I'm also curious how good the Banks tune is. I just found out today that Banks doesn't offer TCM tuning, so their engine tuning better be good! If you want to adjust any trans settings I guess you gotta buy a 2nd tuner?

I bought a Diablo i3 tuner, but wan't happy with it. I'm now hoping to find a different one that tunes both PCM and TCM.

 

There is a tranny tune!
Have two AUTOMIND programmers and super happy! 2008 ALPHA and CE. Both the engine and tranny tunes are excellent! Lots of options but I recommend just choosing BANKS TUNE for both once you get the unit communicating. A bit tricky!

 

I spoke to Banks yesterday and they said their tuners don't make trans adjustments, only PCM. That's great news!

You mentioned the "TCM tune" is great. Is there a set TCM tune or can you adjust parameters yourself?

 

Yes there are parameters but my experience has been best choosing the BANKS-TUNE. Both the shift pattern and firmness are excellent.
You will want to download the SPORT 87 program. Pull the radio and amp fuses. The instructions also say to pull the fuel pump relay and the OnStar fuse but I was told not to do so when I was having trouble getting the tuner to communicate with the ECM and the TCM.
Best of luck

 

Not yet. Life keeps getting in the way, along with other projects..... yada yada...

Next week or so.

 

Sorry to hijack. .
Why pull fuses? That's weird!

 

The instructions make a point of being certain that the battery is fully charged and all electronics are off during the tune being loaded so as to not discharge the battery (to the point of sleeping the system if it goes into battery conservation mode I assume) as that could brick your PCM. Has to be a continuous uninterrupted transfer, that apparently takes several minutes. Probably being extra cautious about that, but they do not want people to mess up their rides.

 

Thanks Doc, You are right on. I am not savvy enough to have the slightest idea why they told me not to pull the fuel pump relay and OnStar fuse.

 

when flashing an ECU its usually best practice to have an external charger or maintainer connected to the battery to avoid such issues.

 

Wow, that's nuts! I've used 5 different tuners on 4 different vehicles and I've never heard of doing anything more than making sure everything's off and the battery is in good shape. I'm always careful to make sure lights, blower, radio etc are off, but that's it and I never had any issue. I wonder if Banks takes longer to communicate or if they're just being extra careful.

Either way I'll do what they recommend!