We've just received our very own SCT Performance X4 Handheld Tuner to play around with, and we're already in love with the thing. The X4's firmware is so much faster than the outgoing X3 series which makes it a heck of lot easier to use and much quicker to tune your vehicle and pull its information. The X4 unit itself is surprisingly small and light which makes the X-Cal 3s and SF3s look like dinosaurs in comparison. Loading a new tune into your vehicle is extraordinarily easy, and the X4's new interface and firmware are a breeze to work with. We had a a pre-loaded SCT performance tune loaded into our 3.7L Project Truck in only a few minutes. Here's how:
After plugging the included OBD-II cable into the truck and tuner, the X4 powered on. To start loading a tune, all all we did was select "Program Vehicle" on the X4's main menu. It's the first option and was already highlighted.
Once we selected "Program Vehicle," the tune menu popped up. Since we don't have an custom tunes loaded (yet), we only had SCT's preloaded tunes as an option.
After we picked the preloaded tune, options came up for adjusting its parameters (such as wheel size, axle ratio, and fuel octane). For our little guide here, we just left everything as-is. If your vehicle has some things changed up, make sure to select the proper options.
Once we had double-checked everything, we scrolled down and hit "Approve".
The actual programming then began. We had to turn the key to "On" and then let the X4 do its thing. First, the X4 unlocks the processor and then saves a copy of the factory tuning files.
Saving the stock file actually went surprisingly fast. After the X4 got done making a copy of our factory tuning file, it prepared its own data, which didn't take much more than a full minute.
The X4 then asked us to turn the key to "On" again, but since the key was already there, that screen went away quickly, and the X4 began to write our SCT "canned" performance tune to the truck in earnest.
With the tune written, the X4 cleared our truck's DTCs, and the tuning process was complete. Check out the video below for a full overview.
