has anyone driven with cobb ap and livernois tuner?

[hotrodst7]

not trying to start a war or anything, both companies make great products, i'm just wondering if someone has had seat time with each tuner and what their thoughts were? I've been through a bunch of threads and it seems both have their pros, and cons.

one thing i hate is fly by wire throttle bodies, they cant keep up with my foot (now i know it has a turbo) but when a 120hp 94 escort gt or my 150hp turbo merkur xr4ti (with a c3 auto last i drove it) has much better throttle response its irritating! so throttle response with the tuner is important to me.

im not gonna mod the snot outta my 14 FiST its my daily driver (and also occasionally causing mischief) but i got track cars for all out racing, so it'll get a tuner, injen intake, and maybe a bigger turbo inlet elbow, and charge piping to make my daily commute more entertaining.

 

[Shmi]

Bumping because I have the same question. Anyone lived with both and can speak to each one's characteristics?

 

[hotrodst7]

Ha ya i still havent bought a tuner yet. I was leaning toward livernois but cobb seems to have the bugs worked out now, so i dunno.

 

[Shmi]

Ha ya i still havent bought a tuner yet. I was leaning toward livernois but cobb seems to have the bugs worked out now, so i dunno.

I've had the COBB accessport and 93 octane tune for several months now and am perfectly happy with it (especially flat foot shifting) but am just wondering if the Livernois is worth looking into, and really want a comparison to help with that. I know the Livernois tune thread has nothing but good things to say about it, but I won't be spending $400+ on another setup without hearing a few opinions from someone who has had each.

 

[Hijinx]

If you're curious, why not be the guy that does it first? It would help the community and cure your curiosity.

 

[Shmi]

If you're curious, why not be the guy that does it first? It would help the community and cure your curiosity.

I am considering it, but trying to avoid spending ~$500 to be the guinea pig Plus I know there are many people on here with the Livernois tune through the group buy, and was just hoping one of them previously had the COBB tune. I don't want to post in their thread though, don't want to threadjack it into a COBB vs. Livernois thread.

I might guinea pig myself if I were unhappy with the COBB tune and had more $$ to spend on mods but, I'm not, and right now heading into colder weather I can't justify the money when I won't even be driving the car for a few months (I have a winter beater for that).

 

[StayPuft]

I don't have either. But when it's time for me to buy I'll be in the same boat. Livernois is really well known in the LSx and ecoboost 3.5 worlds as one of the best shops and tuners. Cobb is well known and one of the most reliable tuners in the Subaru and Evo worlds.

We can't go wrong with either one. Cobb seems more user focused with their AP. Livernois is great at squeezing out that extra torque.

 

[COBB Tuning1]

Ha ya i still havent bought a tuner yet. I was leaning toward livernois but cobb seems to have the bugs worked out now, so i dunno.

What bugs? As far as I know, everything on the Accessport side is working great! I obviously have a pretty biased opinion, but here are a few things you can only get with the COBB AP that make it way better than anything else out there: 5 way live map switching, flat foot shifting, 2 styles of launch control (ignition cut or throttle cut), custom boost tables, and a whole network of Protuners. This means that if you wanted more power than what we offer in an OTS map, you can have a custom map made by somebody with our Pro version of the tuning software. In fact, some of those places even offer a free custom tune when you buy the AP from them: mountune, Freektune, and more. Our OTS maps aren't designed to make the absolute most power you can get, but they give you a nice bump in power over stock and are designed to work with the best upgrade path. We are also on the forums all the time and have a full group of guys dedicated just to answer your questions, so feel free to ask anything else! Post here, email us (support@cobbtuning.com) or call 866-922-3059.

