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Trifecta Budget Tune

59K views 233 replies 57 participants last post by  mena661 
#1 ·
Is there anyone here who has tried this? It appeals to me for a variety of reasons, mainly that it appears to be totally reversable.

Budget LNF tune - Want one of Trifecta's premium 2.0 turbo tunes at a discount? If your vehicle is bone stock, or mostly stock (drop-in filter, downpipe and charge pipe upgrade ONLY), you may qualify for the LNF budget tune. There is NO datalogging support with this tune, it is truly a "canned" tune. If you order this tune, and end up needing or wanting adjustments, you will be required to pay a datalog analysis and adjustment fee ($300 additional). EZ Flash (programming cable) delivery method only, GT Tuner orders not eligible.

2007 - 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP
2007 - 2009 Saturn Sky Redline
2008 - 2010 Chevrolet HHR SS
2008 - 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt SS

Price: $200 Excludes shipping, and security deposit (if required)

To order this tune, click on this link, and make sure you specify "Budget LNF tune" in the additional comments section on the order form to receive the special pricing (dealers may also order this tune at the lower price point).
So, a few questions:

Does it improve performance in any real way? The dyno charts did not include this one, and I am not interested in only 10HP increases, may as well stay stock.

Does it work in invisable mode and allow passing of emissions?

Is it really as easy to install as they say?

Any drawbacks to a bone stock car?

Any other drawbacks?

Thanks,

Jim :cool:
 
#2 ·
Is there anyone here who has tried this? It appeals to me for a variety of reasons, mainly that it appears to be totally reversable.



So, a few questions:

Does it improve performance in any real way? The dyno charts did not include this one, and I am not interested in only 10HP increases, may as well stay stock.

Does it work in invisable mode and allow passing of emissions?

Is it really as easy to install as they say?

Any drawbacks to a bone stock car?

Any other drawbacks?

Thanks,

Jim :cool:

It will get you power close to the GMPP tune (heck perhaps even more)

It does not need to work in invisible mode, as smog check places check for DTCs

It's as easy as pie to install, im sure it is a simple plug in, turn on, upload, and drive.

no drawbacks, except the need for more power..

You're welcome
 
#3 ·
:thumbs:

Thanks!

Jim :cool:
 
#4 ·
My guess is this is going to be the "base" tune that Vince sends out when you place an order. There is no doubt that base tune increases power. I had the GMPP tune on my car and then loaded the Trifecta tune, it was more powerful (I had a Solo Street Race exhaust) than the GMPP tune.

What you get in addition with the regular tune is the ability send back data logs and continue refining the tune for your car. I did this last year 4 or 5 five times with Vince, and will be doing some more here this spring with my other additions to the car this winter.

If you just want some more power, this is a great affordable (in the world of tunes) way to get this done.

Loading was EASY, provided you have a laptop. Plug the cable into the OBDII port, fire up the software, follow the prompts.

This would be my suggestion if you just want some more power, and not looking to fine tune for your specific set of performance modifications.
 
#5 ·
Thanks! Since I do not intend any performance mods at all, no exhaust, no freeflow cat, no CAI, nothing, this tune should give me 60-90 hp and a little more torque according to Vince. It should retain all the normal drivability, and pass emmissions and be revertable. Sounds like a great low buck enhancement to the car with minimal risk.

Jim :cool:
 
#7 ·
You would have to ask them that one. I suspect part of the answer would be that Trifecta doesn't have to worry about maintaining warranty or get CARB certified, so are more free to make adjustments GMMP would not be able to make. But that is just a guess on my part.

Jim :cool:
 
#9 ·
Will you feel it? Oh yes. You WILL feel it.

I'm used to road racing a Viper with more than twice the power of a GXP -- and after I flashed my wife's bone-stock Solstice I was simply shocked at the results. It went from a mildly interesting little roller skate to an impressive little rocket. Sad to see just how much performance GM left on the table with these cars.

In theory I didn't need the support, his off-the-shelf tune worked just fine. However, the support was nice for peace-of-mind since the car threw a bunch of codes at first. Eventually I realized the intercooler pipe was leaking under boost so it wasn't the tune's fault at all, but had I been without support, those initial problems would have freaked me out quite a bit. Vince is very patient, very helpful, and ultimately I didn't mind spending a few extra bucks.

I've had other, faster cars that I've spent more for custom dyno tuning, and the results weren't as dramatic.

Worth every dime.
 
#11 ·
Will you feel it? Oh yes. You WILL feel it.

