Wanting a tune but so lost in the forums..help !

[Stealthbombing]

Whatsup guys, I've spent my whole morning browsing through the forums regarding tunes for 2008 135i and to be honost most threads are from 2011-2015 which is pretty dated. The just I got from it was that there are these options:

Cobb, JB4, Dinan & mhd

My car currently has BMS DCIs &a BMW performance exhaust. I'm currently only looking to do a stage 1 tune.

Is cobb still my best bet ? Or has support completely stopped for the n54? I just need a little insight from people that have had experience with each vendor .

My altitude where I live is 3000ft btw so I'm sure that will affect it

Thanks

[ShocknAwe]

Define stage 1 tune. What are your goals? What fuel do you have access to (octane)? What do you plan to do in terms of future modification?

Happy to help but need more information about you and the car. All I can tell you without that is that Cobb is a waste of money in the here and now of 2017.

[Stealthbombing]

My goals are to keep my car as stock as it is now, I currently have an intake and an exhaust (cat back.) I live in Canada so I have access to 94 or 91, both widely available where I live.

Hopefully that's enough info, yeah I just want to put my money in the right spot

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Stealthbombing

My goals are to keep my car as stock as it is now, I currently have an intake and an exhaust (cat back.) I live in Canada so I have access to 94 or 91, both widely available where I live.

Hopefully that's enough info, yeah I just want to put my money in the right spot

Not terribly familiar with CAN octanes, but assuming your 94 is approximately the same as the 93 R+M/2 we have here in the states or the 98RON in the EU.

Based on that I would recommend the MHD Stg1 or Stg2 93 octane variant. Not the "+" version since you have a stock FMIC. Stg2-93 would be better with downpipes. I think the current recommended flash map version is V7.

Be sure to purchase the full app, flasher and logging modules. You will need a quality K+DCAN cable and a compatible USB OTG android device. You will want to log the car after flashing to make sure everything is happy. I am a huge fan of the JB4, especially paired with backend flashes, but for your application I don't think you need the safety features or tuning versatility, and a more simple installation/flash procedure will be more enjoyable.

[Stealthbombing]

Thank for the info, so your saying that even the cobb maps that were created for the n54 are no good anymore ? How difficult would it be to revert the mhd then in the event I have to visit the dealer ?

[Dat Aus]

Originally Posted by Stealthbombing

Thank for the info, so your saying that even the cobb maps that were created for the n54 are no good anymore ? How difficult would it be to revert the mhd then in the event I have to visit the dealer ?

This is very simple. Cobb is a waste of time.

For someone like you, with no plans of modifying the turbos or spraying meth, MHD is the only tune you will ever need. It is brilliant, they are constantly developing it and the tune is absolutely fantastic. I think my power delivery is actually smoother with the MHD flash than it was stock. The initial flash will take about 40 minutes and you will need a battery charger. From there, each flash will only take about 2 minutes so you can flash back to stock literally in a couple of minutes if you ever need to.

Don't even bother looking any further. It's the cheapest, the best and the easiest to use. Just get yourself a K+DCAN cable, OTG USB cable and pretty much any Android device.

If I can make a a suggestion though; upgrade your intercooler. The stock one is absolute crap and with a tune, you WILL feel it heat soak after just one or two pulls to redline. There are some on the market that are available as 5" stepped intercoolers (VRSF) that don't require any trimming of the fan shroud and they will be absolutely perfect for a mild tune in a cooler climate like yours. They're easy to fit yourself and for the sake of a few hundred dollars, it is well worth upgrading.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by Stealthbombing

Thank for the info, so your saying that even the cobb maps that were created for the n54 are no good anymore ? How difficult would it be to revert the mhd then in the event I have to visit the dealer ?

You can store your stock bin file with MHD and flash back to stock anytime. Not sure why you're concerned about that though, it doesn't matter.

Cobb is outdated and the platform is unsupported going forward. The maps are ok, but why spend that kind of money on something that's a dead end?

[Stealthbombing]

Could you guys point me to some good cables that could be purchased off Amazon, I was watching a video and some guys have been through a few different cables because there shit. How much if the stage 1 ? Are the power gains better than JB4 and cobb ? I wish this info was more readily available rather than going through tons of thread pages.

Do they have a tune for 91 ?

[studio54]

Yes, it does have a 91 OCT map (95 RON)

I have a 2007 135i and use MHD too for several months, and i also recommend it. The app is well thought (near to perfect) , lot of options, and the possibility to use the monitor module as a gauge is great plus !

[Fakemike]

This member gave a good rundown of the MHD install:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...php?p=18164971

I just bought a $20 cable off Amazon and it worked fine. Some people say look for the one with the green chip inside. With Amazon if it doesn't work, it is easy to return.

[Crazycarl]

I have a 2008 and went with an ESS flash instead of a piggyback. It's been about 2 years and I've had zero problems.

They customize your map based on your mods, location, gas, etc. the car drives like stock, just more aggressive.

[liebemeinauto]

Well I'm a very happy Cobb fan but MHD wasn't around a few years ago, and, at the time, the Cobb path was best for what I was looking for, and has carried me happily through all stages of modification, from Stage 1 up to now running a custom tune. I've never had any issues whatsoever, and I'm coming up on 128k miles now -- 20,000 of those miles, thus far, have been with modifications.

