like low said, for bolt on applications, a mail order is probably the best route. sure a dyno tune would be nice, but the price you pay might muster 5-10 extra ponies.
id get a handheld, you can load their(sct or diablo's) general tune which takes advantage of any boltons you have, and from there you can increase/decrease timing or increase/decrease fuel, depending on how much you are willing to go. i tune alot of cars, so i bumped up timing to full and fuel as lean as possible (The ecu will add fuel in anyways if the o2 reading drops) until you get knock, then add back in some fuel. basically on a bolt on setup, youre going to get your power from Timing advance, so get that as high as possible, then work on fuel.
however, if later on you go with a power adder, the accuracy of mail order tunes become less and less able to make a correct tune when youre running california 91 octane and theyre used to new yorks 93 octane, and the climate are 100% different. alot of parameters need to be taken into account when it comes to tuning power adder setups, and is best left to a dyno tune. good thing is, if you have a SCT/Diablo, most tuners can use those, as they can upload the tune right into the handheld and flash that into your ecu. so while you spend 3-400 for a few ponies with your bolt on setup, its not like its completely useless later on when you get the big boy mods.
