[ztech]

The BM Stage 1 is a great improvement (probably putting down like ~25+ Wheel HP), but all this talk of extra power, had me craving. I was thinking about doing BM stage 2, but I didn't want to get a catless downpipe. I decided to go with Jordan Tuning on a Custom BOOTMOD tune for max power/reliability.

[njfoses]

Originally Posted by ztech

The BM Stage 1 is a great improvement (probably putting down like ~30+Wheel HP), but all this talk of extra power, had me craving. I decided to go with Jordan Tuning on a Custom BOOTMOD tune for max power/reliability. Here are the figures they've quoted me:

B46/B48(Stock Turbo):
-Full E85 (Stock Turbo) roughly 315-336whp (Depending on Stock Fuel System Strength)
-E30 (Stock Turbo) roughly(not enough data yet)
-93 Octane (98RON) (Stock Turbo) roughly 294-336whp
-91 Octane (Stock Turbo) roughly 273-304whp
-Race Fuels (Stock Turbo) Depends on Race Fuel Type (100 Oct, MS109, Q16…etc)


So over 300 WHP on 93 Octane!! - and they don't even require a downpipe (though I'm getting one anyways).

Jordan is well regarded in the community. If you haven't already, I would check out navardi tune as well. He is heavily specialized in the 4 cyl models (N20, B46/B48.)

[VipinLJ]

Originally Posted by ztech

This guy is on stage 2 (with a downpipe/intake). 4.8 second 0-60 :

Yes I've seen that video but if that is true, it's disappointing. My car is faster and even though piggybacks are supposedly not as smooth as a flash tune, my car is pretty damn smooth with the way we've set up my map 6!

[ztech]

Originally Posted by VipinLJ

Yes I've seen that video but if that is true, it's disappointing. My car is faster and even though piggybacks are supposedly not as smooth as a flash tune, my car is pretty damn smooth with the way we've set up my map 6!

The acceleration times you posted are very similar to my 2018 Audi A4 B9 Quattro, with Unitronic Stage 1+. That did 0-60 in about 4.6 seconds. (I could have gone stage 2 and chopped it down to 4.2 seconds). The car had a very smooth power delivery and as quick as it was, it wouldn't have to throw you back in your seat. Passengers were often amazed how, in just in a couple of seconds, the lines on the road start blurring - but I rarely got called out on going too fast, because of how linearly the car accelerated. Imagine applying light/moderate throttle from a stop and hitting 60mph in, say, 6 seconds, and all your passengers, old and young, continue to casually go about their conversation - not even realizing what just happened. The throttle response smoothness of that car reminds of my current Bootmod Stage 1 tune, but I'm estimating BM stage 1 is putting like 265-270 to the wheel, making the car feel much better than stock (around 245 wheel hp) - but still not as exhilaratingly fast as my old A4. Unitronic quoted 311HP crank, which translates into something like 285 WHP. That was enough for me.

Audis seem to respond to tunes better, from my experience. I've applied JB4, Unitronic, APR, and all my Audis can hold a 50+hp tune for at least a year, and 12K+miles, of hard driving, which I've owned them. Bootmod is the only solution that has worked reliably so far on my G20. Maybe the reason is that our B46 engines are relatively close to their maximum power thresholds, so OTS tunes are more likely to be ineffective, or worse, disastrous. Honestly, if I could get the type of power you are getting on a piggyback, I would personally just stay there.

[VipinLJ]

Originally Posted by ztech

The acceleration times you posted are very similar to my 2018 Audi A4 B9 Quattro, with Unitronic Stage 1+. That did 0-60 in about 4.6 seconds. (I could have gone stage 2 and chopped it down to 4.2 seconds). The car had a very smooth power delivery, so it would never throw you back in your seat. Passengers were often amazed how, in just in a couple of seconds, the lines on the road start blurring - but I rarely got called out on going too fast, because of how linearly the car accelerated. The throttle response smoothness of that car reminds of my current Bootmod Stage 1 tune, but I'm estimating BM stage 1 is putting like 265-270 to the wheel, making the car feel much better than stock (around 245 wheel hp) - but still not as exhilaratingly fast as my old A4. Unitronic quoted 311HP crank, which translates into something like 285 WHP. That was enough for me.

