Will you tune my...?

With over 12 years of experience in software engineering and a great passion for cars and driving, Ed Susman found himself learning to tune in order to improve the performance of his Subaru WRX back in 2003. Soon, friends within the Subaru community were becoming happy customers, and the rest is history.

After 5 years of success as a one man tuning operation, Ed decided to expand Equilibrium Tuning into a full service and R&D shop in Fairfield, CA. Since opening the shop, Equilibrium Tuning has experienced consistent growth and continues to improve and develop innovative services and products. 

While we started as a Subaru specialty shop, we now also handle Nissan, Mitsubishi Evo, Corvette, BMW, Porsche, MazdaSpeed, VW/Audi, and various other platforms. But it's safe to say were best known for our tuning on the MQB VW/Audi platform and our origins with Subaru.

These platforms as well as the many others shown in our store are all ones that we're incredibly familiar with and generally speaking have predetermined pricing for each of them found on our website. (Click the links in the section below!)

If you're looking to tune a vehicle that we currently sell software or hardware for and the pricing is not listed, please reach out to Sales@EQTuning.com.

And now here we are, the crème of the crop! The standalone engine management system. (EMS) These are the pinnacle of tuning technology, multiple configurable inputs and outputs, complex traction control strategies, the sky is the limit with a standalone.

EQT has tuned many vehicles utilizing standalone systems and we're very familiar with the interfaces of many different manufacturers products from AEM to Haltech, you name it. We've probably used it, and tuned a vehicle with it.

Due to the additional complexity involved with a standalone EMS there and many things that need to be set up which adds to the cost of tuning with one. While a lot of manufacturers of these products have "base maps" or "start up maps" if your vehicle is vastly different from the factory configuration then a lot of time is spent by the tuner to set up and calibrate the ECU long before you can make a single power pull on a Dyno.

For example, if you've changed the fuel injectors, MAP/MAF Sensors, converted from MAF to Speed Density, changed the camshafts, compression ratio, etc. The start up maps are going to be virtually useless and a lot of data will need to be input by the calibrator to get it running correctly

If you've added additional sensors which require linearizing / scaling as well as safety parameters set up, this all takes time which can make the entire process rather timely and thus costly.

While we're open to tuning a vehicle with a standalone EMS, be aware that you will likely be charged hourly for the start up / configuration services and then the actual tune where we get to make some power.

The beauty of a standalone EMS is the ability to enjoy all these additional features, add safeties, create complicated strategies to get your car down the track. If you're the one setting it all up, you really need to know what you're doing.

Wiring Options for a Standalone EMS

Many aftermarket Engine Management Systems (EMS) will have a few different types of wiring harnesses available. For the most simple installation a plug & play adapter harness that converts your OE ECU Header plug to the aftermarket ECU is ideal, but may not be the best means if you're looking to add inputs and outputs beyond what the factory came with as seen with the AEM Plug & Play Harness for a Mitsubishi Evo.

Another option you may see is the "Flying Lead" harness as seen with this Haltech Elite PRO harness below.

The Flying Lead harness allows you to add custom inputs and outputs with relative ease by just terminating the wire into the appropriate connector body.

However you decide to install your standalone EMS, the wiring must be correct. If there are issues with your wiring, we will need to perform diagnostics and repairs which may be costly. So if you're looking into having EQT tune your car on a standalone, verify everything works to the best of your ability.

In House Tuning Only (Local)

Due to the complexity of setting up and tuning a standalone EMS, we will ONLY perform tuning services for local vehicles at our shop. 

This way we can ensure that everything is working and wired correctly in order to generate the optimal result. It would be a shame to pay for a remote tuning session on your standalone and find that there is something wrong with the wiring that prevents us from completing your tune, or worse, a faulty sensor or wiring component that causes engine damage.