There has been much talk on the internet chat rooms lately about Dyno Flash and there has been some effort by some of our compeitors and their supporters to engage in what we describe as "negative" marketing methods. For myself, business has been very good and growing and I choose NOT to involve myself in vendor bashing and negative marketing. I believe that my product and the value of our services will speak for itself.

I wanted to take some time to explain to those interested what our goals are in tuning and WHY we do what we do and HOW we do it. My purpose here is to educate our prospective customers about our product and what to expect from it.

There is always MORE than one way to skin a cat and I DO NOT seek to criticise other tuners who may disagree with our methods. Everyone is entitled to his / her own opinion and this is my take on reflash tuning.

After spending an entire year of my life basically 100% dedicated to reflash tuning on Evo 8's - almost on a daily basis - both with through the mail tuning and with custom dyno and road tuning, I have learned some valuable lessons on the capabilities and limitations of the factory evo 8 ecu and the reflashing equipment which we utilize.

To sumarize in a nutshell, the reflash can offer respectable power gains, smooth - stock like driveability, plug and play instalation and very reliable service.

However, a reflash has limitations and can not deliver absolute MAXIMUM power gains that can be produced with more costly stand alone systems (such as AEM) or piggy backs which alter knock protection function (such as UTEC which has user defind knock control).

Our primary goal in starting Dyno Flash was to create a SAFE, reliable, COST EFFECTIVE and convieient solution to Evo 8 owners who seek to modify their vehicles and need a tuning solution to re-tune the car to match new modifications or who seek to enhance the performance through performance tuning.

Let me reiterate at this point that SAFE results are the # 1 goal I have as a tuner.

My additude is that I would rather give up 10 whp less on the dyno sheet or 1/10th at the 1/4 mile so that I do not have to read on here about my customer's motors blowing up from bad tuning. That is WHY we run our cars very RICH in the a/f ratio - (we shoot for 11.0 - 11.1 / 1 a/f). SURE we could easily make more whp by leaning out your car to 11.6 - 11.8 as some tuners have done. SURE that would pick you up a few more whp. AND yes - the result would be without a doubt a few blown motors along the way. By shooting for 11.0 - 11.1 /1 we leave a HUGE margin of saftey. IF the tune goes off slightly due to a vacume leak or atmoshpheric condition which we did not anticipate - there is a HUGE saftey margin of .5 of a/f ration to protect your motor and your investment. What happens if we tune for 11.6 - 11.8 and your car happens to run a bit lean one day? Disaster.

Remeber this impoortant point tunes the car a full point richer than we do.

So to sumarize - my point # 1 is that Dyno Flash tunes conservatively . . . . and safely.

I have over 800 people out there with the base through the mail flash and custom tunes - you don't see people posting that they blew up the engine. I can deal with people saying it was tuned a bit on the rich side or that they did not get enough power from their $199 base flash.

With this said - it is important to note that WHEN EVER you modify cars - there is some degree of risk of engine failure. We DO NOT guarantee against engine failures. Heck - MORE stock engines have blown up than with our product. Wht I am saying here is that generally our reflash holds an execelent record for reliability.

Our main goal in providing the through the mail flash was to conduct a HUGE sample of custom dyno and road tuning so that we could offer a GIANT library of base maps for a virtually limitless variety of modifications and set ups. The purpose of the $199 through the mail reflash is to provide a conservative - SAFE - tune which will offer decent results to people who do not have local tuners avialable in their area or who do not have the resources available to pay for expensive custom tuning services. THERE IS NO WAY that a $199 through the mail base flash is going to give you ULTIMATE performance. Our goal is to provide you with decent gains, (20 whp guarantee), a SAFE tune and a pleasant power band. For the $199 its a fair value and has offered many Evo 8 owners a good and inexpensive tuning alternative.

We give you two weeks (not 6 months) to try it out on your car - if you don't like it - send it back (yes send it back) for a refund. Its simple.

My own personal Evo 8 makes 667 whp and has made it through almost an entire race season of 13 events on the same motor. Trust me when I tell you that I am VERY capable of finding ways to make more whp on evos. Here is my dyno sheet for reference.



The second main point I want to address here is the factory knock protection set up and collant temp enrichment.

Few people realize that the factory ecu is a power house of advanced technology and it really is very well designed and crafted.

