[simoneves]

I'm looking for the easiest safest basic "Stage 1" tune for my N20 228i.

I don't want to do the work myself, so any provider would need to have an approved reseller/installer in the SF Bay Area, ideally the North Bay.

My understanding is that the cheaper end of the scale is piggyback (BMS, RaceChip, Active), with the true ECU tunes (GSR, Enzo) in the middle, and Dinan out on it's own at the top of the price range because of their warranty, even though it's also a piggyback.

I'm not interested in any other mechanical mods at this time. I may investigate an alternative exhaust in the future, but I also like the idea of staying stealth.

I don't want my car to be off the road for any length of time, which presumably precludes an ECU tune anyway since I would have to remove the ECU and have it shipped to GSR or Enzo.

Money is also a factor. I appreciate why Dinan charge what they do, given the warranty thing and the implicit acceptance by BMW, but are they still worth it, and is the company going to survive the take-over and the departure of the main man?

I have read good and bad things about all (well, most) of them, so I'm expecting response, if any, to this to be equally varied and inconclusive.

Get the BMS and pay a local installer for an hour of work and be out the door for under $500, or is it worth paying more for peace of mind?

[Dinan_Engineering]

You can call BMW SF and see if they have any Dinan N20 Demo cars on the lot to test drive. They typically have a few of them at any given time. Give you a chance to at least test drive one with a tune on it to see if its up to snuff for your desires. Probably wont be a 228 but rather a 328 if they have one, but should still give you a general feel.

[Luminous]

I've experimented with a few different tunes. For what you have in mind I would recommend the racechip. Cost effective, very reliable and safe tune with a noticeable increase in power. Pretty much set it and forget it, plus if you ever do need to remove it yourself it's super easy and straight forward. The advantage over the bms stage 1 is that the racechip is somewhat adjustable, you can turn the power up or down if need be, without hooking up your laptop.

Forget about Dinan, absolute waste of money. They add very little power, definitely nowhere near what they advertise, overpriced, poor customer service and even the warranty is questionable. Also the Dinan piggybacks have horrible resale value unlike the other tunes.

[BMWZ4]

Completely disagree re the Dinan. Obviously I'm biased but I had a Stage 1 first and experienced an error message the day after (and never again) but again disagree re customer service from Dinan. My dealer and Dinan stepped up with all sorts of support but in the end no support was needed.

since then I've moved up to Dinan Stage 2 and I'm very happy with the performance and piece of mind.

[chuckles01]

I'm in the bay area as well and after looking at the options, ended up going with the GSR stage 1. Like you, I also wanted a safe tune and didn't want to overly stress the car as everything else about it is stock.

Originally, I was also hesitant to send in my ECU since that would mean I'd be out of a car. I thought about driving down for the weekend, but I ended up mailing the ECU in since I had too much going on at the time. I mailed my ECU on a Monday and had it back Wednesday morning by 10 am. Wasn't as much of an issue for me since I didn't need the car everyday, but your situation may be different and being out 2 and a half days could be a pain.

For what it's worth, I love the tune. I've had it for 3 months now with no issue, hoping that stays up. Here's a link to my review in case it's helpful:

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1182331

Goodluck with your choice!

[2msport]

I can attest. GSR is the way to go. You'll love the way it drives and sounds after install. And you'll never have to mess with it.

[2Banger]

Originally Posted by Luminous

I've experimented with a few different tunes. For what you have in mind I would recommend the racechip. Cost effective, very reliable and safe tune with a noticeable increase in power. Pretty much set it and forget it, plus if you ever do need to remove it yourself it's super easy and straight forward. The advantage over the bms stage 1 is that the racechip is somewhat adjustable, you can turn the power up or down if need be, without hooking up your laptop.

Forget about Dinan, absolute waste of money. They add very little power, definitely nowhere near what they advertise, overpriced, poor customer service and even the warranty is questionable. Also the Dinan piggybacks have horrible resale value unlike the other tunes.

I agree, RaceChip gives very good gains and it really is up to whats advertised...

Alot easier interms of Plug & Play and turning the map settings up & down.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by simoneves

I'm looking for the easiest safest basic "Stage 1" tune for my N20 228i.

I don't want to do the work myself, so any provider would need to have an approved reseller/installer in the SF Bay Area, ideally the North Bay.

My understanding is that the cheaper end of the scale is piggyback (BMS, RaceChip, Active), with the true ECU tunes (GSR, Enzo) in the middle, and Dinan out on it's own at the top of the price range because of their warranty, even though it's also a piggyback.

I'm not interested in any other mechanical mods at this time. I may investigate an alternative exhaust in the future, but I also like the idea of staying stealth.

I don't want my car to be off the road for any length of time, which presumably precludes an ECU tune anyway since I would have to remove the ECU and have it shipped to GSR or Enzo.

Money is also a factor. I appreciate why Dinan charge what they do, given the warranty thing and the implicit acceptance by BMW, but are they still worth it, and is the company going to survive the take-over and the departure of the main man?

I have read good and bad things about all (well, most) of them, so I'm expecting response, if any, to this to be equally varied and inconclusive.

