Very true. But there is only one way to learn. This biggest mistake anyone, experienced or not, can make is to get in a hurry. Too many noobs think they can open the box on Friday after work, wire it and tune it over the weekend, and drive it to work on Monday. Just doesn't work that way.

If you have no idea what you're doing, buy from a reputable dealer that has experience with your platform and the system you're interested in. Preferably, someone with experience with multiple systems on that platform so that they can offer objective advise. When you buy a system, you should also be buying tech support. The dealer should be able to answer tech questions and you should be able to lean on that professional advice first, not a forum.

After the purchase, take your time. If you're wanting to install and tune a system on your daily and you have no other mode of transport lined up for at least a couple weeks, just don't do it.

Wiring is critical to the systems ultimate performance. Do it right, do it once. Don't be tempted to take short cuts to "just get it running" with the intent to come back and fix it later. Measure twice, cut once, and all those other sayings apply.

Read! Read the manual for the system before you ever take it out of the box. Preferably, read several manuals for multiple systems before you ever make a purchase. NO ONE wants to spend time educating themselves before they start cutting anymore. Everybody dives in and assumes a forum will bail them out when their crap doesn't run.

For a good overview on EFI, I always recommend these two books. They both give good overviews on how an EFI system works, what the various sensors do, basic wiring procedures, and an overview of how to properly tune an engine.

 

One thing I found about Greg Banish's books is that some of his recommendations rely heavily on basically doing hours and hours of steady-state testing on a loading dyno. That's not really an option for most DIYers due to cost and availability of dyno time.

 

Maybe. But how well do you want things to work? If you want OE type driveability, expect to spend some time and money doing things the right way. Just like me recommending to take your time, there are no free lunches. **** in always equals **** out.

 

I also recommend
"How to tune and modify engine management systems" very good book. Covers different typse of sensors and tuning tips from first start up.

 

I for one got my car's tunning by trial and error so to speak , started with a rich map and gradually leaned it out until it was where I wanted . small adjustments over time = ideal . rather then a hurried attempt at a dyno