SCT Tuning and my 1996 SVT Cobra...

[Apicia]

I have had several Mustangs and SCT tuners for all of them. My current Cobra does not need a dyno tune yet. Still need to make a few more mods Car runs perfect, makes no strange noises, but gets hot in traffic.

I ordered the Bama SCT X4 tuner to lower my fan low/high temps to 200/210. She was getting too hot when sitting. It came with three Bama custom tunes and the device disabled the regular SCT tunes. Street, Performance, and Race options (all for 93 octane, as I use Shell 93).

The car does not seem right with either the Performance or Street tunes. Car makes strange noises at around 3k RPM and coming off throttle (non-WOT driving). Sounded initially like detonation, but sounds more like valve train noise. I thought maybe the tune was changing my IMRC actions? Does the IMRC make audible noise when it engages/disengages? The Performance tune did have some detonation at times. This car is 17 years old and stock. I don't understand how a canned tune for a stock car this old can be so bad. Made a quick pull last night WOT and it didn't feel right half way through second gear (felt like it lost power), so I let off and coasted home. Maybe timing too high and detonation pulled back timing?

Returned the car back to stock and she runs terrific again (except my high temps in traffic). Any ideas guys?

 

[Tabres]

They're canned BAMA tunes. That's how they can be so bad.

 

[BAB_SVT_Cobra]

Hmm a cooling issue Did you check your radiator+hoses? Do you fill your antifreeze in the overflow or in the cross over pipe?

That tuner company I'd avoid if your car acted that way, I can't speak for sure about imrcs "making noise" but what I can say for sure they open and close between 3-3250k rpm so perhaps. -Imrcs should be cleaned once a year for performance

 

[Apicia]

The fans just don't come on soon enough for me. I like low speed at 200 and high speed at 210. The 1996 had the fans coming on really late.

 

[wvragtop]

is this air con related ? i know there was a problem with some models .

 

[AZSN95SNAKE]

My car runs like complete CRAP on the street, and performance tunes from BAMA. The car becomes hesitant, knocks (I believe), misfiring on several cylinders. The "race" tune is the only tune in which the cars runs well and pulls well with no unusual sounds nor bad performance. I need to pay for a street tune from else where since they redid the street tune for me once before and it didn't even change or so it felt.

Just wire the fan directly to a switch set for high and turn it on manually. Previous owner did that on mine, works great.

 

[mustangsvt281]

My car runs like complete CRAP on the street, and performance tunes from BAMA. The car becomes hesitant, knocks (I believe), misfiring on several cylinders. The "race" tune is the only tune in which the cars runs well and pulls well with no unusual sounds nor bad performance. I need to pay for a street tune from else where since they redid the street tune for me once before and it didn't even change or so it felt.

Just wire the fan directly to a switch set for high and turn it on manually. Previous owner did that on mine, works great.

Everyone is correct in saying that canned tunes suck at times but this is because every car is different. That is why you datalog your car and send BAMA or whoever the datalog info so that they can fine tune it and try to get it right. you cant expect a canned tune to be perfect. i ran the BAMA race tune on my 98 cobra for a year or tune and the car ran fine but it was extremely rich. Now that i have the eaton swap started up and ready to go i bought the pro racer software. This enables me to tune my 98 cobra as much as i want. This may be an avenue alot of people will want to look at, but even with myself tuning the car it will still take alot of time to get it just where i want it as would a canned tune. you have to get a base tune close to what you want then datalog to fine tune. Its really no different except that you cut out the middle man and get the satisfaction of tuning your own vehicle.

 

[Apicia]

I was able to go back into the SCT X4 after going back to stock. In options, I reset the device. This erased the custom tunes and enabled the preloaded tunes. After a lengthy device update (new X4 has WiFi!), I installed the SCT Cobra tune and changed the fan temp on for low and high. Car runs perfect. No weird noises or valve train noise. SCT gave me two options, 93 octane and Race fuel. Went with 93 octane and couldn't run better.

I don't know what Bama did with the SCT 93 octane base tune, but they bricked it. Seriously, the car is a stock 1996 Cobra. 17 years for SCT to tweak the stock tune for stock N/A. More serious mods demand a dyno tune.