well ill start off by saying that after all the negative posts and downtalk on the saab turbo and trifecta i was a bit worried about how this would turn out.... but after weeding through all the know nothings and worthless info on here i decided to go with trifecta and the modified gm reflash... i will say besides a faulty boosy controller it isamazing.. steady afr under boost and the car just pulls and pulls on 10psi... we have a cobalt ss/tc that runs 13.1@109 and the cav pulls until 120 mph... ( i know ppl are going to say bull@!#$ but come to blairsville pa look at the timeslips mods and see for yourself) the only problem is a sticking boost controller it sticks under lowers rpms and boost shoots to 25-30 until it releases... ordered a turbosmart boost tee which should fix the problems... after feeling the difference i plan to stop at 15 psi instead of trying to get to 20 due to the fact that the car exceeded my expectations so far and im still on stock drivetrain.... i hope to take and post videos on my youtube channel and will post a link to the video as its posted... so bottom line if your looking for a good alternative to the choppy base gm reflash trifecta is it.... i hope to have timeslips very soon to backup all the talk...


car mods to date: eco swap of course!!!!!
saab turbo/w 2.5" hybrid dynamic dp
2.5" cat back with no cat
60# injectors
2.5" charge pipingfrom turbo to inake all hardpiping /ssqv
bar and plate fmic
prothane trans mounts and lower engine stock upper mount
completely stock engine trans and clutch

Glad it is working for you. I will never recommend Trifecta to anyone unless they can get tuned in person.



FU Tuning

well thats where the misinformation on this site comes from.... true that hevily modded cars should be tuned in person due to the multiple variables there is really no significant reason why trifecta is not a good choice for the saab setup or mild boosted aplications... the modded reflash automatically adjusts i run wastegate pressure and throw on my mbc and run 15 psi with not a single problem on the same tune.... ive been thru multiple dl sessions and there is nothing at all that was changed besides i lowered the boost due to my mbc spring sticking.... yes hpt and a professional tuner in the car would be the best but multiple j cars are running this tune with every possible configuration and no one that runs it has complained so far....

john zappernick wrote:well thats where the misinformation on this site comes from.... true that hevily modded cars should be tuned in person due to the multiple variables there is really no significant reason why trifecta is not a good choice for the saab setup or mild boosted aplications... the modded reflash automatically adjusts i run wastegate pressure and throw on my mbc and run 15 psi with not a single problem on the same tune.... ive been thru multiple dl sessions and there is nothing at all that was changed besides i lowered the boost due to my mbc spring sticking.... yes hpt and a professional tuner in the car would be the best but multiple j cars are running this tune with every possible configuration and no one that runs it has complained so far....

I'm not giving mis- information. My opinion, from my personal experience. I tune, I see things you haven't. Mail order tunes are not the best for performance and/or Reliablity.



FU Tuning

^ agreed.

Id call mail order tunes, tunes that will give you the ability to drive the car to a real tuner to be tuned.

well opinions are opinions... but for a fact ive learned a great deal tonight.....
ecotec engines will absolutely explode when at 6500 rpms held toght in 5th gear at 150+but it was one hell of a ride!!!!!!!

and as for mail order tunes he sees the same data a tuner would see.. agreed if knock occurs unless you hear or feel it you wont know until he sees it so yes thats a major downfall butttttt as far as the tuning side of it he has every ability to adjust monitor and tweek as someone using hpt and obviously more since hpt cant alter or read the reflash... i dont dissagree that pro tuning is always better but trifecta tunes for a mildly modded engine is fully capable and as good as someone there... the blueboost cav was dyno tuned with trifecta and making over 500 wheel horse which was the deciding factor when i spoke with vince about my tune.... i never once said trifecta is better than someone in the vehicle but you will achieve the same end result from both a good safe tune

john zappernick wrote:well opinions are opinions... but for a fact ive learned a great deal tonight.....
ecotec engines will absolutely explode when at 6500 rpms held toght in 5th gear at 150+but it was one hell of a ride!!!!!!!

What do you expect with boost. You are creating alot of heat at those speeds, and RPM's.



FU Tuning

john zappernick wrote:well opinions are opinions... but for a fact ive learned a great deal tonight.....
ecotec engines will absolutely explode when at 6500 rpms held toght in 5th gear at 150+but it was one hell of a ride!!!!!!!

The bold is false.... An Ecotec engine (or any engine) will explode if not tuned, maintained, or built properly.... In this case, it was shear stupidity and junk parts.... Congrats!





P&P Tuning
420.5whp / 359.8wtq

the engine was absolutely maintained properly... the fact that it held 6500 rpms under boost for an extended period of time was the reason it failed...

john zappernick wrote:well opinions are opinions... but for a fact ive learned a great deal tonight.....
ecotec engines will absolutely explode when at 6500 rpms held toght in 5th gear at 150+but it was one hell of a ride!!!!!!!

