Best N54 Tuner
- Thread starter Sixbanger
- Start date
I'm in this boat, I'll be installing GC lite 2.0's tomorrow, I need a tune, but I keep contacting tuners and they take a long time to respond or seem un-interested.
Yes I have a lot of questions. Yes I have particular requests and I have no problems paying extra money for them but they seem to keep blowing me off.
So I'll just post the basic things and info I ask, and hopefully we can find a tuner who will give me what I need.
2008 BMW 335xi manual
List of mods:
-GC 2.0 lites
-VTT aluminum charge pipe, inlets
-Turbo smart diverter valves
- N20 TMAP
-BMS catch can with RB turbo vacuum side catch can, ports tapped and blocked in head.
-VRSF charge pipe
-VRSF down pipes (catless)
-VRSF stepped 5 inch
-Spec stage 3+ clutch with SMFW.
-CP-E port injection with 55# injectors, using split second box.
-2x walbro 450's in parallel from precision racing, ( custom LPFP controller I wrote PID control code on an Arduino M0 with a megamoto 35 amp continuous per channel 2 channel H bridge)
- MHD with proper setup for custom tunes (was running one before the turbo failed for 50k miles)
- Precision racing upgraded ignition
- NGK 93026 spark plugs gaped at .022
- All vacuum lines replaced with platinum cured silicone
- RB high flow oil drain lines
- RB PCV valve
- UUC short shift kit
- poly bushings for both front control arms
- rear m3 control arms with ECS tuning trailing arms
Front and rear diff fluids changed every 60k with redline, transmission oil changed every 60k (currently on royal purple syncromesh), transfer case fluild changed 20k ago. Turbo solenoids replaced 5k ago. All coolant and oil lines for the turbos replaced at swap time, all new exhaust seals. VRSF charge pipe and down pipes are thermal wrapped. Currently running 100% E85.
My asks: I have a lot of custom things I've put into my tune, my coolant temp is set to 180 deg, I changed the fan PWM to temp delta settings so it would flow more air earlier as well, this keeps my oil temps down (even on 100 deg F days it stays below 250), I have a tune that I KNOW passes emissions (done so twice now) and so I'm ok running lean in the mid range low load for fuel economy but need that to be at stoich to pass emissions, so possibly 2 maps one for emissions. Because of this it would simply be easier to have an open map so I can just do all the changes I want, that or someone gets to put up with my requests. I'm happy to sign an NDA so someone can sue my pants off if I ever shared their magic AFR/VANOS/Timing/Fuel etc tables, or take a locked bin if they are willing to do all the things I ask.
I also do not want to desensitize the knock tables.
Power goals are 600whp with 600 wheel torque at altitude (5280), should be doable on those turbos with 100% E85 and the fueling support I have.
I also want to know what extra it would cost me later to get a tune that supports the new Flex fuel setup Motiv has done as I'm sure I'll be going to that later.
Note my forum name is consistent, I'm shushikiary on E90 post as well as on bummerboost.... just saying that because my post count here is... well this is a heavy first post, lol.
Yes I have a lot of questions. Yes I have particular requests and I have no problems paying extra money for them but they seem to keep blowing me off.
So I'll just post the basic things and info I ask, and hopefully we can find a tuner who will give me what I need.
2008 BMW 335xi manual
List of mods:
-GC 2.0 lites
-VTT aluminum charge pipe, inlets
-Turbo smart diverter valves
- N20 TMAP
-BMS catch can with RB turbo vacuum side catch can, ports tapped and blocked in head.
-VRSF charge pipe
-VRSF down pipes (catless)
-VRSF stepped 5 inch
-Spec stage 3+ clutch with SMFW.
-CP-E port injection with 55# injectors, using split second box.
-2x walbro 450's in parallel from precision racing, ( custom LPFP controller I wrote PID control code on an Arduino M0 with a megamoto 35 amp continuous per channel 2 channel H bridge)
- MHD with proper setup for custom tunes (was running one before the turbo failed for 50k miles)
- Precision racing upgraded ignition
- NGK 93026 spark plugs gaped at .022
- All vacuum lines replaced with platinum cured silicone
- RB high flow oil drain lines
- RB PCV valve
- UUC short shift kit
- poly bushings for both front control arms
- rear m3 control arms with ECS tuning trailing arms
Front and rear diff fluids changed every 60k with redline, transmission oil changed every 60k (currently on royal purple syncromesh), transfer case fluild changed 20k ago. Turbo solenoids replaced 5k ago. All coolant and oil lines for the turbos replaced at swap time, all new exhaust seals. VRSF charge pipe and down pipes are thermal wrapped. Currently running 100% E85.
My asks: I have a lot of custom things I've put into my tune, my coolant temp is set to 180 deg, I changed the fan PWM to temp delta settings so it would flow more air earlier as well, this keeps my oil temps down (even on 100 deg F days it stays below 250), I have a tune that I KNOW passes emissions (done so twice now) and so I'm ok running lean in the mid range low load for fuel economy but need that to be at stoich to pass emissions, so possibly 2 maps one for emissions. Because of this it would simply be easier to have an open map so I can just do all the changes I want, that or someone gets to put up with my requests. I'm happy to sign an NDA so someone can sue my pants off if I ever shared their magic AFR/VANOS/Timing/Fuel etc tables, or take a locked bin if they are willing to do all the things I ask.
I also do not want to desensitize the knock tables.
Power goals are 600whp with 600 wheel torque at altitude (5280), should be doable on those turbos with 100% E85 and the fueling support I have.
I also want to know what extra it would cost me later to get a tune that supports the new Flex fuel setup Motiv has done as I'm sure I'll be going to that later.
