Best 128i Engine Tune?

[Iron Man]

I've searched and read many threads on here on about engine tunes, but I was curious as to what people think is the best tune to get for a N52 128i with stock intake manifold (No DISA)? Active Autowerke? Evolve? BMS?

Also, would any of these tunes void my warranty? I've seen a lot of differing information on that as well.

Finally, the only other mod I might consider would be to install a Eurobox intake. Everything else will be stock. Thanks for any feedback.

[Freon]

Carmax tune, where you trade your 128i in on a 135i!

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Freon

Carmax tune, where you trade your 128i in on a 135i!

I don't really give a shit about a 135i and I don't want one.

But thanks for playing anyway!

[Zombie1]

Depends on your dealer.. I would go with the AA or BMS. I really think its toss up for gains more preference

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by Freon

Carmax tune, where you trade your 128i in on a 135i!

Wow, someone came all the way over to the 128i section just to be a douche. Now that's commitment!

[the1andonly]

Originally Posted by Freon

Carmax tune, where you trade your 128i in on a 135i!

Oh yea!? Actually a buddy of mine has that tune...He said one the best features is HPFP failure...with intermittent gains in bad attitude.

[631twentyeighteye]

Evolve. Best customer support and most work with n52 motors. I plan to go DISA and their tune sometime this year.

[andrey_gta]

not a simple answer, because no recent tunes have been compared side to side on same dyno with same car

Evolve customer support is great though and the unique header support may be what you want.

[Bimmer-Bob]

BMS is not a real tune. They claim a +10hp boost, but I suspect the main difference is in throttle remapping. I would avoid this product if I were you.

Active seems to have some good results with recent dynos posted over in the 3er forums. They claim to be able to manipulate the Valvetronic timing, which is a lot more than BMS is doing, that's for sure. I'm sort of partial to them because they're from my hometown (Miami), lol. Plus, they come in quite a bit cheaper than Evolve (and they're running a promo right now).

Evolve is hyped a lot by a few members here, and they seem to be very highly thought of. Haven't seen any dynos of Evolve-tuned US-spec N52's floating around out there, though, which personally makes me hesitant to spring $900 for their tune. I have no doubt it's a solid tune, but for my money I'm not sure it's any better than Active's tune, and almost certainly not twice as good (it costs nearly twice as much, although to be fair, the difference is not so great if you factor in Active's home-flashing tool, which is bundled with Evolve's software).

I've heard enough good things about both tunes (Evolve & AA) that I doubt you could really go horribly wrong with either one. Honestly, though, I'm not sure either tune is really worth it unless you're going through with the 330i intake manifold conversion - that's where the money seems to be (in conjunction with a tune, of course).

[Greenkirby21]

can't go wrong with AA or evolve

I would say evolve but AA now also has a external tune tool. I dealt with evolve and they were very nice to me

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

BMS is not a real tune. They claim a +10hp boost, but I suspect the main difference is in throttle remapping. I would avoid this product if I were you.

Active seems to have some good results with recent dynos posted over in the 3er forums. They claim to be able to manipulate the Valvetronic timing, which is a lot more than BMS is doing, that's for sure. I'm sort of partial to them because they're from my hometown (Miami), lol. Plus, they come in quite a bit cheaper than Evolve (and they're running a promo right now).

Evolve is hyped a lot by a few members here, and they seem to be very highly thought of. Haven't seen any dynos of Evolve-tuned US-spec N52's floating around out there, though, which personally makes me hesitant to spring $900 for their tune. I have no doubt it's a solid tune, but for my money I'm not sure it's any better than Active's tune, and almost certainly not twice as good (it costs nearly twice as much, although to be fair, the difference is not so great if you factor in Active's home-flashing tool, which is bundled with Evolve's software).

I've heard enough good things about both tunes (Evolve & AA) that I doubt you could really go horribly wrong with either one. Honestly, though, I'm not sure either tune is really worth it unless you're going through with the 330i intake manifold conversion - that's where the money seems to be (in conjunction with a tune, of course).

Thanks for the detailed response.

I'm not looking for huge gains, would just like a little more power and no throttle lag. Sounds like I should wait a few years though, so there is less chance of warranty issues.

I was kind of hoping for more feedback with people who have actually bought the tunes (though I've read a few on here) and how they like them after months/years of use.

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by Freon

Carmax tune, where you trade your 128i in on a 135i!

Any excuse to slip in a jab, eh, 135 boys?

[strati1]

Supposedly Dinan has an n52 flash in the works. While probably pricey, it wouldn't be an issue warranty wise. Honestly I'd either wait for a tune (possibly Dinan) that actually shows real gains on the dyno with the stock manifold, or go get a custom dyno tune which would be the best way to extract the most power. Unfortunately the latter will cost you as much as DISA+Evolve which is a proven combo.

[Freon]

Sorry, guess that came across wrong. Didn't mean to offend. In all reality trading up might not be a bad option if you want more power vs trying to tune the NA engine. You can probably flip to the same year and mileage 135i for a reasonable amount of money. Probably what you'd spend on full bolt-ons.

Tuning (purely ECU tuning especially, but even after you add a header, exhaust, intake, etc) naturally aspirated cars usually doesn't yield a whole lot because you can't do much to increase actual airflow which is your primary driver for power. Your cost per HP will probably be less if you bite the bullet and go with a turbocharged engine.

