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      02-08-2018, 02:41 PM   #1
nasukneil
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RaceChip on G31 540i

Hi guys

I have been testing a RaceChip (www.racechip.co.uk) on my G31 540i since Friday, and have a couple of questions.
Although there is a noticeable difference in EcoPro and Comfort, in Sport it only seems to make a slight difference; to the point that I am considering returning it under the 14-day money back guarantee.
I am running the GTS Black with the app switched to “Race”, having only played with “Efficiency” and “Sport” for a brief period.
I’d be grateful if someone can answer a couple of questions before I send it back needlessly:
The hp display on the sports dials only ever gets to 340hp, in series or with the chip set in any setting. The advertised gain is +54 hp, so am wondering if the displayed figure is generated by the ecu before the chip kicks in? It’s the same for the Nm figure, no change. Has anyone with RaceChip noticed this?
I am using standard unleaded fuel (95RON I think, usually Sainsbury’s) and not “Super” unleaded (97RON I think). Will this make much of a difference?
Is it okay, or correct procedure, to change between the settings using the app whilst driving? There is no guidance on the website, only to turn the engine off before changing the settings on the chip itself.

Thought I’d try here for the answers first to get users firsthand experience...

Cheers
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      02-09-2018, 11:45 AM   #2
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      02-09-2018, 12:35 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nasukneil View Post
Hi guys

I have been testing a RaceChip (www.racechip.co.uk) on my G31 540i since Friday, and have a couple of questions.
Although there is a noticeable difference in EcoPro and Comfort, in Sport it only seems to make a slight difference; to the point that I am considering returning it under the 14-day money back guarantee.
I am running the GTS Black with the app switched to “Race”, having only played with “Efficiency” and “Sport” for a brief period.
I’d be grateful if someone can answer a couple of questions before I send it back needlessly:
The hp display on the sports dials only ever gets to 340hp, in series or with the chip set in any setting. The advertised gain is +54 hp, so am wondering if the displayed figure is generated by the ecu before the chip kicks in? It’s the same for the Nm figure, no change. Has anyone with RaceChip noticed this?
I am using standard unleaded fuel (95RON I think, usually Sainsbury’s) and not “Super” unleaded (97RON I think). Will this make much of a difference?
Is it okay, or correct procedure, to change between the settings using the app whilst driving? There is no guidance on the website, only to turn the engine off before changing the settings on the chip itself.

Thought I’d try here for the answers first to get users firsthand experience...

Cheers
I have driven a 540i with a racechip and noticed it made a difference, but it wasn't what I expected. It felt faster slightly but it wasn't more much more aggressive; it didn't give that surge of power lower down which is where I feel is the 540's biggest downside. The owner of that car actually returned the unit within the 14 days because he felt it was too expensive for what it was.

He and I now both have a JB+, which is much cheaper (£200) and is extremely simple, it literally does nothing but increase the boost at the turbo by upto 4.5psi (user selectable) but he and I both agree that the end result feels more noticeable than the racechip. I can't recommend the JB+ highly enough considering the price and simplicity.

Now, in any mode, when you are cruising at 'normal' pace and you then floor the throttle, there is an aggressive surge in power as the turbo gets to work, pushing you back into the seat. Keep your foot down, and as it goes through the gears you get that punch each time. The feeling is completely unlike the stock car, which is purposefully tuned to deliver power in a very linear way thus eliminating any feeling of turbo rush. Because the power delivery is so different to stock, it feels like it does more for the car than the racechip, and that is what I am interested in more so than peak figures because it was always the mid-range lack of punch that bothered me, not the all out, top end power.

I now don't need to knock the shifter to the left to get the car to pick up pace rapidly. Obviously it will be faster still but the point is it doesn't feel necessary any more whereas I felt it necessary constantly before. Now the mid-range is so much more aggressive that you don't need to reach the top end of the rev range to get a blast of speed.

Unlike the racechip, I noticed the difference with the JB+ immediately. Being the skeptic I am, I had wondered if there was some placebo effect going on, so after about a week I disconnected the JB+ for a day and put some miles on it. The difference is night and day. Stock, the acceleration all feels very civilised and linear, there is a bit of a surge when flooring it but nothing like what you get with the JB+. With the JB+ it is just so much more fun to drive.

Even if the racechip was the same price I would choose the JB+ all day, but considering it is £600+ its a no brainer. I had my own racechip on my F10 535d a year ago and I returned that for the same reason, my butt dyno wasn't confirming much of a difference and if thats the case, it's no use to me.

