BPM Stage II installed...Initial Review...

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

We all know the theory of what a tune is supposed to do -- I have probably been bench racing and modding cars longer than you. Dynos and dragstrip runs and vbox 60-130 prove how much power the car makes or how fast it is in a calibrated, comparable way.

I have something comparable to the vbox. And every accelerometer I have shows an increase in performance. And when you beat numerous cars that were even, or beating me over and over, thats all the proof I personally need.

And you may very well have been modding cars longer than me...But I did do it for a living from 16 to 23. Had my licenses from NYS for State inspections, A/C and refridgerent. Took multiple classes to learn OBD I and II diagnosis. Was swapping engines in my garage before I had a drivers license and from 16-22 I had a 1/4 dragstrip less than 20 mins away (West Hampton Raceway) which was recently demolished for condos. Ran every car I had multiple times. Watched "reflashes" increase 1/4 mile ET's and traps significantly on 3 different cars. (CRX w/ Nitrous, Accord w/ H22a and nitrous, and an Evo 8 with about 500+ awhp...)

Like you... I tuned cars with "user friendly" tuning software (Could never write software to "flash" an ecu.) I understand the complex principals of extracting power from an engine while avoiding detonation.

But, you agree that the M3 has a linear power band and makes peak HP @ redline, right? And you agree that these tunes raise redline, correct? You also tuned cars, and I'm sure wouldn't spend time doing something you knew was useless...

So I don't really understand what you mean? Maybe I'm misunderstanding...Do you believe any of the major tunes increase performance? Or are you saying it does but the difference is marginal? Elaborate....

And just for a laugh, here is my first car I bough at 14 or 15 (15 years ago) so around 1999...I loved the new M3 Laguna Seca Blue, but obviously couldn't afford an M3, so I painted my first car (4 dr 91 Accord) that color, shaved the door handles, added "Z3 fenders", c/f hood/adjustable coil-overs/ JDM H22A Engine with 75 dry shot. This car was my "learning experience" wired and installed every single thing myself.

Had White OZ Racing wheels that were stolen shortly b4 this pic.

The funniest thing about this is if you look very closely at the gauge cluster you'll see a P,R,N,D,D1,D2,D3 from the automatic transmission which was originally in the car. I actually converted this beast to 5 speed.

Looking back, I really wonder what I was thinking...But then again that was when the first Fast & Furious movie came out, and JDM Honda's were "cool" and mine was deff the fastest Honda Accord around with a 210HP JDM Prelude Engine (In Japan the 91 Accord SiR-T came with this engine! & a 75 dry shot was pushing close to 300HP revving to 8200 RPM and variable valve timing...

Law Enforceent LOVVVVED that car .

[pbonsalb]

I understand the theory on tunes, the variations in street pulls, and the inaccuracies of many accelerometers. I obviously can't say your tune did not help. I just pay attention only to dynos, dragstrip runs, and vbox runs as proof of power increases. Driveability, changes to the feel of a car and so forth are much more subjective, so whatever someone says is whatever someone says.

I have a tune and all the bolt on mods on my 08M3 and have had them for a couple of years. In theory the car should be faster than stock, and I feel that the car is faster, but have not had any clean runs at the strip (too much wheelspin at my track and the 15 inch drag radials I run on my turbo E36M3 won't fit) or been to the dyno (went once but the owner did not have time to run my car). Until I have some results, I don't have anything to report other than a butt dyno and my feel of more speed and maybe a street pull or two. Most of my modding attention goes to my turbo E36M3, which I do take to the dyno and dragstrip.

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I understand the theory on tunes, the variations in street pulls, and the inaccuracies of many accelerometers. I obviously can't say your tune did not help. I just pay attention only to dynos, dragstrip runs, and vbox runs as proof of power increases. Driveability, changes to the feel of a car and so forth are much more subjective, so whatever someone says is whatever someone says.

I have a tune and all the bolt on mods on my 08M3 and have had them for a couple of years. In theory the car should be faster than stock, and I feel that the car is faster, but have not had any clean runs at the strip (too much wheelspin at my track and the 15 inch drag radials I run on my turbo E36M3 won't fit) or been to the dyno (went once but the owner did not have time to run my car). Until I have some results, I don't have anything to report other than a butt dyno and my feel of more speed and maybe a street pull or two. Most of my modding attention goes to my turbo E36M3, which I do take to the dyno and dragstrip.

Sounds like a beast (the E36).

So we're in agreement. The evidence of my performance increases are obviously circumstantial, but you could argue that even the track or a dyno run, seeing anything less than 15-20whp increase on a dyno or .5 sec, 5-10mph at the drag strip are circumstantial as well (as the same car can vary +/- those margins depending on so many variables.)

My point is your initial comments kind of go without saying. Or course people can say whatever they want. I'm just giving a review of the tune I decided to go with...

I'm sure many people out there are in the same dilemma I was in a few weeks ago, and trying to decide which brand tune to go with. If my review helps someone make a decision than I am pleased....(I think my 15 year history of modding cars professionally and personally gives my circumstantial evidence a bit more credibility.).

Also when I say my performance monitors, Im not just talking about accelerometers. I have a number of apps, tools that are connected to the ECU via the OBDII port, and rely on PID's. Some are very accurate and require my input of information such as gear ratios and final drive. Weight of driver and car, amount of gas, drag coefficient, frontal volume, etc... I trust some of these as much as track results.

I feel like I'm just beating a dead horse here.

So my review on the BPM Stage II

[pbonsalb]

My car also feels faster after I wash it. Or if I work on it a lot, it feels better. The important thing is that you are happy. But if you want some numbers that can be compared, they are a dyno or dragstrip away. I'd like to get some numbers on my E90M3 this year.

