[CarJunkie]

MHD >>> Cobb

I ran Cobb for almost 2 years and found the OTS maps to be pretty weak. My cobb custom tune made great power, but part throttle driveability just wasn't as smooth as I was looking for.

I live near Horsepower Barn / AD Engineering and had them install their FMIC. In talking to them about my Cobb frustrations, they really sold me on MHD. I switched about 10 months ago and couldn't be happier. The OTS maps are significantly better than Cobb, enough that I don't feel the need for a custom tune....yet. I found Stage 2+ to be a little inconsistent on my car (mods in sig) even though MHD thought Stage 2+ was good for the 1M downpipes with secondary cats deleted. Stage 1+ feels factory smooth and feels as strong as stage 2+ at WOT on my car. I'm sure it actually isn't, but its close enough I can't tell.

Most AWESOME MHD feature:
User can select many custom features on any reflash. Coolant temp target (stock, sport, race), Manual transmission post shift bog fix, exhaust burble duration and intensity can be set separately for normal and sport modes, user selected load targets for gears 1, 2 and 3 to dial in perfect launches, linear throttle, raised idle RPM.

Choose your map, octane level, then options, then flash.

Some examples of how I use the flexibility:
For the street, I run the 91 octane map (best pump gas is 92 octane) with exhaust burble set for sport mode only, so I can press the M button if I want it. Most of the time its off. I limit 1st gear load to 135 which will allow very slight wheel spin if tires are cold, perfect well-hooked launch if tires are warm. No need to limit 2nd or 3rd gear. I use the linear throttle, and MT bog fix which prevents the ECU from lowering load request for 1 second after a shift to keep newbies from destroying the transmission on a mis-shift. It feels like turbo lag, but its programmed. Click the box, you'll be glad you did!

I have 100 octane available, so I can blend and run the 95 octane map. (I also have a local supplier of Thunderbolt race ethanol, so I could blend to E30 and run those maps also, but probably won't.) For autocross, I flash the 95 Octane map with coolant target set to "race" which I believe targets a coolant temp of 165 degrees. Basically, the water pump and fan always run if the car is on, which has the added benefit of pulling air across the intercooler also. I don't heatsoak in grid! I set the idle to 900 which helps with launch. We race at an old track paved with river rock asphalt, so launch grip is poor. I limit 1st gear load to 110 which still allows some wheelspin but is much easier to control.

After race day, I usually have just under 1/4 tank of gas, so I add only enough 92 octane to bring my blend down to 93. That way I can let myself down easy by running the 93 octane map for a while before returning to the 91 octane map.

I haven't been to the real track yet since going to MHD, but will probably run Stage 1 (non+) with sport or race cooling target.

Finally, MHD disables the fuel pump while flashing so the risk of a battery drain is much lower. That update happened about 6 months ago and they continue to develop the product. There are beta maps for version 8 tunes that just released a few months ago. Cobb has basically forgotten about the N54, as have most tuners other than those working on the MHD platform.

My ONLY gripe is that it is android based. The Cobb device was light weight, purpose built and had great gauge functions. Even a small android phone weighs 2-3 times as much and will be harder to mount securely on a suction cup mount for a clear non-bouncy view.