I have a Jan tune on my 2009 Cooper S with a Genius Tool. Car has been running great and is still a blast to drive. I have experience with the Cobb Accessport on my GTR with a custom tune and I must say the added ability to view engine parameters, view and clear codes, and data log information (in addition to hold multiple tunes and upload etc..) is fantastic and well worth the money. One thing to keep in mind and in my opinion the most important...none of the hardware matters unless you have a great tuner.

 

I'd be concerned about some of the comments Mark made about his track experience and throwing codes and going into limp mode on the track. My car is an R53, but after a long day of flogging at VIR last May, I had no codes or issues whatsoever, other than trying to keep the car on the track (it was a heavy downpour most of the day).

I'm not saying that further tuning by Alta won't result in a more track ready tune, but right now, I'd rather have a tune I could count on when flogging the car.....

Just saying.....

 

A valid concern which is why I did all the testing at the track. I wanted to compare 3 pieces of information.

1) how does it perform on the street. Is it streetable, does it stutter, overheat or have any drivability issues?

2) how does it hold up on the track? Having a powerful time is useless if it won't be stable on the track (at least for me)

3) how does it compare to what I already have? As with the rest of us, I want what is best for my car. This wasn't a comparison against RMW to boost or degrade their tune, this was to see what was the best overall package for my car. I don't care if Orville Redenbacher was making the tune, I'm looking for the best tune for my car.

Having said all that, I did have some issues but the important thing is that is why I was trying their tunes. Alta was with every step of the way and sent me over 6 maps in 2 days each time changing the maps based on my feedback and ability to catalog info to send it back to them.

And based on that experience, they came through like champs.

Three more things.

One, they did eventually get me a retuned map that did work flawlessly without CELs.

And two, tuning an R56 (which at this point should be obvious for everyone that is it waaaay harder to do than an R53) for the track is much harder to do it right for the track. The track is so much more abusive and requires perhaps a detuned tune to keep the longevity with which we hammer it on the track.

Last but not least, (with no disrespect meant) with torque numbers such as yours (200 ft.lbs) is child's play on the track.

Trying to achieve 300 ft.lbs and still be on the track is a WHOLE NUTTER BALLGAME.


Mark

 

a BIG +1 !!

I'll be at RA in two weeks flogging on Jan's newest tune.....can't wait!

 

Understood a lot of you guys are track rats but in my case, I am more concerned with driveability on the street. Smoothness, idle correctness, transition to power etc. are all important to me. I want it to drive like a STOCK performance car. With this said, it sounds like ALTA is the way to go. I will be very curious to see what kind of numbers Mark comes back with on the dyno. In the meantime, I'll be floating around checking out everybody's impressions. No rush for me to purchase a tune as impatient as I can be.

Definitely different schools though.....track driving, street driving.

 

I should receive my AP this week with a couple of different maps. I currently have the RMW tune and will be able to make some comparisons in daily driving.

 

future mini waiting for your reply! :D

 

*sniff sniff* troll?
I wont make any accusations or anything, I just smell some fish up in here

 

Wow....really...how so? Because some of us have both tunes or even three tunes? I paid my money to Mini for my JCW tune, I paid my money to Jan and I paid my money to Alta. Who has the best....I don't really care. I want the one that gives me the best power and drivability. I still want to get with Jan, maybe in Austin if I can swing it, and have him tune mine on the dyno but that will add another 150.00 -200.00 to the cost of the RMW tune. Which ever tune works best, that is the one I will go with on the mini.

 

It will be interesting to see how well the Alta product fairs over the next year. It's way too early to form any opinions on this type of product.

I don't see a change for me though; RMW has made a lifetime customer of me.

 

+1

 

Be interesting to see the results with the Accessport if Jan were tuning with it.....

 

 

This would be interesting...

 

You must have been reading my mind!!! I was just thinking the same thing yesterday!

 

Please educate me. Isn't the AccessPort only a means to upload/download tunes to the MINI ECU. Isn't the actual tune a "data" file that's used to flash the ECU memory? Doesn't Jan just use a different device/method of loading his tunes? If this is the case, it wouldn't matter if Jan used the AP or not. It's the tune that makes the performance difference and it appears that maybe ALTA has a better tune right now. It also seems that they have a bettery delivery device with the AP and better customer service at this time by being quicker to get back to the customer and quicker to send modified tunes based on data logging. Am I missing something?

 

Poppycock.

 

Nope, you aren't missing anything, your summarization is arguably right on the money.

 

Yep, you are.

