GTS DCT FLASH by Alex w/Alpine

[e92s65]

Ever since i got my car (lastest update from bmw) i had a slight jerkiness/lag slowing down to a light, which was starting to bug me, been lurking around the forum and read all the review about the GTS DCT FLASH from all vendors who offer them.

I decided to contact Alex w/Alpine since alot of member talk highly of him, after sending email back and forward over 70 total hahaha. He answer all my questions and concerns also explain some safe guards/shift speed that he was going to flash for my US Spec DCT since we didn't have a larger cooler like the GTS model, I believe he said it was 100ms shift speed. Not only he check my DME to make sure it was on 240e and flash my DCT he also coded my buddy 335i after he was done with both cars, we chatted a bit, very nice and upfront guy i will do more business with him very soon.

Now to the GTS DCT Tune, first thing you'll notice right away is there no lag going into reverse, its like its already in gear by the time you finish pushing the lever up hahaha. Second it default to d2 and it remember your S setting which is a huge + for me (I know these are already mention in other review but i had to put it out there).

To be honest i wasn't expecting a huge difference in shift speed, i just wanted the hesitation/lag/jerkiness slowing down to a light to go away which was one of the main reason i wanted to flash my DCT. After pulling out of my friend's house since we got both cars coded there, right away the car feels so much smoother and the shift are insanely fast even in D mode. Push the lever over to test out S mode i was like WTF! i should have done this months ago why did i wait so long, the shift are nice, crisp and insanely fast, upshift / downshift was instant with no hesitation what so ever. Feels like i was driving a different car all together, i still can't believe how fast and smooth the shifts are and in high RPM (redline) shifts it catches right away i no longer feel a sudden lost in power when shifting gears like before.

Who ever is debating to get their GTS DCT flash contact Alex w/Alpine he'll take care of you and also has the best prices trust me you won't regret it, the only thing i regret is i waited this long to get it done.

[SYZ]

yeah, that software upgrade was BY FAR the best performance to dollar ratio. Alex is legit.

[e92s65]

Originally Posted by SYZ

yeah, that software upgrade was BY FAR the best performance to dollar ratio. Alex is legit.

i still can't believed i waited this long to get it done.

[spool twice]

Does the software provide quicker downshift speeds? That is my complaint with the stock software, when it downshifts multiple gears at WOT, the clutches slip for what feels like forever, softening the shift, and also softening acceleration. Once it engages completely, the car accelerates like a bat out of hell though.

Another complaint is gears it selects during WOT at rolling speeds. On mine, 50mph, D5, WOT, will downshift into 3rd, when 2nd gear still has more "range" left in that gear. It's worse at 80mph, where it'll downshift into 4th, and you have to wait for an eternity for it to get into it's rev range, but if you go WOT @ 79mph, it'll downshift into 3rd. Does the GTS software address this? Or does it downshift to the same gears at those speeds?

Florida highways on I-75 is full of cars going 80-90mph zone, you never know if you need to pass a slower moving truck quickly

[aajami]

Is GTS shifts are 100ms, how fast are standard DCT shifts? I'm on 231E and only ever drive on S6. Am I going to feel any kind of difference with this update?

[Alex@Alpine]

Thanks for the positive review, your the best!

[xchosun1x]

Originally Posted by SYZ

yeah, that software upgrade was BY FAR the best performance to dollar ratio. Alex is legit.

well said and agreed!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by aajami

Is GTS shifts are 100ms, how fast are standard DCT shifts? I'm on 231E and only ever drive on S6. Am I going to feel any kind of difference with this update?

GTS shifts are supposedly 90ms, but the GTS program adapted for regular M3s sets it to 100ms. I believe the "normal" speed is 120-130ms, though that is slightly deceiving as it's a dual-clutch.

[e92s65]

Originally Posted by spool twice

Does the software provide quicker downshift speeds? That is my complaint with the stock software, when it downshifts multiple gears at WOT, the clutches slip for what feels like forever, softening the shift, and also softening acceleration. Once it engages completely, the car accelerates like a bat out of hell though.

Another complaint is gears it selects during WOT at rolling speeds. On mine, 50mph, D5, WOT, will downshift into 3rd, when 2nd gear still has more "range" left in that gear. It's worse at 80mph, where it'll downshift into 4th, and you have to wait for an eternity for it to get into it's rev range, but if you go WOT @ 79mph, it'll downshift into 3rd. Does the GTS software address this? Or does it downshift to the same gears at those speeds?

Florida highways on I-75 is full of cars going 80-90mph zone, you never know if you need to pass a slower moving truck quickly

I'll check for you and report back

Originally Posted by aajami

Is GTS shifts are 100ms, how fast are standard DCT shifts? I'm on 231E and only ever drive on S6. Am I going to feel any kind of difference with this update?

I believe the standard shift speeds are 140ms? not sure, but you can tell the different in shift speed while driving it in S mode. Even in D mode the car shift so much smoother its hard to believe.

Originally Posted by Alex@Alpine

Thanks for the positive review, your the best!

You are the man Alex!

Originally Posted by xchosun1x

well said and agreed!