The factory ecu has one of the best knock protection programing I have ever seen.

Basically, as soon as you get any detonation the stock ecu pulls the timing and richens up the mixture to protect your engine.

After a year of tuning with the factory ecu, I have learned very well exactly how much engine noise you can make without activating the factory knock protection and I have also learned how to tune right under the factory limits. Bascially our goal is to tune the vehicle in such a way to show the ecu ULTRA LOW knock so that it will hold a steady and repeatable tune pass after pass.

Some tuning devices alter or disable this important knock function in order to get around it. While you can make easier power by removing or detuning the factory knock feature, you do so a a price in saftey and reliability.

Our goal is to present a tune which can work UNDER the threshold of the factory knock count limits so that you can drive the heck out of your car and never find the ecu pulling timing and your car developing a rough power band with areas of ign timing being pulled.

My primary hall mark of a properly tuned Dyno Flash ecu is totally stable ignition timing and as little knock activity as possible.

IT IS VERY POSSIBLE to run ultra lean a/f ratios - high ign timing and blow away the dyno numbers that the Dyno Flash makes - FOR ONE DYNO PASS. However, as you do more pulls the ecu will pull more and more ignition timing and you will wind up with a dyno shart that looks like an EKG print out - bumpy, lumpy and rough and a car that is not smooth and pleasant to drive.

It is very important to realize that research and testing on many cars is required to fully discover how the factory knock protection feature works and how to work WITH IT to make decent power gains while mainatining saftey and relaiability.

We have customers who come back after weeks and weeks of driving and we find that our dyno results are totally repeatable and will mainatin over time.

My opinion is that saftey and repeatability are the MOST IMPORTANT GOALS for our tuning.

I am asserting this information so that those who are considering the Dyno Flash can know in advance what our objectives are and how we tune.

There are scores of dyno sheets posted in this area of the forums of our results which speak volumes for the kind of work we do. Also, readers here will note that many Dyno Flash customers have reported expecelent times at the drag strip and at road racing events. DO NOT draw the conclusion that our product is weak. However - please as an inteligent reader ask yourself the question - "What is more important the last 10 - 15 whp out of my reflash tune or long term saftey and reliability." Tuning is a trade off - a compromise between competing forces. Those who seek the most power you can possibly get out of a tune, and who allow their decisions to be clouded by ego, vanity, bragging rights and the numbers on a dyno print out, usually don't finish the race.

Thanks for reading

 

never doubted you

 

Here is a perfect example of what I am talking about

Here is a gentleman who originally purchaed our base flash tune with some fairly common bolt on parts, intake filter ugrade, exhuast, MBC and fuel pump



The through the mail flash gave decent results - 283 whp with a nice smooth power band and a decent trq curve- RED graph line

For $199 it gave him a pleasant to drive, smooth and safe tune which was a great improvement over the stock tune

At a recent dyno day, the customer came in for the custom tuned upgrade $350 with the dyno time - (on sale for $275 that day) I originally loaded in one of my more agressive custom tuned maps for his set up and his car was making over 300 whp - actually 304 and 303. However, I saw (dyno sheet) and heard some knock activity so we had to progressively DE-TUNE the car step by step till we could reach a level of power that produced a linear, smooth and knock free power band. Then we had to de-tune the car an extra 5 % to provide a adequate margin of saftey.

Hence - his car was finally deemed properly tuned with 290 whp - and 289 ft lbs.

NOTE - I could have easily left him with the 304 whp tune and won the bragging rights for the day. However - doing that would result in a rough tune, a tune which can not hold the power and a unsafe tune.

I am frustrated that I could not fully satisfy this customer who became very upset that I could not get him a 300 whp dyno sheet that he wanted .
However - its my opinion that it better to FOCUS on safty and long trem reliability in tuning and I personally have no probloem de-tuning cars which are being operated with the presence of knock activity

 

Here's some ****... I logged these on a flat section of road in second gear. Unfortunately I can't go back and re-do the logs in third gear. I'm not sure how valid these numbers are since I had to "dial in " the Stage 3 numbers to what I've heard it commonly puts out. If anyone has any actual numbers for a Buschurflashed BR Stage 3 install, let me know and I'll correct to those numbers.

I'd like to see higher torque but overall I'm pretty happy.

