How much does a dyno tune cost?
At Revzone in Melbourne, tunes start from $1,300. Most common platforms land between $1,895 and $2,699 with the ECU licence included. Here's the full breakdown.
New to tuning? Start with how our dyno tuning works.
Tune-only pricing
What a tune costs, by platform
Different car? Tunes for other supported platforms — WRX/STI, Civic Type R, GR Yaris, plus BMW, Audi, and VW — start from $1,300. Tell us what you drive and we'll give you a straight number.
The variables
What moves the price
The software
EcuTek is a software licence. Cobb is the Accessport, a handheld device. Hondata uses the FlashPro. Whichever your platform runs, it's a real line item in the price and it stays with your car. Same tuning work, different software bill — that's why an 86 is $1,895 and a WRX VB is $2,699.
ECU and TCU
An R35 has a separate transmission computer with its own licence and its own tune, and we strongly recommend doing the TCU with the engine — how the gearbox shifts and holds torque matters as much as the power. That's why GT-R pricing starts at $3,830: you're tuning two computers.
What's bolted to the car
A stock car needs one clean map. A car with intake, exhaust, and an intercooler needs the map built around that hardware, verified on the dyno. More variables, more dyno time.
The fuel
A single-fuel tune is one map — the quickest way through the dyno. Flex fuel is more than two: the ECU has to behave at whatever mix of 98 and E85 is actually in the tank, so we tune and verify across the blends. More dyno time.
Tune + hardware
What a stage package costs
| Package | What's in it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 86/BRZ RZ Stage 2 | Intake, UEL headers, tune | $4,540 |
| GR86/BRZ RZ Stage 2 | Intake, UEL headers + overpipe, tune | $4,540 |
| 370Z RZ Stage 1 | Intake, exhaust, tune | $4,295 |
| WRX VB RZ Stage 2 | Intake, intercooler, j-pipe, Accessport, tune | $7,455 |
| 370Z RZ Stage 2 | Full bolt-on package, tune | $9,795 |
| R35 GT-R RZ Stage 2 | Intake, downpipes, centre pipe, ECU + TCU tune | $10,240 |
| R35 GT-R RZ Stage 2+ | Stage 2 + full fuel system for E85 | $13,350 |
| 86/BRZ RZ Stage 3 (turbo) | HKS turbo kit, fuel system, clutch, tune | $15,950 |
| GR86/BRZ RZ Stage 3 (turbo) | HKS turbo kit, fuel system, clutch, tune | $19,210 |
370Z Stage 3 and R35 Stage 3 are quoted per build — the turbo hardware options vary too much for a single sticker price.
The comparison
Why some tunes cost $500
A $500 tune is usually a pre-made file flashed into your ECU, sometimes without the car ever leaving your driveway. The map was built on someone else's car, for someone else's fuel, and nobody watches what your engine does with it under load.
What you're paying for on a dyno is verification. Knock, air-fuel ratios, and temperatures measured while the engine works, then the map adjusted to what your car is actually doing. Then road tuning, because a car that's only ever seen a dyno drives like it.
Plenty of cars run generic files without drama. The problem is you find out which kind yours is the expensive way.
Every Revzone tune includes
- ECU software — EcuTek licence, Cobb Accessport, or Hondata FlashPro
- Map written from scratch for your car
- Dyno session — Dynapack hub or roller
- Road tuning: cold starts, part throttle, drivability
- Your dyno graph with the numbers
FAQ
Pricing questions
- How much does a dyno tune cost in Melbourne?
- At Revzone, tunes start from $1,300. Most common platforms land between $1,895 and $2,699 for a tune with the ECU licence included — an 86 or GR86 is $1,895, a Nissan Z is $1,945, a WRX VB is $2,699 with the Cobb Accessport. An R35 GT-R is $3,830 because both the engine and transmission computers get tuned. All prices include GST.
- Why do tune prices vary so much between shops?
- Three things: whether the ECU software — the EcuTek licence, Cobb Accessport, or Hondata FlashPro — is included or added later, whether the price covers a custom map or an off-the-shelf file, and whether road tuning after the dyno is part of the job. A cheap headline price often has the software and the road work missing. Ask what the number includes before comparing.
- What does the price include?
- The ECU software for your platform (EcuTek licence, Cobb Accessport, or Hondata FlashPro), dyno time on our Dynapack hub dyno or roller dyno, a map written from scratch for your car and fuel, and road tuning afterwards to sort cold starts, part-throttle, and daily drivability. You get the dyno graph with your numbers.
- Is a cheap remote or mail-order tune the same thing?
- No. A remote flash is a file loaded into your ECU without the car ever seeing a dyno. Nobody verifies what the engine is actually doing — knock, fueling, temperatures — under load. It can work out. When it doesn't, the engine pays for it. A custom dyno tune costs more because the verification is the product.
- How much is a retune after new mods?
- Less than the first tune, because the ECU software is already on your car. The exact number depends on what changed — a revised map for a new exhaust is a smaller job than integrating a turbo kit. Tell us what's gone on the car and we'll quote it straight.
- How long does a dyno tune take?
- Usually a full day, sometimes overnight. Dyno first, then road tuning. Book ahead — we're typically booked out around four weeks.
- Is a dyno tune worth the money?
- If the car has mods and no tune, yes — the parts you've already paid for aren't doing what they should, and the engine may be running outside safe limits. On a stock car it's a smaller gain but you still get sharper throttle response and a map built for local fuel. If you're weighing tune against parts, spend on the tune first.
Want a number for your car?
Tell us what you drive and what's been done to it. We'll quote the tune, straight, with nothing hiding behind the price. We reply within 24 hours.