Background:
Finally had the opportunity to try out the new 240E software on the dyno. The software was released pretty recently from BMW. In the past, my car is been pretty reliable. Never had any engine related issues, check engine light, or issues with the motor in almost 44K miles and 4.5 years of ownership. A few weeks ago after returning from a business trip, the car would go into limp mode under hard acceleration. I was very perturbed by this, and started to question if it could possibly be something in the tune. It didn’t make sense that it would, given the same file was track tested by multiple cars in 105 degree weather with oil temperatures at 300C without a single hitch. I had been running that file for thousands of miles on top of that, in many different conditions and driving situations. Regardless, I scowered through the file trying to find something could have caused this, and couldn’t find a thing. This was a good time to put the latest 240E software in to see if it alleviated any of these issues.
The 240E Update:
After flashing it in (other than a misfire in every cylinder) it ran pretty well for a couple days, other than being extremely jerky on the low end. But after that it went all downhill. I started to get limp mode after starting the car, had erratic idling at 1500 rpm, fuel pump warnings on the I-drive on hard acceleration, and consistent smoothness and drivability problems. It was clear that there was something wrong and that it was most definitely not an issue with the software. It was very frustrating to diagnose the issues because every time I checked, the car had different faults. We’re talking idle control faults, misfires, lambda plausibility, fuel pressure, fuel modeling, etc.. I didn’t know where to start with a new (and different code) being thrown each time. After running through the factory test plans, it was evident that the idle control valve and the low pressure fuel sensor were the culprits. My extended warranty covered both under warranty. All of the limp mode/driveability/smoothness issues were gone. The car no longer felt down on power either. I decided to drive it around for a few more days just to make sure that no faults returned. The most frustrating part of all of this is that the car would act 100% normal on restart and sometimes it would take a lot of driving before I could get it to happen again.
A couple weeks passed by and I figured it was time to take it to the dyno to see how the software changes I made in previous software revisions were reflected in 240E. Took the car to Church Automotive Testing in Wilmington, CA. I have heard a lot of good things through the grapevine about Shawn, and figured it was a good non-biased facility to use considering I have never spoken with him before nor have I been to their shop. They have a 4wd Dynapack setup at their shop, and tune over 2,000 cars a year (mainly imports). I was pleased with their knowledge and professionalism and would certainly return there again.
The Dyno:
Next to us was a 1,100+ horsepower car with the most gigantic turbo I’ve seen on a standard car @ 40 PSI. Although it was great seeing this car, it was incredibly unpleasant having it there. Aside from the fumes bellowing out of the exhaust pipe (straight up out of the hood), it was so loud you would probably have brain damage if you didn’t cover your ears. So aside from nearly suffocating and losing my hearing, I had a pleasant experience. It was just bad timing I thought to myself.
They pulled my car in and began removing the wheels to connect their hub dynos to the car. After that they did the first pull with the stock file. I had them do a couple more pulls to make sure we had an accurate baseline to start with. The car made 414whp on its best stock run. I flashed in what I call a ‘baby’ tune just to see how it would do. I had no time at all to prepare any files for the run because I was updating maps on an E92 before heading to the dyno, and that took longer than expected.
Video of First Test File:
With the baby tune, power jumped up to 417, and settled around 420. I only had an hour of dyno time total, so I made a few more of my standard changes and loaded my Stage II tune in for the final three pulls. It made 428, then 430, then 429. I was very surprised by the results.. Nonetheless, these were great numbers, especially coming from a dyno that is very well known for its consistency.
The Video:
Comparison to a stock car:
I asked Shawn (the owner of the Church) what stock M3’s usually put down on his dyno. He stated that they were normally putting down 365ish hp. He said that Microsoft had brought a new E9x M3 there a few days before to record engine sound for a new video game. On the comparison dyno below, the green line is from the stock M3 runs on the same dyno. This is for comparisons sake so you can see what bolt-ons will do for you in comparison to stock, and what a tune will give you as icing on the cake. He said that my M3 was the highest one he has seen.
The torque gains from the tune in the midrange are massive. You can also see how much smoother the torque curve is over stock, and this is on 91 octane gas.
Modifications to the car are as follows:
BPMSport Stage II Tune
Full Akra evo system
RDSport Pulley
Intake
Features of the tune:
Akrapovic specific file
Cold start Rev-limit reduction
Cold start cam phasing off
6MT launch control
8,600 RPM Redline
Raised speed limit
Modified cam position/vanos changes
Changes to fueling/timing/ and torque limits.
Dyno Charts (BPMSport Tuned = Pink / Stock software = Blue / Stock M3 = Green):
Horsepower:
Torque:
Aftermath:
Driving the car around after (finally!!!) retuning it has put another smile on my face. The power delivery and midrange torque gain, coupled with the increase in smoothness makes the car so much more of a joy to drive. I really disliked running around with the stock tune. 231E tuned was clearly a huge improvement over 240E in stock form. I’m happy to report that 240E tuned is awesome as well.
I hope to go back sometime in the near future when I have more time. Unfortunately because of the short amount of dyno time, I didn’t have a chance to go full house this time. Regardless, this is proof that the 2008 motors are not weaker, and that power can be achieved even on the later software versions offered by BMW. I do want to reiterate that I have no affiliation whatsoever with the shop/dyno operator, and that I myself was very surprised by the results. I think there is definitely more room left, and I look forward to performing more development as time permits.
Thank you for reading.