Audis seem to respond to tunes better, from my experience. I've applied JB4, Unitronic, APR, and all my Audis can hold a 50+hp tune for at least a year of hard driving, which I've owned them. Bootmod is the only solution that has worked reliably so far. Maybe the reason is that our B46 engines are relatively close to their maximum power thresholds, so OTS tunes are more likely to be ineffective, or worse, disastrous. Honestly, if I could get the type of power you are getting on a piggyback, I would personally just stay there.

I agree. My B9 was also much faster than my G20 (both stock and tuned). That EA888 is a gem.

And I'm happy with where I'm at now. I just wish I could get the same power with only 93aki fuel since adding E85 makes the engine slightly less smooth. Nothing bad but when I remove the JB4 and run only 93 for a few cycles, I notice the improvement in refinement of the engine.

[bquatt]

Originally Posted by ztech

The acceleration times you posted are very similar to my 2018 Audi A4 B9 Quattro, with Unitronic Stage 1+. That did 0-60 in about 4.6 seconds. (I could have gone stage 2 and chopped it down to 4.2 seconds). The car had a very smooth power delivery and as quick as it was, it wouldn't have to throw you back in your seat. Passengers were often amazed how, in just in a couple of seconds, the lines on the road start blurring - but I rarely got called out on going too fast, because of how linearly the car accelerated. Imagine applying light/moderate throttle from a stop and hitting 60mph in, say, 6 seconds, and all your passengers, old and young, continue to casually go about their conversation - not even realizing what just happened. The throttle response smoothness of that car reminds of my current Bootmod Stage 1 tune, but I'm estimating BM stage 1 is putting like 265-270 to the wheel, making the car feel much better than stock (around 245 wheel hp) - but still not as exhilaratingly fast as my old A4. Unitronic quoted 311HP crank, which translates into something like 285 WHP. That was enough for me.

Audis seem to respond to tunes better, from my experience. I've applied JB4, Unitronic, APR, and all my Audis can hold a 50+hp tune for at least a year, and 12K+miles, of hard driving, which I've owned them. Bootmod is the only solution that has worked reliably so far on my G20. Maybe the reason is that our B46 engines are relatively close to their maximum power thresholds, so OTS tunes are more likely to be ineffective, or worse, disastrous. Honestly, if I could get the type of power you are getting on a piggyback, I would personally just stay there.

The B48 should in theory have plenty of tuning potential. It shares the same closed deck block and compression ratio as the B58 which happens to be a monster.

Flash tunes are still "green" for the engine but I think time will prove out that this engine is a gem.

[VipinLJ]

Originally Posted by bquatt

The B48 should in theory have plenty of tuning potential. It shares the same closed deck block and compression ratio as the B58 which happens to be a monster.

Flash tunes are still "green" for the engine but I think time will prove out that this engine is a gem.

True actually. I know someone who has a crazy tuned G20 B48. Puts out M3C levels of power. Very tuneable for sure but it's easier to tune the EA888 here compared to our B46s.

[njfoses]

Sharing a discord around B46/B48, N20 tuning. Harry (Navardi tune) is very active here. https://discord.gg/w8ksw7JzyV

[turnsignalslol]

Originally Posted by ztech

So I finally got to test the Dinan B46 flash tune, on my 2019 330i (rwd). What was holding me back, initially, was the fact that it is a bench flash, and I didn't want to drop my car off at a shop, and potentially be without a ride for a week+. I then watched the 1 minute video on the Dinan Website, and realized the process of removing and reinstalling the DME was extremely simple and would have a faster turn-around than I expected. I overnighted the DME to Dinan, and Dinan overnighted it back to me, at no cost. I think it's worth saying, if you feel intimated by the whole process - don't be. It doesn't require good dexterity, soldering skills ect. You just disconnect your battery's negative (black) terminal in the trunk, with a small socket wrench, unplug 5 or 6 connecters on the DME, and pull out the DME. Reverse the process for reinstalling your tuned DME, once you get it back. It really is a plug & play process. And, of course, if I can do it, anyone can (I can't even do oil changes).



