117: Got an LS? Here’s How to Get the Most Out of Tuning It.

What you need to know about tuning General Motors’ LS engines thanks to Matt Sanford of Tuning-Tips.com.

Use “MATT100” to get $100 OFF HPA’s Tuning Starter Package:  https://hpcdmy.co/starterb

Matt Sanford is a self-taught tuner that you might recognise from his YouTube channel of the same name, or his frequent appearances on mega channels like Cleetus McFarland.

Matt has been tuning all types of gasoline and diesel vehicles since his teenage years, but his main speciality and passion is GM’s LS family of V8s. In this episode, Matt first tells us how he came up in the diesel tuning world before switching to gasoline engines.

While he is fully versed in aftermarket standalone ECUs, Matt prefers using HP Tuner’s excellent reflashing platform. We take a deep dive into the Gen 3, 4, and 5 GM engine control modules, discussing how they work, and how we can get the absolute most out of reflashing them.

Of special interest is how these computers manage load measurement, using both mass airflow and speed density — and the process you need to go through to properly tune both.

The conversation then moves into tuning strategies around adding forced induction and/or an aggressive cam. Many people think you have to put up with reduced driveability with these modifications, but Matt explains that that’s simply not the case — if you know what you’re doing, a heavily modified LS can drive like a stock motor.

This episode is definitely for the LS crew, so if General Motor’s ubiquitous V8 is something you have an interest in, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Follow Matt here:
IG: @matt.p.sanford
YT: Matt Sanford
WWW: www.tuning-tips.com

Don’t forget, you can use “MATT100” to get $100 OFF HPA’s Tuning Starter Package:  https://hpcdmy.co/starterb

Timestamps:
4:44 How did you get interested in cars?
8:02 Where did the interest in tuning come from?
13:05 What can the MPH number on a drag strip tell you about your engine tune?
19:42 At what point did you get access to a dyno?
21:39 Going from tuning gasoline to diesel and then back to gasoline.
29:01 Why move from EFI Live to HP Tuners and what is reflashing?
41:05 Key differences between tuning a standalone vs factory ECU.
48:31 Speed density in the GM world.
54:26 How should we be going about the tuning process?
1:01:04 HP Tuners built-in calculator for making changes to the virtual VE tables.
1:07:26 How do you calibrate MAF?
 1:14:33 What is acceptable in terms of a short-term and long-term fuel trim combination?
1:19:40 What is spark air mass?
1:22:15 High octane and low octane tables.
1:31:07 GM’s knock control system.
1:40:37 Thoughts on MAF-less tuning?
1:42:50 Tuning options for a really aggressive cam.
1:51:46 Other common mistakes with LS tuning.
1:53:40 Injector upgrades.
1:57:35 Final 3 questions.