The sports dials in the car will not exceed the standard figures, because they are not a direct measure of BHP/Tq but rather a calculated figure based on what the car thinks it is doing based on standard parameters.

Any tune changes those parameters and the sports dials are unaware, so they will read out incorrectly.

Short answer: they are of little use now.
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      02-12-2018, 11:45 AM   #4
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Many thanks mobilejo for taking the time to give such a comprehensive answer...

I have had diesels "chipped" before, a 2.0 Mondeo and a 2.2 Merc Vito van, and both had noticeable differences, and although I didn't expect a massive difference in the 540i being petrol, I at least expected to feel some real gains throughout the range of Eco, Comfort and Sport. The latter was actually so underwhelming on my first run out that it made me question whether I had installed it correctly. Eco and Comfort were okay though.
I agree the "butt dyno" really needs to feel it to make over £600 feel worthwhile.
The power delivery of the JB+ as you describe seems to be exactly what I am after, and I notice that the Burger Motorsports website offers a 100% credit for a trade up to a JB4. If the UK resellers offer that I maybe tempted.

The RaceChips are now packaged and will be heading back to Germany tomorrow (costing £80 to send back as we had 2 of them and needed to insure for £1200!!), and am about to order 2x JB+.

Now, if only I could get an exhaust mod that doesn't cost £000's so that I can get a sound like my son-in-laws Golf R...
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      02-13-2018, 06:12 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nasukneil View Post
Many thanks mobilejo for taking the time to give such a comprehensive answer...

I have had diesels "chipped" before, a 2.0 Mondeo and a 2.2 Merc Vito van, and both had noticeable differences, and although I didn't expect a massive difference in the 540i being petrol, I at least expected to feel some real gains throughout the range of Eco, Comfort and Sport. The latter was actually so underwhelming on my first run out that it made me question whether I had installed it correctly. Eco and Comfort were okay though.
I agree the "butt dyno" really needs to feel it to make over £600 feel worthwhile.
The power delivery of the JB+ as you describe seems to be exactly what I am after, and I notice that the Burger Motorsports website offers a 100% credit for a trade up to a JB4. If the UK resellers offer that I maybe tempted.

The RaceChips are now packaged and will be heading back to Germany tomorrow (costing £80 to send back as we had 2 of them and needed to insure for £1200!!), and am about to order 2x JB+.

Now, if only I could get an exhaust mod that doesn't cost £000's so that I can get a sound like my son-in-laws Golf R...
In terms of engine output, the various modes do nothing but remap the accelerator input.

Example using arbitrary numbers:

Comfort mode = 10% accelerator depressed = 10% engine throttle
Eco mode = 10% accelerator depressed = 5% engine throttle
Sport mode = 10% accelerator depressed = 15% engine throttle

The key is, the various modes just 'rev' the car that much slower or faster, depending on the mode. Sport mode feels fast because you're barely into the throttle and we're dumping as much fuel into it as possible, but in all modes the max engine power generated should be the same. You're likely noticing "significant" differences in eco/comfort because the throttle map is not aggressive, but you're getting feeling of more power because you're used to it behaving a certain way. That behavior is the same, it's just that now you're adding more hp/tq across the band. In Sport, you were always getting max from early on. Power is the same, it just comes "on" at different stages. I realize transmission shift patterns are also modified here too, but the key is the the accelerator input.

That said, I went with the Dinan Stage 1 and it's a beast, though I am always in Sport+ unless my other half is in the car and complains about the aggressive shifting.
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      02-20-2018, 10:14 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nasukneil View Post
Hi guys

I have been testing a RaceChip (www.racechip.co.uk) on my G31 540i since Friday, and have a couple of questions.
Although there is a noticeable difference in EcoPro and Comfort, in Sport it only seems to make a slight difference; to the point that I am considering returning it under the 14-day money back guarantee.
I am running the GTS Black with the app switched to “Race”, having only played with “Efficiency” and “Sport” for a brief period.
I’d be grateful if someone can answer a couple of questions before I send it back needlessly:
The hp display on the sports dials only ever gets to 340hp, in series or with the chip set in any setting. The advertised gain is +54 hp, so am wondering if the displayed figure is generated by the ecu before the chip kicks in? It’s the same for the Nm figure, no change. Has anyone with RaceChip noticed this?
I am using standard unleaded fuel (95RON I think, usually Sainsbury’s) and not “Super” unleaded (97RON I think). Will this make much of a difference?
Is it okay, or correct procedure, to change between the settings using the app whilst driving? There is no guidance on the website, only to turn the engine off before changing the settings on the chip itself.