 

Nice!!!! Thats a nice increase of power! What psi are you running and what gas?

 

So far all the tuning and logging has been done with Shell "V-Power" 93 octane. I'm using a Hallman MBC set at ~20psi.

To Al's original point, the timing logs for this and other runs are clean with no dips in the timing, just a nice progressive advance. Cranking up the boost will only result in crossing over the knock threshold. I'm sure the ECU could handle the knock by quenching it with fuel and pulling timing but what's the point? It will just result in a higher BSFC. As it was with Stage 3 I was getting 6 mpg at the track.

 

I have been happy but nothing so far with flashes.
I rather be safe than sorry

 

Well Said Al!!!

 

I'm pretty damn happy with my mail-in flash. My a/f is sitting around 11.0 all the way across.

 

Hi Al,

I just had all these mods done to my stock evo:

SAFC2
OB2 Logger
KNN Cone air filter
AMS Full Turboback Exhaust
AMS FMIC w/lower pipeings
Manual Boast Controller
Forge Recirculating BOV
Ground Wires
Boost Gauge
646/646 HKS Cams
NGR Spark plugs
APR Head Studs
Walbro 255lph Fuel pump
680cc AMS injectors

It was tuned with a SAFC by a local shop, but I was wondering if your dynoflash would help make my car an additional, realiable whp? I was wondering if you can provide me more info on what your dynoflash can do, for my SAFC tuned evo. Very interested in your product.

Thanks AL

 

I would always want to run safer then sorry,thats why Al is the man..

Sure another tuner could make 15 WHP more and say hey DynoFlash sucks,but what he doesnt tell you is that he made the car leaner and made it the engine go into the danger zone...

Ive beaten 1 Sti and 1 non supercharged cobra on a roll without cams and was a site to see,ultra smooth powerband and alot of power with a feeling of security that your not harming the engine, THAT THE DYNOFLASH WAY !!

 

I think what's great about the Dynoflash product, is that it appeals to the mass majority of folks who really want an improvement over stock but not really tap that upper bound limit of tuning.

There are others who really want to push the tuning to the limits and there are, of course, tuners that will do this and do it well. Whether Dynoflash can or cannot compete with these other tuners is something I don't want to argue in this thread. The main point that Al is trying to get across is that he tunes with a conservative philosophy.

I believe that was a brilliant marketing ploy on Al's part and the proof is in the popluarity of his ECU reflash. I really wish that other tuner's would respect this and just sell what they do best instead of trying to get their minions to bash Al's product any chance they get. Really, all that shows is that there is a fear that Al has bitten into the market share a little too much and there is concern. But I would urge other tuners to rethink their marketing strategy and compete with Al by stepping up and providing something different which will sell like hotcakes. Of course, I know Al would be up to the challenge to respond accordingly.

As is the case for any tuner, there will be those who are not satisfied. I also believe that he has pissed off some of his customers. But that is just par for the course in this business. I, for one, have had nothing but good experiences with him in either e-mail or in person. Always remember that the motto in business in the US is "the customer is always right" but there is a superseding motto about any type of relationship and that is "it takes TWO to tango". We all carry some responsibility on how we act whether we are the customer or the service provider. That's how GOOD business is performed.

Personally, I didn't think Al needed to make this post because his philosophies are obvious from previous postings and from the results of his work. BUT, I am sure to protect his business he did the best thing he could. I am hoping that those that read on this board keep an open mind. Vendors are fighting to sell their products on this forum. It is actually one of the few boards that actually allow vendors to post and duke it out. I have my own opinions on this but that's not the topic of this thread.

So, ultimately, it is really up to the customer to make the decision. There is really not Right or Wrong Vendor, just whether you think you got your money's worth. I, for one, feel that I got my money's worth with the Dynoflash. Would I get a different tune later? Possibly. Would I consider Al? Of course, he is the first choice, but like I said if there is another tuner out there that has a better product in my eyes, then, by all means, I would purchase it so long as I feel that IT WAS WORTH THE MONEY.

Just my thoughts...

Brent

 

Nicely said Al.

 

can't wait for my tune. when do you estimate you will be in so cali? thanks AL

 

Hey al.. how come my car a/f ratio was tuned at 10.5.. is there any chance to turn that up a little..??