Got my Diablo Predator - Page 2

Z06 Rocket · 05-08-2006, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich Z

Aw man, it's raining like HELL out right now. And the forecast for the next several days doesn't look real good. Now I can't bitch too much because we really need the rain, but why did the drought have to break RIGHT NOW?

Dry as a bone in Central Florida. .

**Rich Z** · 05-10-2006, 06:12 PM

Well one thing I am not thrilled about with this Predator is that you can't play with the tuning parameters without having it hooked up to the car. You can plug in the power pack to get it running in the house, I suppose to do transfers to and from the PC. I don't know, it seems to me it would be real handy to be able to adjust the AFR and timing off line and then hook it up to the car to download the tune.

Haven't had time to do much otherwise with it the last few days. Didn't get any rain today but the weather map was showing the potential nearly all day long coming in from the west. Yesterday we got a frog drowner and another good soaking late last night as well.

I'm glad I have the Mosquito Magnets cranked up........

**Rich Z** · 05-13-2006, 03:21 AM

Well Friday (yesterday) I hooked up the Predator and loaded in the performance tune. At least that's what I think I did. The terminology in the handheld is a little confusing about what they mean. At one point, a menu asks you to select between the "Performance Tune" and the "Stock Tune". I believe in this instance that the "Performance Tune" means a custom downloaded one and the "Stock Tune" means the performance tune that comes in the handheld. From that particular menu, if I try to select the "Performance Tune" is says one is not available. Yet when I select the "Factory Tune", I can then go to the fine tuning options of the tune itself.

But I'm making assumptions here. I wouldn't THINK the handheld would allow you to alter the "stock tune" that I just copied from my PCM into the handheld prior to loading the performance tune into my vehicle. At least I hope not!

Anyway, I guess I don't have a prior custom tune in my Z, because it seemed to run just fine after I uploaded the Predator tune. Seat of the pants felt stronger, but I didn't have any opportunity to really push it. But throttle response seemed real good. Gas mileage was at least as good as it was before, so I can't see where I really lost anything as a tradeoff.

And I did find the options to disable the read O2 sensors.

I'm looking more favorably at this gizmo now, although it does seem to have some "ease of use" issues. Some may just be my unfamiliarity with the way it works and I need to play with it some more. For instance, since I have that stock performance tune now in my vehicle, can I still adjust the parameters for AFR and timing and then load those changes into my PCM? Or do I have to pull that tune back out of my PCM first and reload my stock program back in. If I have to reload my stock program, this could get to be tedious REAL quick. It doesn't take long to save the stock PCM data, but it does seem like it. Guess I just hate waiting.....

Anyway, I'll play with it some more over the next few days. Wish their manual had a "how-to" section to tell you what some of the fine tuning options actually are and how to set them optimally. That info MUST be out there somewhere, I would guess.....

Zyell06 · 05-18-2006, 10:44 AM

The only way that I would use a Predator to change any AF parameters is if i had a wide-band O2 sensor hooked up to the car. That way you would be able to see how any changes affect your AF ratio.

If you don't have access to a custom tuner, you can use the Predator to apply a "mail-order" tune to get you in the ballpark and then adjust it on the road with the wide-band O2 sensor hooked up. I've always preferred that method over a dyno becasue it seems more "real world" to me. There is one problem with this though. Running your car up to the redline in 4th gear can create excessive speed which law enforcement will frown on. hehehe

One of the advantages to using the Predator is that you can reflash back to stock if you need to get some warranty work done.

gary

**Rich Z** · 05-25-2006, 04:36 PM

Well I'm planning on taking my Z to the Chevy dealership tomorrow (Friday) so I figured it would be wise to load the factory tune back in from the Diablo Predator. So I just hook it up and run through the procedure. Went OK as far as I could tell, but it did seem to be making some different noises from the dash area then I remembered. Hmmm, the ANS light is staring me in the face. I turn off the ignition, turn it back on.... still there. I start the car, jeez louise, it's STILL there. But wait! There's more! NONE of the dash gauges are working now and the HUD is dead.

Now what? So I figured I would call Diablo. Of course I couldn't find their phone number in that "user manual" anywhere, so I had to go to their website to find. Talked to a tech support guy, and he says he never heard of that problem before. So he goes off phone to talk to someone else. After a few minutes, he comes back and tells me I have to disconnect the battery for 10 minutes and that will clear the problem.

Which it did, but I am certainly not happy about this. Who the heck wants to run the risk of having to disconnect their battery to reset the car everytime they use this darn thing? I certainly don't. It's not exactly the best thing since sliced bread, and seems to bite your hand every now and again. And if it will screw up my instrument panel, what ELSE does it have the potential to screw up? I have heard that it CAN blitz the radio too.

Well, I have 30 days to evaluate this thing and return it, so guess what? Yep, it goes back. I just don't need this kind of headache. So I'm back to square one to try to figure out a tuning option for my car........

exile · 05-25-2006, 05:28 PM

Rich, have you still got a factory warranty?

**Rich Z** · 05-25-2006, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exile

Rich, have you still got a factory warranty?

On the Z? No, I don't. I bought it at the end of this past September and it already had something like 58K miles on it. I looked around for an extended warranty for a while, but after getting jerked around so much I just dropped that idea.

exile · 05-25-2006, 08:44 PM

I thought you might not. If you're not worried about a warranty, why wouldn't you leave your HP program from the Diablo Predator on your car? If you had a warranty, then I understand why you would set back to factory, but without one, why do you set back? Curiosity only, I don't know why you would......Tom

MADN3SS · 05-25-2006, 09:36 PM

Rich, this guy gets rave reviews on Z06Vette.com for extended warranties. If I didn't already buy one, I probably would have gone through him.

If you want a GM factory warranty
contact
Jason Walter: Sales Manager
Department: New Vehicles
Phone: 800-417-5162
Email at: jasonwalter@rossdowningchevrolet.com

You should make the trip down to Tampa for an FRCTom tune. We could all get together.

**Rich Z** · 05-25-2006, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by exile

I thought you might not. If you're not worried about a warranty, why wouldn't you leave your HP program from the Diablo Predator on your car? If you had a warranty, then I understand why you would set back to factory, but without one, why do you set back? Curiosity only, I don't know why you would......Tom

Well about every account I have read anywhere suggests that you put the factory tune back in if you are having the car serviced. Can't say I have ever read WHY they suggest doing that, but since Diablo makes such a big deal out of verifying that you do not already have a custom tune in the care before applying the performance tune, I just assumed they had good reasons. My figuring was that it would be better to be safe then sorry. In other words, if I had left the performance tune in there, and a problem cropped up in someway related to the tuning, then I couldn't have rebutted the "I told you so" arguments I would get from Diablo.

In any event, I am being asked to bend over by the place I bought this thing from (concoursdirect.com). The fine print in their 30 day satisfaction guarantee is that I would have to pay a 20 percent restocking fee AND pay for their shipping to me, even though it was billed as free shipping when I bought it. OR I can return the unit for a replacement on the off chance this one might just be defective.