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      12-01-2016, 04:45 PM   #45
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We're absolutely not disputing the capabilities of the factory ECU to add correction values when necessary... experienced tuners rely on that functionality as well ... we are simply stating that the idea of achieving noticeable gains through self tuning by the average (to even above average) enthusiast is a bit far fetched.

We feel that your platform will serve well for a select audience, and I hope you guys have taken note of the many customers we have sent your way with hardware combinations that we do not tune for.

When a customer with Pure or Xona turbos call us, we send them your way. When a customer with BMC filters and an MPE exhaust calls us, we're absolutely going to share with them why we feel we have the best option to suit their needs. Some customers do fall into a middle category, and then we both get a chance to compete for that business.



With that being said, we're obviously noticing that the concept of "canned tunes" is starting to have an undeserved stigma by those who just don't realize how much time, effort, knowledge, skill, and ability goes into developing these so called "off-the-shelf" tunes.

The idea of custom tuning is exciting, and no one on our team is disputing that you've made life easy for a lot of people as they don't have to map out and translate the (literally, 10,000+) tables from German on their own; Most of who will never even use 1/4 of the 140+ tables you give them access to which would be a shame.

While this is the feature that seems to make our products apples to oranges for some users, it should remain apples to oranges as the feature alone doesn't yield a final product. It will still require time and effort, possibly at an additional cost through the use of a 3rd party tuner, before it can even be compared to our product which we've already spent the time and effort to produce as a fully engineered, turn-key solution, that delivers every bit of what's advertised.

That resource and expertise isn't readily available for everyone, so it becomes a moot point until you are comparing final products.
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      12-01-2016, 09:46 PM   #46
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I'll take what seems like the best canned tune in the market over trusting myself or a local dyno shop any day. And I used to love tweaking and tuning and logging with my Audi, but now I'm just at a point where I'd rather have a completed product right out of the box even if it costs a little more.
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      12-01-2016, 11:19 PM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by braylark
Quote:
Originally Posted by proTUNING Freaks View Post
OBD agent software runs on any OS, Windows/Mac/Linux/Unix. We have a number of customers running it on their MacBooks. In fact, our dev machines are all macOS based

iOS app is complete. We're working on pushing it through to the App Store this week. Hopefully Apple pushes it through their app review process without much back and forth.

I must admit you guys are making it harder and harder for me to find excuses to stick with the VR Hex tune I've sent an inquiry to SSR Performance out in cali to see how the ECU mail off works. Would it make more sense to send it to your team instead?
I'm in Alpharetta/Johns Creek. PM me if you want to get another first hand perspective
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      12-02-2016, 07:48 AM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TurboM View Post
I'm in Alpharetta/Johns Creek. PM me if you want to get another first hand perspective
What tune are you running?
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      12-02-2016, 07:59 AM   #49
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Originally Posted by TurboM View Post
I'm in Alpharetta/Johns Creek. PM me if you want to get another first hand perspective
PM sent
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      12-02-2016, 09:37 AM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1FastS4 View Post
I'll take what seems like the best canned tune in the market over trusting myself or a local dyno shop any day. And I used to love tweaking and tuning and logging with my Audi, but now I'm just at a point where I'd rather have a completed product right out of the box even if it costs a little more.
Not sure how you come to this conclusion without seeing an apples to apples dyno comparison of both tunes. To say the PTF OTS tune is any less 'completed' than the VF is not right.
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      12-02-2016, 10:45 AM   #51
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Originally Posted by applesauce683 View Post
Not sure how you come to this conclusion without seeing an apples to apples dyno comparison of both tunes. To say the PTF OTS tune is any less 'completed' than the VF is not right.
Look at post number 29 for PTF/BM3 Stage 1 - then look at post number 40 for the HEX/VF Stage 1. They are also still trying to figure out all of the GTS features that HEX has already completed which is a big selling point for a lot of people.

