to spend the time reading the old/archived posts on forums. You can see the evolution of tuning on our platform, who was involved in it's advancement and who was carried along on their coattails.

The most important thing to remember for everyone who is interested in a tune is that it's your job as a buyer to research the tuner that you wish to use. Vince has a great reputation on this platform because: there is a lot of potential so even if he doesn't get all of it there is still a huge improvement for the buyer;
many people are not close to a good tuner;
his tunes are quite "safe" because chooses to tune conservatively;
many people are too lazy to spend the time necessary to research who is a good tuner;
people hear about hpt tunes blowin up and don't know enough to realize it is the tuner not the program that is important.

I wrote all this on my iPod so forgive me if any of this doesn't make sense

 

in for the gangbang

 

Have you done research on his site? he started up with the platform in 06 i believe tunes being released in 07 or late 06. I would LOVE to see a tunner match up against Vince. But as far as safe ya they are because he tunes the cars for the mods they have and what they can handle without issues. Conservative is up to the customer, what they ask for is what they will get. And I agree with the fact its not the program but the tunner. I'm not saying area47 isnt a great tunner!!! Nor not deserving of respect!!!!

 

Exactly right. As was the person you quoted as far as the tuner makes the difference, not necesarily the program itself.

Vince has high respect and high support from nearly EVERYONE on here (except for the ones that either never tried trifecta, made false assumptions, or is in love with hptuners)

As I said before, trifecta will suit some people better then hp tuners, and hp tuners will support other people better rather than trifecta. It all depends on what the buyer wants

 

agreed simply put, nice to have another opinion on things..............again Area47 i have no issues with you an hope you dont towards me either

 

You make a statement such as the one I highlighted above but you don't recognize 'that tuner' when you see him. Bryan (Area47) is the real deal and miles a head of Vince.

I have had the privilege of having "professionals" explain away their mistakes. I have also had the privilege of meeting Area and there is no option on who I would prefer when it comes to tuning, as real live experience makes a huge difference. As an example, the fellow who is working on my project car has tuned for years and I heve seen him change 2 cells and make a huge difference in the response of the car he was tuning. Real life experinces means everything which Area has plenty. I was also present when Area tuned Powell's Redline and the difference his tuning made. Considering Powell is a long time race car driver he knows between good & bad tunes and John praises Area's tuning ability. At the same time I have heard of the issues some have had with Vince's tunes.

Remember, you sell Trifecta tunes which means it is Vince's best interests to 'explain away' issues/blown engines with his tunes (JBP did the same thing to me for years with all of the bullshit he pulled on me/my project). The bottom line is that Vince needs his dealers to sell tunes so admitting to a mistake here or there is not in his best interest.

The simple truth that many profess expeience while very few really can tune. I personally won't try tuning unless someone like Bryan (Area) actually taught me how to do it properly. In fact Area's tunes are probably the most 'ripped off tunes' being sold by wanna be tuners.

 

hiya rod!


people will defend him till they are blue in the face. i stated facts and yet it still gets danced around. thats fine.

 

I have a trifecta tune. It runs stupid rich. AFRs at WOT are 10.5-11 Wideband gauge and Dyno wideband read identical. I'm making about 18-25 less HP than if I went with a good HPtuner. I would recomend paying for a good tune from a good tuner. It will be worth it.

 

Ya guy i got that, there may have been issues in the past and some present im sure just like any tunner has., but to straight out say that his tunes are blowing motors is BS to me unless im shown proof of it. How many times i have read in so many threads that people say use vinces tunes as base its great starting point. He admits to me when he makes an error on a tune if codes come back or the log is bad. I understand he will say things to get business, to say things to keep me selling tunes, but hes also very honest with issues. Its not my livley hood to sell his tunes, its a part time thing and almost all the ppl i've tunned have come to me.

Do you read my responses? I simply answer back what your impling by stating what i know, how exactly am I dancing around??? Also I asked you for proof and you have shown me nothing back, so who is dancing around??? If your such a great tunner then why arnt you cracking the pcm's and making tunes for new cars??

