[GSR Technik]

Originally Posted by ryansauce

What are the advantages of an ecu flash over a piggyback like BMS?

Modern ECU's have a very sophisticated system with checks and balances and as such a piggyback which "tricks" your car in to running more boost will produce diminishing horsepower over time and results will vary from car to car greatly.

A modern ECU has a "torque model," which is why you hear people talk about "torque limiters" so much within the tuning industry. That means the car has an internal dyno graph so to speak and if it sees for instance boost is too high, it will compensate by pulling timing or closing the throttle and even by dumping fuel in an effort to protect the engine from over-boosting. A piggyback system achieves desired results by manipulating information the ECU receives in an effort to make more power, whereas an ECU tune changes the targets within the ECU itself so the torque model or internal dyno graph of expected power is raised. This means reliable and consistent power that the car is happy to see, so there is less of a likelihood to see a limp mode situation.

Other side benefits - ECU tune can modify things like top speed limit, throttle response, rev limit, and deleting the check engine light caused by a free flowing exhaust.

[ryansauce]

Is ECU flash readily available at this time? What about your exhaust system ?

[GSR Technik]

Originally Posted by ryansauce

Is ECU flash readily available at this time? What about your exhaust system ?

Yes, ECU flash is currently available for N20/N26. Axle back straight pipe exhaust is also now available. Warning that idle noise is very throaty. It was built primarily to lose weight - 25 lbs over stock. I can post video to give you an idea of sound. PM if you want to talk specifics.

What Island you on?

[GSR Technik]

Originally Posted by configt

So wait, are you saying a proper flash tune is coming to the M235i?? You guys were able to crack the ECU? If so, COUNT ME IN.

M235i flash tune testing scheduled for Wednesday - will post numbers when we have them.

[FSociety]

Post videos pls GSR Autosport thank you

Other tuners except for BR-Performance have not cared much or posted info within the Non-M community so big props to you guys.

[ryansauce]

Originally Posted by GSR Autosport

Yes, ECU flash is currently available for N20/N26. Axle back straight pipe exhaust is also now available. Warning that idle noise is very throaty. It was built primarily to lose weight - 25 lbs over stock. I can post video to give you an idea of sound. PM if you want to talk specifics.

What Island you on?

I'm on oahu.

[badsha]

Is this woorking on 328i F30 2012 model? N20 enginw?

Do i have to post my ecu or can i flash it trough obd port?

[StealYourFace]

how does it feel? Lots of power down low but runs out of steam up top.

Needless to say not a knock, I understand the limits of an oem turbo.

Must be a beast coming out of an apex though.

[raysspl]

Originally Posted by GSR Autosport

This is a bench tune directly into the ECU so the dealer cannot detect tune.

yes!

[f30kid]

I want this - do you do ground shipping or faster shipping? cause whole week without my car isnt going to work lol

[ryansauce]

Originally Posted by StealYourFace

how does it feel? Lots of power down low but runs out of steam up top.

Needless to say not a knock, I understand the limits of an oem turbo.

Must be a beast coming out of an apex though.

Did you recently install the ECU flash ?

[greentrbo95gst]

Good job on delivering this to the community. The only thing you might want to disclose is that this is fully detectable by the dealers. The cars still use OBD2, but it comes with OBD3 recording capabilities, which stores all the data such as catless downpipes use, modified DME software, increased air counts, etc. We are dealing with this in the F10 M5 community now as plenty of cars have been losing warranties for being flagged while getting a simple oil change when they pull data from so called "black box".

[M3ANMACHINE]

Good stuff fellas!

[georgere]

Anyone knows if these tunes are safe? I hears lots of pple who mode later have to replace multiple parts around the engine to support the added power.
TIA

[DarkstarZero]

Very cool. My dealership has been pretty cool when it comes to mods (they resell dinan parts). Basically, if the car doesn't break because of the mod, then they don't care. However, it has been noted on my account that I track and modify my cars. So a day could be coming where they bring the hammer down. I hope it never happens as that would be the day BMW and I break up

How reliable is the car at this level of tuning? Same reliability at the track?
Can you tune for 93 octane? (east coast, best coast!)
Can I easily switch from Stage 1 to Stage 2, like on the JB4, or do I have to send the ECU back in and pay extra $$?

[mtbnole]

Maybe I missed it, but what is the price, and turnaround time?

[Tag]

Originally Posted by GSR Autosport

So it's not being done through the OBDII port which a lot times has counters on how many times the interface has been used to load something new.

It's done by plugging directly into the ECU using tools that are derived from the tools that are used to develop the systems, such companies as Siemens or Bosch. The code in raw state is a bunch of binary so these tools allow you look at the code and make changes to the binary that is interpreted by the embedded systems (hardware/software). There is a checksum that gets calculated from the binary to check to see if any of the binary code has been changed. These checksums need to be recalculated if you make any changes to the binary code - these types of tools allow you to do that.

So when dealers are plugging into the cars for general diagnostics they aren't designed to look at the binary directly and say this fuel map has been changed from what is expected.

That's at least the basic idea. There are empirical things anyone could do to test like check to see if the car will go faster than the speed limiter or monitoring boost on a dyno to see if boost is exceeding factory specifications but typically dealers are not doing those types of things.

Anytime you make changes to the code it essentially has a different checksum. What's to stop the dealer (or dealer tools) from detecting the checksum is not what it's suppose to be? Can't this also potentially brick the ECU if the dealer tried to update it with modified code?

[dizx]

Originally Posted by configt

So wait, are you saying a proper flash tune is coming to the M235i?? You guys were able to crack the ECU? If so, COUNT ME IN.

I have been driving around in my tuned 1-series a few months now. I had a de-tuned and underpowered 116i with 136hp. Now close to 220hp. The difference is amazing :-D

[GSR Technik]

Originally Posted by badsha

Is this woorking on 328i F30 2012 model? N20 enginw?

Do i have to post my ecu or can i flash it trough obd port?

Yes, works on the 328i F30. The tune is installed by connecting directly to the ECU so you need to send the ECU to us.

[BMW F22]

Interested in this as well. If it is safe and not detectable, a buddy and I will drive our cars down to Socal for a tune when the M235i tune comes out.

[GSR Technik]

Originally Posted by f30kid

I want this - do you do ground shipping or faster shipping? cause whole week without my car isnt going to work lol

For people right now we are turning around in 1 day and using next day air with insurance.

[Blackcross]

Originally Posted by Tag

Can't this also potentially brick the ECU if the dealer tried to update it with modified code?

At least in the past, this would not happen: the dealers (if doing an update) overwrote everything that was there.

So if you had a tune, then the manufacturer fixed a recall (as an example), updated your ECU (and they do NOT ask you if you take the car in - if the books say an ECU update is necessary they do it), your tune would be over written.

You then need to send it back and get the tune either reinstalled and thus loosing the recall fix (or whatever reason the manufacturer felt they needed new software in the car). Or you wait for the tuner to come out with a new version that has the fix in it, then send it in.

I don't know GSR, but ECU tuners usually don;t have a problem keeping you up to date. So all great news from GSR and I'm keen to keep an eye on M235i progress.