Bama Performance Tunes NOT Emission Friendly

DD2000GT

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Just a heads up to guys like me who like to research everything they want to put on their car. If you go with a Bama Performance tune and live in a state where they do emission testing during inspection - this tune will cause you to FAIL emissions tests as the O2 sensor, O2 Heater Sensor, and Catalyst Sensors will not go "Ready". From Bama Performance's own website: "Bama Tunes will not affect your vehicles emissions or smog testing." - this is why I went with them so I did not have to mess with tunes just to get my car inspected. After several back and forth emails and phone calls with Bama I basically got "of course our tunes affect these sensors - that is how we improve performance..." and you are on your own regardless what our website states.

Just know if you buy a tune from them you WILL have to return your car back to stock to pass an emissions test if your state does this. Sure wish they would be more honest and up front about this instead of telling you AFTER you spent the $400 for a tuner and tune.
 

DSG2003Mach1

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Just a heads up to guys like me who like to research everything they want to put on their car. If you go with a Bama Performance tune and live in a state where they do emission testing during inspection - this tune will cause you to FAIL emissions tests as the O2 sensor, O2 Heater Sensor, and Catalyst Sensors will not go "Ready". From Bama Performance's own website: "Bama Tunes will not affect your vehicles emissions or smog testing." - this is why I went with them so I did not have to mess with tunes just to get my car inspected. After several back and forth emails and phone calls with Bama I basically got "of course our tunes affect these sensors - that is how we improve performance..." and you are on your own regardless what our website states.

Just know if you buy a tune from them you WILL have to return your car back to stock to pass an emissions test if your state does this. Sure wish they would be more honest and up front about this instead of telling you AFTER you spent the $400 for a tuner and tune.

Eh I'm not a bama fan but I would imagine their tune will pass a sniffer test. The obd2 tests seem more prevalent now than before, if you have an off-road midpipe the only options are to turn off those monitors or try to find mil eliminators.
 

DD2000GT

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Eh I'm not a bama fan but I would imagine their tune will pass a sniffer test. The obd2 tests seem more prevalent now than before, if you have an off-road midpipe the only options are to turn off those monitors or try to find mil eliminators.

My exhaust is stock with the exception of after-axle mufflers. I have a K&N Aircharger and 90mm throttle body - no need to monkey with the O2 sensors for that.
 

stang99x

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Bama tunes are not the cause of your issue. I have run them for two years and passed all tests. I had them turn my O2's off early on, then had them revise a version of my tune as the "emissions" tune for when I needed to pass. Either way I have since figured out how to beat the O2 thing anyway. But the bottom line is, their tunes in general do not cause emissions failures.
 

DSG2003Mach1

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it sounds like theyre just turning off all the O2 crap in all their tunes to save themselves time and trouble.

stang99 - more and more places are including an OBD2 scan in the emissions testing, "not ready" on X number of monitors and you fail (Ive seen various numbers of not ready allowed, some its none some its like 3 or 4). Disabling all the rear O2 stuff in the tune is usually enough to fail you on an OBD2 test. Throw in an EGR delete and you're screwed
 

stang99x

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it sounds like theyre just turning off all the O2 crap in all their tunes to save themselves time and trouble.

stang99 - more and more places are including an OBD2 scan in the emissions testing, "not ready" on X number of monitors and you fail (Ive seen various numbers of not ready allowed, some its none some its like 3 or 4). Disabling all the rear O2 stuff in the tune is usually enough to fail you on an OBD2 test. Throw in an EGR delete and you're screwed
Like I said, I had them turn mine off. I then had them write an emissions tune to turn them on. You have to ask to have them turned off. They do not simply turn them off. I'm well aware of emissions workings, I used to do state emissions in my younger days. It has become much harder to beat them than it once was in the OBDII age, however it can be done with very little effort and at little cost if you know what you're doing. And you don't need cats to pass an OBDII test. If your area also does visual, I'd recommend doing what I did and gutting a stock set for the purpose of seeing them

Also, in the interest of being thorough, I was due to submit a revision request anyway and while doing it looked at the info page for revisions (or new tunes) There is a question which specifically asks if you have an "offroad" exhaust or not. If someone was to answer that incorrectly then they would probably get the wrong tune.
 
