First: I highly recommend Bren tuning. I wrote this to help people who are considering spending some of their hard earned cash.
Car - 2009 WRX; Mods - Tsudo catless downpipe, K&N panel filter.
Although I had an idea from pictures and Brendan's name, I was still a little surprised by his youth (he's actually 26 but I am a lot older.) I had had trouble that morning trying to install the K&N filter (it's an air filter - how hard can it be?!) I apologized for not being prepared for my dyno session; Brendan had the airbox removed within a minute. He then installed the air filter in the air box, repositioning it several times until he was satisfied with the seal, giving me a preview of his attention to detail and pride in his work. He then spent over two hours tuning my car. He then gave me the results; I left still skeptical of the numbers (if something seems too good to be true, it generally is!) Well, the ride home made a believer out of me. The torque and horsepower curves now meet approximately 750 rpm lower and a much higher power level. The wheel horsepower is just under 285 and the torque is just over 310.
How does it feel? The throttle seems a little slow to react. (I'm going to contact Brendan and see what's up) The power hits similar to stock, just more and earlier. Triple digits show up on the speedo surprisingly early, yet I was a little disappointed. (I think I was hoping WRX + Tune = Veyron).
If I was going to spend the money and the time I'm not sure I would do it again because the car was immensely fun to begin with - a car can only be so much fun. But for those of you looking for a great tuner: Did I think I got my money's worth from Bren Tuning? Yes, my money's worth and more. Would I recommend Bren Tuning? Absolutely and without reservation.
I came into this process a cynic and with with unrealistic expectations. Brendan's perseverance, attention to detail, professionalism completely won me over. As for the unrealistic expectations, well, tuners can't remap them.
Car - 2009 WRX; Mods - Tsudo catless downpipe, K&N panel filter.
Although I had an idea from pictures and Brendan's name, I was still a little surprised by his youth (he's actually 26 but I am a lot older.) I had had trouble that morning trying to install the K&N filter (it's an air filter - how hard can it be?!) I apologized for not being prepared for my dyno session; Brendan had the airbox removed within a minute. He then installed the air filter in the air box, repositioning it several times until he was satisfied with the seal, giving me a preview of his attention to detail and pride in his work. He then spent over two hours tuning my car. He then gave me the results; I left still skeptical of the numbers (if something seems too good to be true, it generally is!) Well, the ride home made a believer out of me. The torque and horsepower curves now meet approximately 750 rpm lower and a much higher power level. The wheel horsepower is just under 285 and the torque is just over 310.
How does it feel? The throttle seems a little slow to react. (I'm going to contact Brendan and see what's up) The power hits similar to stock, just more and earlier. Triple digits show up on the speedo surprisingly early, yet I was a little disappointed. (I think I was hoping WRX + Tune = Veyron).
If I was going to spend the money and the time I'm not sure I would do it again because the car was immensely fun to begin with - a car can only be so much fun. But for those of you looking for a great tuner: Did I think I got my money's worth from Bren Tuning? Yes, my money's worth and more. Would I recommend Bren Tuning? Absolutely and without reservation.
I came into this process a cynic and with with unrealistic expectations. Brendan's perseverance, attention to detail, professionalism completely won me over. As for the unrealistic expectations, well, tuners can't remap them.