THE TUNE

The B46 bench tune applies to the G01/G02/G20/G29/G30 bodystyle. There are a number of octane configurations for the tune, from 91, 93, 100, and 104. I went for the 93 tune, advertised as 50hp/52tq (Crank), or 44HP/47TQ at the wheels. That's 323hp/359tq at the crank, or 286hp/331tq at the wheel.


DRIVING THE CAR

On Saturday, I took the day off, to go to a the local shop and swapped out my old plugs for new, stock plugs, (NGK 94201).
I turned the car on, with a half tank of 93 octane, and not driving more than a couple hundred feet, still at legal speeds, I noticed a significant improvement in throttle response. I hooked up Bimmerlink and kept one eye on a dozen, or so, parameters. I drove around for ~6+ hours or so that day, with no faults. The extra power/torque was definitely noticeable in the way the car accelerates I did a few highway passes, recording 24.1 PSI at the sensor, through Bimmerlink. However, to take caution, I was only applying light to moderate throttle - no WOT pulls on that first testing day. But even at moderate throttle the car sounded louder too - noticeably louder from the engine, not from the fake BMW note (which I, personally, like). And of course, it is all complimented by the cool exhaust pops.

Dinan explicitly states that they have optimized torque by gear strategies. I can verify that the tune worked very smoothly with the stock transmission. I didn't get any harsh kicks, in any mode/gear, even on my second day testing, applying WOT. The tune utilizes good shifting strategies, any no hiccups to note. And remember, the ZF8 in the 330i is rated for 406 lb-ft (although not sure about the gearbox though), so that should give people some peace of mind with all the extra power that comes with the Dinan tune.

In sport mode, the tune keeps a lower coolant target temperature, and this is visible on the temp gauge, which sits one or two notches lower than center. Other changes to the instrument cluster, are Boost (30PSI), Horsepower (320hp), and Torque (400lb/ft).


On the second day, I made a couple of lame attempts at the 0-60, and couldn't get a good launch. Part of the problem is likely my scrawny, 8 inch rear rims, on 245's - the staggered setup, with 8.5 inch rims, and 255 in the rear, is recommended. The other part of the problem, I admit, is my lack of skill launching RWD cars. As much as I wanted a 0-60 run, I really don't want abuse my drivetrain, with hard launches, trying to get a good number (there is a good reason why many car enthusiasts care about 60-130MPH nowadays). So instead of relying on the 0-60 MPH, I decided on an arbitrary, but still very useful, 60 to 100MPH (rolling from about 30 MPH). I only did a couple WOT launches and both returned very similar acceleration profiles (maxing at 25.4 PSI Boost). I was able to compare the time for my 60 - 100 MPH interval to another 330i owner, on Youtube, running JB4 Map 3 (given his video description, possibly with even some Ethanol AND a downpipe). Remember, this was done on a closed, private road. As it turns out, my 60 - 100MPH time appeared nearly identical to the JB4 Map 3 runs. And I should noted that the JB4 Map 3 330i did a Dragy verified 5.07s 0-60, and 13.48s quarter mile@ 104 MPH (without even subtracting 1ft rollout). It's a very fair, though not an entirely certain expectation, that the Dinan tune can achieve similar 0-60/quarter mile acceleration numbers, given a decent launch. And again, that guy (Youtube user name: Rear Wheeled) might have been using a downpipe and some ethanol - it's hard to tell from his video description.

Anyways, I've created a frame aligned, side-by-side, video comparison between my car, and the JB4 (Map 3) tuned 330i (in the inset).


