Stage 1 vs Trifecta vs Superchips
Thread Starter
New Member
Joined: 05-18-2009
Posts: 13
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Stage 1 vs Trifecta vs Superchips
Hi All,
Has anyone used the Superchips tuner? It advertises 60hp and 80 ft/lbs of torque, seems a little high to me. I see that Trifecta is also a tune but I haven't seen any numbers for that yet. Why does the Stage 1 kit need sensors and the others don't? Has anyone installed the Stage 1 themselves?
Herk
Has anyone used the Superchips tuner? It advertises 60hp and 80 ft/lbs of torque, seems a little high to me. I see that Trifecta is also a tune but I haven't seen any numbers for that yet. Why does the Stage 1 kit need sensors and the others don't? Has anyone installed the Stage 1 themselves?
Herk
New Member
Joined: 12-15-2009
Posts: 16
From: pa
superchips verses trifecta
i installed superchips about 2 months ago and loved it.Tons more power and tire spinnin fun up to 40 mph.boost was maxed out at 15 and read a lot of posts on trifecta so tried them.First new tune was less then what i had so i called and they sent second tune.I installed that last night and am very pleased.Boost now hits 20 and tires spin when it hits second gear so i have more smiles then before.I just emalied them to see if we can go a little further even.more boost would be great as long as we dont get
any detonation.we will see and ill keep everyone posted
any detonation.we will see and ill keep everyone posted
Banned
Joined: 11-13-2006
Posts: 168
From: OH
i hit over 20psi with my superchips tune from day 1 and ran a 14.1 at the pittsburgh raceway park track with my auto ss. you will find that you will get a lot of prejudice responses on this website regarding aftermarket tunes. It really chases off a lot of potential members IMHO, that is why i do not share any of my photos or videos of mine on here.
the hhr ss will never be a drag racer but the superchips tune is cheap and does a great job and allows you to adjust your shift points and more. i chose it because so many people had issues with untrained gm service techs screwing up their cars. i feel that any way you can avoid having a gm tech touch your car the better. i have had my tune for nearly a year now and i still feel i made the right decision going with it. it was $318 well spent on my cortex tuner. Hopefully this post will not get deleted or edited, i feel i provided you with some very useful information and a very honest opinion which is what you asked for.
the hhr ss will never be a drag racer but the superchips tune is cheap and does a great job and allows you to adjust your shift points and more. i chose it because so many people had issues with untrained gm service techs screwing up their cars. i feel that any way you can avoid having a gm tech touch your car the better. i have had my tune for nearly a year now and i still feel i made the right decision going with it. it was $318 well spent on my cortex tuner. Hopefully this post will not get deleted or edited, i feel i provided you with some very useful information and a very honest opinion which is what you asked for.
Senior Member
Joined: 06-03-2008
Posts: 123
From: Victoria
I had a Superchips tune, and have since switched to a Trifecta tune.
The Superchips tune was easy to apply, and the car felt significantly faster. There's way more mid-range torque, but it felt a bit weak above 5000 rpm. I had a lot of fun with it for a few months before I decided that a canned tune was leaving too much power on the table for my liking. It's definitely a worthwhile upgrade though.
The Trifecta tune took a few weeks to fully sort out, but it is smoother and feels a little quicker at low revs and quite a bit quicker at high revs than the Superchips tune. I'm guessing the Trifecta tune would pull a couple of car lengths on the Superchips tune by the end of 3rd gear.
Installed correctly, I'm sure the GM Tune is excellent as well. I don't trust my local dealership to install/warranty it properly though, and it's expensive.
It comes down to this - these engines are de-tuned from the factory and even a conservative, basic, competent tune will make the car feel much faster than stock
The Superchips tune was easy to apply, and the car felt significantly faster. There's way more mid-range torque, but it felt a bit weak above 5000 rpm. I had a lot of fun with it for a few months before I decided that a canned tune was leaving too much power on the table for my liking. It's definitely a worthwhile upgrade though.
The Trifecta tune took a few weeks to fully sort out, but it is smoother and feels a little quicker at low revs and quite a bit quicker at high revs than the Superchips tune. I'm guessing the Trifecta tune would pull a couple of car lengths on the Superchips tune by the end of 3rd gear.
Installed correctly, I'm sure the GM Tune is excellent as well. I don't trust my local dealership to install/warranty it properly though, and it's expensive.
It comes down to this - these engines are de-tuned from the factory and even a conservative, basic, competent tune will make the car feel much faster than stock
Senior Member
Joined: 07-23-2008
Posts: 1,148
From: Peoria, AZ
Sounds like a great product.
I had a Superchips tune, and have since switched to a Trifecta tune.
The Superchips tune was easy to apply, and the car felt significantly faster. There's way more mid-range torque, but it felt a bit weak above 5000 rpm. I had a lot of fun with it for a few months before I decided that a canned tune was leaving too much power on the table for my liking. It's definitely a worthwhile upgrade though.
The Trifecta tune took a few weeks to fully sort out, but it is smoother and feels a little quicker at low revs and quite a bit quicker at high revs than the Superchips tune. I'm guessing the Trifecta tune would pull a couple of car lengths on the Superchips tune by the end of 3rd gear.
Installed correctly, I'm sure the GM Tune is excellent as well. I don't trust my local dealership to install/warranty it properly though, and it's expensive.
It comes down to this - these engines are de-tuned from the factory and even a conservative, basic, competent tune will make the car feel much faster than stock
The Superchips tune was easy to apply, and the car felt significantly faster. There's way more mid-range torque, but it felt a bit weak above 5000 rpm. I had a lot of fun with it for a few months before I decided that a canned tune was leaving too much power on the table for my liking. It's definitely a worthwhile upgrade though.
The Trifecta tune took a few weeks to fully sort out, but it is smoother and feels a little quicker at low revs and quite a bit quicker at high revs than the Superchips tune. I'm guessing the Trifecta tune would pull a couple of car lengths on the Superchips tune by the end of 3rd gear.
Installed correctly, I'm sure the GM Tune is excellent as well. I don't trust my local dealership to install/warranty it properly though, and it's expensive.
It comes down to this - these engines are de-tuned from the factory and even a conservative, basic, competent tune will make the car feel much faster than stock
Senior Member
Joined: 11-15-2008
Posts: 1,599
From: Newburgh, NY
In my particular situation, I use the car for business, and selected the SS because it's fun to drive between jobs. Not for drag racing at the strip. My fear is having the dang thing break in the middle of the night on the interstate. At least with the GM Perf tune, GM would be responsible for the hook and rental to get me to the next job (work comes first; car is just a tool in this case).
Once the warrantee is up, I'll get another business vehicle for work, but will probably keep the SS for leisure. At that time, all inhibitions in regard to mods are off and Trifecta will probably be seeing another customer.
Banned
Joined: 11-13-2006
Posts: 168
From: OH
True, this car will never be a drag racer/fast. It is a fun "sporty" cheap people hauler. I like it for what it is, i have other cars for actual drag/road course racing.
No matter what, having more than one option is always good even though many here like to think otherwise. The more options you have the lower the prices get and the better the performance there will be.
No matter what, having more than one option is always good even though many here like to think otherwise. The more options you have the lower the prices get and the better the performance there will be.
Senior Member
Joined: 07-23-2008
Posts: 1,148
From: Peoria, AZ
My car is slow? Really? I know you didn't trap 99+ MPH stock with a horrible 60ft and first time racing a FWD car and driving stick at the track. 
. But yes you had a lame excuse for not posting it up. 
. But yes you had a lame excuse for not posting it up.