I can understand how people doubt mail order tunes. I spent hours researching tunes, until I settled on BB. I could not find a shop near me that would dyno tune my Tahoe with the black box.
Blackbear is one of maybe a handful of companies that I suggest to people. The customer service is great. Justin (the owner?) really knows his ****. I have probably 30+ emails back and fourth to him over the past few years. He has helped me diagnose some issues I was having that weren't related to the tune. I did get a chance to drive my Tahoe for a few miles before the engine rebuild, and it was an incredible difference for the $250 +/- that it cost.
Initially, I had him do the 89 tune. I had zero issues with the vehicle after the rebuild (besides a minor misfire at idle that I still can't track down). I then went from 3.42 to 4.10 gears, so I sent my computer back in (for the cost of shipping only), to have Justin adjust the speedo for the new gears. While he had it, I asked him what else he could do to make it run better. He said he could put the 91+ octane tune on it, so he did. I got it back, and it had a very noticeable difference.
Now, I'm not naive enough to believe that a mail order tune, such as that from Blackbear, is better than a dyno tune. Obviously, tuning to real-time data from the vehicle is always going to be a better option, providing that the tuner knows what they're doing. I promise you that if you get a tune from them, your money will be well spent.
Well said. I also wouldn't hesitate to spend money on a Black Bear Performance tune, even with heavy modifications. Justin has gone above and beyond to help me with the tune in my V6 truck over the years. He's altered the tune many times at my request (always free except the cost of shipping), including when I swapped transmissions from a 4L60E to a 4L80E. I offered to pay him to do it and he wouldn't accept anything except the usual shipping charges. Awesome people, awesome results, awesome customer service. An in-person dyno tune is the only way you're going to do any better, and that's probably going to cost you more than the $300 that Black Bear charges.