BPMSport tune + DCT ... before, after, before, after

[alee0729]

I drove 1500+ miles from new, without a tune. Did an epic European delivery, and thought the car was awesome. Drove it, and loved it.

Got the ECU/DCT tunes done in a hotel parking lot, on the way back from the BMW Performance Center. The car felt great. Butt dyno approved.

Drove 4000 more miles over the last 3 years. ECU tune, DCT, and everything else has been great. I had more or less forgotten about the work BPMSport did - it was more about the car and the driving experience, and I haven't really sweated the details since then.

Everything was great... until last week.

My dealer had to recode my car after replacing the combox to ensure my BMW Assist continued to work after the 1G/2G networks shut down at the end of this year. This recode wiped everything... tune, DCT tune, servotronic tweaks... all gone.

Turns out this was really bad.

Without the tune, the drop in performance was immediately noticeable. Basically, the car drove like crap, and the DCT was lazy. On familiar roads that I've only known with the tune, the car felt "off"... shifts weren't as crisp, and the power delivery that I knew so well was no longer there.

Unlike getting your car tuned, where you *think* you feel it, getting your tune taken away from you is a completely different experience. You know something is wrong. Everything feels wrong.

Mike helped me get my car back to where it was again today. He finally got me back to the car I've come to know and love.

It's been a very weird few days. My car felt like a stranger. Thanks for bringing my car back "normal".

[8k4]

Same posts over and over

[alee0729]

Originally Posted by 8k4

Same posts over and over

I get that the evangelism of tuning can get tiring, regardless of tuner... but the only story I hear about here all the time is add part X, felt an immediate HP gain, etc.

If there are a lot of "took all my stuff out and realized what I had" posts, I must have missed it. It was an interesting experience worth sharing.

[lve2xlr8]

I found your post enjoyable and unique. Thanks for posting!

[guardodoc]

I appreciated the post.

You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

BPM tune was the best thing I did to my car.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by guardodoc

I appreciated the post.

You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

BPM tune was the best thing I did to my car.

+ 1 for Mike

[111turbo]

Thanks for your input as I am currently looking for a tune as well!

[roastbeef]

thanks for the interesting post. any mods on the car?

[FMLYSDN]

Originally Posted by alee0729

I get that the evangelism of tuning can get tiring, regardless of tuner... but the only story I hear about here all the time is add part X, felt an immediate HP gain, etc.

If there are a lot of "took all my stuff out and realized what I had" posts, I must have missed it. It was an interesting experience worth sharing.

Same sentiment as the rest, thanks for sharing. It's always a pleasure when some takes the time to invest in the forum with well thought and personable experiences that readers can benefit from.

In regards to the somewhat negative comment to your post. It's inevitable.

Great post and keep up the welcoming material to the forum.

[L4ces]

Good info op. This kind of info has me looking forward to knowing that I can add some spice to my ride.

[alee0729]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

thanks for the interesting post. any mods on the car?

Just a Dinan intake (which sounds awesome). The tune was the standard Stage 1 with 93 octane. The car also sounds a little different on the low end now that the tune is back... more aggressive sounding.

[SDPLV]

Originally Posted by 8k4

Same posts over and over

Wot? :

[Three Pedal Steve]

Thanks for this post. I too am being disconnected from BMW connect and have been concerned about loosing my bpmSport tune and coding when the dealer changes the car's software.

I believe I will take a pass on the BMW offers and just do nothing about removing the combox gizmo. It can't weigh that much and I have a cell phone for emergency calls.

[Helmsman]

Know exactly what you mean OP. Havent tuned my M3 but a few turbos in the past. Although you feel additional power when you get it, the difference is even greatet when you tune off!

[Hagasan41]

I too apprecaited the post especailly coming from someone that's considering tuning the car. Bravo!

[MShift]

Just flashed the BPM stage 2 + dct tunes and the difference is very noticeable. Everything seems much more together than it did before, the transmission is much smoother, and there's a noticeable power difference across the range. If you're on the fence, go for it!

[young dude]

I'm interesting in a stage 1 ECU and DCT tune. Is your car completely stock besides those simple tunes? I'm on the fence, because I'm afraid just doing those stage 1 tunes while keeping everything else stock is worthless, from a performance gain perspective. I'm also afraid that tuning will affect the long term longevity of the car, however minute the effect.

[alee0729]

Originally Posted by young dude

I'm interesting in a stage 1 ECU and DCT tune. Is your car completely stock besides those simple tunes? I'm on the fence, because I'm afraid just doing those stage 1 tunes while keeping everything else stock is worthless, from a performance gain perspective. I'm also afraid that tuning will affect the long term longevity of the car, however minute the effect.

My car only has 3 mods... ECU, DCT and air intake.

ECU and DCT are both worthwhile. Maybe not pure raw horsepower, but there is a difference in how the car feels and responds. Enough so that when I had it taken out, it made me write a post about it.

A tune from a reputable tuner should leave you with no concerns on longevity, esp. on a stage 1.

[young dude]

Originally Posted by alee0729

My car only has 3 mods... ECU, DCT and air intake.

ECU and DCT are both worthwhile. Maybe not pure raw horsepower, but there is a difference in how the car feels and responds. Enough so that when I had it taken out, it made me write a post about it.

A tune from a reputable tuner should leave you with no concerns on longevity, esp. on a stage 1.

Appreciate the fast response! I'm assuming you did stage 1? Also, what specific air intake mod did you do, e.g. parts used, did you install yourself etc? I'm asking because my research shows that OEM air intake is already pretty good. And is there a reason you didn't mod the exhaust? I heard that'd make a bigger improvement vs. say just air intake mod, which might not make any difference according to some.

[Last NA]

Originally Posted by lve2xlr8

I found your post enjoyable and unique. Thanks for posting!

Likewise, thanks for taking time out to post such threads.

[alee0729]

Originally Posted by young dude

Appreciate the fast response! I'm assuming you did stage 1? Also, what specific air intake mod did you do, e.g. parts used, did you install yourself etc? I'm asking because my research shows that OEM air intake is already pretty good. And is there a reason you didn't mod the exhaust? I heard that'd make a bigger improvement vs. say just air intake mod, which might not make any difference according to some.

Yeah just stage 1.

I went with the Dinan on the intake, primarily because I got a deal on it. It's sounds great -- whether or not it generates any additional power, it just sounds good all around. I installed it myself... not a big deal, and I definitely don't wrench anything on my car.

For exhaust I have the MPE which was factory installed, and since it's just cans, there's no real meaningful HP benefit.

But software-wise, I'm convinced it makes a meaningful difference.