Ian

 

[DHM1]

What bugs? As far as I know, everything on the Accessport side is working great! I obviously have a pretty biased opinion, but here are a few things you can only get with the COBB AP that make it way better than anything else out there: 5 way live map switching, flat foot shifting, 2 styles of launch control (ignition cut or throttle cut), custom boost tables, and a whole network of Protuners. This means that if you wanted more power than what we offer in an OTS map, you can have a custom map made by somebody with our Pro version of the tuning software. In fact, some of those places even offer a free custom tune when you buy the AP from them: mountune, Freektune, and more. Our OTS maps aren't designed to make the absolute most power you can get, but they give you a nice bump in power over stock and are designed to work with the best upgrade path. We are also on the forums all the time and have a full group of guys dedicated just to answer your questions, so feel free to ask anything else! Post here, email us (support@cobbtuning.com) or call 866-922-3059.

Ian

I agree I have used cobb for several years all the back to old sad black boxes lol. I have pro tuned Subaru, GTR, BMW, Mitsu, and Mazda. There software and hardware is on point! There drive to improve things new and old is out of this world. They have never been a company to drop a product and just say here it is enjoy. Making there products better have always seemed to be a goal. Customer support for the AP software could use some help but i understand there can only be some many guys familiar with software for each vehicle etc. But thumbs up to Cobb.

As for Livernois I know some of those guys personally and started working on cars when i was young around these guys. They are a crew of guys that know how to make power and break records. I have not seen or used any of the software or hardware because its not meant for a end user.

That being said if you take your car to shop and want it to make power and dont care about anything else end user wise i think Livernois is a great choice. But if you like to get in there pull a log or bolt parts on or want to mess with launching or anything else 100% get yourself an Cobb AP!

 

[rodmoe]

Thanks Ian
Any chance you guys might release a beta or alpha (use at your own risk) "Big Turbo" tune ? Just something to get the car running after a upgrade like that.

 

[hotrodst7]

What bugs? As far as I know, everything on the Accessport side is working great! I obviously have a pretty biased opinion, but here are a few things you can only get with the COBB AP that make it way better than anything else out there: 5 way live map switching, flat foot shifting, 2 styles of launch control (ignition cut or throttle cut), custom boost tables, and a whole network of Protuners. This means that if you wanted more power than what we offer in an OTS map, you can have a custom map made by somebody with our Pro version of the tuning software. In fact, some of those places even offer a free custom tune when you buy the AP from them: mountune, Freektune, and more. Our OTS maps aren't designed to make the absolute most power you can get, but they give you a nice bump in power over stock and are designed to work with the best upgrade path. We are also on the forums all the time and have a full group of guys dedicated just to answer your questions, so feel free to ask anything else! Post here, email us (support@cobbtuning.com) or call 866-922-3059.

Ian

If im not mistaken there was an issue for awhile with rev hang between shifts on one of the software versions, its been fixed now, so its no longer a deciding factor for me, but if someone can make these god aweful drive by wire throttle bodies act just like a cable throttle body im sold, and ive so far gotten fuzzy answers from each side on how much throttle lag can be eliminated, and right now livernois is close enough for me to drive out there for them to do a cutom tune to my taste. Hence my leaning toward livernois.

 

[_RED_]

Just throwing this out there, SCT supports the fiesta st. With that you can reach out to a number of pro Tuners.

 

[JPGC]

I agree I have used cobb for several years all the back to old sad black boxes lol. I have pro tuned Subaru, GTR, BMW, Mitsu, and Mazda. There software and hardware is on point! There drive to improve things new and old is out of this world. They have never been a company to drop a product and just say here it is enjoy. Making there products better have always seemed to be a goal. Customer support for the AP software could use some help but i understand there can only be some many guys familiar with software for each vehicle etc. But thumbs up to Cobb.

As for Livernois I know some of those guys personally and started working on cars when i was young around these guys. They are a crew of guys that know how to make power and break records. I have not seen or used any of the software or hardware because its not meant for a end user.

That being said if you take your car to shop and want it to make power and dont care about anything else end user wise i think Livernois is a great choice. But if you like to get in there pull a log or bolt parts on or want to mess with launching or anything else 100% get yourself an Cobb AP!

