Posted by Traveler on March 31, 04 at 14:35:31:
In Reply to: Re: Improving tow performance posted by AJ on March 31, 04 at 12:49:04:
: FWIW, I've got 93 octane Hypertech programming on my '01 8.1. Have towed numerous times, and never detected any detonation.
The newer the engine and control system, the better the electronic control. In your case it may work fine, but do you see any benefit. Risking the warranty on an $8000 engine is not everyone's cup of tea either. I've never seen a programming company say their code is GM approved. May never be due to federal laws and the huge expense to certify for the EPA.
TBI's on the other hand have so low of compression, that I doubt there really is a 93 octane calibration. The '96 to '00 Vortecs require some caution.
Any engine with aluminum heads will tolerate more agressive programming too. Don't think GM makes small round port heads with low intake runner volume for the 8.1L in aluminum, yet anyway.