I'm used to road racing a Viper with more than twice the power of a GXP -- and after I flashed my wife's bone-stock Solstice I was simply shocked at the results. It went from a mildly interesting little roller skate to an impressive little rocket. Sad to see just how much performance GM left on the table with these cars.

In theory I didn't need the support, his off-the-shelf tune worked just fine. However, the support was nice for peace-of-mind since the car threw a bunch of codes at first. Eventually I realized the intercooler pipe was leaking under boost so it wasn't the tune's fault at all, but had I been without support, those initial problems would have freaked me out quite a bit. Vince is very patient, very helpful, and ultimately I didn't mind spending a few extra bucks.

I've had other, faster cars that I've spent more for custom dyno tuning, and the results weren't as dramatic.

Worth every dime.
When you say I/C pipes were leaking, do you mean the couplers??? In which I'm guessing some good T-bolt clamps would fix that.
 
#10 ·
This is sounding better and better. I think I will order the tune. For the price, it sounds like a no brainer!

Jim :cool:
 
#13 ·
I just ordered the budget tune for my 09 GXP on Friday. I was trying to see why my car wasn't starting and I tried emailing Vince to see if it was my ECM and was more than helpful (and I hadn't even bought a tune yet). I've got a good feeling about it and there seems to be a lot of forum users showing it as their mods. My only mod will be norms GTO CAI hood. We'll see in a month how it feels.
 
#15 ·
I talked to Vince today and for what I want, (basic boost) the Budget LNF seems to fit the bill. He answered all of my questions. I'm excited to get the tune software and the EZ cable. He said the flash takes @10-15 minutes.
 
#16 ·
I'm really looking forward to it! Not long now!

Jim :cool:
 
#18 ·
They can use either the stock or GMPP. BTW I just installed the Trifecta 'Budget" tune on my wife's stock Red 07 GXP manual and WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 are you in for a treat. The power increase is very noticeable. I let the car warm up for a few miles and on a country road hit it and I was amazed! The power increase is very noticeable. Third gear is a MONSTER! The install was easy. When it finishes, the finish line is checked. I wasn't sure if anyother windo popped up so I waited for a minute but seeing no other windows, I closed the EZ flash program, unhooked the cable and put away the laptop.

I started the car and backed out the driveway. Came to the stop sign at the endof our lane and when I pulled out it "felt" more powerful but I had no idea how much this tune meant till I got @ 4 miles down the road and the car was warmed up. I came to another stop sign and turned right onto a 2 lane major road. No one was behind me. I puleed out easy then stomped it. MAM MIA you really have to be careful. Shifted quick 1-2 then came third gear. It is a monster now. Always was my best but now incredible. My Boost stock was never over 16-17. Now 21-22! What I really like is the car driven normally is just as sedate but if you need POWER its there now. Folks, I called Vince to thank him and suggested the word Budget doesn't do justice to this tune. I'll work on a more accurate word. I can only imagine what the custom tunes do. Jim VonBaden you will be amazed what they "Budget" tune will do to your Silver Sky.
Vince Geglia is a genius and a very nice guy to boot!
 
#19 ·
Nice! I am looking forward to it!

Jim :cool:
 
#20 ·
Jim: Had the car out again last night for about an hour. The boost gain is amazing. You punch this car now, especially in 3rd gear and you are going to be amazed. I can't wait to hear from you when you get your tune.
 
#21 ·
Just a little over a week and I will see for myself!

Jim :cool:
 
#23 ·
trifecta or gm tune which is better and for what reason?
Only you can decide, but I will give a very high level overview.

Trifecta:

Budget LNF tune - Want one of Trifecta's premium 2.0 turbo tunes at a discount? If your vehicle is bone stock, or mostly stock (drop-in filter, downpipe and charge pipe upgrade ONLY), you may qualify for the LNF budget tune. There is NO datalogging support with this tune, it is truly a "canned" tune. If you order this tune, and end up needing or wanting adjustments, you will be required to pay a datalog analysis and adjustment fee ($300 additional). EZ Flash (programming cable) delivery method only, GT Tuner orders not eligible.
Cost $200
Adds 60-90 hp, and a little more torque.
Easy on and off with the cruise control button
May void warranty

GMPP
Similar HP and Torque gains
Cost about $450 + $100+ for install
Requires cutting stock wiring
Maintains GM warranty


IMHP, warranty notwithstanding, the Trifecta is better all around. No added components, easily reversible, and MUCH cheaper.

