Tune.... IPF, Trifecta, HP Tuners

[sweetness34]

So for a while it seemed like everyone had a tune from Trifecta and loved it. From all the ranting and raving about it I figured that'd be the route I'd go. Now I feel like I'm reading the opposite, you guys are going to HP or IPF now. Is this just being a gearhead or is it not being satisfied with Trifecta? I know IPF is new so there probably isn't much info available yet. But I bought a EZ Flash cable planning on going with Trifecta and now that I have the cable and the past few weeks people are seeming to stray other directions it makes me wonder. So I guess I'm hoping to get some advice and hear some more 1st hand experience. I've read every thread on here about Trifecta that I could find without making the search a full time job so I hope this isn't a repeat. I don't plan to modify anything on this car other than a tune really, no turbos or downpipes or intakes or cams. Not because I don't want to just because I cant afford the parts, the time, or the place to do it. So that being said what are the reasons to choose one tune over the other? I'm not looking to squeeze 400whp out of this like some(although that would be cool), just get more power and not worry about screwing something up.
Plus having a non GS makes it look a little more sleeperish I think.

 

[jester435]

I am very interested in this as well because I am getting a GS tomorrow and don't want to change anything on the car. Just want to get the Tune and what to expect performance wise from it. I can stomach $400 bucks for trifecta tune.

 

[TRIFECTA]

Trifecta

So for a while it seemed like everyone had a tune from Trifecta and loved it. From all the ranting and raving about it I figured that'd be the route I'd go. Now I feel like I'm reading the opposite, you guys are going to HP or IPF now. Is this just being a gearhead or is it not being satisfied with Trifecta? I know IPF is new so there probably isn't much info available yet. But I bought a EZ Flash cable planning on going with Trifecta and now that I have the cable and the past few weeks people are seeming to stray other directions it makes me wonder. So I guess I'm hoping to get some advice and hear some more 1st hand experience. I've read every thread on here about Trifecta that I could find without making the search a full time job so I hope this isn't a repeat. I don't plan to modify anything on this car other than a tune really, no turbos or downpipes or intakes or cams. Not because I don't want to just because I cant afford the parts, the time, or the place to do it. So that being said what are the reasons to choose one tune over the other? I'm not looking to squeeze 400whp out of this like some(although that would be cool), just get more power and not worry about screwing something up.
Plus having a non GS makes it look a little more sleeperish I think.

I speak on behalf of TRIFECTA. Power will depend on operating conditions, hardware, and vehicle mechanical soundness.

The TRIFECTA powertrain calibration is based on our production validation process.

Each vehicle type is validated through a minimum of 100,000 miles combined drive cycle and 100 hours of full throttle application prior to retail release. We develop, validate, and test on our own test fleet, NOT on customer vehicles.

Our powertrain calibrations can be individualized (customized) at additional cost.

With any of our powertrain products, we provide through the included flash loader the ability to return the car 100 percent back to stock.

We also offer (at additional cost) additional cals that are either forged engine internal specific, E85 specific, E47 specific, and our own aftermarket HPFP (high pressure fuel pump) upgrade.

With the right budget, an example of what we can provide: one of the world's fastest Buick Regal GS's runs a custom operating system by TRIFECTA: http://buickforums.com/forums/threads/28583-forged-engine-build-and-ZFR-turbo-install

 

[kranz38]

Re: Trifecta

With the right budget, an example of what we can provide: one of the world's fastest Buick Regal GS's runs a custom operating system by TRIFECTA: http://buickforums.com/forums/threads/28583-forged-engine-build-and-ZFR-turbo-install

Sorry to be so negative but how can you even make they misleading statement? worlds fastest with no proof... 470hp on a dynojet means nothing to me or anyone here. He should be well into the deep fives with what he has into it, not barely breaking 4s on a real dyno.

 

[BLKGS12]

Re: Trifecta

Sorry to be so negative but how can you even make they misleading statement? worlds fastest with no proof... 470hp on a dynojet means nothing to me or anyone here. He should be well into the deep fives with what he has into it, not barely breaking 4s on a real dyno.

Thats what im saying! WR-3 on a stock engine will almost net you that on e85...