*********ACCELERATION VIDEO **********
https://youtu.be/S6OotSq8kA8


As for piggy backs, while they do have the convenience of install/removal, I found this Dinan tune, to be very easy to install by myself. In fact, I can recall my JB4 installs for my other cars were more challenging than this (especially wiring through or around the firewall part). Still, a piggyback can be removed more easily for a quick run to the dealer - a flash tune can't - although that advantage doesn't matter if you are out of warranty. But speaking of warranty, Dinan will actually match the factory warranty, if you go with the Dinan+ tune. As far as I know, you can't say that about any other G20 tune, right now.



(SEE UPDATE ON TUNE BELOW!!!!)






(SEE UPDATE ON TUNE BELOW!!!!)





(SEE UPDATE ON TUNE BELOW!!!!)






(SEE UPDATE ON TUNE BELOW!!!!)

If I remember correctly, I believe you said you had a DME Tuning Stage 1 tune for your car that caused many issues. In comparison, is the Dinan tune worlds apart in terms of both performance and reliability?

[ztech]

Originally Posted by turnsignalslol

If I remember correctly, I believe you said you had a DME Tuning Stage 1 tune for your car that caused many issues. In comparison, is the Dinan tune worlds apart in terms of both performance and reliability?

Well, the DME Tuning tune worked for 1 or 2 days, and then stopped. I was told my plugs had 40k miles on them, and that was probably why. But then after installing new plugs (with a slightly less gap), the tune worked again for a day, then it failed again, and I was back to stock. I am very familiar with the sense of power between 225-300HP, because of all of my Audi's I've owned. I can tell you when the DME tune worked, it was putting out a lot of power. (probably 285-300 WHP), and the car was very quick on the road. It felt almost identical to my tuned A4 B9 Quattro that did 60 in a verified ~4.6 seconds - that had about 290 wheel hp.

The Dinan Tune didn't give my car any improvement in throttle response or acceleration. It's silly, but I initially, I believed the Dinan tune was working, before I realized that the performance increase wasn't due to the tune - but me going back to factory spark plugs, again. In reality I was just going from limp mode to stock, by putting in new plugs. My 0-60 times and 60-100mph times were similar to stock.

The BootMod tune (Stage 1 93) is the only one that has held up so far, and has provided a significant increase in performance. Stock the car is about 246WHP, and with the Bootmod tune it's probably around 270 WHP. There is also great improvement in throttle response, and the car's 60-100 time is quicker by ~ 7/10ths of a second.

Keep in mind all of this is for my car. I didn't give too much time with DME or Dinan tunes, so it's hard to say what other people would experience with their cars. Unfortunately, there is no single tune that seems to work flawlessly for everyone's car. That's why I think it's worth doing the custom BootMod tune with, according to popular opinion, Jordan Tuning or Navardi. Also there is the power increase with the custom tune. Hoping to get close to 300whp.

[ztech]

Got my custom tune today from Jordan Tuning. Car feels great! So quick, and even smoother. Somehow the power, shifting, and handling feel so much more in-line with each other. The whole process is surprisingly simple . I'll keep everyone up-to-date.

[onderyetiskin]

this is same engine new 230i. i just use regular gas and hit the gas pedal. done

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nsph5T01b8g

[bquatt]

Originally Posted by ztech

Got my custom tune today from Jordan Tuning. Car feels great! So quick, and even smoother. Somehow the power, shifting, and handling feel so much more in-line with each other. The whole process is surprisingly simple . I'll keep everyone up-to-date.

Plans to post any updated acceleration videos?

[bquatt]

Originally Posted by ztech

Got my custom tune today from Jordan Tuning. Car feels great! So quick, and even smoother. Somehow the power, shifting, and handling feel so much more in-line with each other. The whole process is surprisingly simple . I'll keep everyone up-to-date.

Everything still going well with your latest flash?

[ztech]

Originally Posted by bquatt

Everything still going well with your latest flash?

Yes. Just waiting to get updated flash next week.

