BPM Stage I tune worth it for a 2013?

[Lanhorn9]

Hi everyone, I purchased a 2013 e92 M3 DCT last October. Initially I was dead set on doing Test Pipes and a Stage II tune along with the DCT flash from BPM, but now that I've owned the car longer I've decided against making the car any louder than it already is with the M-Perf exhaust.

So my question that I can't seem to find enough input on from scouring the forum posts is if Stage I BPM tune is worth it for my 2013 model year M3. I know I want to update the DCT since everyone rants and raves about needing it even though mine seems to be quite good even stock, but with that tune alone being $500, Stage I tune on its own being $900, and together $1000... Is it worth it to get the Stage I BPM tune too? I run 93 octane exclusively so I'd imagine it would squeeze just a hair more power out of it but I'd expect it to not be noticeable power gains, but it seems most people are so happy with all the minor drive-ability improvements from BPM's tuning. While I do believe all the people thrilled with their tunes, I've noticed almost all of the posts are from owners of 08-11 model year M3s and that makes me wonder if the 13 might already have a lot of the same improvements?

I'd really love to hear other opinions of late model year owners since it sounds like from most of my reading that all of the huge noticeable improvements were simply from updating BMW's own versions as they slowly improved on things each model year.

Is it worth the extra $500 for the ECU tune, or should I stay with just the DCT tune?

[TboneS54]

None of it's worth it. The DCT tune isn't really a tune, it's BMW's own software you can load yourself with a dcan cable plus the GTS tune has its own issue you might not like. i would suggest people upgrade to the latest u.s. file as it fixes the issues we noticed with the stock dct software.

Engine tune, I would say is worth it if you're doing stage 2 and esp if you're willing to log AFRs or get on a dyno.

[Lanhorn9]

Originally Posted by TboneS54

None of it's worth it. The DCT tune isn't really a tune, it's BMW's own software you can load yourself with a dcan cable plus the GTS tune has its own issue you might not like. i would suggest people upgrade to the latest u.s. file as it fixes the issues we noticed with the stock dct software.

Engine tune, I would say is worth it if you're doing stage 2 and esp if you're willing to log AFRs or get on a dyno.

Thank you so much for this bit of info! This is sort of along the lines of what I was worried about... I've owned many cars with most being turbo cars, and even the turbo cars see fairly minimal gains on those "stage 1" tunes.

Could you elaborate a bit on the GTS DCT tune issues? Or link me to a thread possibly? My biggest complaint with my stock DCT is that it's too laggy in anything other than setting 4 or 5, but setting 5 breaks the traction with too much of a jolt to the rear wheels. I'd like to see setting 3 be usable at least.

[Helmsman]

After many years with the car I decided to try stage 1. Car is 2011, all sw are up to date. Went with Alpine Motorsport which was like <670$ incl the DCT, black friday price.
Haven't fully tried out yet (still Winter here) but the ECU tune (98RON) feels nice, smoother pull and bit more low end grunt. No regretts.

Haven't loaded the DCT yet (my box is also working fine). Most people think this sw makes the biggest difference though. Alpine "softening" the GTS sw, believe program it to shift a tad slower than full GTS while still faster than OE.
Btw for Alpine sw here is more info to get: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1397978

Ps. Not suggesting Alpine over BPM, went with Alpine due to special price at that point. Both are experienced tuners so I assume their ECU modifications are quite similar, while I guess both re using GTS.

[CamasM3e93]

For a Stage I tune I don't think you can go wrong with Dinan for $300 or so. I was running it for a while in 2024. I switched to a BPM stage 2 in case someone steals my cats but also I like having the cold start delete and cold RPM limiter for engine protection. If those features aren't important to you I don't know that you can justify the cost delta.

I had the DCT tune from BPM on my last car and really liked it - I was glad for it.

[Lanhorn9]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I ultimately decided to give the Alpine tune a shot after talking with Alex via email. The cost was a couple hundred less than BPM even with a discount code for a $100 off, making the tune and DCT flash about equal to BPM's DCT flash alone. We'll see how it does once I get it going. It seems everyone is consistently very happy with Alex and Alpine so I figured it was worth a shot.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Lanhorn9

Thanks for all the input everyone. I ultimately decided to give the Alpine tune a shot after talking with Alex via email. The cost was a couple hundred less than BPM even with a discount code for a $100 off, making the tune and DCT flash about equal to BPM's DCT flash alone. We'll see how it does once I get it going. It seems everyone is consistently very happy with Alex and Alpine so I figured it was worth a shot.

Interesting, hope we here back from you when loaded.

[Lanhorn9]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Interesting, hope we here back from you when loaded.