 

[zinner]

I am confused on trifecta tunes and what is what, because it seems they are changing their business model a but, I have had the "intelliboost" trifecta tune from Bad News Racing and I am very happy with it. I am not sure if it's the same as what is now the validated tune,but it been working for me.

 

[alfasteve]

I was all set to make the Trifecta purchase, but it took them 3 weeks to finally respond to my emails. I had left phone messages and several emails. I had made it clear that I was a serious customer. They lost a sale because I am fearful of their customer service. All I wanted was to ask someone there some questions. How can I have confidence that if I have any issue with the tune that I could reach them? Or if I send back my calibration that I won't have to wait a month to get an answer?

Very disappointed that I couldn't talk to anyone there.

Steve S.
alfasteve@gmail.com

 

[Mackiesback]

I have a Superchips tuner for my Dodge truck. It's three canned tunes in a controller, 1. economy, 2. towing and 3. performance. The economy mode gives better performance and economy than the factory tune. It runs on 87 octane just fine, and is super easy to remove when going to the dealer for service. Its a big improvement.

I want the same thing for my 2.4L Buick. I don't want laptops and custom tuning and high octane fuel, I just want a simple device with canned tune options. Not sure if the factory tune for the 2.4 is already optimized or not, but I would like a tuner that will give me better. I don't think I am gonna get it.

 

[Walt G]

I just installed a Trifecta tune a week ago, purchased through BNR, for my totally stock 2012 GS, manual trans, so I might have the type of experience the OP was looking for, other than mine being a GS.

I received the cable and tune in a couple of days, and flashing it into the ECU was no problem.

I noticed a few changes right away. First of all, the engine no longer does any strange power delivery things when accelerating at part throttle. My car always had a very strange feel to it, and that's gone. I'd probably be happy just with that change.

The power increase with the tune 'on' (cruise control off) is very noticeable to me. I have a ScanGauge II in my car, so I can see that I'm getting about 3psi more boost than I used to get, so it's not just my imagination.

Interestingly, the tune 'off' mode (cruise control switch on) has LESS power than stock. Maybe it's the original stock 'turbo' calibration (as opposed to the stock GS calibration), or maybe they have optimized it for fuel economy. I hope it is the later (optimized for fuel economy), but I have not run long enough that way yet to tell for sure.

But even in 'tune off' mode, all the strange torque control is still gone, so it's not going back to the totally stock tune, which is FINE by me.

For your 'turbo' model, I think you can expect a bigger improvement in low end torque over stock, but you'll have less peak power than a tuned GS, and maybe less than even a stock GS. Everyone always talks about how the exhaust makes such a big difference on these turbo cars. The exhaust is the one major mechanical change between the turbo and GS, and it's the reason they give for the 2014 GS being down 11hp from '12-'13 (exhaust change to clear the AWD system added a bit of restriction).

Overall, I'm really happy with the product from Trifecta.

Everyone here needs to keep in mind that 'anyone' can read these forums and web sites. Think about that a bit, and you might discover another reason why it's hard to get details on these sorts of things.

 

[sweetness34]

Thanks Walt G this is exactly what I'm looking to hear from people with any tune, not just Trifecta. The one email that I did get a response to from Trifecta said that the tune would put me just over 300HP/330TQ which makes me think its the same tune that is provided to the GS. Why would I have less power than a tuned or stock GS? I'd like to be able to monitor my boost but I'm not sure if I can do that, I have an Actron 9580A scan tool that I would expect has the ability to provide me with the pressure but maybe not(I cant find it).

Glad to hear that you're happy with the purchase through BNR. I've heard a few not so great things about them and I'm going back and forth from BNR to just buying through WOT's site. BNR is cheaper but I'd pay the extra bucks for good service. Have you done any data logging with the tune yet? If so can you tell me a little bit about your experience through BNR?

Now that I have a cable and a laptop with a functional battery(old battery was dead to the point where if the laptop was unplugged from AC power it shut off) I really want to get a tune.

 

[BNRacing]

Thanks Walt G this is exactly what I'm looking to hear from people with any tune, not just Trifecta. The one email that I did get a response to from Trifecta said that the tune would put me just over 300HP/330TQ which makes me think its the same tune that is provided to the GS. Why would I have less power than a tuned or stock GS? I'd like to be able to monitor my boost but I'm not sure if I can do that, I have an Actron 9580A scan tool that I would expect has the ability to provide me with the pressure but maybe not(I cant find it).