So you blew it up on the Saab turbo? Seriously.... You need an award for real....

Or maybe there is a fault in your "tune".

How are they modifying the GM reflash for the Eco? From what I recall and what I was told by a Techline rep, it is a locked computer once installed.

mitdr774 wrote:Or maybe there is a fault in your "tune".

How are they modifying the GM reflash for the Eco? From what I recall and what I was told by a Techline rep, it is a locked computer once installed.

Vince at Trifecta has been able to modify it with Trifecta. There was a chance of getting it so HPT could see it and use it but Vince wanted alot of money upfront and noone wanted to front it.



FU Tuning

My stock Eco sees 6500-7000rpms quite a bit. Hell it even saw 7300-7500rpms a few times.




its an old concept. time for something new to take the reigns. - Z yaaaa

Tinkles(Boost Face) wrote:My stock Eco sees 6500-7000rpms quite a bit. Hell it even saw 7300-7500rpms a few times.

didnt blow up either I bet...

hell mines seen 8000 on the dyno.... with video to prove it... didnt explode...

Nope, in fact i drove it 1 hour, raced it all day, and drove another 1.5 hours home.




its an old concept. time for something new to take the reigns. - Z yaaaa

Tinkles(Boost Face) wrote:Nope, in fact i drove it 1 hour, raced it all day, and drove another 1.5 hours home.

We need a like button.. Lol

I think what the OP meant he was doing a top speed run, and was holding 6500 RPM's in 5 gear at roughly 150mph and the motor came apart.

With the heat building at that speed, RPM, PSI. The tune likely could not compensate for it, and it came apart.

I'm not sure regardless of who tuned it, that our ECU's would compensate for that abuse.



FU Tuning

Addicted to meth wrote:I think what the OP meant he was doing a top speed run, and was holding 6500 RPM's in 5 gear at roughly 150mph and the motor came apart.

With the heat building at that speed, RPM, PSI. The tune likely could not compensate for it, and it came apart.

I'm not sure regardless of who tuned it, that our ECU's would compensate for that abuse.

I stand by my original post.....

QWK LN2 (P&P Tuning) wrote: In this case, it was shear stupidity and junk parts.... Congrats!

P&P Tuning
420.5whp / 359.8wtq

Addicted to meth wrote:I think what the OP meant he was doing a top speed run, and was holding 6500 RPM's in 5 gear at roughly 150mph and the motor came apart.

With the heat building at that speed, RPM, PSI. The tune likely could not compensate for it, and it came apart.

I'm not sure regardless of who tuned it, that our ECU's would compensate for that abuse.

I understand his circumstances for popping his eco, but i just wanted to be an ass.




its an old concept. time for something new to take the reigns. - Z yaaaa

Tinkles(Boost Face) wrote:

Addicted to meth wrote:I think what the OP meant he was doing a top speed run, and was holding 6500 RPM's in 5 gear at roughly 150mph and the motor came apart.

With the heat building at that speed, RPM, PSI. The tune likely could not compensate for it, and it came apart.

I'm not sure regardless of who tuned it, that our ECU's would compensate for that abuse.

I understand his circumstances for popping his eco, but i just wanted to be an ass.

I have no problem with that.

I think it is funny he made this post and then a day or 2 later the motor pops. We could all easily point the finger at the mail order tune. lol



FU Tuning

just one problem it wasnt the tune.... tunes dont snap rods...... tunes may cause lots of things but a rod snapping in the fashion it did was not tune related... and i do deserve an award cause unlike everyone else im not afraid to break things... it may not have surpassed others specs but its a turbo on a stock powertrain.. beat it till it breaks then replace lol

I have broken plenty of @!#$, as have others. You not accomplished some amazing feat by breaking parts.

well thats not what i said at all.. the fact of the matter was i need an award for breaking with the saab setup... but when i was posting for just simple info as to the max of the turbo efficiency and hp that ppl have gotten everyone says this isnt possible that isnt possible... hell they even said a mid 12 second pass wasnt possible.... now however i didnt track prove that it was a mid 12 second car it was a mid 12 second car.... as far as the comment i made i dont mind going through engines to find out whats possible and whats not... i will just say i wont be holding it tight in 5th gear anymore haha.... im not bragging nor am i trying to tell anyone they are wrong... i agree lots of ppl abuse there ecos.... i took the car on a 2.5 mile stretch of road and gave it all it had and it failed.... it failed due to boost and hp on a stock engine under a very extreme uphill load end of story....

Well according to your registry it says your rev limit.is 7500 rpm if hit that daily before it was turboed then know wonder it popped.... Live and learn I guess. Build it again.... And no mail order tunes.... Do you even know what your afr was at the time it let go?