Pre-Tuning Vehicle Review

Pre-Tuning Readiness Checklist (Read Before Your Appointment)

We are seeing a growing number of vehicles—both remote and in-person—arrive not mechanically ready for tuning.

A great calibration cannot fix mechanical issues. Vacuum leaks, exhaust leaks, wiring problems, weak ignition, or bad fuel will waste time and delay results. A little prep on your end saves everyone hours.

Please review the following before your tuning session.

Battery

• Battery must be fully charged

• Tuning often requires the key on / engine off

• Applies to both remote and in-person tuning

Exhaust & Wideband

• No exhaust leaks (pinholes are leaks)

• ALL O2 sensors must be connected

• Wideband must be installed in a dedicated bung
  (rear O2 bung acceptable temporarily)

• Notify us if the wideband is:

  • Downstream of the catalyst(s)

  • A tailpipe sniffer

• Notify us if the vehicle uses an exhaust cutout

Fuel

• Minimum ½ tank of fuel

• Fuel must be less than 90 days old

• Old fuel must be diluted with fresh fuel

• Correct octane must already be in the tank

  • Asking for 93 tuning with 87 in the tank = problems

• Ethanol users

  • Test every fill-up

  • We do not do max-effort tuning on inconsistent pump ethanol

• Injector data must be accurate

  • Incorrect injector size will completely derail the tune

Intake

• If running an air filter, it must be clean and recently serviced

• Dirty or restricted filters affect airflow and calibration

Ignition

JTEC vehicles (1996–2004, excluding Viper):

• NGK spark plugs

• Brass cap & rotor

• Quality plug wires (Firecore recommended)

• 400+ whp requires an MSD 6AL or equivalent

  • Without it, spark blowout is likely

Spark Plug Guide

• Gen 3 Hemi

  • N/A: factory gap

  • Boosted: 

    • 0.029" for stock boost level
      
    • 0.027" for 15psi
      
    • 0.024" for 18 psi
      
    • 0.022" for 20psi
      
    • 0.020" for 22psi
      
    • 0.018" for 24psi

  • 25+ psi: email us

• Early 5.7: NGK 2314 (N/A)

• 6.1: NGK 2315

• 5.7 Eagle: NGK 6619

  • 650+ whp: NGK 2309

• 6.4 Apache: NGK 6510

• 6.2 Hellcat: NGK 2309

  • 20+ psi: email us

• 318 / 360 / Jeep I6

  • Mild N/A: NGK ZFR6F-11

  • Power adder: NGK ZFR6F-11 (up to 12 psi) OR NGK BKR7E (.035", BEST FOR BIG BOOST)

• 4.7

  • N/A: NGK BKR6E-11

  • Power adder: NGK BKR7E-11 (.035")

• Gen 2 / Gen 3 Viper

  • OEM Champion plugs (yes, seriously)

Suspension & Safety

• Control arm bushings, shock bushings, and motor mounts must be solid

• These are safety-critical, even on a dyno

Tires & Wheels

• No dry rot

• No missing lug nuts

If you’re unsure whether your vehicle is ready, ask before your appointment. Showing up unprepared delays tuning and may require rescheduling.