Bluemustang
Well-Known Member
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- #1
Now that I have gotten to used both Bama and Lund tunes, I wanted put out my thoughts, as unbiased as I can. The Bama tunes seem to be put down on this forum, but I have no clear bias because I've paid for and used both company's tunes. Now that I've used the Lund Flex Fuel tune for a few months I have a better feel for it. I have an automatic 3.15 car so keep them in mind when I talk about transmission shifts.
First let me start off with the positives of both. Both make great power increases from the butt dyno and are noticeable improvements from stock. I have tried my Bama tune with stock intake and with Steeda and JLT intakes, and Lund only with the JLT. The intake and Gibson catback made a difference IMO in the high RPM with the Bama Race tune and same is true with the Lund tune. With both tunes, it just pulls much harder than stock especially at high RPMs. And both tunes the transmission shifts are much harder and more crisp than stock.
Now onto the differences.
Lund- more aggressive shifts. Shifts at the end of a corner can cause the back end the kick out momentarily which is kind of fun. It idles slightly higher than stock at about 740 RPM. It drives smoother than the Bama tune and stock. The engine braking does not kick in right away when you let off the throttle, which leads to a smoother driving car. It still delivers a little fuel to keep the momentum going. On downshifts again is smoother than the Bama tune and feels more like stock. More comfortable shifting in traffic. Next, it seems quicker off the line. With my tune revision, Greg added more timing slightly earlier to make it pickup quicker and quicker it does. Lastly, the Lund tune runs the fans more which makes my CHT run lower. It typically runs from 192-200 range. I've never seen it go over 210. Stock and on the Bama tune, it could reach 220 if I am pushing the car for extended periods. I never feel a loss of power.
Bama - Idles about the same as stock at 650 RPMs which I like better. Each tune makes my exhaust sound different which is a pick em situation, no winner there. Makes great power but not as quick off the line. Shifts slightly smoother than Lund, but engine braking is more immediate. Downshifts have a bit more abrupt sensation because of the engine braking, which could be good or bad depending on the situation. According to my logs, the Bama tune added more max timing but that could be positive or a negative. Don't like the car in regular drive mode, hate it. It's slow, shifts awkwardly and abruptly, just don't like it. But I use S mode and paddle shifters 95% of the time so it's okay. But not as smooth as Lund especially at low speeds.
Which has more power? I doubt there is a significant difference between the two. But after driving both and going back and forth, I like the Lund tune better. I liked certain aspects of the Bama tune and neither one gave me any problems. I can't tell which has more power but both are much faster than stock and worth voiding the warranty for me.
The Lund tune features flex fuel logic so I can run E85 or gas or a mixture of the two. The Bama race tune is programmed for 93. Does it have more power with E85? I cannot tell for sure but I suspect a little. A dyno would tell for sure. I've had my E85 logs checked and rechecked by Lund and received one tune revision. Fueling is spot on and zero knock. The one Bama log I did with the JLT had 3 degrees I believe of positive knock so they reduced the timing slightly to fix that. I didn't bother to re-test because I didn't have the time but I don't recall liking the tune revision. But I've had several other revisions from Bama with zero issues, so no reason to expect they would not have done the same with the JLT.
IMO Lund is the winner. More aggressive shifts, smoother drivability, better throttle response and lower CHTs. And ability to switch fuels on the go. Zero knock and zero fuel issues on 93 or E85 ethanol.
Both company's have excellent customer service and I enjoyed working with both companies. Thank you to Greg for checking and re-checking my 93 AND E85 logs to make sure I was safe. Btw when I tested the E85, it was below 30 degrees, so no issues with the cold.
First let me start off with the positives of both. Both make great power increases from the butt dyno and are noticeable improvements from stock. I have tried my Bama tune with stock intake and with Steeda and JLT intakes, and Lund only with the JLT. The intake and Gibson catback made a difference IMO in the high RPM with the Bama Race tune and same is true with the Lund tune. With both tunes, it just pulls much harder than stock especially at high RPMs. And both tunes the transmission shifts are much harder and more crisp than stock.
Now onto the differences.
Lund- more aggressive shifts. Shifts at the end of a corner can cause the back end the kick out momentarily which is kind of fun. It idles slightly higher than stock at about 740 RPM. It drives smoother than the Bama tune and stock. The engine braking does not kick in right away when you let off the throttle, which leads to a smoother driving car. It still delivers a little fuel to keep the momentum going. On downshifts again is smoother than the Bama tune and feels more like stock. More comfortable shifting in traffic. Next, it seems quicker off the line. With my tune revision, Greg added more timing slightly earlier to make it pickup quicker and quicker it does. Lastly, the Lund tune runs the fans more which makes my CHT run lower. It typically runs from 192-200 range. I've never seen it go over 210. Stock and on the Bama tune, it could reach 220 if I am pushing the car for extended periods. I never feel a loss of power.
Bama - Idles about the same as stock at 650 RPMs which I like better. Each tune makes my exhaust sound different which is a pick em situation, no winner there. Makes great power but not as quick off the line. Shifts slightly smoother than Lund, but engine braking is more immediate. Downshifts have a bit more abrupt sensation because of the engine braking, which could be good or bad depending on the situation. According to my logs, the Bama tune added more max timing but that could be positive or a negative. Don't like the car in regular drive mode, hate it. It's slow, shifts awkwardly and abruptly, just don't like it. But I use S mode and paddle shifters 95% of the time so it's okay. But not as smooth as Lund especially at low speeds.
Which has more power? I doubt there is a significant difference between the two. But after driving both and going back and forth, I like the Lund tune better. I liked certain aspects of the Bama tune and neither one gave me any problems. I can't tell which has more power but both are much faster than stock and worth voiding the warranty for me.
The Lund tune features flex fuel logic so I can run E85 or gas or a mixture of the two. The Bama race tune is programmed for 93. Does it have more power with E85? I cannot tell for sure but I suspect a little. A dyno would tell for sure. I've had my E85 logs checked and rechecked by Lund and received one tune revision. Fueling is spot on and zero knock. The one Bama log I did with the JLT had 3 degrees I believe of positive knock so they reduced the timing slightly to fix that. I didn't bother to re-test because I didn't have the time but I don't recall liking the tune revision. But I've had several other revisions from Bama with zero issues, so no reason to expect they would not have done the same with the JLT.
IMO Lund is the winner. More aggressive shifts, smoother drivability, better throttle response and lower CHTs. And ability to switch fuels on the go. Zero knock and zero fuel issues on 93 or E85 ethanol.
Both company's have excellent customer service and I enjoyed working with both companies. Thank you to Greg for checking and re-checking my 93 AND E85 logs to make sure I was safe. Btw when I tested the E85, it was below 30 degrees, so no issues with the cold.
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