Thought I’d try here for the answers first to get users firsthand experience...

Cheers
I have had RaceChip Ultimate for over 6 months and loved it.
Don't think that my feedback is biased since I am an authorized reseller for RaceChip.
I have used other brands and installed to customers car, all I can say, some are better, some are not.
But, RaceChip itself, its power delivery is smoother than some other brand.
Quality of the products is not questionable for sure, like some other overpriced brand.

And I just recently received the new RaceChip GTS Black with App and had it on the car for a few days.
I play with it a little bit, and decided the Race setting is what I like. It is aggressive on low end and top end.

I don't know how you didn't feel it, my guess, you didn't have it on the Race setting long enough for the chip and engine to adapt fully.

As far as the sport dials, it won't change to a higher number since RaceChip doesn't alter the ECU itself.

The other cheaper brand may give you a good butt dyno feedback, that's because the way it is designed is a very simple.
When I had it on my F15 X5 35i, at first I thought it was normal, but during a sudden open throttle, it felt jerky.
And, I noticed that the car was running rich and very poor mpg, that's when I realize that it kept on resetting the ECU to clear the CEL. With that said, the engine never run fully optimized since the ECU never in the ready state.

You can go to F15/F16 X5/X6 or F85/F86 X5M/X6M forum to ask. I have been active in that community before, since I had F15 X5.
And now, I am also active in the G30 forum since I am currently have G30 540i.
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      03-17-2018, 03:57 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mobilejo View Post
I have driven a 540i with a racechip and noticed it made a difference, but it wasn't what I expected. It felt faster slightly but it wasn't more much more aggressive; it didn't give that surge of power lower down which is where I feel is the 540's biggest downside. The owner of that car actually returned the unit within the 14 days because he felt it was too expensive for what it was.

He and I now both have a JB+, which is much cheaper (£200) and is extremely simple, it literally does nothing but increase the boost at the turbo by upto 4.5psi (user selectable) but he and I both agree that the end result feels more noticeable than the racechip. I can't recommend the JB+ highly enough considering the price and simplicity.

Now, in any mode, when you are cruising at 'normal' pace and you then floor the throttle, there is an aggressive surge in power as the turbo gets to work, pushing you back into the seat. Keep your foot down, and as it goes through the gears you get that punch each time. The feeling is completely unlike the stock car, which is purposefully tuned to deliver power in a very linear way thus eliminating any feeling of turbo rush. Because the power delivery is so different to stock, it feels like it does more for the car than the racechip, and that is what I am interested in more so than peak figures because it was always the mid-range lack of punch that bothered me, not the all out, top end power.

I now don't need to knock the shifter to the left to get the car to pick up pace rapidly. Obviously it will be faster still but the point is it doesn't feel necessary any more whereas I felt it necessary constantly before. Now the mid-range is so much more aggressive that you don't need to reach the top end of the rev range to get a blast of speed.

Unlike the racechip, I noticed the difference with the JB+ immediately. Being the skeptic I am, I had wondered if there was some placebo effect going on, so after about a week I disconnected the JB+ for a day and put some miles on it. The difference is night and day. Stock, the acceleration all feels very civilised and linear, there is a bit of a surge when flooring it but nothing like what you get with the JB+. With the JB+ it is just so much more fun to drive.

Even if the racechip was the same price I would choose the JB+ all day, but considering it is £600+ its a no brainer. I had my own racechip on my F10 535d a year ago and I returned that for the same reason, my butt dyno wasn't confirming much of a difference and if thats the case, it's no use to me.

The sports dials in the car will not exceed the standard figures, because they are not a direct measure of BHP/Tq but rather a calculated figure based on what the car thinks it is doing based on standard parameters.

Any tune changes those parameters and the sports dials are unaware, so they will read out incorrectly.

Short answer: they are of little use now.
I am trying to get myself into a 540 and got a jb+ for the b 48/58 a little prematurely... what setting do you have it at? Standard in the middle or more/less? Any issues you've had since the use?