Why dont you log it and send it in to get it updated???? or send the log to me and I will send it in if your worried about response time. Did you try to contact vince? would you like his email? or what email do you have or him??

 

Hi Bryan, I hope all is well with you.


Many times people contacted me to try and tell me of the crappy work/parts jbp was responsible for and Mev lied through his teeth to 'explain away' the actual truth just to keep my project. I am not saying Vince is anywhere as bad as jbp/Mev but there are to many negative results (from Trifecta tunes) to discount them as simply poorly installed mods.

As Is stated already there is no comparison between Area and Vince when it comes to tuning results. Canned tunes have way too many variables that are detrimental to a performance tune. Tuning done in person by someone with Area's ability and experience will always be better than any canned tune. Tuning in person with the abilty of an idiot like Mev/jbp would be the only reason to go with a canned tune from anyone else.

Sadly there are only 2 ways to discover if a person has problems with his ing and that is by listening to the results from previous customers. If you hear similar results from many people you need to listen to those results, good or bad, and don't let liking the tuner be the basis of your reasoning to defend him. I wish I listened to the people who tried to warn me about jbp/Mev.

 

Ok, first of all I didn't say all tunes just the two people i spoke with about there's. Secondly i never said i was comparing Area and Vince i said any tunner, also i praised Area on his tunning ability i have never on here said he was a bad tunner I'm not trying to attack him or any tunner on here. From what i've seen hes is one of the top tunners on here. I always tell ppl that hpt is a great tune if done by the right person, give the pro's and con's on both, either way tunning your vehicle whatever it is dangerous in itself.

Further more Vinces tunes arn't canned tunes, just because they are no longer compatible with hpt doesnt make them that. You can now veiw his logs as well. I fully agree with what your stating ok, i understand that things arnt always what they seem. I dont push his tunes nor throw BS to ppl to get them to order tunes, thats not who i am.


Again i'm not stating that Area47 is a bad person nor a bad tunner, i'm responding back on what im asked.

 

What the **** is a tunner? Do u mean tuner?

 

I refer to a tune as canned when it is done from a location that is not where the car is. The reason I make that distinction is because the 'remote tuner' has to build in some 'flex' simply to be on the safe side.
The other point I was trying to make is that just because we like someone we can't blindly believe everything they tell us. We can only listen and watch. The results speak for themselves and sometimes you/I/we are fed half baked truths. I only say that so you will add everything up before coming to a conclusion.

I recognize that you aren't calling Area out or dissing his abilities. I am only saying don't blindly accept everything that you are told. Listen, watch, evaluate and come to a sensible conclusion that isn't based more on relationship/friendship. I really wish I followed that advice when I was dealing with jbp, I could have spared myself a lot of grief and $$$$$ but because I liked Mev I discounted all the evidence that was provided to me.

 

Rite I understand again what your referring to with trusting and listening and seeing things. I understand your point of view on things. As i was asking for the proof of ppl whos motors blew from having the tune installed rite after, Not to so much question them but to show Vince and take the steps to shine light on what happened and get the truth. And fix the issues if they havent already been resolved, if the tune did blow the motor than so be it. I'm perfectly accepting of the fact that trifecta tunes do blow motors, i myself want to see the proof and not take someones word on it is all, like you are saying. That is all plain and simple.

 

let me bold it for you.

 

It is the genuine GMR S3 tune w/ a/c unlocked.... Nothing more.

I purchased the GMR S3 setup 3 years ago, and was getting tired of not having a/c. Once Vince cracked the "code" to unlock a/c, I sent my genuine GMR S3 PCM to have the file uploaded.

It is the same exact tune. Now, if you opt for custom tuning from Trifecta, then it turns into "Trifecta S3" which uses the GMR S3 O.S as a base, but is tweaked to your mods.

This is still a common misunderstanding, and I hope I some what clarified it. I'm not a fan of remote tuning (I rather have the tuning performed in person), so I opted not to have any Trifecta tuning performed.

 

we can see the logs now?? how?