I'll try to remember to report back with thoughts on it. And for added clarity, the price with discount code for BPM tune and DCT flash was $1000 but I paid $780 for the same with Alpine. $780 seemed reasonable enough to me to go ahead and try it out.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Lanhorn9

I'll try to remember to report back with thoughts on it. And for added clarity, the price with discount code for BPM tune and DCT flash was $1000 but I paid $780 for the same with Alpine. $780 seemed reasonable enough to me to go ahead and try it out.

Agree, fair price. Had another $100 cut on the package due to black friday. Tbh BPM never came back on my enquiry which was another reason I went with Alpine.

[Lanhorn9]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Agree, fair price. Had another $100 cut on the package due to black friday. Tbh BPM never came back on my enquiry which was another reason I went with Alpine.

Funny you mention that... That's exactly what happened to me. I reached out to BPM with a couple simple clarifying questions and general inquiry and never heard a thing back. Alex responded within 3 minutes of my email. I told him that alone earned my business and I ordered last night.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Lanhorn9

Funny you mention that... That's exactly what happened to me. I reached out to BPM with a couple simple clarifying questions and general inquiry and never heard a thing back. Alex responded within 3 minutes of my email. I told him that alone earned my business and I ordered last night.

Mike/BPM has been a great guy on the forum for years, sometimes it simply gets too busy I guess.

[813_m3]

Originally Posted by Lanhorn9

Thanks for all the input everyone. I ultimately decided to give the Alpine tune a shot after talking with Alex via email. The cost was a couple hundred less than BPM even with a discount code for a $100 off, making the tune and DCT flash about equal to BPM's DCT flash alone. We'll see how it does once I get it going. It seems everyone is consistently very happy with Alex and Alpine so I figured it was worth a shot.

I put Alex’s GTS tune on my new to me e92 about a month ago. I love it so far, feels more aggressive on the upshifts and the rev-matching is noticeable on downshifts not only at fun speeds but also in low gears coming to a stop. Makes the daily driving experience much more enjoyable. I’ll be adding stage 2 from Alex once I go catless in the coming months

[BPMSport]

The DCT tune is only a $199 add on. It’s only $500 as a standalone due to the cost of the cable.

We have tuned thousands of these cars in 50 countries and have pioneered a number of firsts on this platform. We might be more expensive than some others, but for the same reason that certain brands are more expensive than others. Development, attention to detail, experience are factors in pricing amongst many others.

We are extremely responsive with support even if it’s ten years after purchase. You definitely get what you pay for.

Lanhorn9/Helmsman, our sincere apologies if you did not get a response to your inquiry. There was a period of a couple months where the website had an issue and the responses were not going out. I hope that still isn’t happening.

For those that have any questions, please feel free to call/text 3104882418 and I’d be happy to help you, or directly email benvo@bpmsport.com.

We definitely reply to every single inquiry so I’d definitely appreciate it if you let me know when you reached out so I can try to track down why a response wasn’t received. Thank you!

[Redd]

Not sure how good a Stage 1 is but I'm very happy with my BPM Stage 2. It's been on the car for 8-9 years now and not one hiccup under every possible scenario including track days in hot weather.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by 813_m3

I put Alex’s GTS tune on my new to me e92 about a month ago. I love it so far, feels more aggressive on the upshifts and the rev-matching is noticeable on downshifts not only at fun speeds but also in low gears coming to a stop. Makes the daily driving experience much more enjoyable. I’ll be adding stage 2 from Alex once I go catless in the coming months

Interesting! For some reason the down shift rev match got less after the ECU tune, not sure if it has to do with the adaption clearance. Encouraging to hear that this increased with the DCT tune. So another reason to get it done then...

Thanks!

[Lanhorn9]

Originally Posted by BPMSport

The DCT tune is only a $199 add on. It’s only $500 as a standalone due to the cost of the cable.

We have tuned thousands of these cars in 50 countries and have pioneered a number of firsts on this platform. We might be more expensive than some others, but for the same reason that certain brands are more expensive than others. Development, attention to detail, experience are factors in pricing amongst many others.

We are extremely responsive with support even if it’s ten years after purchase. You definitely get what you pay for.

Lanhorn9/Helmsman, our sincere apologies if you did not get a response to your inquiry. There was a period of a couple months where the website had an issue and the responses were not going out. I hope that still isn’t happening.

For those that have any questions, please feel free to call/text 3104882418 and I’d be happy to help you, or directly email benvo@bpmsport.com.

We definitely reply to every single inquiry so I’d definitely appreciate it if you let me know when you reached out so I can try to track down why a response wasn’t received. Thank you!

