Ok, Im pretty new here on the forum guys. I have a question about tuning. I have an 05 tahoe 5.3l z71, I would like to do a tune on her, want to know the best option. My truck doesn't have much goin on, cold air intake, and cat back exhaust. I do plan on doing more mods such as intake manifold, headers, and a cam upgrade. I do drive the truck daily, so she can't sit until im done with mods. So, what are some of my options. Im going to need to keep updating the tune as I progress with mods..
2005 tahoe z71 5.3L TUNING OPTIONS?
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Joseph Garcia
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If you are not simply looking for a canned one-size-fits-all tune, but instead a tune that is custom assembled and tweaked for your specific truck, the most common custom tunes used by folks here are Black Bear Performance and HP Tuners.
I cannot speak personally to HP Tuners, but other folks familiar with their brand will chime in.
For me, I have a Black Bear Performance tune on my truck, and I offer you the following on that brand. A Black Bear Performance tune will run in the neighborhood of $600. This tune will modify your ECM and also your TCM (so that shifting performance will also be improved, which can make as much a difference in performance as the ECM tune). And with this purchase, you will be able to obtain future tune adjustments for a nominal fee for the life of your truck, whenever you make a mod for which a tune adjustment would be appropriate (cam, headers, CAI, tire size change, etc.). You can obtain the tune totally remotely with BBP, and I would suggest that you call @BlackBearPerf and discuss your needs with them. Don't think of it as a one-time purchase from a vendor, but rather, think of it as building a long-term relationship with a vendor, who will be at your service for your tuning needs for the life of your truck. You won't be disappointed. A good tune is the best performance mod you can make for your dollar, IMO.
I cannot speak personally to HP Tuners, but other folks familiar with their brand will chime in.
For me, I have a Black Bear Performance tune on my truck, and I offer you the following on that brand. A Black Bear Performance tune will run in the neighborhood of $600. This tune will modify your ECM and also your TCM (so that shifting performance will also be improved, which can make as much a difference in performance as the ECM tune). And with this purchase, you will be able to obtain future tune adjustments for a nominal fee for the life of your truck, whenever you make a mod for which a tune adjustment would be appropriate (cam, headers, CAI, tire size change, etc.). You can obtain the tune totally remotely with BBP, and I would suggest that you call @BlackBearPerf and discuss your needs with them. Don't think of it as a one-time purchase from a vendor, but rather, think of it as building a long-term relationship with a vendor, who will be at your service for your tuning needs for the life of your truck. You won't be disappointed. A good tune is the best performance mod you can make for your dollar, IMO.
Right on, we would be happy to help. Give us a call 877-809-4070.
Midnight mechanic
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You can do it yourself for under $100 upfront cost and no need to buy extra credits. 
I wouldn't go anywhere but Black Bear. Awesome company. Top Notch people. And wow the performance gain.
Thank you, we really appreciate that!!!
Jima
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Hello. I have a 2005 Tahoe Z71 with the 5.3. I would like to get a tune but not familiar with what to get. It has 285k no upgrades yet. Just put new cats and a reman trans in it. I'm also running next size up tires, 285/70/17. I'm having an issue with pinging on heavy acceleration. Also shift points feel awkward even after I reset adaptations. Would like some input and how much I'd be looking at. Also is this something I could do online or would I need to take it some where. Sorry for the long post and thanks for the input.
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