The Camaro is one of the most popular muscle cars on the market. It’s also a car that has seen many changes over the years, with new models coming out every few years.
If you are looking to boost your vehicle’s performance, then there are some great options available that will help you get just what you need.
Read this article to find out more about what tuner can do for your car and find reviews of different models so that you can decide which one would be best for your needs!
Best Tuner for Camaro SS Picks:
Here are the detailed reviews for you to pick a tuner that can enhance the performance of your Camaro-
1. DiabloSport 8245 inTune i3 Platinum Performance Programmer
The first product on our list is the DiabloSport 8245 inTune i3 Platinum Performance Programmer. It sounds like a name that somebody came up with in a haze, but believe us, it’s almost impossible to find a tuner that holds up a candle to this product.
Before we get into the details for the DiabloSport 8245, it’s apparent that this is one of the best choices for people who aren’t very tech-savvy with ECM changes.
If you’re looking for a tuner that you can regularly update and use over several years to give your truck that extra oomph, look no further.
It comes with the broadest range of customizations we’ve seen yet. We’ll admit it does everything perfectly, but if we had to pick something, it knocks miles-per-gallon fuel usage optimization out of the park.
From the models it was tested on, the DiabloSport 8245 showed significant improvements in acceleration timing, rev range, shift points and even throttle response, which many tuners get wrong.
Understandably, the price tag can make people hesitate to buy this product. Consider, though, that a tuner is a long time investment, and if you want to calibrate your Camaro ss without any significant problems, we’d say the DiabloSport 8245 is a steal!
Benefits:
- The tuner comes with several preloaded, efficient tunes
- Long-lasting product that you can update frequently
- Plug-and-play product that can upgrade your Camaro’s performance in minutes
- Depending on the vehicle’s response and gas mileage improvements, horsepower gain can be anywhere from 20 HP to 35 HP
Drawbacks:
- The DiabloSport 8245’s shifting aspect leaves something to be desired, as it often takes minutes to calibrate.
- WiFi connectivity can be a problem because units sometimes don’t pick up WiFi signals at all.
2. SCT Performance – 40490 – BDX Performance Tuner and Monitor
The SCT Performance – 40490 is a tuner with a wide variety of applications, and we’re happy to tell you this highly-rated tuner works perfectly for Camaro SS models. The preloaded tunes that come with this product provide immediate increases in both horsepower and torque.
The package contains:
- The primary handheld tuning unit.
- A USB cable.
- An HDMI OBD2 Cable for convenience.
Judging by its shape and size, it’s a minimal, portable product that you could stow away in a safe corner of the garage without problems.
Like most tuners today, the SCT 40490 BDX Performance Tuner is made primarily for custom tuning with a custom tune capacity of 20 tunes.
However, people just dipping their toes into tuning their Camaro SS will be pleased to know that it also comes with a selection of preloaded tunes. Choices include several famous octane tunes, and all of them are Dyno-proven and street-tested to ensure they are fit for usage.
On the same note, the SCT Performance – 40490 tuner also stores your Camaro’s factory tune file. This means you can quickly run a full reset to the stock program whenever needed.
Benefits:
- Tuner automatically updates remotely using an over-the-air update system
- The 87 octane street tune that comes preloaded provides a major revamp to your car’s ecosystem
- The tuner offers a real-time view of the vehicle’s engine parameters for the advanced tuning professional
- It also doubles as a diagnostic tool with the ability to read and clear most diagnostic trouble codes.
- You can easily hook up the tuning and gauge display to windows, pillars, or dashboards
Drawbacks:
- Only a select number of the preloaded tunes are helpful, so do your research before applying a tune.
- Very, very slow flash times can make the tuning process confusing.
3. Fits Chevy Camaro – High-Performance Tuner Chip
Made almost exclusively for the luxury Chevy Camaro, this High-Performance Tuner Chip from Power Tune Performance is completely plug-and-play and just needs to be plugged into your car’s OBD port.
It works efficiently for all transmission types, both automatic and manual, and syncs to your driving habits over a short period. According to our tests, the High-Performance Tuner Chip is the choice for aggressive drivers that like to open up the throttle on long, empty roads.
As for its benefits, there’s no shortage of those. While custom tunes remain the superior (and much more expensive) option, the preloaded, Dyno-tested tunes can increase your horsepower by up to 35%, add around 25% more torque, and massively improve your 0 – 60 acceleration.
We also noticed that the High-Performance Tuner Chip from Power Tune Performance had one of the most straightforward installations we tested. Other tuners, especially models from DiabloSport, can take upwards of three to four minutes, but this tuner could apply preloaded tunes in just over a minute.
Another neat little thing about this tuner chip is that it’s one of the most cost-efficient options on this list. Most sites sell it for just over $89, and it works perfectly for a wide variety of car makes, models, and production years.
Benefits:
- All preloaded tunes are Dyno-tested to ensure vehicle performance and safety
- Fine-tunes your vehicle over 100 – 200 miles for best driver-suited performance
- Shortens your 0 – 60 acceleration by almost 0.5 seconds
- Suitable for beginners to tuning because of its straightforward installation
- Has the best throttle response improvement out of the models we tested
Drawbacks:
- Unlike a little more expensive tuners, this chip won’t clear codes from your car.
- Tuning your vehicle over 100 – 200 miles means it won’t provide an immediate performance boost.
4. Bully Dog 40417 GT Platinum Tuner
We tested a LOT of chip tuners to do this review, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say that the Bully Dog 40417 GT Platinum Tuner is one of our favorites. Judging by looks alone, the tuner comes in a compact yet easily readable form and has a smooth matte-black finish that can make it a stylish addition to any car.
The tuner can be installed permanently or just used temporarily by supplying power from your OBD port.