Get the BMS and pay a local installer for an hour of work and be out the door for under $500, or is it worth paying more for peace of mind?

Burger Tuning Jb stage, most popular tune for your car / 5-10 minute install
Adds 4 psi boost for best performance and offered at an unbeatable price

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by 2msport

I can attest. GSR is the way to go. You'll love the way it drives and sounds after install. And you'll never have to mess with it.

Will pull the trigger soon. I was on the freeway last week and had to change lanes. Used the paddle shifter and dropped the tranny 2 gears while in 'sport' mode and stomped on the gas to go. The car moved but I really wanted to feel the car push me in my seat. It opened up a gap on the car I was moving in front of but I want that distance to happen a lot more quickly.

I know I know..its a turbo 4cyl/2 liter and shoulda got a x35 lol.

[2msport]

Originally Posted by SoCalDave

Will pull the trigger soon. I was on the freeway last week and had to change lanes. Used the paddle shifter and dropped the tranny 2 gears while in 'sport' mode and stomped on the gas to go. The car moved but I really wanted to feel the car push me in my seat. It opened up a gap on the car I was moving in front of but I want that distance to happen a lot more quickly.

I know I know..its a turbo 4cyl/2 liter and shoulda got a x35 lol.

lol good to hear it will be soon. I don't have any regrets with the N20 and tune. The bigger engine would be awesome. But the tune gives that shove in the seat so I'm pretty satisfied.

[eclipes]

Tune or DP? Which one first?

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by 2msport

lol good to hear it will be soon. I don't have any regrets with the N20 and tune. The bigger engine would be awesome. But the tune gives that shove in the seat so I'm pretty satisfied.

I'm sure I will be too then. I'm still expecting the V8 torque and roar of my SS and always feel that the GC lacks it even at a respective and flat torque curve for a stock 4banger. I'm hoping the GSR tune scratches that itch .

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by eclipes

Tune or DP? Which one first?

Jb4 first then downpipes

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Tune first. You won't make any power with downpipes if you don't have a tune.

Also be sure the tune will take advantage of the downpipes. Not all tunes will clear the check engine light for downpipes or optimize power for the downpipes.

For simplicity purposes, JB4 and Downpipes, call it a day. Best bang for the buck and HP.

Don't bother with a stage 1 tune if you plan on getting downpipes down the road.

[EBf22]

difference between JB4 vs GSR stage 1 ?? also is there a substantial price difference? (newb here, also interested in a tune)

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by EBf22

difference between JB4 vs GSR stage 1 ?? also is there a substantial price difference? (newb here, also interested in a tune)

I read Race chip ultimate instead of GSR haha
Sorry about that. Post below answers your question

Thanks SoCalDave

[CalCarNut]

Originally Posted by EBf22

difference between JB4 vs GSR stage 1 ?? also is there a substantial price difference? (newb here, also interested in a tune)

JB4 is a piggyback...GSR is a DME flash.

[BillD1953]

Curious,
arent these little 228i coupes "fast enough" for street driving "as is" ??

I hope so, I have one with a 6MT on order.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by BillD1953

Curious,
arent these little 228i coupes "fast enough" for street driving "as is" ??

I hope so, I have one with a 6MT on order.

Yes they are fast as is stock
It is just so easy and cheap to get more power out of this engine that everyone does it anyways

[FSociety]

Originally Posted by Luminous

I've experimented with a few different tunes. For what you have in mind I would recommend the racechip. Cost effective, very reliable and safe tune with a noticeable increase in power. Pretty much set it and forget it, plus if you ever do need to remove it yourself it's super easy and straight forward. The advantage over the bms stage 1 is that the racechip is somewhat adjustable, you can turn the power up or down if need be, without hooking up your laptop.

Forget about Dinan, absolute waste of money. They add very little power, definitely nowhere near what they advertise, overpriced, poor customer service and even the warranty is questionable. Also the Dinan piggybacks have horrible resale value unlike the other tunes.

+1
RaceChip Ultimate (18k miles myself on it), the majority of F15 35i/35d/50i guys I know also run MPPK+Racechip.

Yep RC is adjustable to more settings than its counterpart and comes in Aluminum housing.

Originally Posted by SoCalDave

Will pull the trigger soon. I was on the freeway last week and had to change lanes. Used the paddle shifter and dropped the tranny 2 gears while in 'sport' mode and stomped on the gas to go. The car moved but I really wanted to feel the car push me in my seat. It opened up a gap on the car I was moving in front of but I want that distance to happen a lot more quickly.

I know I know..its a turbo 4cyl/2 liter and shoulda got a x35 lol.

What are you waiting for

[tencazzo]

Could anyone tell me if it is necessary to disconnect the negative battery terminal in the trunk before removing ECU to tune? Are there any possible ECU damages if I failure to do so?

[simoneves]

Originally Posted by tencazzo

Could anyone tell me if it is necessary to disconnect the negative battery terminal in the trunk before removing ECU to tune? Are there any possible ECU damages if I failure to do so?

Surely common sense... and GSR agree...