Quote:
Originally Posted by AleksanderSuave
I’m gearing up to do the DP in about an hour.
Figured there wasn’t much risk in trying the tune out for a day or two.
Needed breakfast and coffee before I risk crawling under the car.
As for your question for spark plugs. I haven’t had to manually gap plugs in ages. Most of the nicer plugs you will buy (NGK iridium for example) and the premium Bosch plugs, come pre-gapped.
Iridium plugs are the filet mignon of spark plugs and are actually not meant to be ever needed to be gapped by the end user. In these cases, if you need a different spec, you buy what they call a “step” - up or down, with a different gap from the manufacturer.
In your situation with the turbo and fuel pump upgrade it would make sense to do so, but I’m sure the shop would know the specifics of that.
I’m guessing that exact mission performance situation you described is due to someone not knowing that you shouldn’t try to gap an iridium plug.
I know for a fact that both Denso and NGK specifically caution not to do so in their manuals.
People would be wise to listen to the OEM on that one, rather than an OTS software tuner hypothesizing a solution.
I was following the HPFP thread in f30 forums and they specifically mention the Xdi pump as not blocking the cylinder.
Long term, even without worrying about having to do it yourself, the idea of having to remove the fuel pump multiple times for maintenance (Especially if you will be replacing spark plugs more often, at the shop or diy) invites an increased probability of breaking it or the connecting lines. I don’t believe the HPFP is a part that’s meant to be removed multiple times, like a brake caliper, and Id worry about the fittings more than anything.
My want for XHP was less performance based and more of an insurance policy. As I understand it, there are torque limiters programmed in the TCU. Anything really beyond a stage one tune, is likely pushing those limits and that will throttle down.
The engine fighting with the transmission isn’t good long term. MHD gets around it on stock maps by under-reporting values, similar to a piggyback tune. This is a bandaid. Xhp solves the problem in full by rewriting those torque limits, and allowing mhd tune to both report true values (ideal for logging, tuning, and custom calibration) and ensure the best chance at long term reliability of the transmission.
The immediate benefit of it will be that you will notice a lot smoother shifting, less jerking, which is ideal for a daily driver. I did xhp stage 2 because they make it clear that stage 3 is a racing tune, and in most racing setups, you will trade reliability and comfort in exchange for performance, which I don’t really need as it already performs beyond my expectations on the new tune.
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Aleksander, this is very very educational.
At this point, why not go for a custom tune? I mean, you have all the licenses anyway, so it is only a few hundred dollars. Have Wedge or Jordan or Paul custom tune your car?
I have the MHD and the xHP licenses as well. That's F30 thread regarding the fuel pump and your thoughts have made me start looking into XDI. I am not sure which way I will go but the shops are still shut down, so I have time to look around.
How is the sound of the downpipe? You got catless, so is there noticeable smell?
At this point you are on St2 for both xHP and MHD, with a catless DP, so you have the optimal daily driver setup short of a custom tune. Get a Dragy and post some numbers!!!