+1

Originally Posted by dparm

GTS shifts are supposedly 90ms, but the GTS program adapted for regular M3s sets it to 100ms. I believe the "normal" speed is 120-130ms, though that is slightly deceiving as it's a dual-clutch.

This is also what i was told!, GTS shift at 90ms and it also has a larger oil cooler for the DCT.

I notice Motorsports24 (saw it on http://ind-distribution.com/ind/bran...port24/dkg-dct ) makes a DCT oil cooler i wonder if we can get faster shift speed if we update the dct oil cooler

[Alex@Alpine]

Thank you guys!

[CurbBender'90]

I agree with everything here so while it's no need for me to make a whole topic about it. I got my coding done about 1.5 weeks ago. Just got the GTS software done Friday night, Alex was able to get it done while working with other people flawlessly and I praise him for this! Thank you ALEX(Highly recommended). The difference is amazingly fast and I only drive the car in the 2nd-3rd shift speed settings since it's been so cold here(Michigan). No more of that lag slowing down and jerk feeling. Crazy how you watch it switch gears like 1,2,5,7 and so on even slowing down(used to go every gear sometimes 1,2,3,4.., on about 75% throttle it ran thru gears so fast the tach never moved from 4k while the engine screamed! Never been so fascinated by a car shifting. This is how the car should have been programed in the first place but good things come to those that wait. I would rate this software update 10 out of 10 as the standard DCT software a 7 out of 10 because of the bugs it has. I hope everyone enjoys their driving experience as much as I do!

[Buddy Revell]

Got the coding done locally today. Alex was laid back and easy to work with, even though I was an idiot, got lost, and was super late for our appointment. Got the US Spec 240e upgrade, the GTS DCT, video-in-motion, and some comfort/lighting options. Needless to say, it's worth every single penny! Throttle response is super fast, yet way smoother than before. Didn't think it was possible to make my car more fun to drive, but he did it! Highly recommended!

[Alex@Alpine]

Originally Posted by Buddy Revell

Got the coding done locally today. Alex was laid back and easy to work with, even though I was an idiot, got lost, and was super late for our appointment. Got the US Spec 240e upgrade, the GTS DCT, video-in-motion, and some comfort/lighting options. Needless to say, it's worth every single penny! Throttle response is super fast, yet way smoother than before. Didn't think it was possible to make my car more fun to drive, but he did it! Highly recommended!

Thank you

[6underpressure]

Nice wright up! Was thinking of doing mine now!

[Brian0473]

Best mod I have.

[BIU]

You're getting one of the best mods you can get for the M from one of the best guys you could deal with.

WIN - WIN

[e92livin]

Will the GTS flash also work on a 335is with DCT?

[e92s65]

Originally Posted by Alex@Alpine

Thank you

When you have time can you reschedule me in to get EDC coded out! finally lowered my car with Ohlins.

Originally Posted by 6underpressure

Nice wright up! Was thinking of doing mine now!

You should, hit up Alex he's very helpful and can answer all your questions if you have any concerns.

i went sent him tons of email he answer every single one.

Originally Posted by Brian0473

Best mod I have.

Still love how fast the shift speed is

Originally Posted by e92livin

Will the GTS flash also work on a 335is with DCT?

Hit up Alex he should be able to do it, i know he able to flash the regular auto transmission on 335i since he mention it when he was coding my car and my buddy's car.

[chillp]

Yesterday I had Alex do the GTS coding and today I drove the car in a variety of conditions…heavy traffic, open road, city, highway, etc. The difference is very noticeable. There isn't much I can add to the other positive reviews. The two most annoying characteristics of the DCT (IMO) are gone: (1) the jerking when stopping the car from a slow speed and (2) the hesitation when trying to accelerate after slowing down. Before, the DCT would struggle to find the right gear under these circumstances. Now, it's always in the right gear (or finds it quickly).
I also want to thank Alex for his patience. Our first attempt failed because I had a terrible wifi connection. We rescheduled for the next day and, with good wifi, it was smooth sailing.
I highly recommend this mod and Alex in particular!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by chillp

Yesterday I had Alex do the GTS coding and today I drove the car in a variety of conditions…heavy traffic, open road, city, highway, etc. The difference is very noticeable. There isn't much I can add to the other positive reviews. The two most annoying characteristics of the DCT (IMO) are gone: (1) the jerking when stopping the car from a slow speed and (2) the hesitation when trying to accelerate after slowing down. Before, the DCT would struggle to find the right gear under these circumstances. Now, it's always in the right gear (or finds it quickly).
I also want to thank Alex for his patience. Our first attempt failed because I had a terrible wifi connection. We rescheduled for the next day and, with good wifi, it was smooth sailing.
I highly recommend this mod and Alex in particular!

The trick to not jerking when you slow down is to not downshift into 1st gear until the car has basically come to a stop. I just come to a stop in 2nd, and then downshift to 1st.

[chillp]

Originally Posted by dparm

The trick to not jerking when you slow down is to not downshift into 1st gear until the car has basically come to a stop. I just come to a stop in 2nd, and then downshift to 1st.

That works if you're in S mode, but not in D. I should have been more specific.

[///M///]

For those having a DCT issue, how do you flash back to stock before going to the dealer? I don't think it would be wise to go to the dealer with the GTS software installed.