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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > N47 and N57 Turbodiesel Engine / Drivetrain / Exhaust Modifications > Just installed KERMA TDI tune 328D
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      05-10-2019, 03:18 PM   #1
DieselSport
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Just installed KERMA TDI tune 328D

I just received my flashed ECU from KERMA and installed it right away and went for a drive.

Initial thoughts, the car didn't feel much different from a stand still but where the tune really shines is in the higher end. Turbo lag is still there a bit but when it kicks in the power is very smooth and the car wants to pull strongly up until 4500 rpm or so. Whereas usually it would put you back in your seat on 1st gear only, now you fell being pulled back in 2nd and little in 3rd as well.

Driving around at low speeds in the city you probably wont feel it that much but i believe i will feel it more once i get it on the highway tonight. Going to be driving about 70 miles tonight so i will get to test it out properly and report back, but so far im happy with the much needed top end power.
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      05-10-2019, 10:59 PM   #2
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Awesome! Looking forward to more of your feedback, I've been really curious about installing this tune after reading a few different reports.

Do you know if it affects the driving modes differently or is it a shift across the board?
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      05-11-2019, 11:00 AM   #3
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Let us know how it does on your long drive and after a few days with it. There are a few things it will learn on its own after 20+ miles.



Yes there are changes to the 3 different driving modes. Power max is still the same in all, but there has been lots of work to the driving modes, mostly in drivability and feel. Think of it as an "enthusiast's factory tune", where it's solid and safe like factory, but more power in all the right places.
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      05-15-2019, 06:44 PM   #4
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I have driven the car about 500 miles since the tune and this was the best modification i could have done to the car. The car has totally been transformed into something special. Driving is so much more rewarding and i look forward to my long commute now because i cant wait to drive my car on the highway.

To me it feels the power has almost doubled to be honest , doesnt matter how fast you are going, the car will pull tremendously. I definetly have to watch my throttle now because it can get from 70mph to 100mph in a instance without any fuss if you are not careful. Turbo lag has drastically been reduced and it puts you back in your seat during take offs. It is just better in all departments and i can hear the turbos a bit more with the windows down which i really love. I enjoy driving it in Sport+ with the ESC partially off.

Along with the tune, the Bilstein coilovers and the lightweight wheels and wider tires , the diesel sedan has become one of my favorite cars. I love every minute of driving. With the extra comfortable 18" wheels i feel i have the perfect balance of comfort and performance for a daily driver. I highly recommended KERMA and Bilstein in there respects. Very happy i went with them.

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      05-15-2019, 11:02 PM   #5
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It’s very deceiving, I always have to be careful. When cruising on the hwy I run 80-90 without realizing. Also in the city I have to be really careful cause I’ll take off from a light and be doing 60 in a 35-40 but it’s so smooth I dont notice
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      05-16-2019, 08:45 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DieselSport View Post
I have driven the car about 500 miles since the tune and this was the best modification i could have done to the car. The car has totally been transformed into something special. Driving is so much more rewarding and i look forward to my long commute now because i cant wait to drive my car on the highway.

To me it feels the power has almost doubled to be honest , doesnt matter how fast you are going, the car will pull tremendously. I definetly have to watch my throttle now because it can get from 70mph to 100mph in a instance without any fuss if you are not careful. Turbo lag has drastically been reduced and it puts you back in your seat during take offs. It is just better in all departments and i can hear the turbos a bit more with the windows down which i really love. I enjoy driving it in Sport+ with the ESC partially off.

Along with the tune, the Bilstein coilovers and the lightweight wheels and wider tires , the diesel sedan has become one of my favorite cars. I love every minute of driving. With the extra comfortable 18" wheels i feel i have the perfect balance of comfort and performance for a daily driver. I highly recommended KERMA and Bilstein in there respects. Very happy i went with them.
I really like those wheels. What are they?
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      05-16-2019, 09:27 AM   #7
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Apex EC-7?
They look incredibly good on it.

Wondering how a bright silver would look on the car.
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      05-16-2019, 05:35 PM   #8
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Yes , they are EC 7s in anthracite finish.

Bright silver always looks good and makes the wheels look bigger but they can look a bit bland / ordinary depending on what color your car is.

Last edited by DieselSport; 05-16-2019 at 05:42 PM..
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      05-21-2019, 09:25 AM   #9
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What mpgs are you getting street/freeway/combined and is the tune only in Sport mode?
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      05-21-2019, 03:06 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by victorr View Post
What mpgs are you getting street/freeway/combined and is the tune only in Sport mode?
No, the tune is not only in Sport mode. Actually the beauty of the tune is that now i can use Comfort mode while on the highway and the car is not underpowered like before. Before i would be in Sport / Sport + all the time but thanks to the tune Comfort mode is fun to drive now. My preferred driving mode is Sport + with the ESC off however, you really feel the power this way.

MPG has dropped from an average of around 43-44 mpg , to about 37 mpg. But i have been on the throttle WAY more then before.
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      05-21-2019, 08:45 PM   #11
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Awesome - thanks for the info!
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      05-25-2019, 09:56 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by victorr View Post
Awesome - thanks for the info!
no problem.

