[F82Tazmanian]

Originally Posted by TreDirtyFive

I might have one up on you! I've been tuning my cars for over 20 years...I've flashed with APR, Neuspeed, Cobb, GIAC, Unitronic, Dinan, HCP, Mission, VF, etc....as well as piggies such as JB4s, JB+, AA8, etc.. Often I worked directly with the tuners or even writers for magazine features to get the tuning right on dynos & very heavy street logging is involved. We're talking years of dragstrip, track time, and constant renewal of my race certification often to test tunes under intense conditions. If I were to guess, I've flashed my cars over this span over 200 times cumulatively...

Unfortunately, I don't agree that flashes are more problematic than piggies. That could possibly be stated for older software management protocols but modern flashes keep most of the oem code intact and these companies are a lot more sophisticated than they have been in the past. I've often seen more cars jerking from shifts and shooting black smoke or even detonating beyond repair from piggies than from flashes. Especially on heavy track usage.

These companies are more aware than ever because of social media and forum backlash and are much more careful than they have been in the past. There's a reason they offer stages for the gas and modifications per car. For the most part I haven't heard of many engines blowing on tunes outside of very custom cars going for mega horsepower. Modern engines are always factory tuned severely under-spec to preserve longevity and reliability. But in reality for the most part these power-plants are much more robust than people believe. Maybe not Alfa Romeo..

Anyhow, take this with a grain of salt, of course. Everyone has different levels and thresholds for accepting risk imho. :

I hear ya. Unfortunately I didn't have a good experience. I wouldn't sway anyone to go either route, to each their own. It's just what works for me and the limited time I'm willing to waste on cars outside of my normal life.