Everyone has their own opinion on when to switch to a standalone PCM, and I have my opinion too. But who in their right mind thinks it a good idea to aim to run 4’s in the 1/8th mile on an OEM PCM and HP Tuners? Well, Sam Heath thinks it’s a great idea with his little red S10.
This truck has had its fair shake of different setups, but for the last few years it's been your sounds simple, 5.3 twin turbo setup running on a Gen 3 GM PCM tuned with HP Tuners. Typically, one would think, once you get to that 800whp plus mark, it’s a good time to switch over to a stand alone PCM. Well, here’s to saying, you can do it! You can make the HP and not switch. Sure, it's got a boat load, and I mean a 300yard cargo carrying boat load of benefits to switch to a standalone, but you can make an OEM PCM work.
After Sam made it to the 1000whp level, he decided that wasn’t enough and needed more. So, he ran it up once again, running it up to the 1200whp mark. As the truck took the power better and better, the moment came for some new turbo’s and some more power. So just last month, Sam loaded it up on the dyno again and made it over 1300whp now. I mean, that’s just crazy! And using all the same tuning process we offer here at The Tuning School. The truck starts, drives, and idles great for the fire breathing dragon it is!
Sam uses HP Tuners to log his runs, make the needed changes, and get faster each run, using all kinds of extra things you need that a standalone would naturally offer, such as a Boost Leash to get boost ramp in under control and a MSD launch control box to nail those low 60ft times. Sounds simple to us, and it sure works great for him!
As the truck is able to ramp the boost in faster, and use more of this power, it gets faster and faster. Already running trap speeds above 130mph in the 1/8 mile this year, the truck still has a lot left in it. So, if anyone tells you it can’t work with an OEM PCM work, follow the process, tune the car and you decide. He decided it was exactly what he needed, what he wanted, and it's working great!