Ok, so I've had the fortune to be the beta-tester for the GT tuner kit from Clear Image Automotive and I just wanted to post up my findings as well as some experiences and some general information for those of you looking into tuning for your 2.4L SS/Sport.

First off, I'd like to say that Vince (the tuner) is a great guy and both him and Dan are a pleasure to work with, not to mention professional and patient (I'm a tuning n00b, and I'm sure anyone else besides Vince would've told me to beat feet long ago )

That all being said, the tuner is a great idea, in that you get a tune without having to

a: drive to / use a dyno (although I'm told Vince will work with dyno owners who can't tune your car (ex. - they don't have hptuners, etc..)

b: send in your ecu for custom programming.

c: have any downtime on the vehicle

The thing is, you speak with Vince and go over your installed mods (it's absolutely REQUIRED to have your mods installed before the tune) and he'll come up with a tune for those mods that will suit your needs. this is not just a nother "canned tune" it's not dyno tuning, or anything like that (although like I mentioned that isn't out of the question...) but it WILL yield results for those of us who can't necessarily get to a tune shop, or send out our ecu or pay the 500+ dollars for a good dyno tune. The fact is, you DO yield good results, and you WILL notice a wonderful difference in the performance of your car, on top of added fuel mileage!

The GT Tuner works a lot like the superchips devices in that once vince prorgams it with your tune, he sends the device to you, and you simply plug it into your ODBII port and wait. after a few minutes it completes, and you then do a few things: 1. test drive and enjoy. 2. find any issues with the tune and let Vince know, and he will adjust the tune to fit your needs/wants/vehicle.

This is an awesome product, and the benefits are obvious. I'm no PR guy but I have been using this tune for a few weeks now and the vehicle runs like butter. Also, it's nice that Vince will work with you and tune for whatever you need/want on the vehicle. He's extremely knowledgeable and was superbly helpful in deciding just how I wanted the vehicle tuned.

well anyway I just wanted to get the word out about this great product and let you all know that there is another option out there for those of us who are looking to get tuned. Any questions, you can pm either me, or clearimagedan.

later day bump!

 

So he sends you a hand held device that holds the tune on there. And when you need any updates he just emails them to you and does remote tuning. If so this is very cool.

 

yes, however keep in mind you have to send the device back... it's quite expensive, so you don't get to keep it (well over 1000 dollars they said) for more than the time needed to fully tune your vehicle.

 

Looks like a reasonable way to get a tune when you can't find a HP Tuner to do the job for you. I went to http://www.clearimageautomotive.com/

and then clicked on the images below "GT Tuner" and "Want to know more". It appears you get a "Custom Canned Tune" in a hand held unit. You install the tune yourself then return the unit. Seems simple enough....

 

exactly. it's simple, and easy, and pretty well priced as well.

 

I was thinking about this as i will be in the market for a tune pretty soon, once i get a little more money. One thing i've been thinking about is how good the results will be in comparison to getting it custom tuned by someone with HPTuner. There are a couple guys in my area that have HPT and are willing to do the tuning, but it seems like it would be more of a hassle to set up time for a meeting and then have them mess around with it. Would the results be just as good if not better with this? If it's just as good i may go this path. It would be much less of a hassle if the tune is correct the first time around.

 

so its like the HYPERTECH TUNER. i had one formy truck it removes your stock tune and replace it with the newone.but itsa one time use thing. not a bad setup tho. hopefully its cheap enough.

 

well the tune is good, I'm not sure how it runs compared to a true Dyno tune, but you have these things to think about: 1. Vince KNOWS his stuff, so the tune will work, and the hassle factor is a big fat zero. Also, the pricing is about 300 dollars I believe, so considerably less than a dyno tune as well.

It's kind of like the Hypertech, or SuperChips tuners in that you plug the device into your car and it flashes the tune, but this isn't just a basic tune, it's a very comprehensive and rather specific tune as well, dont forget, Vince customizes the tune to your mods.

Also, it's a pay-per tune kind of thing, yes you get 1 tune (plus the week or so to fine tune it) per charge, and then there is a discount for return customers if you ever want a different tune (in case you add another mod, or go F/I)

 

sounds cool. im gonna keep an eye on this

 

yeah, it works really well, and it's simple, that's the best part. if you guys have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

 

One last question from me. In the case that there are any problems with the tune(say if the car starts acting up) after it's been recieved, will he make adjustments to the tune for free? or will more money need to be spent to fix the problem? It probably won't happen, but just by the rare chance that adjustments may need to be made after the initial install.

 

so who has this done

 

i believe Co|3aLt $$ has it done.

 

once you tune with the GT tuner, you're asked to drive the car (not just once, for several days) and get a feel for it (i'd recommend planning this so there is nice weather) and see how things will run. Then you get back to Vince on any problems or questions, and he will work with you. Once you send the GT tuner back however, your time with it is done (barring some major failure due to the tune, of course) until you either purchase a new tune, or purchase a change (adding mods, etc)

I do have it done, and sorry about the delay in posts, my settings dont have me getting email alerts anymore, so I'm having trouble keeping up with some things

 

bump to keep people in the know!

 

this sounds good, how much does it cost?

 

I believe around 300 dollars altogether. PM clearimagedan for more info or check out there site.

 

to the top!

 

how much to get this all done?

 

So have you had it done yet?

 

oh yea how much to get this all done AND.... doesi t work for 2.2?

 

Vince does great work!!!

 

I dont know about you guys...

but my 07 2.4 auto makes adjustments to every tune that illmatic3s, redfocz, and myself throw at it. It's not because the setups are bad and the computer is adjusting, seems that the computer adjusts to mild it out close to stock.

The same tune from a fresh wipe and install and the same tune 3 weeks later w/ 1000 miles is so different it is unbelievable. I have had my friends do sit ins in the car... before and after reflashes and the differences are there.

Being said, this kind of tune, I would hope that they offer a reflash support for you guys because I can bet you that my SS isn't the only one that has a mind of its own.

 

They have one for the 2.2 that they have been working on. I'm not sure if it has been finalized and released yet. You might want to check up on this with clear image if you're interested. It should probably be around 300+ shipping or something like that.

I haven't heard of this happening before. Is this an attribute of the later models?

 

I think 07 auto cobalts are the devil