Right on point

 

[Bonesaw]

Time to resurrect this thread haha! I have been researching this topic and trying m best to understand the pros and cons to both sides... with that being said, I still have not seen where anyone has done A/B testing or have tried both at some point. I am very curious as to the "overall driveability" of the Livernois tune compared to say a standard AP 93 PRO tune from any number of the companys that tune for us. Does the Livernois tune feel like a on/off power delivery, or can you feel an increase in all areas of driveability(does it feel snapy and more powerful all around or only when you hammer it?) I have read lots about AP tune revisions and talk about how much better the car can feel even when just cruising. I will be ready soon to purchase a tuner and just want a better idea of what direction to go- thanks!

Ha ya i still havent bought a tuner yet. I was leaning toward livernois but cobb seems to have the bugs worked out now, so i dunno.

What tuner did you decide on and what are your thoughts? Thanks!

 

[Bonesaw]

Well from reading all the info I could find on the livernoise tune- seems to me that the tune responds in a more off/on delivery rather than an increase across the entire range(driveability). A few comments mentioned that it feels stock and you wouldn't know its there until you get on it. Also that it comes on and feels hellacious after 2500ish rpm.

I think I would rather have a tune that is custom to MY car, as opposed to a "canned tune". If I go with the AP/pro tune, the tuner reads MY car's datalogs under numerous conditions(not just WOT) and develops the tune custom to my car which offsets any variables as no 2 cars are exactly the same(then throw mods in the mix as well). On top of that are the revisions... repeating the process as many times as it takes to refine the tune to its optimal state for my car...
I think it is one and done/no data logging and revisions wth the Livernois- Someone correct me if I'm wrong tho.
The Livernois tune does sound brutal and fun and I am curious about it but, just have not seen much outside of wot performance. Opinions??

 

[AMontgomery]

At this point in the game there are too many pro tuners using the AP3 to make any of the other options a viable alternative. If the big name guys were split running a few different devices things would be different.

Add in Flat Foot Shifting, Launch Control, Map Switching, and a highly readable and customizable gauge read out and the choice is pretty clear.

 

[LILIKE16ST]

I just have to resurrect this thread again. I love the accessport and I'm pondering switching to it myself just to get a protune on 93 AND e30 and the gauges are something I want too. But I have been running the livernois tune for 6+ months and about 12k miles of driving and the drivability is butter smooth....no hiccups at all it's amazing just how smooth it is considering how much faster it made my car vs stock. On the 93 tune it is hellacious from 2500-6500 but don't make that lead you to beleive drivability and power delivery isn't silky smooth because it is. I understand why alot go with the ap I really do im pondering it myself mainly to get a pro e30 tune. But I am telling you guys dont automatically dismiss livernois because their device isnt fancy. This is a VERY solid tune with a huge jump in power and torque across the entire curve vs stock and it even pulls to 6500 fairly decent. These guys at livernois know their stuff. I agree with russ if you just wanna upload a very solid drivable tune that makes your car much faster and then forget about it this tune needs to be highly considered especially if you never plan on running an ethanol mix tune. I just wanted to clear a few things up for people who might be on the fence. I think livernois gets a hard tike sometimes because their device isnt fancy....that it is not but to be a 93 "canned" tune as someone called it its pretty damn rock solid. It really isn't a canned tune you can tell them your mods and they'll tune for it. No they dont datalog but based on how my car drives and the power it has I cant imagine it getting too much better with revisions. These dudes been tuning Ecoboost cars since 2009 and they really know how to do it. Don't dismiss them because their device isnt flashy. Not everyone cares about playing with it and changing things some just want to upload a solid tune that drives smooth everywhere and adds a ton of power over stock and then forget about it....if thats what you want and the gagitry (or getting a protune for e30 or something) isn't what you're after this tune just may be for you. Just my .02

 

[Beans]

Sell it to me.