It WOULD matter if he used the AP. Yes it is the tune that makes the performance difference, but the AP lets the tuner do a lot more stuff very easily than they can using Dimsport.

The Cobb Accessport software provides the tuner with far more maps to adjust, therefore ultimately giving the tuner more control over the ECU. They can get it to do things with the AP, that the Dimsport software won't let you. With Dimsport, Jan has had to find the majority of the maps he adjusts, on his own, by going through the eprom. And even with all he's found, there are still more things in there that he has no control over yet. It will make your head spin if you see how it has to be done. It's extremely frustrating when your sitting there, telling the ECU to do something and the car fights it because you don't have all the maps figured out. The AP software alleviates this problem...and if it gives the tuner as much control as they say it does, well the sky is the limit with what you'll be able to do.

That said...he does a damn good job with what he has to work with (Dimsport). I'd reckon to say that his latest incarnation of the tune is just as good as the AP tune that everyone is raving about. Granted I've never driven an AP tuned car yet, but this latest version of tune is worlds better than the old in terms of smoothness and power/boost delivery, its hard for me to imagine it could get much better than it. It makes me giddy everytime I drive the car now, and I took it for a spirited run last night on one of my fav roads, and I was completely blown away by how it was pulling out of the turns. How people have described the AP tune that have come from the RMW tune...is exactly how I'd describe the changes in the newest tune.

 

That may be, but it appears the AccessPort has more capabilities than the Dimsport tool (though i must admit I don't have one of those either). I believe you are correct that the tune would still be the same.

 

Yes, there is no comparison between the Dimsport MyGenius tool and the AP in terms of what they are capable of doing. The MyGenius tool is simply a flash tool where the AP is a flash tool and so much more.

 

....and in the hands of a tuner with more time tuning Minis than any one person on the planet, well the results would be.......:thumb

 

Just out of curiousity, what the hell does that mean?




Seriously?? Are you that blind or just loyal to Jan that you would make such a statement?

Come on Mark, you of all people know how this works. I have great respect for you but bud, in all honesty, that's ridiculous. I also have great respect for Jan and what he does and he does a fantastic job with the tools he has but unless Jan has somehow improved his tune immensely (driveability and power-wise) unfortunately it's not as good as the AP.

Cobb apparently has better tools for tuning than dimsport. OR, dimsport doesn't give Jan the tools to make the adjustments necc...

I don't know nor care but I'm sorry, the AP tune is much smoother and makes more power than the RMW tune. And the AP unit is a COMPLETELY different unit than the genius tool.

Like I said, this isn't anything against Jan, it's life, it's business, there's another tool on the market, that's all.

Which is good because it stimulates competition and now dimsport will have to make their tool better.

So, back to my first comment.... you obviously haven't installed the AP tune nor used the tool to make a comment like that.

You really need to try it before saying crap like that.


Mark

 

It wasn't directed at you, I was referring to this thread/op. OP is a new member, and suddenly right after the AP comes out, even though theres been plenty of disccusion (whether good or bad) on unichip/mynes/etc tunes on the boards, its focused between the alta and rmw (pretty good for a new member to recognize). Yes they are probably the two best tunes right now, but for someone so 'new' and 'uneducated' about these tunes (and maybe education based on grammar abilities) to suddenly jump in right after the AP comes out and stir up a direct comparison discussion between the two tunes, where anyone knows it will be (for the most part) defend the tune you have [unless you have both], is a bit odd.

Then, a post like this...
?? thats not amateur poster sounding at all. To already know theres such a fine line between these two tunes.. that the thread risks a lock..
In addition, OP has no comments to say about any of the discussion/input shared on the thread (or comparison of the RMW tune to Alta tune from RMW himself) until a week later, when you say you're expecting the ap, hes suddenly so curious about your thoughts, not anyone elses.
"waiting for your reply" sounds awfully familiar as well.

Just saying.
I love all the competition, I love the sounds of whats coming from the AP, I love my RMW tune, but if this is what I think it is, I hate all the marketing BS.
/rant

Continue on-topic

 

Thanks Mark and back at you on the respect. We both know that the same tool in different hands will yield different results as in "a tool is only as good as its user." I haven't said the accessport wasn't a good tool but just speculating on what the results might be in Jan's hands.

Yes I am loyal, maybe to a fault sometimes but when someone or something has delivered so well and for so long as my RMW tune has......well i'm just not as quick to jump. I like to see how things are panning out as I did before getting the first tune.

PS: Again sorry about your car and I'm glad you weren't hurt. This has made me decide to go for the track day insurance in the future...