EFI Live tuning for the Duramax Diesel

Duramax 6.6 LB7 LLY LBZ LMM LML

If you have spent any amount of time on the internet there is no doubt you’ve seen countless suggestions that you should get “EFI Live” for your truck. I’d like to take a moment here and try to clarify just what EFI Live is and what it does.

EFI Live is without a doubt the premiere tuning tool for most any late model GM vehicle as well as some models of the Dodge Ram Cummins. What EFI does not do for you is build any actual tuning. Creation of tunes is up to the individual tuner. Simply put, someone has to write the actual tune file be it you or someone else. So using the term EFI to describe a tune is a bit of a misconception. The creator was not EFI Live. Yes EFI was used to create the tune, BUT the tuning work in question is only as good as its creator’s capabilities. The old adages “you get what you pay for” and “caveat emptor” apply here. Unless you know that the source is trusted and reputable there can be significant risk involved.

So you ask how can I get tuning built with EFI Live for my truck? Here are a couple of different ways.

Tune Yourself

With this method you would own an actual EFI Live Flashscan Tuning tool. You would then load the appropriate software to a PC, read the factory file from your vehicle, and save this as the stock base map. Now you can and go to work changing tables to create your own tune. If you do not have the knowledge to create your own tuning you could poke around the web looking for free file shares, but that involves risk and typically results in lesser quality work. The cost of owning the tuning tool is more than what a custom tune costs so unless you have the ability to create your own tunes, it may be best to have the tuning done for you.

Custom Tuning

This is my specialty. It is called Kennedy Custom ECM programming. I have developed this tuning over many years and many thousands of miles of Duramax ownership. I have towed, raced, dyno tested, driven for best economy, you name it. The testing has been done on my own personal trucks and proven in the field by many of satisfied customers. It is my preference to load the tuning on my workbench to a core ECM. This way I can control the environment. In some cases if you already own the EFI Live V2 hardware a tune file can be sent electronically so that you can load yourself. It is also possible to load tuning onto a device called an Autocal. This device is a handheld tuner built by EFI Live and can hold custom created tuning to be loaded by the end user.