https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ackages-6.html

Here are some of the people that already had gotten a tune and their numbers.

 

Congratulations motormouth here in PR we got Dimsport but they are still learning how to use it.

Im impressed with the program not with the tuners.

 

oh m0n, let me put my foot in my mouth. I posted in that thread back in December and had forgotten all about it.

 

Not true .... for the Subaru and Evo world their is a FREE software called ECU Flash:

http://www.openecu.org/index.php?title=Downloads

Its a full scale tuning software that is downloaded to any windows labtop and has full adjustments in the ECU. You then plug in via the OBD II just like this "genius" does via a USB cable and flash and reflash as much as you like. All you need to do is buy the $100 cable

 

Yes, exactly! Thanks... although the tactrix is $169.00 still though, little cash, I can tune adjust, reset CEL's at my whim.

I change my exhaust... retune. no additional cash out, no third party touching my engine. Full open source community supporting the software and hardware development.

Last year someone pulled the ECU from a mini and posted to the BBB, yet I still see no definitions posted up for it.

 

^ on top of it you can have like 3 different maps on your car ...

1) Race Map for 100+ oct

2) Daily Map for driving around town

3) A Valet Map for when you dont want someone driving it hard ....

there are a lot of cool benefits to ECU Flash ... its too bad its not open to more cars.

 

you can't have open source for these cars due to the ECU, but for that same reason you do not need it either. Bosch Motronic ECU's are powerful, but require expensive tuning tools. I'm not sure what version of Motronic is in my 09 Cooper S, but it has to be at least 3 generations newer than the ME 3.1 in my 1998 GTI VR6 Turbo and guess what? With just a chip tune written for specific injectors, my stock ECU will control any turbo setup I want, and retain stock like driveability. No CEL's, no starting issues, nothing. I can change anything on the setup, as long as the injectors, FPR, and MAF remain consistent. If I add higher octane gas without upping the boost, the ECU will advance timing accordingly. Keep in mind that this car did not come turbo'd from the factory and that this is on a ECU that has been around since late '95. Seeing what tuners are doing with the newer VW Motronic ECUs, I'm sure the MINI's will be catching up soon enough. I always laugh at my friends with Evo's and Subys, because while they are great cars, I find it ridiculous that they need to re-tune the car after every little mod. I put cams and a bigger turbo on my VRT and it still ran perfect.

 

Yeah, the slightly newer vw stuff is more powerful as well. I have a TT with a stock ecu that has 1200cc injectors and will be shooting for 600whp. (stock ecu record is a good but higher than that) The ecus are more load based than anything so they really don't need much tweaking to get the job done. The mini ecu is even more sophisticated than late 1.8t ecus, so we should have no problem once people start making tuners/tunes available.

Dimsport and Evotech seem like pretty decent tuning setups. Only a matter of time until they become more widespread for Minis.

 

That's still generic tuning... though you're able to change the tune to the mod you've done (ie. CAI, exhaust, etc) you installing a change in a tune that someone else has done on a car similiar to yours unless that software allows you to make individual changes to fuel tables, etc and you have software to see if it made a difference.

Now if the system you are using allows that, then yes, it would be great.

No two cars are alike. There is no way you can download and install a tune based on another car with similiar mods and expect the exact same results.

Ask any tuner. They will leave a 20% safety margin on the table because they know no two cars are the same.

I'm not saying that this isn't an improvement over the stock ECU, I'm just saying that any tune uploaded into any ECU that is already written won't squeeze out the same results as someone that uses a dyno or laptop with tuning software.

Mark

 

I have to disagree a bit. I doubt you'll see anywhere close to a 20% increase in peak numbers with a dyno tune. Area under the curve will be a bit better, but these cars provide the ecu with so much information (map/maf/tps/iat/knock/timing/etc) that the off the shelf tunes should be pretty damn spot on. Granted, a dyno tune might be more polished and make a few more horsepower, but I doubt it would be anything significant.

 

Sorry, but research first, opensource such as ecutune allows me, as the tuner, full access to all of the tables, I tune. Nowhere did I say I dl'd an OTS map. My point was dead nuts against OTS maps, because of my experience with engine to engine variabilty. Further more there is substantial evidence that road tunes are far superior to dyno. Please research, beforehand.

 

I did research and I do research, I agree that road tunes and dyno tunes are superior to OTS setups, but there wont be a huge difference on stock turbo/bolt on setups period. I can show you numerous runs on OTS big turbo (not even stock turbo) VW ecus with cardiac arrest air fuels, great timing curves, and nothing done to them other than reflashing the ecu. Wideband bosch ecu'd cars are a wonderful thing.

Does the tactrix work on our cars? Says it works with ISO15765

 

Potentially yes, I can connect to the ECU, I can use it with OBD tools to log, I can read CEL's, haven't been able reset though. As far as reading the ECU, I need definition tables. There is an opensource group that will create tables, the Mini ECU was posted, no-one responded. I am thinking I may have to take that on myself. I am not ready yet, still need to learn alot more. So the short answer... it is limited right now, but in theory no reason why not.

 

Is the polling rate decent on that unit? I was logging with my vagcom and its slow if I'm trying to read more than 1 or 2 parameters.

 

It is quite good, up to ~ 16 or 18 parameters, then it starts slowing. Most of the time you really only need the critical 12; rpm, inj duty, knock correction, timing, boost, AFR, O2 sensor, throttle position, waste gate duty, MAF, IAT, coolant temp. It keeps up nicely.

 

I'll have to scoop one. This or the innovate OT1.
Still on the fence!

 

Let me ask you this then. Once you have full access to fuel tables, timing, etc, etc, and make a change, how do you know if it helped?

If there is a way to make a modification and use a laptop to see an increase or decrease in performance, hp or tq, then yes, that definitely sounds like a great method. I just don't know of any for the mini.

Thanks,

Mark

 

We're not able to yet. Maybe soon, but the bosch stuff seems unusually hard to crack, or anyone who does it charges for it unfortunately. We can hope.

 

Yes the same software, hardware and other tools are used to log the motor, there is software to "road" dyno the car so you can get curves. As I said it would be great to get the definition set fo rthe ECU so that these tools can be used.

Tough part is I only have this week left to try. ( wife traded my Mini in on a M roadster today ) So I plan on pulling the ECU tonight, and trying to make a definition set for it.

 

Ahhhhhh, now that makes sense. I stand corrected then. If you can verify what changes you've made, then that's the way to go.

Now, if we could just do that for the mini.

Mark

 

Let us know how you make out with it. If you want me to do anything on my end I can help you, probably picking up a tactrix or another device soon. Mini open source conglomerate ftw.

 

Congrats Orangecrush!!!!! Take to teh dyno!!!!!

I also did it last week, really a very good change!!!!!!

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/drivetrain-cooper-s/166742-my-mcs-r56-chip-tuning-argentina.html

 

Bad linkie.... can you doublecheck it? I'd like to see your results.

Thanks,

Mark

 

Mark, here is his link. Don

Here is a link via google translate to the Argentina website, no real detail.

 

Don,

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

Mark