Is there any reason not to get the trifecta tune?

[twotails]

So I've been seriously considering getting a trifecta tune for my sonic (the 'Order Programming' thing at wot-tuning.com for $300 plus $200 for the cable is the right thing, right?)

Anyway, I see all these great things about the tune, but I wanted to find out if there are any reasons to NOT get the tune. Does it degrade performance anywhere? Burn through oil twice as fast? Are there any disadvantages to having the tune?

Keeping in mind I'm not a car person at all so keep it dumb for me. Professionally I work in IT so I'm confident in my ability to apply the tune, but not much else beyond that.

 

[Insanika]

There are a few reasons:

1. You hate fun.

2. You can't stand how zippy your car already is.

3. You hate fun.

Actually, there is the off, but real chance of it affecting your warranty, but there have been several members who have made successful trips to the dealership for work with absolutely no issues, and so far nobody has been hassled.

Also you ARE going to be driving your car a little more aggressively, not necessarily on purpose, but most sonics are going to be running around with a stock boost of 12-15 psi on a normal basis. Tuned you're going to be routinely touching 19-23. While this has been deemed "safe" by Trifecta, and it's been shown that our stock internals appear to be more tough than expected, you're still putting a little more stress on the engine and turbo than the average Sonic. This may or may not prove to hinder your final longevity, we don't know. Look at several of the Cruzes with high mileage now and tunes on the same engine. I feel ok with it.

The only other reason not to would be if you wanted to try out one of the other brands. However, they are pretty new to the Sonic scene so there are not as many people to recommend them. On the same note, I don't think anyone here tuned by another would recommend against the product they have.

Good luck!

 

[Zurn]

Reason to NOT get the tune...

Your wife is pissed you just bought a new car, haven’t made a payment yet, and it’s got less than 1,000 miles on it, it’s still under warranty and you already want to put money into it. And on top of that you already have a project in the garage with a pile of parts that need installed yet you want to mess with the new car. But maybe that's just me...

 

[twotails]

lol, thanks both.

I was just looking at the one on badnewsracing.net (Trifecta Tune 2012+ Chevrolet Sonic 1.8 ), seems to be a pretty good deal at $200 for the tune and $150 for the cable. Is there a different shop that would be better to get (for better support, better prices, whatever). And I've seen that there's apparently two versions of the tune out there, is that the better one?

 

[Zurn]

The two versions are Budget Tune and Full Tune. If you have or are planning on simple mods like a cold air intake or aftermarket exhaust, go with the Budget tune for $200. The Full tune for $350 will allow you to make changes later down the road if you want to add stuff like a larger turbo, bigger injectors, aftermarket blow off valve, or cat delete. Of course being a 1.8L you don't have a turbo... The Full tune will also get you access to do some data logging and send it in for tweaks to dial in the tune for the aftermarket parts you add later. So it’s up to you, if you plan on lots of mods down the road, go Full Tune. If not, budget tune should be fine. You can always upgrade later too, from the Budget Tune to the Full Tune and pay the difference if you need to. The cable and tune will be the same price no matter where you go, but BNR is one of our supporting vendors and they seem to have great customer service. $150 is the standard rate for the cable, but if you are not in a hurry, I read that BNR will run a special from time to time where you can get the cable for free with the price of a tune. Or some vendors will “rent” you the cable with a $200 deposit and credit you back when you send the cable back. That or you could try to borrow one from somebody in your area. It’s all up to you on how fast you want it done. I'm sure BNR would answer any of your questions over the phone if you want to talk to somebody. Just give them a call.

 

[ahtoxa]

So I've been seriously considering getting a trifecta tune for my sonic (the 'Order Programming' thing at wot-tuning.com for $300 plus $200 for the cable is the right thing, right?)

Anyway, I see all these great things about the tune, but I wanted to find out if there are any reasons to NOT get the tune. Does it degrade performance anywhere? Burn through oil twice as fast? Are there any disadvantages to having the tune?

Keeping in mind I'm not a car person at all so keep it dumb for me. Professionally I work in IT so I'm confident in my ability to apply the tune, but not much else beyond that.

Reasons not to get it:

- spend the money on other fun hobbies, like guns
- spend the money on hookers and blow (related to above)
- if you run into any engine warranty concerns, you will have to flash to stock before going in. Not a big deal to most.

But seriously, the only reason not to get it is to save the money. It all depends on how important it is to you. The novelty will probably wear off or you'll start craving better performance, which is when you go down into the mod rabbit hole. Been there, done that.

 

[austinw24]

you want to go slow.

or you want to buy all parts, install and then tune to save (a little savings) over paying for retune.

 

[barch88]

The tune is actually $250 + $150 cable on BNR

 

[dkennedy1989]

The tune is actually $250 + $150 cable on BNR

Depends on what engine, the 1.8 is $250, 1.4 is either $200 for budget, or $300 with data logging for full tune.


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[turbo]

It is strongly recommended that you do not get the Trifecta tune if your religion prohibits you from exceeding 80mph, or if you belong to P.E.T.T. (People for the Equal Treatment of Tires) and cannot stand the thought of burning rubber and breaking your tires loose at 40mph when you downshift and punch the gas.

 

[Beastlick]

Fyi they usually do a big sale for black friday. I ordered my tune last yr after thanksgiving. Full tune and cable for $200.

As everyone else said dont get it if you enjoy going slow...

 

[twotails]

Fyi they usually do a big sale for black friday. I ordered my tune last yr after thanksgiving. Full tune and cable for $200.

As everyone else said dont get it if you enjoy going slow...

Awesome, I'll hold off for this.

 

[ahtoxa]

Awesome, I'll hold off for this.

Hell, if it's going to be that cheap around then, I'll get it too. And I really WAS going to leave the Sonic stock.

That is, if they resolve my coolant leak issues.