Jim :cool:
 
#24 ·
Jim: As far as HP/TRQ from the Trifecta Budget tune, after talking with Vince Geglia, he felt on a stock GXP MT that the HP gain would, at minimum, equal the GMPP tune and so would the TRQ. We have a VW racing shop in our town which has a Dynojet Dynometer. For $70 they will perform a 3 run test. I'm going to get that performed in the next month and then post hard numbers for our car (my wife's car really! Except I'm her personal mechanic, car washer etc...).

Vince emphasized that each Solstice can be a bit different. On the HP side, I think he said at a minimum even the budget tune would equal the GMPP(290). The full tune with adjustments can jump that to as much as 330 HP.

All I can say with certainty without testing equipment is my boost readout stock never exceeded 18 and max now is 23! You can surely feel the difference. The car now with WOT is scary fast ( Of course with yours truly at 60 yrs old driving a 2006 Honda Civic fast is a relative term).

Since you are getting the budget tune, please let me know your "feel" for the car after the tune. You will really notice it.
 
#25 ·
All, this is a great thread. Could I ask a couple of questions of people smarter than I?

1 - What's the risk in installing this? I've got an 07 GXP with about 39k. Is there anything I should check before I install this tune?

2 - On the site, they make some caveats about the car being bone stock. Since I've only owned my car for a year, is there any quick things that I can look at to see if anything has been changed? Chances are there haven't been any modifications, but if there are quick things I can look at I'd be happy to do so.

3 - In this thread people talk about being able to turn the mod on and off with the cruise switch. I don't see this mentioned on the site. Could someone provide a bit more detail about that?

Also, in case anyone is looking for it, here is the link: Trifecta Performance

Thanks all.

E.J.
 
#26 ·
I'll definitely let you know how my seat of the pants dyno "feels"! Since you can turn the tune on and off with the cruise control switch, theoretically returning it to the stock tune, you should be able to get a very good idea how much the tune helps with a real set of dyno runs!

For EJ:

So long as your car is in proper running order there is nothing I can think of to check before installing the tune.

As for "bone stock", I have been told a couple minor mods like a cat back exhaust, would not effect the tune. If your car is stock, and it should be obvious by the exhaust at a minimum (if the exhaust is stock it is highly unlikely that you have had significant mods done since the exhaust is one of the first things modded by most) you are probably still completely stock. You can also look at your intake. If you have the stock intake you will see a big flat airbox in the middle front of your car.

The on/off function is not mentioned, but when you fill out the forms for the purchase, if you buy it directly, you will specify if you want to turn it off via the cruise control, or the traction control buttons.

Hope this helps.

Jim :cool:
 
#27 ·
I've been looking at the Budget Tune myself and expect to have it within the next couple of weeks.
I've changed my exhaust to the Solo Mach the CAI to the Dejon and already have the GM Tune. All of this pairs up fine with the Budget Tune and really where the add on's can come into play is if you've changed the Turbo, Intercooler etc... Even, if you have changed some of the IC pipes you just specify it when ordering, so that Vince can take it into consideration when creating the Tune.
 
#28 ·
So if you already have the GMPP tune and sensor upgrades does the Trifecta Budget Tune really get you anything more? I've been reading the HPTuner threads on that forum and compared to the GM LS engine there is a limited set of parameters available to adjust. Since the two tunes get about the same gain I'm guessing the tunes are very similar and by extension wouldn't compliment each other much.

In fact the budget tune would be replacing the GMPP tune once it's flashed. I know that HPTuners replaces the whole ROM image, you can't pick and choose which settings to apply. I'd guess the trifecta flash program does the same.
 
#29 ·
No, the budget tune wont help much if you have the GMPP, and no other mods. However, if you start modding for performance parts, high flow cat, valve work, larget intercooler, turbo and more, the Trifecta, not the budget, tune will be able to maximize your performance for the changes you made.

Jim :cool:
 
#31 ·
Regarding the difference between the budget tune and the regular tune...

Because we've tuned so many of these LNF vehicles, and they rarely require follow-up tuning if they don't have too many mods on them we decided to offer a "canned" version of the tune for a discount. You get the same tune, the difference is we don't look at datalogs from a budget-tuned vehicle. What you get is what you get, but it's going to deliver between 95% and 100% of what you might get with the regular tune, where we would review datalogs and further optimize the tune.
 
#132 ·
This thread has been around since 02-2011.
This is what Vince had to say about the difference between the budget and regular tune. You could get almost all of you questions if you just read:thumbs: the thread . Also it sound like the guy that quoted $310 may not be talking "budget tune".
 
#33 ·
Il be ordering this myself very soon.

Question though - my brother in law owns a gas station and is a mechanic. Chances are he already has the required cable. If so I could simply order this and install as soon as I got the software, right? Or is the connector in the solstice unique in any way?
 
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