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Coosawjack

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it sounds like theyre just turning off all the O2 crap in all their tunes to save themselves time and trouble.

stang99 - more and more places are including an OBD2 scan in the emissions testing, "not ready" on X number of monitors and you fail (Ive seen various numbers of not ready allowed, some its none some its like 3 or 4). Disabling all the rear O2 stuff in the tune is usually enough to fail you on an OBD2 test. Throw in an EGR delete and you're screwed

Performance tuning has never been "Emissions Friendly" and disabling the EGR does nothing for performance.....just raises combustion temperature!!o_O
I have had GREAT luck with the BAMA folks and unless things have changed drastically, I'd go with them again but NEVER when an emissions test was eminent!! :rolleyes:
 

stang99x

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I'm unaware of anyone disabling EGR functions. You only disable the rear O2 heated circuits due to removal of catalytic converters and only then if the CEL bothers you. This can be worked around with some very simple cheap parts as well.
 

DD2000GT

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...There is a question which specifically asks if you have an "offroad" exhaust or not. If someone was to answer that incorrectly then they would probably get the wrong tune.

I requested an updated tune and had them verify I was running stock exhaust with just after-axle mufflers (do not affect anything) - the second tune also would not ready my cat, O2, and Heated O2 sensors. In Texas three sensors "Not Ready" or "Incomplete" will FAIL emissions testing (and did). My goal is not to have to change tunes just to get an inspection, and their website clearly said their tunes do not affect emissions testing and it does. This was my point of this post.

Not trying to bash Bama - their tune really woke up my car. My issue is incorrect advertising. I research the hell out of things I add to my car, and not having to change tunes just to get it inspected was a big bonus for me. I just want anyone else who researches the hell out of mods to know if they go the Bama direction, not to believe the advertising if they live in a state that requires sensors to be in the ready state to pass required emissions tests.
 
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stang99x

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I requested an updated tune and had them verify I was running stock exhaust with just after-axle mufflers (do not affect anything) - the second tune also would not ready my cat, O2, and Heated O2 sensors. In Texas three sensors "Not Ready" or "Incomplete" will FAIL emissions testing (and did). My goal is not to have to change tunes just to get an inspection, and their website clearly said their tunes do not affect emissions testing and it does. This was my point of this post.

Not trying to bash Bama - their tune really woke up my car. My issue is incorrect advertising. I research the hell out of things I add to my car, and not having to change tunes just to get it inspected was a big bonus for me. I just want anyone else who researches the hell out of mods to know if they go the Bama direction, not to believe the advertising if they live in a state that requires sensors to be in the ready state to pass required emissions tests.
While I fully understand your angle, and I have no issue believing you have issues, I also live in an emissions strict area. Prior to using Bama I looked over a lot of potential tuners. I learned long ago that the cheapest or fastest turnaround is not always a good option. (on a forced induction 5.4 Navigator) But I never failed an test here, nor did I ever have a check engine light from their tunes. I had to specifically ask to have it turned off, and then I had them write me another version of the same tune with them turned on for emissions testing. And here we must have 7 of 9 systems on actively reporting to the ECM. In some cases after reset, a car will go ready enough to pass after just a few miles. In other cases, I have seen a car take several hundred miles before the systems come back online. There is no real pattern to when it comes back online, it's just luck of the draw in many cases. I've had to ride around with a scanner watching them to see when #7 came online before to be able to get an immediate test knowing that an O2 circuit would have imminent failure shortly. (this was many years ago on said Navigator) Admittedly I have not had to request any revisions or have any changes in well over a year. Previously, Bama has had turn around times of 24 hours or less for me with submissions for revision and the only revisions I needed were for changes I made. Anyway, I hope you got it all figured out and the car runs well.
 

nate714

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You sure about that with a 90MM throttle body that's way overkill on your car? If so your research sucks balls.

I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw 90mm TB and otherwise near stock. If anything that's probably losing torque and disrupting airflow everywhere below 3/4-throttle. Not much (if any) point in having a 90mm TB when the manifold opening diameter is only 83.5mm.
 

03 DSG Snake

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I'm unaware of anyone disabling EGR functions. You only disable the rear O2 heated circuits due to removal of catalytic converters and only then if the CEL bothers you. This can be worked around with some very simple cheap parts as well.

Are you talking 02 simulator or actual MIL eliminator type plugs?
 

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