It doesn't always hold true. A WRX is a better buy than an STI from a value perspective, but they have the same longblock and fuel system.

Didn't mean to rattle the cage...

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Freon

Sorry, guess that came across wrong. Didn't mean to offend. In all reality trading up might not be a bad option if you want more power vs trying to tune the NA engine. You can probably flip to the same year and mileage 135i for a reasonable amount of money. Probably what you'd spend on full bolt-ons.

Tuning (purely ECU tuning especially, but even after you add a header, exhaust, intake, etc) naturally aspirated cars usually doesn't yield a whole lot because you can't do much to increase actual airflow which is your primary driver for power. Your cost per HP will probably be less if you bite the bullet and go with a turbocharged engine.

It doesn't always hold true. A WRX is a better buy than an STI from a value perspective, but they have the same longblock and fuel system.

Didn't mean to rattle the cage...

Seriously though, I will repeat again. I have no desire, nor do I want a turbocharged car. The 135i may be great for some people, but not for me.

I am not wanting huge HP gains. I am looking for some reasonable HP gains, with improved/sportier everyday driving for the N52, which would improve more so when adding an intake. Spending less than $1000 to do so, is not really that expensive to me, if it increases my driving enjoyment.

[strati1]

^^^
I think its hard to understand for the 135 guys that we LIKE our NA engines, and WANT to keep them that way. We don't go into the n54 sections and tell them to get an NA every time a HPFP fails or the turbos go at 80some thousand miles, but somehow that seems to be a one way street.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by Iron Man

Seriously though, I will repeat again. I have no desire, nor do I want a turbocharged car. The 135i may be great for some people, but not for me.

I am not wanting huge HP gains. I am looking for some reasonable HP gains, with improved/sportier everyday driving for the N52, which would improve more so when adding an intake. Spending less than $1000 to do so, is not really that expensive to me, if it increases my driving enjoyment.

This is my kind of guy.

Very curious why you wouldn't just go with the DISA manifold though. It will cost the same or less than a euro airbox, has significant documented gains(the euro box does not), and is a factory part for that engine. Seems like a no brainer.

To echo Bimmer Bob, the BMS power box really isn't a tune. They mainly make the throttle pedal jerky to give the illusion of power, which is something the lesser tunes like Dinan have been doing for years.

Active isn't a bad company by any stretch of the imagination(I quite like them), but they are mainly a FI developer and tuner. I really don't think they have a handle on modern BMW N/A tuning to anywhere near the same degree as Evolve does(as this is Evolve's bread and butter). That said, I'm in the fairly unique position of having seen Evolve tune live, and the performance gains made with their tweaks and changes in real time on an independent dyno.

If I was super charging an E36 M3, AA would be a strong contender.

Originally Posted by Freon

Sorry, guess that came across wrong. Didn't mean to offend. In all reality trading down might not be a bad option if you want more power vs trying to tune the NA engine. You can probably flip to the same year and mileage 135i for a reasonable amount of money. Probably what you'd spend on full bolt-ons.

Fixed that for you. You seem completely incapable of getting it though.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

Very curious why you wouldn't just go with the DISA manifold though. It will cost the same or less than a euro airbox, has significant documented gains(the euro box does not), and is a factory part for that engine. Seems like a no brainer.

I guess I haven't really researched where to get a DISA manifold and how much they would cost to buy, plus I don't feel comfortable installing one myself. I guess if I could find a local shop to install one for a decent price and I could get one brand new, I would consider pulling the trigger.

I figured with a tune (with the Evolve or AA tool) and intake I could do the installation myself.

[631twentyeighteye]

Can't remember where but i think its Turner motorsport, provide a brand new DISA manifold for $1000ish+ whatever software they have to utilize the valves fully. Too rich for my blood but im curious if their software is equal to the Euro tuners.

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by 631twentyeighteye

Can't remember where but i think its Turner motorsport, provide a brand new DISA manifold for $1000ish+ whatever software they have to utilize the valves fully. Too rich for my blood but im curious if their software is equal to the Euro tuners.

Yea, checked it out today. ~$1,700 for DISA and their tune. They sell re-conditioned for $200 less. DISA only was ~$600-700 brand new.

[Kgolf31]

Any good N51 tuners to harness the DISA?

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by Iron Man

I guess I haven't really researched where to get a DISA manifold and how much they would cost to buy, plus I don't feel comfortable installing one myself. I guess if I could find a local shop to install one for a decent price and I could get one brand new, I would consider pulling the trigger.

I figured with a tune (with the Evolve or AA tool) and intake I could do the installation myself.

You should be able to source one for ~$300 or less on Car-part.com or the like. Make sure to get pictures and make sure it has the DISA valves. Andrey and I will be more than happy to help if you want to compare notes. Aside from that you just need new OE gaskets and new bolts for mounting it to the block, which should run you another ~$30-$50 if I remember correctly?

The install is really easy. I have a light DIY up in this section. Even taking photos and documenting for the forum it only took a couple hours.

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=824894

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Any good N51 tuners to harness the DISA?

Evolve is looking for some one to get on the dyno with them for remote tuning. Check their thread.