I never said it was less complete but it looks like it is going to take some customization with BM3 to match what is already available from HEX. If someone really wants to customize then data log to build maps for fun then they're going to pick BM3. I don't mind paying a little more for something I can install and enjoy right away.
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      12-02-2016, 10:54 AM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1FastS4 View Post
Look at post number 29 for PTF/BM3 Stage 1 - then look at post number 40 for the HEX/VF Stage 1. They are also still trying to figure out all of the GTS features that HEX has already completed which is a big selling point for a lot of people.

I never said it was less complete but it looks like it is going to take some customization with BM3 to match what is already available from HEX. If someone really wants to customize then data log to build maps for fun then they're going to pick BM3. I don't mind paying a little more for something I can install and enjoy right away.
BM3 Stage 1 made 30whp more than VF in these graphs you're talking about, just sayin. Check whose graphs you were looking at.
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      12-02-2016, 12:10 PM   #53
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Originally Posted by chewbakam4 View Post
BM3 Stage 1 made 30whp more than VF in these graphs you're talking about, just sayin. Check whose graphs you were looking at.
Seems like you just cherry picked a number that works to your advantage.
If you go back and look yourself, the HEX tune made 20 more WTQ and has a lot more area under the curve.



Torque is what you feel and what translates to acceleration. Area under the curve is what you should be focusing on to see usable power and I'd much rather have peak torque at 4,500 rpm than at 3,700 rpm.

Not to mention that HEX was also on California 91 Octane. I've only dynoed this car with 91 Octane, but when I added 5 gallons of 104 Octane I ran a 11.3 at 123 which to me is more impressive than dyno plots anyways.

Last edited by 1FastS4; 12-02-2016 at 08:19 PM.. Reason: Added image for reference
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      12-02-2016, 12:23 PM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1FastS4 View Post
Seems like you just cherry picked a number that works to your advantage.
If you go back and look yourself, the HEX tune made 20 more WTQ and has a lot more area under the curve. Torque is what you feel and what translates to acceleration. Area under the curve is what you should be focusing on to see usable power and I'd much rather have peak torque at 4,500 rpm than at 3,700 rpm.

Not to mention that HEX was also on California 91 Octane. I've only dynoed this car with 91 Octane, but when I added 5 gallons of 104 Octane I ran a 11.3 at 123 which to me is more impressive than dyno plots anyways.
You can't compare dyno graphs from different dynos. Both tunes probably make around the same power and have similar curves. Until someone does back-to-back runs with both tunes on the same dyno, we won't know for sure. I just don't see what features that HEX has that BM3 doesn't. Both tunes have a place in the market, but to me the only reason someone would want to go with HEX is if they didn't live close to a BM3 installer and needed someone to do the DME removal for them and/or didn't want to ship their DME.
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      12-02-2016, 12:28 PM   #55
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You said power not torque and you pointed to those graphs. Making same or more power on less boost is ideal. BM3 canned Stage 1 is doing this at 22psi VF at 24psi. Anyways I'm done here as I prefer BM3 for not just the file provided but everything else that comes with it and its resale value when I move on to anotjer car and we can agree to disagree.
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      12-02-2016, 01:16 PM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VF-Engineering View Post
The idea of custom tuning is exciting, and no one on our team is disputing that you've made life easy for a lot of people as they don't have to map out and translate the (literally, 10,000+) tables from German on their own; Most of who will never even use 1/4 of the 140+ tables you give them access to which would be a shame.
Literally, 70964 tables actually S63TU from the M5/M6/X5M/X6M have 72859



When custom tuning you might touch maybe a dozen or two of them Most tables are not used to calibrate anything to do with performance.

150 or so that we moved so far into user-friendly XDF/TunerPro format are part of the heavy lifting on our side to make this as easy as possible for anyone interested in going further from our canned OTS maps.

With the way bootmod3 works you don't need a tuner local in your area who also has a dyno and who's familiar with the car. Over the years we've worked with hundreds of remote customers without ever seeing them or their car in person. Other than US and Canada most of our customers are from overseas in Sweden, Germany, UK, Austria, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Russia, Brazil, Mexico just to name a few. Technology/apps such as bootmod3 and advancements in OEM tuning capabilities these days, such as BMW and others moving to the Flexray protocol, are making this a lot more feasible than ever before.
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      12-05-2016, 07:47 PM   #57
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We're very well versed with the Funktionsrahmen for this ECU and have spent many months exploring the differences between the standard, ZCP, and GTS model variants.

