Cobb AP or MSD Dashhawk

[speed3 britz]

Ok so im not real knowledgeable about ecu tuning of a car, more mechanical aspects. Anyways been reading a little and curious to know the advantages of getting one of these devices. I know alot of you guys have these, give me some info please. Also is one better than the other? Preference? Possibly interested in getting one here in near future. Also how easy are they to work with?

 

[ms6acton]

the dashhawk is used to monitor your engine. boost, afr's, ltft and such. it can also read and clear cels.

the ap is used to reflash your ecu to get more power or even better fuel mileage. the ap can also be used as a monitoring device.

if you want more power than i would go with the ap. as it does everything the dashhawk does and sooooo much more. your car will feel like a whole new monster after you install a new map. But if you just want something to just monitor your car then i would go with the dashhawk and save some money.

 

[blackdragon0731]

the AP is your tuning solution, you can download AccessTuner and tune it yourself (wouldn't try this if you've never done any tuning before) or you can take it to a certified Cobb tuner and have them tune your car via the AP. Like ms6 said, the AP will monitor just about everything the DashHawk does, and it does even more.

The DashHawk will run you about half the price used, a 3rd of the price of a new AP, but you can't do any tuning with it. Just monitoring and datalogging, and some diagnostic and CEL clearing... which is nice, but nothing the AP can't do either.

I basically reiterated everything already said... but mostly in agreement and hopefully a little more clear in case you were confused by any of the above.

 

[speed3 britz]

Is there pre-loaded programs on it that i would run or install, or is it specifics that u manually tune in? Also is it a one time process or changing frequently? Cause im wondering if would be worth purchasing if i've never had any tuning experience before. I dont wanna screw anything up myself

 

[blackdragon0731]

The AP comes with several pre-loaded over-the-shelf maps that are designed to give your car a basic "tune" depending on the mods you have... there are stage 1 and 2 preloaded maps depending on your level of modification. These are in no way professional tunes, they're generalized tunes from Cobb that are designed to keep the car running better with your mod level until you can have a professional custom tune your car.

The Dashhawk has no tuning capabilities whatsoever.

You won't be messing anything up with the AccessPort and it's not something you change frequently. You save the stock map, flash the new map, and you're good to go. If its something you're worried about, take 5 minutes to reflash to stock when visiting the dealership for maintenance, and then flash back to your stage1/2 map. Your custom map will load up the same as the preloaded maps and is available under the list of maps on the device.

 

[speed3 britz]

Sweet, thanks for the info. My car is no longer under warrenty so i really dont go to dealer for any service.

 

[Flipboi89]

The AP comes with several pre-loaded over-the-shelf maps that are designed to give your car a basic "tune" depending on the mods you have... there are stage 1 and 2 preloaded maps depending on your level of modification. These are in no way professional tunes, they're generalized tunes from Cobb that are designed to keep the car running better with your mod level until you can have a professional custom tune your car.

The Dashhawk has no tuning capabilities whatsoever.

You won't be messing anything up with the AccessPort and it's not something you change frequently. You save the stock map, flash the new map, and you're good to go. If its something you're worried about, take 5 minutes to reflash to stock when visiting the dealership for maintenance, and then flash back to your stage1/2 map. Your custom map will load up the same as the preloaded maps and is available under the list of maps on the device.

Good info thanks for helping me decide as well lol.

 

[blackdragon0731]

anytime guys, the AP is one of the first mods I invested in, and I never looked back!

 

[zoom-zoom-boom]

just curious, would the power gains be the same with a hypertech tune? or would it still be better to get an ap

 

[the_caruch]

just curious, would the power gains be the same with a hypertech tune? or would it still be better to get an ap

Get the AP

 

[blackdragon0731]

The Hypertech programmer is a good tool, but with nowhere near the tuning capabilities the AP has... so if you have your car MILDLY modded and plan to stay that way Hypertech is a cheaper alternative and good way to get some power. But if you're like me and plan on being fully bolted, and atleast getting a mild turbo upgrade at some point, get the AP, with a pro-tune, it unlocks the power in these cars for sure.

 

[zoom-zoom-boom]

I've looked around and it looks like if you buy the dashbawk and a HT tune it's the same amount of money as an AP. So what would be the point of an HT tune. I think I'm gonna get the AP.

also, can you get rid of the boost restrictions in 1st and 2nd wit hthe AP?

 

[the_caruch]

I've looked around and it looks like if you buy the dashbawk and a HT tune it's the same amount of money as an AP. So what would be the point of an HT tune. I think I'm gonna get the AP.

also, can you get rid of the boost restrictions in 1st and 2nd wit hthe AP?

Yes you can get rid of the boost restriction. There is no point though as you'll smoke your tires. Hell, you smoke them in the first 2 gears with the stock tune and dialed back boost anyway.

But yea definitely get the AP, it's a great device, very capable, great support and can tweak many things. If i didn't already have the standback (don't get me wrong, i love the standback) and was looking at tuners i'd get the AP

 

[zoom-zoom-boom]

Yeah just noticed that they have come down $50 since I last checked I think I'm gonna order one this weekend. Anyone got one for sake? Lol.