[Wills2]

Whether taking it off or not, if your engine goes bang then they will check and find out, they are not fools and know people fiddle with these cars it's all here for them to read.

Hence Audi brought in the TD1 flag.

[KCH1984]

Yeah not disputing that - you're rolling the dice and best to go in with your eyes open. The tuning boxes (once removed) are less obvious, but then I was lucky and had a DME replaced on a mapped car previously. If they decide to look though, you're probably onto plums.

[Wills2]

The other thing to be mindful of is if you're on a PCP and BMWFS find out you've remapped the car they will issue a default on the contract screwing up your credit file.

[KraigF30]

Originally Posted by teaston

Money spent on a remap is gone, whereas he can sell his Steinbauer in a couple of years for barely any less than he paid for it.

True, but a remap is better for the car. Performs a lot better. I’d be really interested to see vbox data for a 335D with a tuning box. I myself have a remapped F30 335D and the vbox numbers speak for them self.

0-60 in 3.7
0-100 in 9.3
1/4 mile in 12.1

Now that I’ve added an intercooler, and revised remap:

0-60 in 3.6
0-100 in 8.9
1/4 mile in 11.9

Depends if your motivation is to get the best performance from the car, or if it is resale. That’s the only benefit I see.

My car has been in for both a full major service/vehicle inspection and warranty work all whilst being under 3 years old and remapped!

The warranty work was on the wheels so unrelated, but it still went through diagnostics and had the idrive updated as part of the service etc too.

Nothing noticed, nothing said. Map was still on the car when I picked it up.

[Willsy33]

Originally Posted by KraigF30

True, but a remap is better for the car. Performs a lot better.

Depends if your motivation is to get the best performance from the car, or if it is resale. That’s the only benefit I see.

A remap may (nay, will) make the car perform a lot better, but it’s not better for the car due to the tolerances that are being pushed (and sometimes exceeded), reducing life expectancy of internal parts.

The way I see it, if you want ultimate bang for your buck then get a remap. If you want slightly more peace of mind, like I do, then get a certified/approved module (as has been stated previously in these forums, the Steinbauer is essentially the same module as the ACS kit but with a very slightly de-tuned map).

I’m more than happy to go with the SB, even if it does cost twice the price.

[KraigF30]

Originally Posted by Willsy33

A remap may (nay, will) make the car perform a lot better, but it’s not better for the car due to the tolerances that are being pushed (and sometimes exceeded), reducing life expectancy of internal parts.

The way I see it, if you want ultimate bang for your buck then get a remap. If you want slightly more peace of mind, like I do, then get a certified/approved module (as has been stated previously in these forums, the Steinbauer is essentially the same module as the ACS kit but with a very slightly de-tuned map).

I’m more than happy to go with the SB, even if it does cost twice the price.

I can see your point but a proper remap wouldn’t push the car beyond its own internal limits. A proper remap shouldn’t interfere with the safety measures/sensors either. If anything, even a bad remap should at least still trigger safety sensors and throw it into limp mode to prevent any damage. Tuning boxes aren’t without issues - there’s probably not far off the same amount anecdotal negative feedback about them as bad maps.

I don’t know too much about those boxes, but don’t folks say they trick the ecu by sending false signals/asks for more fuel to it to get more power? Surely that can’t be as refined or customised to the individual car as a dyno developed remap?

[teaston]

Originally Posted by KraigF30

True, but a remap is better for the car. Performs a lot better. I’d be really interested to see vbox data for a 335D with a tuning box. I myself have a remapped F30 335D and the vbox numbers speak for them self.

0-60 in 3.7
0-100 in 9.3
1/4 mile in 12.1

Now that I’ve added an intercooler, and revised remap:

0-60 in 3.6
0-100 in 8.9
1/4 mile in 11.9

Depends if your motivation is to get the best performance from the car, or if it is resale. That’s the only benefit I see.

My car has been in for both a full major service, vehicle inspection and warranty work all whilst being under 3 years old and remapped to 390 bhp.
The warranty work was on the wheels so unrelated, but it still went through diagnostics and had the idrive updated as part of the service etc too.

Nothing noticed, nothing said. Map was still on the car when I picked it up.

I'd say a tuning box is better for the car, I have never heard of a single problem with a car due to a tuning box compared to loads with remap problems!