I very much agree with recommended upgrades mentioned here, that are just a good improvement for the N54, based on less than stellar parts that came stock, so definitely recommend the intercooler upgrade (I went with the 5" direct fit from ETS), and certainly consider replacing the plastic charge pipe, leaky stock diverter valves, and look at getting some kind of upgraded intake. It's very little cost for very enjoyable power, coordinating upgraded parts with a corresponding tune.

What was nice for me was that Cobb had a pretty decent "path" laid out, that more or less corresponded with adding the parts as I went along, although I did add some stuff out of sequence, but each Stage of mapping was a nice upgrade and it's surprising how much power is there on the table, even without getting into fuel mods down the line. I know "pump gas" is considered sacrilege by some, considering the gains that can be had with fuel upgrades, but even for us pump gas types (I do run an Octane booster, Torco) there is so much potential for really not a huge amount of money or fuss. MHD certainly makes that part of things even better, considering the Cobb unit was one of the priciest individual parts of my build, haha.

Also, as we all know, plugs, coil packs, injectors and walnut blasting are all a necessary tuning foundation, if you haven't looked at those already.

Seems the MHD is certainly the way to go now, obviously a lot less money, like a LOT less, and most of us have an old smartphone around if you want the Cobb aspect of having a device hooked up for monitoring. Not needed, of course, once tuning is done, but I've gotten pretty spoiled with my mounted Cobb unit showing me boost, speed, and other parameters. MHD will do the same, with their monitoring module (with you supplying a device for reading the "gauges" provided in their module) so it seems MHD is definitely the wave of the future, very similar to Cobb, but at less cost. People seem very happy with the maps and I've heard only good things about MHD.

That being said, I'm not sure about the suggestion that Cobb isn't supporting the N54 anymore, or that it's "dead." Seems a bit overstated, since there is now more support than when I began with them, considering I see that they have finally released the Stage 3 map, which didn't even exist when I began this process, just a few years ago, so development has obviously continued. Clearly all the other maps are still on their site, and, as I say, it is convenient that they have such a linear road to follow, where every level of mods meets with a next stage map, and everything builds on everything else all the way to Stage 3, which sounds like something you'd be very happy with as a final outcome of your build, and can happen over time, as life allows. Each stage is a solid gain, and, for me, each stage just told me I wanted the next stage.

I see the actual unit is cheaper too -- was a nearly grand basically when I got it, and now is on their site for $650 (obviously more than MHD, by far, but consider they also provide the unit itself, which is a dedicated unit, not a re-purposed cell phone).

Legendary Dzenno at protuningfreaks did my custom tune -- it's brilliant, so completely daily driver friendly but with an insanely exhilarating response when you want to punch it -- but I see on their website that the N54 custom tune is "out of stock" so it seems they are focused on other tunes now. I'm planning to upgrade my turbos at some point, so I will hope I can find someone who can do an e-tune for me when that happens, utilizing my "ancient" haha Cobb technology.

I appreciate your comment that the forums can spin the mind a bit (I'm going through this now, trying to figure facts about the turbo upgrade, which is pretty impossible with the wild swing of opinions thrown back and forth) and, again Cobb was appreciated, for me, because this was my first BMW and I did the same as you, pouring over forums and getting a bit lost, so Cobb took the guesswork out of building a daily driver into a still very reliable but much more enjoyable car to own, which I could mod, progressively, as time/money allowed.

Best of luck on your build!

[Dylanize]

E90post.com

[Stealthbombing]

Alright guys, so i ended up going with MHD and the flash went smooth ! There is a noticeably difference in power which is great. One thing i have noticed from the stock tune that i dont really like is the weird acceleration starting at 3K rpm. I find that if im just light throttle in first or second gear it is smooth until 3k then i get this slight surge in power without moving my foot position on the throttle. - Is this normal ?

Currently using 94OCT on a the 91 OCT tune

Plugs were changed 10k ago

[BimmerAg]

Originally Posted by Stealthbombing

Alright guys, so i ended up going with MHD and the flash went smooth ! There is a noticeably difference in power which is great. One thing i have noticed from the stock tune that i dont really like is the weird acceleration starting at 3K rpm. I find that if im just light throttle in first or second gear it is smooth until 3k then i get this slight surge in power without moving my foot position on the throttle. - Is this normal ?

Currently using 94OCT on a the 91 OCT tune

Plugs were changed 10k ago

Is you can recreate this, go out and get a log of it and post it up for people here to evaluate. Much better to look at data than trying to go off a description

[dsocold]

mhd.. and i had cobb for 3 years no question about it you did the right thing. Getting cobb would be like eating expired food lol

[AsianR]

100% recommend MHD. Been running it for 60k+ miles now. It's been fantastic. Originally had the car tuned by JZW, and MHD's was more aggressive and smooth. It's by far the best bargain for an off the shelf tune and fits the bill for what you're looking for.

[Stealthbombing]

Anyone want to check my log ?

MHD stage 1 93 octane on CAN 94 gas

http://www.datazap.me/u/stealthbombi...og=0&data=3-23

How significant are these timing corrections

[The Wind Breezes]

You don't want more than a couple degrees, but that's not too bad. Maybe run their 91 octane tune instead. The main issue with the pulled timing is not that it decreases your performance so much, but that you will have higher exhaust gas temperature from those cylinders which is bad for reliability especially on longer pulls.