Ah that makes sense! I really am not at all trying to bash BPM with this post so I do hope it did not come off that way. I have been researching for months and had landed on BPM tunes early on, but then discovered positive reviews from Alpine/Alex. The super quick response paired with a bit of a break in price is what tipped the scales just a bit that direction for this go around.

As far as when I reached out... I sent in two inquiries and tried to call a couple of times (granted I never left a voicemail). I believe the first inquiry I submitted was about 1.5-2 months ago, and the second was 3-4 weeks ago, but time seems to elude me these days... I might be totally off with those estimates but I think that's pretty close. The email I used was milhornlandon at gmail through the website if that helps you to find them!

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Lanhorn9

Ah that makes sense! I really am not at all trying to bash BPM with this post so I do hope it did not come off that way. I have been researching for months and had landed on BPM tunes early on, but then discovered positive reviews from Alpine/Alex. The super quick response paired with a bit of a break in price is what tipped the scales just a bit that direction for this go around.

As far as when I reached out... I sent in two inquiries and tried to call a couple of times (granted I never left a voicemail). I believe the first inquiry I submitted was about 1.5-2 months ago, and the second was 3-4 weeks ago, but time seems to elude me these days... I might be totally off with those estimates but I think that's pretty close. The email I used was milhornlandon at gmail through the website if that helps you to find them!

Btw, believe once you have bought SW from Alpine you can request a new map should that be needed/of interest. For example if you start of with stage 1 you can ask for stage 2 later on. Nothing I plan to do so not totally sure but this is how I understood their business model, which if so is quite neat flexibility.

[m3s65b4.x]

Originally Posted by Redd

Not sure how good a Stage 1 is but I'm very happy with my BPM Stage 2. It's been on the car for 8-9 years now and not one hiccup under every possible scenario including track days in hot weather.

stg2 BPM tune here, didn't flashed back to stock sw 2nd year and passed TÜV, so let this configuration. OEM 4 catalyst system is restrictive but works with BPM stg2 tune also (no track use), freeflow midpipe release all those asleep horses.

[BPMSport]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Btw, believe once you have bought SW from Alpine you can request a new map should that be needed/of interest. For example if you start of with stage 1 you can ask for stage 2 later on. Nothing I plan to do so not totally sure but this is how I understood their business model, which if so is quite neat flexibility.

The difference here is that every file we write is to spec and has additional factors taken into account.

Thank you to the two that shoot me a message about the lack of reply, I will be looking into this closely over the next week. Much appreciated!

[Helmsman]

OP, had an opportunity to step on it a bit on high way today. Yes, it certainly pulls stronger, easier to notice the difference when coming up to speed. Its good stuff!

[Fooksdaddy]

I’ve had both tunes “ecu/dct” (alpine and bpm) each for a year plus….. the alpine tune was never just clean, meaning I would always get random check engine lights upon initial start up, random rpm surge. Power wise it felt good and was the cheaper option/ability to request new maps, good responsiveness but if I had a question it always felt like I was bothering.

BPM tune…clean from the start none of the above problems. Communication has been great and he’ll respond to text fairly instantly and I never felt like I was bugging. Pricing is higher but the customer service I feel is worth it. Currently on the BPM tune and will not be changing back.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Fooksdaddy

I’ve had both tunes “ecu/dct” (alpine and bpm) each for a year plus….. the alpine tune was never just clean, meaning I would always get random check engine lights upon initial start up, random rpm surge. Power wise it felt good and was the cheaper option/ability to request new maps, good responsiveness but if I had a question it always felt like I was bothering.

BPM tune…clean from the start none of the above problems. Communication has been great and he’ll respond to text fairly instantly and I never felt like I was bugging. Pricing is higher but the customer service I feel is worth it. Currently on the BPM tune and will not be changing back.

I have the BPM stage 2 ecu tune on both of my e92 M3s and GTS & stage 1 tunes on my f82. I have the e9x M standard tune and the Akra EVO tune that deals with the low rpm torque dip. Both have performed flawlessly for the past 15 (‘09 MY e92 M3) and 13 years (‘12 MY e92 M3). Also, zero issues with the GTS DCT flash. BPM/Mike has excellent customer service and he’ll help you with tuning and coding at all hours. Mike has helped me at 1-3 am edt/est.

Also, I had an AA stage 2 tune on the ‘09 MY and, after switching to BPM’s stage 2, I won’t be going back to the AA tune. The BPM stage 2 has better low & mid rpm torque which is noticeable on track. I’m consistently 0.25-0.50 sec faster per lap with the BPM tune. BPM may cost more but it’s worth the price.