I have been very skeptical in other post about whether a tuner is needed or not for slip ons and high flow filter. Was talking to the dealer that works on my bike today and he has already told me it was not absolutely needed but I said what if I do want one. His answer was TTS master tuner. I asked about the street tuner and he said he would not waste money on it and they are recommending anyone that comes in for tuners to use TTS on the M8 engine. He said they recently sent a tech to a software school just for TTS tuners to use on the M8 engine. I asked about warranty and he said anything they sell and install is 100% covered. I guess my question now is if I do choose to use one should it be like he said, TTS, or the FP3. He did say FP3 was a good tuner and he will install that one as well. I watched some videos on the FP3 and like how it connects blue tooth to your phone, seems very easy and average joe friendly. If I do run one I don't care about changing this and that value. I care ZERO about tinkering with this motor, one that does auto tune and I don't have to change any values at all myself is what I would be interested in. So, thoughts on TTS or FP3?

 

Ok, there are some serious questions in your question that need to be answered:

1. You are never required to retune a bike, no matter what you do to it. It might run "ok", it might run like ****, it might barely run at all, BUT there is no question that you will NOT get the power gains you otherwise would if you tuned it. And, there are plenty of guys here who will tell you: "Nah, it'll be fine". If you do both intake and exhaust and don't tune it, No, it won't be fine.

2. If you put on both a freer flowing air cleaner and exhaust, you should retune the bike. Period.

3. The TTS and the FP3 are entirely different levels of tuners, and cannot be compared to each other. The TTS, the Dynojet Power Vision, and the formerly available SE Pro Super tuner are all full featured "flash" tuners that allow you to change the ECM settings in any way you choose. The FP3 is an easier to use, much more user friendly, somewhat less-featured tuner. If all you're intending to do is air cleaner and exhaust, the FP3 will work just fine, and lots of guys love it. If you see yourself doing cams, displacement, or headwork in the future, buy the TTS or PV.

4. The big one: If you attach an FP3, TTS module, or PV module to a 2017 M8, and change the tune, your powertrain warranty is void, instantly. If your dealer told you otherwise, they're either ignorant or lying. There is no question about this. Now, in real life, if you do this and have a powertrain related failure under warranty, and your dealer decides to cover it one way or the other, fine, that's their decision. The potential EPA fines to the dealer, if caught, will be in the thousands of dollars. My suggestion would be to decide how important the powertrain warranty is to you, and make your decision.

5. Also important: the act of installing non-EPA or non-CARB compliant aftermarket parts, in itself, does not void the powertrain warranty. It's the use of the non compliant tuner. So, if you put on non-complaint parts, and then use the SE Pro Street Tuner to get kinda-sorta-half-assed-close to a decent tune, you'll probably be in "good enough" territory, and your powertrain warranty will still be intact.

6. However, even though your powertrain warranty is still intact, if you have a powertrain component failure, and your service manager deems it related to the combination of non-HD aftermarket parts in combination with an HD tuner, he may indeed refuse to cover your failure under a warranty claim.

Complicated, ain't it.

My suggestions to you:

1. You need to decide if your powertrain warranty is important to you. If so, and you still want to have the dealer do performance upgrades on the bike, then the SE Pro Street Tuner is your only choice.

2. If you're willing to take a chance, and assume you will have no engine problems, and having a simple, easy to use, user friendly tuner is your top priority, then it's the FP3.

3. The only reason to consider the TTS or PV is if you intend to do more than a simple Stage 1.

What I would do:

I would ride the new M8 for a year. If nothing in the motor goes south, it probably isn't going to. Then I'd do what I want to the bike.

Hope that helps!

 

I agree with IdahoHacker.
The only difference is I would always opt for the more complete tuner.
There is only a few $ difference between the fp3 and TTS/PV so I opt for more power as I don't know if I will put a cam/heads/pistons, intake, etc in or not. I just don't want to be stuck with a product that can't follow my modification aspirations if I decide to go there.
Also, I believe resale value is better with a complete tuner that can adapt to any and all mods the new owner may want to do.
As always, JMHO,
Bob

 

Couldn't agree more, great advice!

 

More great advice. You never know what you will want to do 1, 2, or 5 yrs from now with that bike.

 

Yup, agreed. At the time I bought my Pro Super Tuner, all I ever wanted to do was just air cleaner and exhaust. But the then "Street Tuner" didn't do anything, and I didn't know that much about the TTS and PV. So, I listened to the little voice in my head and went with the full featured one.

Now, after having changed air cleaners, changed exhaust, and added a cam, and had the bike given a full dyno tune, I'm really, really glad I bumped up the tuner. I most definitely got my money's worth out of it.

Never say never.

 

My Dealer sells FP3 and had one on my 103 Street Bob. I like it and would buy one again.

 

I put a FP3 on my 15 SGS first before the air cleaner and exhaust upgrades and I think it made more of a difference than the ac and exhaust put together.

 

To the OP, for the mods (stageI) you are asking about, IdahoHacker is spot on with his reply.

But I vehemently disagree with this one quoted portion.....

If he meant that statement in respect to a stage I only, it's a fair statement... but he did use absolutes; "never required to retune a bike" and "no matter what you do".....

Anytime you change the engine internals (cams, big bore kit, injectors, stroked, etc), and you don't change the tune, it will not only run like crap, you will damage your engine.... to me, that would be a required retune of a bike...

Good luck with the new bike...

 

You misunderstood my statement: "You are never required to retune a bike".

That statement is 100% true. You are never required to do anything.

You don't have to be faithful to your wife. You don't have to pay your taxes. You don't have to retune your bike.

There are, as in every aspect of life, consequences to your decisions.

You can melt a hole in your marriage. You can melt a hole in your finances. You can melt a hole in a piston.

But you are never required to retune a bike.

It's always your decision.