[ztech]

Finally, I got the Evolution Racewerks CATTED downpipe and MST cold air intake installed at a local shop - FS Tuning (great shop) in Orlando. I started off with stock tune, running 93 octane, and I was thrilled to see all of my micro-knocking (feedback knock) disappeared! No more timing corrections < 3 degrees, which even plagues the stock 330i. On the BM Stage 2 93 tune, the same thing - ZERO KNOCK and insignificant timing corrections! What this all implies is that my car can now handle more aggressive timing on 93 OCTANE Tunes. From what I understand there is two reasons my mods have made this possible: First, as many of you know, the downpipe allows for faster evacuation of hot air within the engine, therefore, allowing it to be more quickly replaced with cooler air being pulled into the engine. So with the downpipe, the engine has less time to saturate itself with hot air. Second, the DME compensates for that larger volume of air, provisioned by the cold air intake, by adding more fuel. That little bit extra fuel aids in keeping the engine temps lower.

As for Bootmod Stage 2 93, in normal driving, it does not feel like a huge improvement over Bootmod Stage 1, although both Stage 1/2 are a significant bump in power over stock. Remember BM stage 2 is an OTS tune, which is a safe and general approach, but can potentially leaves a lot of room compared to a custom tune. BM stage 2 is a bit quicker than BM stage 1 by raw numbers, but it lacks the improvement in throttle response and mean power gain, which could make it more appreciable in light-to-mid throttle scenarios. Keep in mind, many, if not most, people would find BM stage 2 93 adequate and enjoyable. I've decided that it's just not quite for someone like me, who has long been spoiled with 290+ hp Audi A4 tunes, with razor sharp, low and high-end, throttle response. To get the most out of a tune, with safety in mind, a custom tune is my best bet.

Flashing my Bootmod custom tune, I immediately noticed much better throttle response than the Bootmod stage 2 OTS tune. The custom tune felt noticeably quicker and testing confirmed this. With the base map, I was able to achieve a 100-200kmh of 13.19 seconds and 60-100mph 6.5 seconds, on first attempt, and accelerating from about 55 MPH. Comparing this performance to a eurotuner (see video) with dyno measured result of ~302 whp, suggests my car is very close to this number. Something like 285 -290 whp. The eurotuner's 100-200kmh was 12.85 seconds. Keep in mind I may have had a slightly better time, if I started my run from < 40 MPH, the ambient temperature was also 85F in Tijuana, compared to his 60F, and the eurospec 330i weighs ~150lbs less. Also, that guy also had access to 100 RON/95 Octane, while I am on 93 Octane - however, I do have a downpipe/intake combo.

Once again, I am only on a custom BASE MAP, which still has to be revised before I get the full performance increase.




My review of Evolution Racewerks Downpipe and MST Cold Air Intake
on custom tuned base map.

EURO GUY:

ELIMINATION OF KNOCK with addition of Downpipe and intake

[VipinLJ]

Those 100-200 numbers are the same as my car with E30. Extremely good numbers. Best i got was 12.85 but on an average, it around 13-13.1s. I'm guessing with some E85 or Boostane/Torco, you should be able to get even better number!

[ztech]

Originally Posted by VipinLJ

Those 100-200 numbers are the same as my car with E30. Extremely good numbers. Best i got was 12.85 but on an average, it around 13-13.1s. I'm guessing with some E85 or Boostane/Torco, you should be able to get even better number!

Thanks. I can get any custom blend of ethanol, or FULL E85 tune. Unfortunately, I'm in Florida and there is only a few E85 gas stations around. I did drive out of my way to try the E30 blend but on a BM 1 map - IMO it was lacking, but the E30 definitely improved timing and reduced knock. If it was more available in my state, it may be worth custom tuning for more power, or just resorting to JB4 custom mapping, like you've done.