Thanks
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      03-17-2018, 05:35 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TopgearLA View Post
I am trying to get myself into a 540 and got a jb+ for the b 48/58 a little prematurely... what setting do you have it at? Standard in the middle or more/less? Any issues you've had since the use?

Thanks
I have mine a notch or two above the standard setting, which I think is a few notches from the max setting. Done over 1500 miles with it now, no CELs or other issues.

I sometimes take it off for a day to 'remind' myself what its doing, and boy does the car feel slow
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      03-17-2018, 05:52 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mobilejo View Post
I have mine a notch or two above the standard setting, which I think is a few notches from the max setting. Done over 1500 miles with it now, no CELs or other issues.

I sometimes take it off for a day to 'remind' myself what its doing, and boy does the car feel slow
Nice! That’s great to hear. Lol we are a crazy bunch ... I was considering a 530e or a 440i gc but I may meet in the middle n get a 540. Even here in LA California I can’t get an easy solution for electric charging as I work from home n landlord won’t help. I have a 435i now n when I test drove the 540i I dint get as big an oomph. So this should do it... curious do you have the standard m sport suspension or the dynamic damper? LA has awful roads n I have the adaptive m suspension on my current car but I hear standard m is good on the 5... plus they don’t have adaptive m available for the 540... and of course the whole 10mm drop seems appealing.. would love your feedback
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      03-17-2018, 06:01 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TopgearLA View Post
Nice! That’s great to hear. Lol we are a crazy bunch ... I was considering a 530e or a 440i gc but I may meet in the middle n get a 540. Even here in LA California I can’t get an easy solution for electric charging as I work from home n landlord won’t help. I have a 435i now n when I test drove the 540i I dint get as big an oomph. So this should do it... curious do you have the standard m sport suspension or the dynamic damper? LA has awful roads n I have the adaptive m suspension on my current car but I hear standard m is good on the 5... plus they don’t have adaptive m available for the 540... and of course the whole 10mm drop seems appealing.. would love your feedback
The JB+ 100% gives you the 'oomph'. That is perhaps the best way to describe it - the mid-range punch is on a different level now. As std, the 540i has been tuned to be extremely linear, to the point that there is no sudden surge in power that we expect from a turbo car and it almost feels NA at times. The JB+ changes that and makes it feel like you are driving a turbo car in the mid range. That's what I like most about it.

I have std M Sport suspension on my G30, and I had adaptive dampers on my previous F10. The G30 std suspension is so much more comfortable than the F10's std suspension that I didn't feel adaptive was needed on this car. With my F10 I ended up lowering it on ACS springs because I didn't like the increased ride height.

In fact, with the G30 I felt that the handling on adaptive was actually too soft and not as sporty as std M sport suspension and as the std suspension was comfortable enough, I felt no reason to sacrifice that sportiness and go adaptive on this occasion.
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      03-17-2018, 06:23 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mobilejo View Post
The JB+ 100% gives you the 'oomph'. That is perhaps the best way to describe it - the mid-range punch is on a different level now. As std, the 540i has been tuned to be extremely linear, to the point that there is no sudden surge in power that we expect from a turbo car and it almost feels NA at times. The JB+ changes that and makes it feel like you are driving a turbo car in the mid range. That's what I like most about it.

I have std M Sport suspension on my G30, and I had adaptive dampers on my previous F10. The G30 std suspension is so much more comfortable than the F10's std suspension that I didn't feel adaptive was needed on this car. With my F10 I ended up lowering it on ACS springs because I didn't like the increased ride height.

In fact, with the G30 I felt that the handling on adaptive was actually too soft and not as sporty as std M sport suspension and as the std suspension was comfortable enough, I felt no reason to sacrifice that sportiness and go adaptive on this occasion.
Thank you thank you. So I will say I can drive fast over smaller wide speed bumps with my adaptive m right now, do u think I’ll be able to do that with the m suspension? Going in today to order my car n if they can do a very aggressive price as I’ve seen others get I’ll be ordering a 540 M Sport with Med Blue, cognac interior with matte cove, executive tier here in US (icon lights, full digital dash, soft close doors, parking assist +, 360 cam, HK, Contour Seats, M Brakes, Active Integral Steering.. which some say you don’t need but parking and turning are a big concern for me n it’s a bigger car than I used to. Hope I have luck n convince them to give this car at factory cost lol. The m550 really helped make the lower variants more easily to discount it seems, hope that is even more so now that the m5 I’d out.

Let me know about the speeding over small bumps n if you think I should option anything else
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