I dont usually put it in ECO mode but i decided to try it as i was cruising on the highway. I didnt see it at first but the car was turning about 800 RPM going 75 mph. I dont think i have ever seen the RPM go under 1000 while on the highway. I wonder if this is what the "Coasting" feature is of the ECO pro mode, or is it part of the tune ?

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      05-26-2019, 05:10 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DieselSport View Post

I dont usually put it in ECO mode but i decided to try it as i was cruising on the highway. I didnt see it at first but the car was turning about 800 RPM going 75 mph. I dont think i have ever seen the RPM go under 1000 while on the highway. I wonder if this is what the "Coasting" feature is of the ECO pro mode, or is it part of the tune ?

You must have been off throttle at that point. That's the coasting feature in Eco basically disengaging the wheels from the engine allowing the engine to drop to idle. Won't happen with cruise control on.
Or you have that new 13speed tranny with 2x ovedrive.
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      05-26-2019, 02:05 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by opinion914 View Post
You must have been off throttle at that point. That's the coasting feature in Eco basically disengaging the wheels from the engine allowing the engine to drop to idle. Won't happen with cruise control on.
Or you have that new 13speed tranny with 2x ovedrive.
Thats right , i believe the tune added another few gears to the transmission lol .

Yeah cruise control was not on , i generally like to keep my RPMs around 2000-3000 for best power delivery, so i was a bit shocked to see under 1000. When coasting happens it a bit of a weird feeling at first then it feels kinda good
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      05-27-2019, 04:59 AM   #15
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The coasting is one of my favorite features on this car, I find myself in eco a fair amount just for this.
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      05-27-2019, 09:03 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by seahuston View Post
The coasting is one of my favorite features on this car, I find myself in eco a fair amount just for this.
I like it too, but I've been concerned about the added locking/unlocking of the drivetrain. Any thoughts on this adding to reliability issues?
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      05-27-2019, 09:37 AM   #17
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It's not locking and unlocking, but rather opening of a clutch pack, which opens during normal operation anyways.
I too like the ecopro mode, especially the milder AC which makes long roadtrips comfortable.
I dislike the auto start stop, but that can be dealt with.
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      06-23-2019, 06:24 AM   #18
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Hi, I read the transmission in 328/320d timits engine torque to 380nm for third and sixth gear, which is stock power basically. And for the other gears the limit is 440nm. Do you have any information about this from your tuners, because there in no point to pay for power, which won't be used.
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      06-23-2019, 11:43 AM   #19
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It's definitely worth it, especially if the tuner is great. The tune asks for peak torque at lower rpm and then is gradually reduced for higher rpm, the limit doesn't apply to the hp values. Horsepower is directly related to wheel force, which is what accelerates the car.

And then you have the other gears that can take more than 380Nm, which can be taken advantage of.

Remember that the 325d uses the same exact transmission, and it's much faster.
A good tuner will know how to make them work together.

Careful, however, many tuners decalibrate the definition of Nm in the tune to be able to push past the limits by tricking the transmission controller, but it can have a lot of negative effects.
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      06-23-2019, 01:17 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by expl0de View Post
Hi, I read the transmission in 328/320d timits engine torque to 380nm for third and sixth gear, which is stock power basically. And for the other gears the limit is 440nm. Do you have any information about this from your tuners, because there in no point to pay for power, which won't be used.
Hi, do you remember where you read this? I am considering getting my car tuned locally. I found a tuner where I live that said they can do a custom tune for BMW 328d.
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      07-04-2019, 08:02 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maz99 View Post
Hi, do you remember where you read this? I am considering getting my car tuned locally. I found a tuner where I live that said they can do a custom tune for BMW 328d.
I think it was xHP or bootmod3 explanation. They claim that by lifting the torque limits, the clutches will byte harder at higher torque and that will prolong transmission life and will eliminate slip on heavily tuned cars.This also makes heavy tuning possible on cars with AT. But there is downside. The higher pressure may affect the seals in the transmission.
As mentioned before, the other way is to lie the transmission that torque is lower than actual(within stock values) and this may shorten clutches life and cause slippage.
Also there is a mechanical reason for the lower limits for 3d and 6th gear. Even BMW performance tuning makes less torque in these gears.
Anyway, even with limits, if power band is wider, it will feel faster than stock, just not as fast as on other gears.
This is what I have read.
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      08-29-2019, 01:15 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by expl0de View Post
I think it was xHP or bootmod3 explanation. They claim that by lifting the torque limits, the clutches will byte harder at higher torque and that will prolong transmission life and will eliminate slip on heavily tuned cars.This also makes heavy tuning possible on cars with AT. But there is downside. The higher pressure may affect the seals in the transmission.
As mentioned before, the other way is to lie the transmission that torque is lower than actual(within stock values) and this may shorten clutches life and cause slippage.
Also there is a mechanical reason for the lower limits for 3d and 6th gear. Even BMW performance tuning makes less torque in these gears.
Anyway, even with limits, if power band is wider, it will feel faster than stock, just not as fast as on other gears.
This is what I have read.
So the Kerma tune is calibrated and made well enough not to shorten the life of the transmission? It's more the xHP transmission tune that would be a concern? Am I understanding that correctly?
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