[Junebug85]

Originally Posted by KraigF30

True, but a remap is better for the car. Performs a lot better. I'd be really interested to see vbox data for a 335D with a tuning box. I myself have a remapped F30 335D and the vbox numbers speak for them self.

0-60 in 3.7
0-100 in 9.3
1/4 mile in 12.1

Now that I've added an intercooler, and revised remap:

0-60 in 3.6
0-100 in 8.9
1/4 mile in 11.9

Depends if your motivation is to get the best performance from the car, or if it is resale. That's the only benefit I see.

My car has been in for both a full major service/vehicle inspection and warranty work all whilst being under 3 years old and remapped!

The warranty work was on the wheels so unrelated, but it still went through diagnostics and had the idrive updated as part of the service etc too.

Nothing noticed, nothing said. Map was still on the car when I picked it up.

How did you know the map was still on the car? Did you check somehow or you could tell by the way it still drove?

[KraigF30]

Originally Posted by Junebug85

How did you know the map was still on the car? Did you check somehow or you could tell by the way it still drove?

Can tell by the way it drove. That and the fact that my vbox still showed the same 0-60 / 60-100 times.

[Willsy33]

Originally Posted by KraigF30

I don’t know too much about those boxes, but don’t folks say they trick the ecu by sending false signals/asks for more fuel to it to get more power? Surely that can’t be as refined or customised to the individual car as a dyno developed remap?

I could go into it, but here’s the “How it works” from Steinbauer...

The desired performance enhancement is achieved by changing the injection duration, the same way the system was originally designed to operate. This also allows precise fuel control throughout the full rpm range of the engine. Injection duration is achieved by adding pulse width to a signal, (i.e. at end of injection). This is not changing timing—that’s best left to the factory ECU. Our module also does not interfere with common rail pressure - making our module the best choice for your engine.

Simply put, instead of tricking the ECU into believing pressures are lower than they are, the SB lengthens the open duration of the injector. The ECU then controls everything else to compensate, i.e. adding more air.

Here’s a link to the Steinbauer PowerModule info sheet from their main UK distributor, Coord Motorsport - http://www.coordsport.com/attachment...werModules.pdf

[Soul_Glo]

Originally Posted by KraigF30

True, but a remap is better for the car. Performs a lot better. I’d be really interested to see vbox data for a 335D with a tuning box. I myself have a remapped F30 335D and the vbox numbers speak for them self.

0-60 in 3.7
0-100 in 9.3
1/4 mile in 12.1

Now that I’ve added an intercooler, and revised remap:

0-60 in 3.6
0-100 in 8.9
1/4 mile in 11.9

Depends if your motivation is to get the best performance from the car, or if it is resale. That’s the only benefit I see.

My car has been in for both a full major service/vehicle inspection and warranty work all whilst being under 3 years old and remapped!

The warranty work was on the wheels so unrelated, but it still went through diagnostics and had the idrive updated as part of the service etc too.

Nothing noticed, nothing said. Map was still on the car when I picked it up.

What intercooler did you get?
What made you decide the standard one was not cut out for the job?

Thanks

[Rudz]

Originally Posted by Wills2

The other thing to be mindful of is if you're on a PCP and BMWFS find out you've remapped the car they will issue a default on the contract screwing up your credit file.

Is that even legal? What has a remap go to do with the credit file?

[SkyJawa]

Originally Posted by Rudz

Is that even legal? What has a remap go to do with the credit file?

Yes, you sign the terms and conditions which clearly states you are not allowed to modify the car in any way without express permission from BMWFS. Until the finance is settled they own the car not you.

[KraigF30]

Originally Posted by 37psi

What intercooler did you get?
What made you decide the standard one was not cut out for the job?

Thanks

A few things, mostly anecdotes.

Virtually every tuner seemed to break 400 rather easily with a Wagner intercooler and a tune - up and down the country, where as with the standard cooler, the results were typically 10-15 bhp lower. I have at least 10-15 unique examples of dyno runs from various companies showing this consistent gain.

The record holder for the fastest F30 335D 1/4 mile in Europe also uses a Wagner Intercooler.

2 and 2 together - that’s why I went with it.

Also at the 1/4 mile, lots of folk always keep their bonnets open to try and reduce heat soak and aid cooling. The Wagner reduces temps by half so should help with that, right? This should make for more consistent runs.

