There's an accessport thread that deals with the newer N18 engine to keep folks up to date on using the AP with the newer cars.

 

i know this is a PITA for people to answer. it also annoys me when people ask similar questions. with that out of the way, i am going to ask anyway...

my first question is: what are the "off the shelf" tuning/power limits of this device for an '07/08 MCS? are those limits shared with the '07/08 JCW? the reason i ask is because the nearest authorized tuner is 400+ miles away, and i would be limited to what i could download and flash for quite some time.

my second question is: what is the most power squeezed out of one of these things, when coupled with a myriad of other aftermarket goodies. Altas website claims 214hp/265tq(flywheel i presume?) with the tuner and only their dual cat exhaust and their own intercooler. what if one were to also install hard tubes, a catless downpipe and high flow intake, such as the M7 Super AGS or DDM RIS, or even Altas own intake. would the ecu/AP compensate for these changes and make even more power?

 

on my 09 cooper s i made 200/240 on the stage 1 tune with a DoS intake and a straight pipe from the downpipe back to give you a rough idea

 

at the wheels or fly?

 

to the wheels on a dyno jet...car made 180/205 prior to the AP on the same dyno with the intake and exhaust

 

good information. so with a better intercooler & high flow cat(s) you could bump up to the stage 3 tune, right? i'd like to know what that kind of power that actually puts to the wheels.

what i'd really like to know is who is making the most reliable power with one of these, on a stock turbo/stock internal engine.

M7 AGSR or DDM RIS intake, CNT 2.5" exhaust, Exhaust Depot catless downpipe, Forge intercooler, Forge or other hard pipe kit, and intercooler sprayer(for warmer months) are what i'm looking into purchasing. i know theres probably no off the shelf map for this, which is why i'd like to know what the stock ECU with AP can compensate for.

 

That is funny because when I was running it with stage 3 I only got 200/220.

 

never said the dyno I was on was accurate..but just implying adding the AP made a a big difference on that dyno and the butt dyno

 

Stage 3 being the 3" turbo back with high flow cats and alta I/C? If not, please elaborate?

Also, what were your before numbers?

 

Intake, Intercooler, catless dp and a 2.5" catless exhaust none of which is Alta. I had it dyno'd before but, it was saying like 150/170 which was little off because they hooked it up wrong and were saying it was running lean.

 

so you went from a lean 150whp/170wtq to 200/220? that's still pretty impressive for $900, picking up 50hp and 50tq at the wheels, plus it probably wasn't running lean afterwards.

not too far off from what Alta claims, provided their dyno numbers are at the fly. 170hp/200tq at the fly - 15% for drivetrain loss would be 145/170 "ish" at the wheels, and 214/265 would come out to about 182/225. perhaps you picked up some peak whp with the intake and no cats, but lost a few ft/lbs of torque

meanwhile wayne picked up 20hp/35tq at the wheels, from just the AP alone. seems like Wayne had an optimistic dyno, but still not really that far off from what Alta claims.

i'd like to hear some more examples

 

I got rid of mine though because I am having a dyno tune by RMW with some water/meth and some turbo work.

 

The dyno numbers that Alta has on their website are at the wheel, coming from a dynapack dyno. Their numbers are not flywheel numbers.

 

Can anyone comment on the difference (seat of the pants) going from stage 1 and then putting on a catless downpipe, aftermarket catback, and changing to stage 2 ap? Noticeable?

 

Now there is something I'd reallllly like to see more examples of. If Alta is getting 214/265 at the wheels, there has got to be room for improvement. If their numbers aren't inflated or "optimistic", I would expect to see substantial gains from a catless down pipe and proper intake, provided there's a map for that.

 

Keep in mind that the dynapack dyno is not a rolling dyno...it bolts to the hub instead of the tire rolling on rollers.

 

That would be their stage 3 tune.

Dave

 

I don't want to read through 113 pages to find an answer, so I will ask. Can the access port fix the issues with the "lazy" gas pedals on the automatics? I tried the D1 spec throttle controller, but it didn't fix the delay between pushing the gas pedal and the car starting to move. It's driving me nuts, dealer says its normal.

 

According to their website, the stage 3 consists of a 3" turbo back(with two cats), an intercooler, and the access port. Makes an advertised 214hp/265tq, and no mention of a high flow intake. If they are truly gaining 45whp & 65wtq without a high flow intake, you would almost have to see an additional 8-10whp by adding one. Unless, perhaps they have discovered that those gains are the safe limit of the fuel pump and/or injectors, and adding any more air causes a lean A/F situation.

Oh and jtack, I understand that it's a hub dyno, and am actually quite familiar with the Dyna-Pack system. I actually prefer them to a Dynojet, because while they may read a tad high, they remove the wheel weight and balance from the equation.

 

cmross13...you are correct...I didn't mean to sound as if you were not aware of the difference.

 

You keep talking about the limits of the tuning, injectors, fuel pump.

The only real limit is the turbo, you run out of air long before you run out of fuel. Upgrade the turbo and the next limit you find is the pistons. Which like to fail anywhere much above 21/22psi.

 

I just put a catless DP 2 Sundays ago and went from stage 1 to Stage 2. Butt dyno = It def pulls harder and top end power is noticeable. less than a week later I switched to stage 3. Can't quite tell the diff between stage 2 and stage 3 since I didn't drive the car long enough under stage 2.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

I didn't take offense, nor did I intend to come off like a smartass

And Creeve, the reason I am asking about the limits of the tuning and fuel is this thread is about the tuner itself, the software designed around it, and its limitations. I don't need to ask about the limits of the turbo, but if I did, it would be in a turbo thread.

Since we're on that topic, and again, i'm not trying to be a smartass, but you cant simply claim that "the pistons fail above 21-22psi". 22psi on a 14b isn't quite the same as 22psi on a GT60.

 

You can run a stage 3 tune with a catless downpipe, a 2.5" catless exhaust, an inter cooler, and an intake. That is what has been talked about here numerous times.


Also the ECU doesn't like 20psi and has a tendency to boost cut up that high.

 

Beau M, probably the second best change that I noticed from the AP is the gas pedal fix. It nearly eliminates the delay. I am running a stock 08 MCS, so just on the Stage 1 92 octane map it is a definate improvement. The best change is the surge at midrange (2500-4000 rpm) that does not factor into the peak numbers that people talk about. It is truly painful every time I go to the dealer and uninstall the AP, it makes me appreciate it. No regrets on the funds spent for this, Alta has been helpful in my case.

Mike