Whether you’re just driving to pick the kids up from school or towing a car back to your auto garage, this tuner promises excellent performance and delivers in good style. It increases your horsepower by a minimum of 15% – 20% and can almost double your miles-per-gallon if configured with the proper tune.
Like the High-Performance Tuner Chip we reviewed earlier, this product is an efficient little tuner with many different features. It can function as a replacement for your multiple A-Pillar gauges, giving you much better readability.
The Bully Dog 40417 GT Platinum Tuner also functions as a monitoring unit for your engine parameters. It can be set to give you warnings in case of critical parameters that might pose a risk to your car.
Benefits:
- Reduces your transmission temperatures to give your vehicle smoother performance
- Can tune a broader range of parameters, like Turbo Boost Pressure, Timing Position, Throttle Position, Mass Air Flow, Injection Pulse Width, and Exhaust Gas Temperature
- Includes day and night driving modes for optimal performance
- Monitoring capabilities include various levels of vehicle performance tests.
- It’s easy to find free updates for the Bully Dog 40417 GT Platinum Tuner on the Internet.
Drawbacks:
- Bully Dog’s support lines are largely unavailable on the weekends.
- It doesn’t come with a kit to easily replace fuses with switches.
How to Choose the Best Tuner for Camaro SS
If you’re passionate about your Camaro SS, we’re not surprised you’ve found your way to tuning. A tuner upgrades or reprograms the way your engine works so that you can maximize the efficiency of your fuel map, your boost map, or your ignition map.
We outlined our picks for the 5 best tuner for camaro ss above, but the question remains, how are you going to choose? We’d say the best choice is to decide after checking up on factors like the product’s price, the features it includes, and even whether it works for your vehicle at all.
Let’s look at what auto-tuning experts say are some of the things you must check before deciding on a particular car tuner:
1. Applicability of the tuner to your car
Beginners to car tuning might not know that a car tuner applies only to a select variety of makes, models, and manufacturing years of vehicles. In most cases, tuners that aren’t recommended for a car just won’t work. However, it can also affect your vehicle negatively, like increasing your fuel consumption and decreasing horsepower.
That’s why it always pays off to check that a particular tuner fits your Camaro SS before making a purchase.
Here’s a surprise, though: checking this is probably the easiest step. Most companies have a list of accepted makes, models, and years on their years, and others have a calculator that can figure out if a particular tuner will work for your Camaro.
You could also just contact the manufacturer’s support line and have them check instead!
2. Features offered by the tuner
You get what you pay for has always been an accurate saying, and it’s even more applicable in this case. Car tuners can range from just under $100 to over $1000 for premium-grade sports car tuners.
If you’re just looking for something to increase horsepower and torque, a cheaper option like the High-Performance Tuner Chip from Power Tune Performance is perfect.
If you’re a serious car enthusiast who wants to tune their Camaro SS for some serious performance, you’ll want a product that can give you diagnostics and monitoring capabilities like the Bully Dog 40417 GT. The capability to read and clear DTC (diagnostic trouble codes) is also a significant plus.
3. Ease of Use
All in all, tuning chips are always easy to install and generally don’t take more than a few minutes to install the tuning. It’s installing updates, downloading custom tunes, and applying the preloaded tunes where customers start seeing difficulty.
Tuners for professional users are always more complicated than standard chip tuners, which means users who don’t have a lot of technical know-how probably won’t use them.
We recommend going for a tuner that fits your level of expertise with tuning. For example, if you’ve used tuners before, the Bully Dog 40417 GT or the DiabloSport 8245 inTune i3 are fantastic choices. If you haven’t, though, something like the SCT Performance – 40490 – BDX would be more of your style.
4. How the tuner has to be installed
Remember when we said installing tuners was always more or less an easy job? That’s only the case if you’re using a plug-and-play tuner. These types of tuners are known for their ease of use and are the DIY equivalent of getting your Camaro tuned by a professional garage and auto tuner.
An alternative to plug-and-play tuners are more advanced, expensive tuners that can be installed as permanent additions to your vehicle. In most cases, these come with additional monitoring and gauging capabilities, like the Bully Dog 40417 GT Platinum Tuner.
Both sides have their pros and cons. Plug-and-play tuners come with fewer features but are easier to use, making them suitable for beginners.
Tuners that function as permanent additions are more expensive, require technical know-how, and provide ECU and engine monitoring features worth the cost for professionals!
5. Whether it’s easy to get custom tunes
If you’ve read anything about car tuning before, you already know that stock tunes and preloaded tunes will only go so far. Even if they’re Dyno-tested and street-proven, preloaded tunes are meant to apply to a wide variety of vehicles. This means they’re not configured for either your car or your particular driving style.
Before buying a tuner, we recommend looking up how easy it is to get custom tunes from the manufacturer. Well-known names like Bully Dog and DiabloSports are the easiest, but they also cost the highest for custom tunes.
Your area’s postal system also comes into play here since many companies mail the tunes to their customers. If your town’s very remote, you might find yourself charged extra fees. Check up with both the manufacturer and your local post office for this one.
Final Verdict
We had difficulty choosing the best car tuner because all of our listed choices have genuine use cases. Some are perfect for DIY enthusiasts looking to learn a new thing, while others are meant for serious aftermarket enthusiasts that want the maximum performance out of their Camaro SS.
However, our tests proved that the DiabloSport 8245 inTune i3 Platinum is the best choice overall. It’s a solid, easy-to-use product that comes with efficient preloaded tunes.
DiabloSports also makes it easy to get custom tunes, and you can easily find updates for this tuner for free on the Internet. The one drawback of this product would have to be its expensive cost, but believe us when we say it’ll pay for itself when it massively improves your miles-per-gallon factor!