I went from a consistent 9.3-9.4 0-100 mph time to a consistent 8.9-9.0 time afterwards. How much of that was the new map vs the cooler, not so sure. My tuner said the cooler definitely helps.

I went with a Wagner Competition Evo2. The European 1/4 mile record holder has a Wagner Performance Evo2 which is slightly cheaper - so this will be more than enough for anyone. I just went with the Competition as it was like 2 kg lighter and my rational is that if I go to the efforts of emptying the boot of a few kgs at the 1/4 mile track - I may as well be conscious of the few kgs difference between the two coolers too.

[Soul_Glo]

Originally Posted by KraigF30

A few things, mostly anecdotes.

Virtually every tuner seemed to break 400 rather easily with a Wagner intercooler and a tune - up and down the country, where as with the standard cooler, the results were typically 10-15 bhp lower. I have at least 10-15 unique examples of dyno runs from various companies showing this consistent gain.

The record holder for the fastest F30 335D 1/4 mile in Europe also uses a Wagner Intercooler.

2 and 2 together - that's why I went with it.

Also at the 1/4 mile, lots of folk always keep their bonnets open to try and reduce heat soak and aid cooling. The Wagner reduces temps by half so should help with that, right? This should make for more consistent runs.

I went from a consistent 9.3-9.4 0-100 mph time to a consistent 8.9-9.0 time afterwards. How much of that was the new map vs the cooler, not so sure. My tuner said the cooler definitely helps.

I went with a Wagner Competition Evo2. The European 1/4 mile record holder has a Wagner Performance Evo2 which is slightly cheaper - so this will be more than enough for anyone. I just went with the Competition as it was like 2 kg lighter and my rational is that if I go to the efforts of emptying the boot of a few kgs at the 1/4 mile track - I may as well be conscious of the few kgs difference between the two coolers too.

Wonderful. Any links to where you bought said intercooler?

[moff]

Originally Posted by Wills2

The other thing to be mindful of is if you're on a PCP and BMWFS find out you've remapped the car they will issue a default on the contract screwing up your credit file.

That's not true at all, BMW FS cannot default you unless you miss 3 payments in a row. They can seek to repossess for modifications that do not adhere to their T&C's but highly unlikely.

[moff]

Originally Posted by Rudz

Is that even legal? What has a remap go to do with the credit file?

No its not, it's complete BS.

Note - I work for the primary credit reference agency that BMW FS use, but regardless they cannot 'abuse' a credit file like this

[scottc]

I don’t think they can mark you credit file but they can 100% terminate the contract and ask for you to settle in full.

There was a guy on the seat forum that this happened to because he had modified the car

[Joshd63]

I am thinking about getting a remap with a car on a pcp with BMWfs and having read this thread I rang them up and asked them what their take was. The guy said you can do what you want with the car as long as when/if you decided to hand it back to the finance company (not likely) the car was returned to stock

[DriveS]

Those intercoolers are very expensive compared to the power gains. £700. plus fitting it you dont do it yourself.

Does anyone have a dyno run pre intercooler and post intercooler?

[KraigF30]

Originally Posted by DriveS

Those intercoolers are very expensive compared to the power gains. £700. plus fitting it you dont do it yourself.

Does anyone have a dyno run pre intercooler and post intercooler?

Agree. Best bang for buck is just a remap. +80 bhp for £500 (£100 per 20 bhp).

Intercooler is expensive and the returns are not a lot + 15 bhp for £800 (£100 per 2 bhp).

But that aside, it still does make a difference as outlined above.

I do have a dyno before/after but unfortunately it’s not valid.
I had my intercooler installed and a new remap added at the same time. So the after dyno is not reflective of just the intercooler on its own.

That being said I went from 385/517 ft-lbs to 410/545 ft-lbs - that 410 was a one off, the rest of the results were around the 405 mark. All in all, a 20 bhp gain for me. But as I said, that’s including a more aggressive map uploaded at the same time as the intercooler install. You would generally get your map tweaked anyway with the install of a cooler - so it’s still reflective of what anyone can expect to gain.

[Willsy33]

Originally Posted by teaston

Just make sure to open the box up and turn the adjuster knob up to full to get the most out of the box!

Just wanted to go back to this. I read on previous posts you said your 30d guzzled fuel with the potentiometer turned fully clockwise. Did you ever find a happy medium?