[1MOREMOD]

Mine gets faster if I add gas.

[MilehighM3]

The Honda is not LSB. More like Laguna Mistaka Blue :

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by MilehighM3

The Honda is not LSB. More like Laguna Mistaka Blue :

Looks like it's running 4 space saver spares also.

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Looks like it's running 4 space saver spares also.

It's a Honda thing, you wouldn't understand

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by MilehighM3

It's a Honda thing, you wouldn't understand

Weight savings and easier to make that 100HP spin em.

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

My car also feels faster after I wash it. Or if I work on it a lot, it feels better. The important thing is that you are happy. But if you want some numbers that can be compared, they are a dyno or dragstrip away. I'd like to get some numbers on my E90M3 this year.

Well that's not really a fair comparison and I hope that was joke. If you have removed your primary cats and are running on stock MAPs, I legit feel bad for you. Your engines calibration is out of whack, your losing power, mpg, performance, sound, drivability, etc.

If you don't have primary cat delete, OK thats fine, you and I have completely different goals for our cars, and I respect yours. You should respect others...If you choose not to then hey thats OK, it's a free county.

And if you guys have tunes, then why even stir up a debate about the effectiveness?

As for the color comment, believe it or not the car was about spot on...LSB M drivers would ask me if it was LSB and parked next to each other, the color was identical...

And the tire remark... The wheels are photoshopped. Glad my 10 sec photoshop was good enough to fool you, hehehe...:happyanim

"imitation is the highest compliment" I loved the new M3 and the LSB color...I was 15, what do you want from me LMAO

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Looks like it's running 4 space saver spares also.

It is. Rims were stolen. Had to run on "steelies" as we called them. $1000 for wheels was a lot to a 15 year old working 3 part time jobs...Prob a months salary or more.

Here are the OZ Racing wheels I originally had on her, photoshopped.

[DKX4///M]

At least taste matured a tad in 15 years at leasr...

[325rider]

Originally Posted by DKM3Power

At least taste matured a tad in 15 years at leasr...

Nice ride! I just installed my BPM Stage 2 tune (have test pipes) yesterday

Haven't had a chance to rev it out but damn does she run OEM on startup and small throttle inputs while cold. Feels like she had a much overdue good nights sleep followed by a shot of caffeine.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by DKM3Power

Well that's not really a fair comparison and I hope that was joke. If you have removed your primary cats and are running on stock MAPs, I legit feel bad for you. Your engines calibration is out of whack, your losing power, mpg, performance, sound, drivability, etc.

If you don't have primary cat delete, OK thats fine, you and I have completely different goals for our cars, and I respect yours. You should respect others...If you choose not to then hey thats OK, it's a free county.

And if you guys have tunes, then why even stir up a debate about the effectiveness?

I probably have more bolt on mods than you, as well as a tune, but my butt dyno does not mean anything more than yours does, so I have not written anything about it. When I have meaningful data, I'll report, whether the results are good or bad.

[1MOREMOD]

So the space savers aren't photoshopped if that's what you had on in the picture, or are both sets photoshopped and a 3rd set of wheels is involved. LSB is a light blue color, think smurf, maybe it's the pictures but doesn't look right like milehigh said. New car looks good.

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

So the space savers aren't photoshopped if that's what you had on in the picture, or are both sets photoshopped and a 3rd set of wheels is involved. LSB is a light blue color, think smurf, maybe it's the pictures but doesn't look right like milehigh said. New car looks good.

The black 15" stock wheels are real and were temp. The photoshopped white wheels are the ones I had before the robbery.

And the color was much different in pics...These are pictures of pictures and I edited them to improve clarity of the pics....

[V1.47fan]

Originally Posted by MilehighM3

The Honda is not LSB. More like Laguna Mistaka Blue :

it looks more interlagos blue than LSB.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by V1.47fan

it looks more interlagos blue than LSB.

Comes off like estoril maybe.

[DKX4///M]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I probably have more bolt on mods than you, as well as a tune, but my butt dyno does not mean anything more than yours does, so I have not written anything about it. When I have meaningful data, I'll report, whether the results are good or bad.

There are only about 3 or affective mods (bolt ons) on out cars without going supercharged. But the only "bolt on" iI dont have is pulley's which from my experience are a complete waste. I have Full AFE Intake, Ram Air scoops, straight pipes, brand new clutch and tranny.

AGAIN It's not just a "butt dyno"! I hold the gas and the RPMS HOLD at 3500! The redline now goes to 8600! There is no check engine light!

And my performance monitoring tools plug directly into the ECU and are "meaningful data" to me. I guess suddenly they just are averaging 3-5 mph traps in the 1/4 and .2 of a second (on average)...my 60' time on average dropped even with the weather getting colder.

This post is intended for people who are thinking about buying a tune and want peoples reviews on various tunes...

I get your point bro, only a dyno chart or time slips will be evidence of a performance increase for you...Gotcha, I don't agree...But lets agree to disagree...we both made our points.

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by DKM3Power

As for the color comment, believe it or not the car was about spot on...LSB M drivers would ask me if it was LSB and parked next to each other, the color was identical...

Nonsense. That may be Laguna Seca according to Maaco or Earl Schieb, but that is far from spot on. As for the newer taste being better, white walls are for trucks and rednecks...
Random pic from this site of LSB for comparison.

[MilehighM3]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Comes off like estoril maybe.

Estoril is even further from this color. Maybe Avus Blue, but even that's a stretch. I've yet to see Maaco match a paint job to any color. :

[1MOREMOD]

With cold weather you should make more power and be quicker, it isn't a deterrent to quick times as suggested. Cooler air is denser effectively changing your DA and making more power.