Glad to hear that you're happy with the purchase through BNR. I've heard a few not so great things about them and I'm going back and forth from BNR to just buying through WOT's site. BNR is cheaper but I'd pay the extra bucks for good service. Have you done any data logging with the tune yet? If so can you tell me a little bit about your experience through BNR?

Now that I have a cable and a laptop with a functional battery(old battery was dead to the point where if the laptop was unplugged from AC power it shut off) I really want to get a tune.

We answer emails the same day typically and we send logs to Trifecta as soon as we get them. I'm not sure if/where you heard anything bad about our service, but I can assure you it's great.

 

[Harshman]

I don't have a tune and not sure if I want one. But, I do have an observation from reading all of this stuff:
Has anyone seen or heard of a vendor ANYWHERE that has said "Yes we have bad service (or products) and you should still buy from us."? Please understand that I am not making any insinuations about any vendor on this or any other site.

 

[MayorMcCheese]

I have to agree with BNR , idk where you heard about there service being not so great but that's not true

I think some people on this forum are just trying to be negative cause I've dealt with bad news all the time whether it be Sonny or whoever and I always have good service

You datalog send it to BNR and never later than 24 hours they send it to Trifecta

Even if I have a question nothing to do with BNR , they respond back to me with as much info they can provide

 

[Turbomania]

The guys at BNR really do offer top notch customer service to there Trifecta customers.. They even reached out to help me with Trifecta when i didn't even buy my tune from them. My local Dealer had went out of buisness. This is part of the reason i slipped between the cracks on my datalogs.
Trifecta's out of the box tune is well worth the $$$ and will put a smile on most any Regal owners face.

 

[RegalGSLover]

Vince at Trifecta provides excellent, safe tunes for a good price that are user friendly. You will add power and driveability and NOT blow up your engine.

I have had trifecta tunes in two previous vehicles and my two current vehicles. A 2011 Chevy Cruze LTZ and a 2008 Pontiac G8 GT were the previous. I loaded them up and the cars had more power and better gas mileage. When I modified them by adding higher flowing intakes and hi-flow cats, Trifecta modified the tunes to make the most of the modifications and got the tunes back to me within just a few days.

The same thing with my current 2012 Buick Regal GS and my 2008 Saturn Sky Redline. Both run Trifecta tunes and I could not be happier with both the performance and the support.

If you are thinking or on the fence about getting a Trifecta tune, you can be confident that you are getting the best.

 

[TRIFECTA]

WOT-tuning

I was all set to make the Trifecta purchase, but it took them 3 weeks to finally respond to my emails. I had left phone messages and several emails. I had made it clear that I was a serious customer.

Please contact a reseller for any purchase related questions. Any support or customer service related questions should be directed to WOT-tuning. The volume of emails received by the general inquiry mailbox is staggering at times. We have very aggressive spam filters in place.

Any of our resellers will be capable and familiar with our product lines. What product related questions do you have?

For example, BNR is one of our resellers on this forum.

 

[sjr]

Sure will get interesting when those five members receive their free IPF tunes next week and post some comparative reviews.

 

[kranz38]

Sure will get interesting when those five members receive their "free" IPF tunes next week and post some comparative reviews.

trifecta has been around for years, there is no sense in starting a shit fight over whose putting down more hp. It's no different than any other speed shop tuning your car, whatever works for you... you go with and recommend to your friends. Just because one person tunes hotter or whatever doesn't necessarily mean its a better tune.

 

[Mal009]

I have always had awesome customer service from BNR. They are quick to answer my emails and Facebook messages. I run trifecta and I love it. It might not be the hottest tune but it makes the car a lot of fun withough putting a ton of stress on my mostly stock regal. I recommend it.

 

[Marc Town]

IPF Tuning is backed by EDS Fahrzeugtechnik the German Tuning leader who developed the IPF Tool.
Actually the Regal GS is the OPEL Insignia in Europe.
EDS tuned the OPEL Insignia years before until Trifecta did it once it arrived to US.