100% of our tuning is done in house, so to be fair, it's likely that we're just dealing with semantics here. The 10K+ referred to the portion of the A2L that we have explored for our tuning purposes alone.

It may be that people need further explanation as to what is considered a "canned tune", "off the shelf file", or legitimate "custom tuning". The amount of R&D, dyno testing, road testing, and validation that goes into our current Stage Level Software Versions obviously exceeds any of the current definitions for how people view those categories.
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      12-12-2016, 12:17 AM   #58
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Thumbs up

Just an update. I decided to go with the VF Hex Stage 2 tune . While I see the benefits in having a custom platform that can be constantly enhanced over time through different tunes, the set it and forget it option works just fine for me. I still have the option to flash back to stage 1 and stock so it serves its purpose.

As for performance, the GTS Start Up roar sounds amazing. At low RPM's the burble effect takes some getting use to but overall sounds decent. Being able to switch to different modes and activate / eliminate that feature is good. As for power, check out the updates on the sport display. I have not pushed the vehicle to see its true capabilities. However at 80 mph I decided to hit the gas one good time to see where the spike would land and based on the sport display, I had a surge of about 550hp.



Overall, I am happy with my decision and would recommend this solution if you are looking for added performance. If you have any other questions about my experience with the Hex tune feel free to ask. I have a feeling my next purchase will be for new tires

*Side note*
I've had this car for about 8 months and my goal has been to not get a speeding ticket. I don't condone street racing however I did happen to run across a nice stingray corvette on the highway after I picked up my car from getting the tune. Let's just say .... he has a new found respect for BMW
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      12-12-2016, 08:00 AM   #59
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Quote:
Originally Posted by braylark View Post
Just an update. I decided to go with the VF Hex Stage 2 tune . While I see the benefits in having a custom platform that can be constantly enhanced over time through different tunes, the set it and forget it option works just fine for me. I still have the option to flash back to stage 1 and stock so it serves its purpose.

As for performance, the GTS Start Up roar sounds amazing. At low RPM's the burble effect takes some getting use to but overall sounds decent. Being able to switch to different modes and activate / eliminate that feature is good. As for power, check out the updates on the sport display. I have not pushed the vehicle to see its true capabilities. However at 80 mph I decided to hit the gas one good time to see where the spike would land and based on the sport display, I had a surge of about 550hp.



Overall, I am happy with my decision and would recommend this solution if you are looking for added performance. If you have any other questions about my experience with the Hex tune feel free to ask. I have a feeling my next purchase will be for new tires

*Side note*
I've had this car for about 8 months and my goal has been to not get a speeding ticket. I don't condone street racing however I did happen to run across a nice stingray corvette on the highway after I picked up my car from getting the tune. Let's just say .... he has a new found respect for BMW
Grats glad you're liking it. Lucky you didnt run up against an SO M4 on the hwy

Sports displays are just gimmicks and don't show actual power afaik.
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      12-12-2016, 02:26 PM   #60
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Sports displays are just gimmicks and don't show actual power afaik.
The Sport Display shows simulated HP and TQ based on values such as throttle position and engine load.

They are obviously not a perfect reference, but it was pretty silly to have the 480/480 values completely maxed out when driving at anything over 1/2 throttle! They are good enough that you can see the changes when switching from Stock, to Stage ONE, Stage TWO, ect... which is pretty cool.
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      01-04-2017, 11:24 AM   #61
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"Canned Tune" vs "Custom Tune"....

I've been doing a bunch of research lately as I have my ECU out of the car and I'm working to determine in which direction I want to go (ESS, VF, BM3). I haven't made my final decision yet, but I think the comparison of canned tunes vs custom tunes is worthwhile from a objective perspective...

I work in the computer industry and I'm a REALLY big fan of Open Source hardware and software. The comparison of vendor created "canned" tunes and "custom" tunes might be very comparable with similar perspective to the hardware/software industries. There are benefits to either model.

