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Originally Posted by backpacker3
How do stock tunes not damage cars then? If what you're saying is true then a stock tune could damage a vehicle. My car is stock there are no upgrades and no aftermarket parts all maintenance parts are OEM spec therefore if I tune my car conservatively not maxing out everything to its limit (I wouldn't max anything out anyway) I don't see why another Sunfire of the same year, model, engine, and transmission couldn't use it. You wouldn't reach the absolute full potential of the vehicle but that's not the point of a flash tune.
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Stock tune, as in the OEM?? The stock computer is a pretty complex device. It uses base maps, then learns as it goes. The stock ECM/PCM is designed to keep the engine running right through changing conditions. Like bad gas at 5,000 feet one day to good gas at sea level the next day. The OEM's do a pretty good job of programming, even taking into account each individual car's differences.
Flash tuning is just a way to reprogram the vehicle's computer. You can flash the stock ECM/PCM with a canned tune or you can have your tuner write a custom tune then flash your ECM/PCM with it.
Aftermarket tuners tweak what the factory programmed. They can only tweak so much for a canned tune, since too much tweaking doesn't allow room for changing variables, like a bad tank of gas. If you really wanted to see an MPG difference, you'd need a custom dyno tune specific to your car. That custom dyno tune that works on your Sunfire might cause trouble for another Sunfire. The differences in cars are very subtle. An example would be leaning your car out to the max safe limit, but that might put that other Sunfire's engine past the safe lean limit.
Plus, I haven't really seen any testing to show that a canned tune really increased fuel economy. SCT makes claims, but without some proof it is hard to believe their claims.
Again, if you have the money and aren't worried about a return on investment, go for it. Just don't expect huge gains.