Custom Flex Fuel Tune Options/Opinions

[e46m3to335i]

Hey everyone! I'm looking for opinions/reviews from peeps that have been custom tuned for a flex fuel tune via BM3/PTF platform. Not just for a specific E mixture but a tune to run any E percentage at any given time and the tune will adjust accordingly on its own.

I am currently running the Stage 2 BM3 Flex Fuel Multi Map. I also have the Bend Calibration BM3 Basic Flex Fuel Kit. The BM3 OTS map seems like a decent map but I've been kicking around the idea of getting a custom map done by one of the pros.

Can anyone share their experiences from going from an OTS flex map to a custom flex tune map?

[BzsBimmer]

Interested. What is driving you to look for a custom tune? Not enough power?

[e46m3to335i]

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Interested. What is driving you to look for a custom tune? Not enough power?

Originally Posted by BzsBimmer

Interested. What is driving you to look for a custom tune? Not enough power?

I wouldn't necessarily say not enough power. I have just seen a lot of people rave about Jordan and other custom tunes being night and day difference from OTS maps.

Just trying to get a feeler if the same opinion with custom FF maps as well

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by e46m3to335i

I wouldn't necessarily say not enough power. I have just seen a lot of people rave about Jordan and other custom tunes being night and day difference from OTS maps.

Just trying to get a feeler if the same opinion with custom FF maps as well

Custom tunes will definitely be one of the better bang for your buck modifications. Although I would probably make sure you have all of your cooling hardware finalized before you invest in a custom map so you have max gains (eg front mount heat exchanger).

[sly1types]

I have the F80Paul Paul Johnson Custom Rom Flex tune, I haven't put it on the dyno yet, but its a lot more power than the OTS Flex maps. I have 2 map slots. 1. is flex road course tune and 2. is the street tune, its 25/26lbs. Its not as powerful as my custom E85 tune that targets E80, but pretty close and it can run 93 all the way to E85.

[hellokitty]

I just got a tune from Cary Jordan for flex fuel.

The OTS V1.0 map isn’t super refined unfortunately.

Jordan made the car feel just like stock but once you get beyond 80% throttle the thing just flies but it’s buttery smooth. I opted for the Stage 2 (560whp, 570 wtq) tune from Jordan.

I think the OTS maps at V1.0 are really in the beta/release candidate phase. There is much to improve upon in terms of refinement, smoothness and power delivery. It’s more of a kick you in your face power delivery. The OTS maps make around 545 whp and 570 wtq. It also runs well based on my data logs.

A custom tune is a great modification, but at close to a $1k price tag, it’s not absolutely needed unless you are wanting the absolute most refinement from your car on flex fuel.

Hopefully this helps

[TideMD]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I just got a tune from Cary Jordan for flex fuel.

The OTS V1.0 map isn’t super refined unfortunately.

Jordan made the car feel just like stock but once you get beyond 80% throttle the thing just flies but it’s buttery smooth. I opted for the Stage 2 (560whp, 570 wtq) tune from Jordan.

I think the OTS maps at V1.0 are really in the beta/release candidate phase. There is much to improve upon in terms of refinement, smoothness and power delivery. It’s more of a kick you in your face power delivery. The OTS maps make around 545 whp and 570 wtq. It also runs well based on my data logs.

A custom tune is a great modification, but at close to a $1k price tag, it’s not absolutely needed unless you are wanting the absolute most refinement from your car on flex fuel.

Hopefully this helps

They certainly aren't necessary, but they are painfully addictive simply because of the improved smoothness and ability to provide feedback and get revisions that optimize the drivability.
Over the course of my bm3 experience, it seems like I've bankrolled quite a few pay checks for CJordan. lol

Started with custom 93 tune. Then, a station brought in E85 within a mile of my house (previous closest E85 was 90 minutes away), so that led to custom E85 tune. Next came the CustomROM and multi-map flash, soon followed by valet tunes. And most recently he's refreshed the multi-map to include 93FF tune.

Now I'm itching to drop the E85 valet slot (since the 93 valet is now a FF tune and covers the functionality regardless of E%), which frees me up to get another update that includes a "road course" and "rolling kill" E85 maps.