Note my forum name is consistent, I'm shushikiary on E90 post as well as on bummerboost.... just saying that because my post count here is... well this is a heavy first post, lol.
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That was bound to happen. He's in his residency program (or close to it) at this point (yes, Dr V8Bait).
Yea I contacted V8Bait first, he was my number 1 pick given he tuned VTT's record runs, but he said he wasnt taking any more business at the moment.
wedge is doing a great job on my car. i have 6266bb, full e85, and im on 24lbs of boost right now. running like a clock with zero timing pulls and load meeting request. looking forward to turning it up a few lbs before this motor is doing all it can spit out safely. no dyno yet, i'm waiting for a dyno local to my job to open up
This is a great forum, good to have you here.
Totally understand the frustration w how busy some tuners are. It's kinda the name of the game, but that doesn't mean much when you're waiting on the sidelines.
I'm a known Motiv cheerleader and will continue to steer folks to them for a number of reasons (chief among them being the quality of their work and the integrity of their ownership). Jake(s)+Chris are busy dudes so I can't speak to turnaround time. But there is no one who I trust with my car like them. If you'll be going the FF route, it seems all the more sensible to work with them.
I seriously doubt they'll provide open IP from a tining/map standpoint, to be clear. Would imagine that will be a sticking point with just about all professional tuners. Enthusiasts doing it for fun/on the side may have more lax rules.
Yeah the open map thing seems to really be a sticking point. I can see why, but an NDA has them covered, but they don't seem to understand that. In my line of work I sign NDA's all the time. I have to or we can't work with customers, Google, Facebook, wawei, Amazon, I have signed NDA's for all of them, and them for us.
I also don't think most people realize I could just get a locked tune, throw the OBD2 on a can bus tracer, literally save each can bus packet and compose a bin from it as they programmed the flash. Thus their locked bin is useless. The NDA is more powerful in protecting their IP than the locked bin. Jake did some work to encrypt the flash data as it went across the bus it seems for the flex fuel stuff, but the rest of what I've seen that would take me a few days of work.
Point being it's pointless for me to do that, I'd rather pay someone for their time and work and give my word, even legally with an NDA. It's the right thing to do. Thankfully I did find a local tuner willing to give me an unlocked tune, so I'm tempted to go for that as he's also local.
I've also talked with twisted tuning and he's done pretty well at responding. So I'll either go twisted, local, or contact motiv.
I also don't think most people realize I could just get a locked tune, throw the OBD2 on a can bus tracer, literally save each can bus packet and compose a bin from it as they programmed the flash. Thus their locked bin is useless. The NDA is more powerful in protecting their IP than the locked bin. Jake did some work to encrypt the flash data as it went across the bus it seems for the flex fuel stuff, but the rest of what I've seen that would take me a few days of work.
Point being it's pointless for me to do that, I'd rather pay someone for their time and work and give my word, even legally with an NDA. It's the right thing to do. Thankfully I did find a local tuner willing to give me an unlocked tune, so I'm tempted to go for that as he's also local.
I've also talked with twisted tuning and he's done pretty well at responding. So I'll either go twisted, local, or contact motiv.
I agree completely with this. I offered to pay additional and sign an NDA for an unlocked tune. I have no desire to tune professionally, but it would be nice to have visibility into the map, and be able to tweak minor things when desired.
Motiv gets my vote. As they actually race a 135i & do well doing it. They don't tune for just max HP to see how fast they can go in a straight line.
They also created the boost box & flex fuel. They probably have more hands on experience with more hardware configurations and DME tables than anyone else on this platform I would bet.
Seems to make sense to give them your business as they have actually been pushing the platform along creating hardware and software solutions that everyone can use vs. say just remote tuning alone.
Just my thoughts.
They also created the boost box & flex fuel. They probably have more hands on experience with more hardware configurations and DME tables than anyone else on this platform I would bet.
Seems to make sense to give them your business as they have actually been pushing the platform along creating hardware and software solutions that everyone can use vs. say just remote tuning alone.
Just my thoughts.
I have GCs and trebila turned my car and hes been very helpful and speedy on his replies. The car runs great and he even tuned the transmission to prevent slippage on my xi. I prefer the jb4 with the bms pi box for the easy adjustments and autotuning that I can do, I wouldnt go any other way. I love that I can adjust stuff on the fly and bluetooth logging makes it much easier to log
http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33175
Link to him talking about the transmission changes on my car (it was previously pit200, I bought it from him in jan)
http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showpost.php?p=531025&postcount=327
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There is no disputing this at all. But their availability is the problem. It takes months to get a tune from them and when a problem arises they are virtually unreachable.
That is interesting to hear as I have not experienced that. They(Jake) usually gets back to me in under 3 days when they were tuning my stock twins. He helped diagnose that my twins were shot vs. an exterior problem. Very often he would get back to me in 1 day. I am sure it depends on their family life/vacations/how busy they are as I know all the guys have full time jobs and they do this on the side. There are also more employees there now vs. Jake doing it all which is how it was before I believe. When they 'were' PTF Jake was pretty responsive as well, he tuned my old e90 and I never had a complaint about waiting for new map revisions. That being said, I am also never really in a rush and can handle waiting some time as I have a DD.
That all being said I am sure some people have experienced that wait time you are describing with remote tuning and motiv.
One thing that is nice you can reserve them on say a Saturday for remote dyno tuning if you pay $$$ or I believe they will come and do it in person if you pay enough $$$ as well.
One final positive note for Motiv, other than everything I said in my post above, is I think they have been flash tuning(jake) longer than anyone else on this platform by at least a year or two.
