'05 programmer/aftermarket mods compatibility question

[vip808]

Does anyone know if any of the programmers for 2005 H2s will work properly if the stock stereo has been upgraded with an after-market one? Would it also work well with an after-market intake and exhaust?

[vip808]

Does anyone know if any of the programmers for 2005 H2s will work properly if the stock stereo has been upgraded with an after-market one? Would it also work well with an after-market intake and exhaust?

[therock]

I do not see why not.
Save your money, or say, get more for it with a Nelson Tune over a hand held programmer AKA paper weight.
With a Nelson tune you do a phone interview with Allen Nelson on your preferences. He tunes a pcm and sends it to you. Swapping it out is a breeze. You then send him your core. For more money you can keep your core. You can get any octane tune you like and change any aspects of the tune via mail for as long as you own the vehicle for shipping charges only. The hand helds are just not up to par with the programmers and or capabilitys of tuners like Nelson. You can do an economy 87 tune or a ragged edged 93 octane. His custome is hands down 4 star.
I did a 93 performance tune on my 03 Z71 and if I drove civil like, it got better mpg than stock.
He has a Dyno and has tuned H2's on it and will base his mail order tune on that. If you do not like something about the tune, shifting feel or points, you send for an update. Get any thing you want.
I know he is doing 2005 H2's right now.

nelsonperformance.com Tell him "therock" sent you.

[MotorsportsAuthority aka Dragon]

yes. and yes.

[OldHiker]

Beware of these tuners and what could happen. I was at an event this week and wanted to go back to stock for comparison to towing. In the middle of the reprogramming, it crashed. Result? Dead truck. Turn the key and absolutely nothing. Everything else was working. Had to get the pcm reflashed. It's a good thing it was a dealer supported event otherwise there would have been a flatbedding charge.

[vip808]

thanks guys
oldhiker, what brand of programmer were using? that's the problem i'm trying to avoid.. same thing happened to someone i know(Escalade owner).. dealership blamed his stereo/alarm installation(removal of his stock stereo)

therock, could something like this happen with your pcm? or is your method of tuning safer with a truck that has been had there stereo system upgraded?
thanks again for the input

[therock]

Go To Nelsonperformance.com.
As a programmer he could answer this for you in detail.
Note:
Dealerships cannot see your tune. If they flash your pcm with an update it will overwrite any aftermarket tune on it. Thus you call Neldson and he ships you another. Or keep your core for dealership visits.

[OldHiker]

S&P, not to be confused with S&B (an lesser known group). I have changed the tune several times and never had a problem. In retrospect, not worth the investment.

[MotorsportsAuthority aka Dragon]

the problem he most likely had was a weak battery. make sure you have a good charge. if your vehicle dies in the middle of programming, it will mess up the pcm. that will happen with any programmer.

[Klaus]

Any accessory that communicates with the class 2 databus can interfere with programming. If you have an aftermarket audio adapter that is tied into the class 2 databus, disconnect it or pull the fuse on it before using a programmer.

Even OnStar can interfere with programming. That's why most programmers instruct you to pull the OnStar fuse.

As Dragon mentioned, a weak battery will give you problems as well. As a matter of fact, GM just certified a battery charger to use while programming:

http://www.gmtechlink.com/images/issues/jul05/TLjul05e.html

Do NOT use a regular battery charger during programming!

[GeorgeSSSS]

Although I'm keeping my H2 "stock," I'm always fascinated by these kinds of threads. I understand that reprogramming increases horsepower only marginally because you are dealing with a fixed amount of air coming into the system and a fixed amount of backpressure from the exhaust. Therefore, with reprogramming or a "hot chip," you spend a fair amount of money for little power gain.

Conversely, I've heard that if you are reprogramming for better milage (or lower octane), the cost of the new chip makes the payback in gas savings something like 5 years.

I know that you guys are definitely "car smart." Am I misunderstanding something here?

George SSSS

[therock]

Fixed in and out air does not lock you down. These engines are capable of much more power as they are. The air is not fixed, the fuel mixture is, just to name one. The exhaust systems do not bottle neck as hard as after market muffler companies would like you to believe.
GM did a smart thing by developing the anti-abuse or torque management programs for these engines. They can provide warrantys and not have to get raped or an unreliable reputation.
Now days it is hard to break them down. The throttle by wire is another example. You floor it and the blade rarely opens more than 45%. Ever! With a cable operated unit you could at least peg it open.
So, you floor it, the PCM sees it and retards timing, drops line pressure to the transmission and cuts back on fuel. Example.
I had a 97 Z71 ECSB with a 185 HP 5.7. I could smoke the tires from a stop until it was ready to shift. Now, (before I installed the Radix), I have a 310 HP 5.3 that will not do a burn out.
Enter the after market tuners. They relieve the hold backs and do some enhancements to unlock the power.
An engine that runs proper timing gets better mpg's.
GM tends to run us on the rich side, the tuners relieve this to a safe point and this makes for better performance and mpg's.
Tuners go into the transmission program and firm up the shifts to your desired point. Less slip between gears is les heat and friction and wear.
They do more things than I know about for sure.
Now it is up to you to care for your drive line. If you want to start a spin in the grass and hit pavement, you are asking for it. A traffic duel or the need to get into traffic safely every once and a while will not hurt.

Call Allen Nelson, let him interview how you want to use your vehicle and get her done. Any of his tunes improve mpg's when driven like going to church on Sunday. You only pay when you play.
There were two of my coworkers who kept ribbing me about the BS program I wasted my cash on. One day after work they pounced on me and we ALL were surprised how much I pulled on them. We are all ECSB Z71's with 5.3's and 3.73 gears. I was in front at a light. Took a right on red and they followed close. I went to the outside lane and one stayed on my bumper and the other came up beside me when we punched it. I had no idea how much better my truck ran until then. The next day they were all wide-eyed wanting to know all about it.
My timing, fuel and line pressure did not drop and my shift points were higher. I believe he can get you 25 or better to the wheels and apply it without big brother GM's oppression.

therock

[GeorgeSSSS]

Rock:

Thanks for the good info. Very interesting and something to definitely consider.

George SSSS