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by TideMD

They certainly aren't necessary, but they are painfully addictive simply because of the improved smoothness and ability to provide feedback and get revisions that optimize the drivability.
Over the course of my bm3 experience, it seems like I've bankrolled quite a few pay checks for CJordan. lol

Started with custom 93 tune. Then, a station brought in E85 within a mile of my house (previous closest E85 was 90 minutes away), so that led to custom E85 tune. Next came the CustomROM and multi-map flash, soon followed by valet tunes. And most recently he's refreshed the multi-map to include 93FF tune.

Now I'm itching to drop the E85 valet slot (since the 93 valet is now a FF tune and covers the functionality regardless of E%), which frees me up to get another update that includes a "road course" and "rolling kill" E85 maps.

What plugs and gap are you running?

[TideMD]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

What plugs and gap are you running?

I've been running the NGK 97506 gapped at 0.020" since the first custom flash (so, roughly 2 years now), with no issues on the 93oct or E85 maps.

But, a fresh set of the F8S plugs arrived last week and ready to try them out. Waiting to hear back on the recommended gap for these. And kind of sucks because my current plugs don't even have 5k miles on them yet. lol

#TunerProblems

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by TideMD

I've been running the NGK 97506 gapped at 0.020" since the first custom flash (so, roughly 2 years now), with no issues on the 93oct or E85 maps.

But, a fresh set of the F8S plugs arrived last week and ready to try them out. Waiting to hear back on the recommended gap for these. And kind of sucks because my current plugs don't even have 5k miles on them yet. lol

#TunerProblems

Cary told me to set the F8S plugs to .020. I'm going to try that.

My car is all torn apart right now and I'm just waiting on a tool to get my charge pipes off lol.

I'll report back on how these feel at .020 but I'm sure it will be ok since Fcpeuro recommended a .022 gap with F8S.

[hellokitty]

Ok I got the F8S plugs in with new Delphi coils gapped at .020.

This plug definitely made things smoother and added more power per my butt dyno. I am now getting zero timing corrections across the board at 24 psi on E50 flex fuel.

I am certain my improperly gapped NGK 97505s at .022 were to blame in this regard. However I'm pretty excited since the F8S plugs are made for running ethanol and one should expect longer life compared to running NGK 97506 gapped at your typical .018 to .020 for flex fuel.

It's also great that this plug is readily available at the stealership as well as FCP euro with lifetime warranty

[TideMD]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

Ok I got the F8S plugs in with new Delphi coils gapped at .020.

This plug definitely made things smoother and added more power per my butt dyno. I am now getting zero timing corrections across the board at 24 psi on E50 flex fuel.

I am certain my improperly gapped NGK 97505s at .022 were to blame in this regard. However I'm pretty excited since the F8S plugs are made for running ethanol and one should expect longer life compared to running NGK 97506 gapped at your typical .018 to .020 for flex fuel.

It's also great that this plug is readily available at the stealership as well as FCP euro with lifetime warranty

Yeah, the whole issue with the F8S plugs has me intrigued. I know they have been recommended for the alcohol-based tunes for a while now, but unavailable on CJordan's site for as long as I can remember. And until recently, it seemed like they were impossible to find through other sites. But now, they're popping up available all over the place. Or, maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough looking for them before.

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by TideMD

Yeah, the whole issue with the F8S plugs has me intrigued. I know they have been recommended for the alcohol-based tunes for a while now, but unavailable on CJordan's site for as long as I can remember. And until recently, it seemed like they were impossible to find through other sites. But now, they're popping up available all over the place. Or, maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough looking for them before.

I think the issue is that the F8S plugs come from BMW as a genuine OEM part. I would search by the BMW part number rather than the NGK F8S model number since those seem to be harder to find.

Anyway here is the link for future reference lol

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...mw-12120042724

[TideMD]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

I think the issue is that the F8S plugs come from BMW as a genuine OEM part. I would search by the BMW part number rather than the NGK F8S model number since those seem to be harder to find.

Anyway here is the link for future reference lol

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...mw-12120042724

Yep, that's the exact link I used after seeing it in the other thread. Many thanks to you and the other guys that shared the info.