Can’t I just download and flash one of the available free staged maps and not worry about tuning?
Even assuming that the map is a good tune by a knowledgeable tuner and matches the mods you have, it cannot take into account the differences that may exist between individual vehicles, even those of the exact same model and year. These differences include the quality of the user’s gasoline, factory production tolerances, mechanical/maintenance issues, variances in the design and performance of aftermarket parts, additional mods outside the scope of map and varying extremes in which the vehicle will be driven such as altitude and temperature. This is true of any off-the-shelf (OTS) map, even those that are commercially available. It is important to at least understand the basics of how to log your car to determine if the map has any potential issues.