1. First thing to recognize is that a "canned" tune is nothing more than a single established tune which is being used by many people on many different platforms. Somebody has done the research and development for a general configuration and is selling you that tune. From that perspective it is "canned" and ready to go...

2. Typically, when a custom tuner is going to tune a specific vehicle, he will start with some established baseline in his/her personal archive and then tweak it to optimize it for a specific car. From a custom tuner's perspective this is his/her personal "canned" tune. A well established starting point (for the tuner at least).

3. As more and more folks start custom tuning the platform, these "baseline" tunes will become much more available. Anybody will be able to pick a baseline tune (which closely matches their vehicle and needs) and then download and install it. From this perspective, there does not need to be any difference at all between a "canned" tune from a vendor, and a well established "custom" tune which is shared/distributed within "the community".

4. The issue is that established vendors have spent a lot of time, money, and talent on making some very good "canned" tunes. When you download a "custom" tune, you might not have any idea of who made it or how well it was done. It might be great, or it might break your car!

5. HOWEVER, as the custom tuning market matures, there are going to be more and more well established tunes available for download. It won't be long before folks start talking about "Bob Smith's DP/MPE tune" (for example) as these individual tunes get vetted by the community itself. (I'm not sure how long this will take to happen though...)

6. I'e had very good conversations with a couple of the tuning vendors and their resellers. I'm sure they have very good products and are very dedicated. But, (using the imaginary example above), so might Bob Smith!

7. We have lots of developers in the Open Source community which take their work very seriously (like our hypothetical "Bob Smith" might). In fact, I can usually get a resolution with an issue in Open Source software very quickly (sometime in only a few hours). These guys take their work seriously. Maybe they are doing it for "fun", but these things are their babies and they are very proud of the work they publish. When is the last time you contacted Microsoft or Apple and got ANY resolution AT ALL for a bug/problem you sent them? Ever think of sending MS or Apple an upgrade or modification request for one of their products? Hah! Well, the Open Source community doesn't work that way... They have no "bottom line" to defend... They take pride in their work. That's really the driving factor!

8. Of course, all this assumes that the various "custom" (baseline) tunes get published and organized by the BM3 folks.

I'm all for the BM3 "Open Source" solution, but we really need a well established and organized repository of tunes to choose from. Folks need to be able to comment on those tunes so we know which ones are the best and which ones match our cars and needs the closest. There will always be a market for tune vendors for folks who are not interested in doing their own research, and there will always be a market for custom tuners for those folks with specific requirements or configurations.

However, I'ld really like to see a mature collection of well vetted BM3 tunes so those of us interested in this type of a solution could do a little "browsing"...
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      01-08-2017, 02:05 PM   #62
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Interesting to hear your in Smyrna ha! I live in Marietta, what a small world

I've been contemplating going JB4. Already have a full exhaust and once you do exhaust + downpipes you can jump to map 2 which is supposed to put you at a little over 500
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      01-16-2017, 05:47 PM   #63
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Originally Posted by jetsetkicks View Post
Interesting to hear your in Smyrna ha! I live in Marietta, what a small world

I've been contemplating going JB4. Already have a full exhaust and once you do exhaust + downpipes you can jump to map 2 which is supposed to put you at a little over 500
Let's link up .. You can see what the HEX tune is all about
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      01-16-2017, 07:23 PM   #64
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Hey Braylark,

Is that your SO M4 I see at Atlantic Station? I just recently picked up a SO M4, and would def like to check out the HEX tune. I'm contemplating getting it myself.
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      03-04-2017, 09:26 PM   #65
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Hey Braylark,

Is that your SO M4 I see at Atlantic Station? I just recently picked up a SO M4, and would def like to check out the HEX tune. I'm contemplating getting it myself.
Ha .... it sure is !!!! PM me and ill be more than happy to let you check it out!
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      03-05-2017, 04:34 AM   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SavvyByNature View Post
Hey Braylark,

Is that your SO M4 I see at Atlantic Station? I just recently picked up a SO M4, and would def like to check out the HEX tune. I'm contemplating getting it myself.
Ill have Bootmod3 in Atlanta within the next two weeks. The best flash tune.

Ps stop buying SO M4s thats what I have too lol.
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