From everything I have gathered in the past couple days, I can say conservatively that I will be able to achieve achieve a minimum of 295-310 whp. Like I said, my engine takes the current tune very well - and it is very quick already. I just rewatched the JB4 G20 (map 3) video on YouTube by "RearWheeled", and he measured an official 60 time of 5.0 seconds. Comparing his 60- 100MPH time, I have him by a FULL SECOND. I did a mini brake-torque off the line today, and it was clear that the car does move very quick from a standstill. That said, it wouldn't surprise me that my 60 time, as it is, is sub-5 seconds.

I really like the car now and plan to keep it for years to come. The intake is a bit loud for my taste, but at least, a lot of other people really like it. I already got yelled at, as I drove past one guy in an adjacent neighborhood. I never get yelled at for my driving. Honestly, I wasn't going fast, but the car sounds aggressive (similar to the car in the BM stage 2 330i video I posted previously) and can draw negative attention.

I will keep everyone posted on my custom tune.

[VipinLJ]

Originally Posted by ztech

Thanks. I can get any custom blend of ethanol, or FULL E85 tune. Unfortunately, I'm in Florida and there is only a few E85 gas stations around. I did try the E30 blend but on a BM 1 map - IMO it was lacking, but the E30 definitely improved timing and reduced knock. If it was more available in my state, it may be worth custom tuning for more power, or just resorting to JB4 custom mapping, like you've done.

From everything I have gathered in the past couple days, I can say conservatively that I will be able to achieve achieve a minimum of 295-310 whp. Like I said, my engine takes the current tune very well - and it is very quick already. I just rewatched the JB4 G20 (map 3) video on YouTube by "RearWheeled", and he measured an official 60 time of 5.0 seconds. Comparing his 60- 100MPH time, I have him by a FULL SECOND. I did a mini brake-torque off the line today, and it was clear that the car does move very quick from a standstill. That said, it wouldn't surprise me that my 60 time, as it is, is sub-5 seconds.

I really like the car now and plan to keep it for years to come. The intake is a bit loud for my taste, but at least, a lot of other people really like it. I already got yelled at, as I drove past one guy in an adjacent neighborhood. I never get yelled at for my driving. Honestly, I wasn't going fast, but the car sounds aggressive (similar to the car in the BM stage 2 330i video I posted previously) and can draw negative attention.

I will keep everyone posted on my custom tune.

Yea. At around 290whp with xDrive, your 0-60 will be sub-5s (mine was 4.7-4.8s on map 3 with an E30 blend) and I was around 285-ish whp. With my map 6, I'm at around 295-ish whp and my 0-60 is like 4.6-4.7 (4.7 in the heat).

[ztech]

Tried the car in manual mode for the first time. I wasn't expecting it to be much different than sport mode, but that car has a wonderfully enhanced sportiness in manual mode. Even with very conservative shifting, the throttle response felt like it doubled and lag went to ZERO. The acceleration is effortless. The car is every bit as quick as I want (but I'll still take the extra hp I should see on further revisions of my tune). Did a mini-launch and the car pulled much much quicker from a standstill - slingshots off the line, and brake boosting is not even necessary.

I'm not sure what parameters accounts for the difference in character between sport and manual with my tune, but I will address it with my tuner.

No question in manual mode this car's 0-60 is mid-4 second range

[ztech]

Ok. Sport+ did the trick.

[g20_shub]

Originally Posted by VipinLJ

Yea. At around 290whp with xDrive, your 0-60 will be sub-5s (mine was 4.7-4.8s on map 3 with an E30 blend) and I was around 285-ish whp. With my map 6, I'm at around 295-ish whp and my 0-60 is like 4.6-4.7 (4.7 in the heat).

So grateful to have you guys on the forums , gained a lot of knowledge. Quick question , I'm running catless dp and jb + ( 2021 330 xdrive ) 0-60 best time was 4.76 on shell 93 oct and 4.8 consistent, what else can I do to improve numbers besides a flash tune and e30 blend ? Those runs I did the jb+ boost was not dialed up at 100% it was at 75% , recently just turned it up to max but have not done a dragy run yet.