Cost of dyno & tune

[QDRHRSE]

I called Swanson performance in Los Angeles. I spoke with Danny Swanson about dyno time and tuning with either a Predator or SCT tuner. He wants $200 per hour for the Dyno and a flat $325 for the tune. Does that sound expensive? What do you guys typically pay?

I wasn't going to bother because a bunch of the local Mustang [my pepole] guys said he was an a$$hole and I decided to find out for myself. He is an a$$hole!

[QDRHRSE]

....I called a local place called R&E. I didn't know that they had as much EFI experience as they do. They want $90 for a baseline pull and tune and $15 for each additional pull on the dyno. The owner said it would probably end up costing between $165 and $240. That sounds more reasonable to me. Is that about the rate in Texas? I think that's in line with what Performance Research (Terry) charges.

Tom

[03LightningRocks]

Swanson knows Lightning tuning inside and out. He is well worth the extra. You need to be made aware of something here that you don't seem to realize. Our precious Lightnings have rods made of sh!t. The blocks on these things can be ventalated real easy.

As I said before....14lbs of boost is alot...the factory boost is only 8lbs for a reason. Don't go to any tuner who is using your Lightning for OJT.

I have paid in excess of 600 bucks plus travel to get a proper tune. Keep price shopping the single most important factor in your ride and you will soon be getting a new block.

Unfortunately, there are no gaurantees with a motor that has 70K miles, but you sure can decrease your odds of failure by sticking with tuners that know Lightnings. I would recommend Swanson over some wanna-be tuner, even if he does charge for his talents.

You better gain some respect for the mods your doing here...or start checking motor prices.

Rocks:beer:

....I called a local place called R&E. I didn't know that they had as much EFI experience as they do. They want $90 for a baseline pull and tune and $15 for each additional pull on the dyno. The owner said it would probably end up costing between $165 and $240. That sounds more reasonable to me. Is that about the rate in Texas? I think that's in line with what Performance Research (Terry) charges.

Tom

[QDRHRSE]

There's no doubt the guy knows what he's doing but you should hear the guy! I don't mind paying the premium for his knowledge- it's paying the premium for his poor attitude. He would certainly agree with you about giving him the respect he deserves! It was like he did me a favor by picking up the phone. I can't spend money at his shop.

[03LightningRocks]

There's no doubt the guy knows what he's doing but you should hear the guy! I don't mind paying the premium for his knowledge- it's paying the premium for his poor attitude. He would certainly agree with you about giving him the respect he deserves! It was like he did me a favor by picking up the phone. I can't spend money at his shop.


Wow...that really sucks. I have to admit, I don't think I would be comfortable with someone who made me feel that way either. I have never talked with him, I didn't know he was like that.

Just be carefull about getting too aggressive with your timing at first...and make sure you are running in the 11.5 A/F area. It might be worth it to talk to Terry cole(PR). I have never asked him if he knows California tuning requirements, he may know exactly what to do with the tune. I would spend the dime to at least see what he has to say about it.

Good Luck...sorry to hear the local guy out there is an arse.

Rocks:beer:

[PoorSvtman]

ive never realy heard anything bad about swanson on any of the boards... Maybe he had a bad day or is the type of guy that is real blunt and has a dry personality....

Also take into account that he probly gets tons of calls about your same questions everyday. I know i would get worn out answering the same questions and after spending time talking about the price and procedure and for customer just to say " well im just checking on prices ill get back to you" or " im just shopping around right now" Im sure about 90% of those people that call dont ever come back for his services or parts.

[Mark #2]

I have used Swanson for a few years now. He has had some turn over in his shop recently and I believe he is over loaded right now. I have nothing bad to say about him and he knows these trucks and probably does get tired of the phone calls about the same stuff all the time.

Mark

[03LightningRocks]

I think Mark makes a valid point. Swanson is a well known tuner and these well known tuners are dealing with alot of calls on the phone. Sometimes they get in a hurry and can be taken the wrong way.

I really think tuners just get a little short after dealing with so many people on a day in and day out basis. Hell, I personally know 3 Lightning specific tuners and all of them have come off as jerks at one time or another. It usually is just the hurry up mode on the phone. When you actually go to get your stuff tuned, they give you the time you expect to get. As a matter of fact...you will probably get to see why they are having trouble talking on the phone first hand.

The better know tuners aren't just sitting around waiting for somebody to call them. They are usually azzholes and elbows in Lightnings, all wanting the work done now.


Rocks:beer:

[tliss]

One thing I have to say about Danny is he will take the time to work with you and make sure things are right. I've got a Swanson tune on my truck and love it! I sent it back a few times to fine tune it, but it came out very good, and he spent countless hours on the phone with me to make sure he understood what I was looking for.

On a side note, last year he and a collegue came to LightningFest in Topeka, KS, and really worked hard for us to get our tunes right. Three of us were running his tunes and he spent most of Friday night fine tuning us for the racing on the next day, at no charge (well, we did have to provide him and Caleb with "party favors" for the drinking activity that commenced in the hotel parking lot!). He also gave Mark #2 a chip with a tune to try out on his truck. Bottom line is he knows his stuff and he will go the extra mile for you. He is the only tuner I would trust with my Lightning on the west coast...period.

Tom