Ok so it's been over 6 months since the DIY ByteTroniK software has been released. I was one of the first to jump on the train, and with a bit of a rocky start, I have finally got the hang of the S/W! I succesfully tuned my own car not only on pumpgas, but converted it over to E85 BY MYSELF! Which is something that NO other Tuner/vendor/whatever else they want to call it theese days will do.
I want to know who else has had success with MYNES genious product that me and a few others have been asking for for years. And maby some alternitives to being able to tune your own FACTORY ECU to do what you want it to do?
Who is currently running the software, and who is interested and has questions?

 

I run the Bytetronik software on my mini and i love it, the ability to data log, adjust how my Mini's ECU for street and track days has been wonderful. The customer service it great. If i have a question or want to know more about how a setting effects the running performance they are more then willing to help me out with a quick turn around. Hands down the best tuning solution for the individual that want the ability to have Full Access to their Mini's ECU. ByteTronik is helping take the mystery out of tuning your ECU.

 

I was one of the first ones also, first just the data logging then F/A, still playing with it, still learning. Took 2 months or so after I bought it to have it installed because my car is a daily driver and where I live, but that was the whole point of the investment, I live no where near a prefered tuner (Way is the closest and he's 600 miles.) and with my mod's the dealer hasn't been an optoin for a while now, just the 550's alone create a need if something happens to my tune.

As far as versatility it is great. How many tunes can you create? Sure you don't need to but we're car guy's what's need got to do with it. I can think of 3 right off the bat:

1. Performance (no explanation ness.)
2. Everyday (again, why except for the fact YOU can.)
3. Economy / Road Trip (squeeze every last tenth of a mpg out of it you can.)

And then there's the specialty stuff like Corn, NOS, Meth. and so on.

Sure it's overkill but it makes it all so easy once you get the hang of it.

Change or upgrade a performance part, re-tune your car.

Let's also mention adaptations, no more trips to the dealer or someone with the right software to clear a stubborn adaptation that was set due to a failed part, fix your car....clear the code AND adaptations, right then and there, just like the dealer would.

Sure it's not buy it, install it and become a master tuner, but if you want to learn and want to be this "hands on" at least now we have an option, which we NEVER had before without spending FAR more.

And yes, you can mess things up if you don't use some caution and pay attention to whats going on and what your doing, but lest we forget "With Power Comes Responsability", but let's be honest, give me a simple pair of pliers and without some common sense I can "F" stuff up.

So far I love it, and getting it from Mynes has been nothing but stupendous!

 

Well said BlwnAway.

I have tuned, loged, and re tuned my car so many times, I would need to be Bill Gates if I was paying one of the other guys to do it. And totaly agree that MYNES goes above and beond with there customer service / support with the FA software. If I have any questions I just email, or post in their forum, on more than one occasion I have posted something and out of the blue my cell phone rings with Mike on the other end! NOW THAT's SERVICE!

 

Any reading material out there that would be a good start for a tuning newbe?

Kevin

 

I love it, write and modify your own tunes for all conditions and applications . Clear codes and adaptions on ANY R53, GREAT customer service, whatelse could you want. No other tuning solution even comes close!

 

Joined the Bytetronik forum on their site to read more - I'm certainly interested in jumping on board.

Living in HK there are no tuners here who will work on the mini ECU stand-alone. I have a bunch of mods and a canned tune currently and I feel there's scope for more out of the combo I have. I also fancy a cam and 550's to push the envelope a little further.

FA looks like an ideal solution for me to take the car to the next level. I need to ascertain whether I can get a "base" tune that's loosly dialed-in for the combo of mods I have from Bytetronik and then use logging/FA to tweak and improve the map over time here on the road & dyno - I assume this to be the case but its hard to tell from Bytetronik's website...

 

Yes, basiclly thats how it will work, figure out which dealer you're thinking of purchasing it from and give them a call, they'll fill you in.

 

No dealers in HK as far as I know - will get directly from the source.

I was more interested if they can provide a base tune taking into account existing mods. In my mind I get a tune that yields a resonable HP/torque curve "out of the box" and then I spend time playing with it to tweak any dead spots/maximise the area under the curve etc and potentially find a few extra peak HP/lb ft

All the data logging and other benefits are candy that appeals to the geek in me...

 

I've used this, but with another car, not the MINI, and I was totally enamored with the idea, but didn't invest the time. My bad... Those who did loved it! What's the procedure for gong E85 when the tank still have non-E85? I suppose just run it down as much as possible and tune there on the spot? I'd be pretty scared to do that, but would like to know...

 

Can't you just post the questions to the 'source'? I am under the impression that you get one "base custom base map with the kit" but you must first provide the datalog from your current setup.

 

I'll try to answer some of your questions but I can only relay to you how it went with me.

First, when you purchase the package there are basically two main options (besides extra's like injectors and other misc. non essential items)
With or without the matching wideband AFR kit.
-If you truly want to custom tune yourself the wideband kit and install are a must the AFR readings in the data logging are ness. in order to know you're doing things right. Without the AFR kit you would have to basiclly use a dyno and an AFR sniffer to make knowledgeable adjustments or settle for whatever tunes the vendor will be willing to supply you with, based on your mods. (it will sort of work like a remote tune situation where you send them the tune that is on the car along with a current data log and they will send you back a new tune to load. **Be Advised** Check with your vendor as to how many times they will be willing to do this, let's be real you can only expect so much from anybody, just ask them what they are willing to do.)

Now as far as initial purchase and install, the software should be loaded over your "Stock" rom if you have a custom or canned tune it would be copied to your laptop, your stock rom reloaded to your ecu, then the software loaded into your ecu and then your tune reloaded back in again. Again the vendor will give you all the details on how to do this it doesn't take very long and really isn't that complicated.

**A couple of side notes;
first, as far as I know all of this is windows based only and you will need a laptop or netbook, or a really long USB cable to use your home PC. (LOL YES, thats a joke you need something you can easily connect to your OBDII in your car.)

Second, as far as the "Stock Rom" thing, in my case I no longer had mine so my only options were, either connect with my vendor in person so they could reload a copy of a Stock tune into my ECU to then install the software, or send them my ECU. Again, Check With Your Vendor, this was just how it worked for me.

OK, back to it, as far as a "Base" or "Starting Point" tune, You send the vendor a list of your vitals (Year, Model, Current mods) and they will send you a tune to get you started.

As far as the E85 is concerened there are recomended steps to do the change over, I THINK, basically you do a half & half tank, wait for it to run low, load the base E85 tune (supplied by your vendor) into the ECU then fill up and you're ready to start making adjustments. (Don't be scared of this it only takes a few min. to upload any tune into the ECU, I've done it on the side of the road many times in order to experiment with different changes, it's really no big deal.)

Again, I'm not a vendor, just a customer and all this information is off the top of my head, and it all might seem like a lot, but when it's all said and done it's really not bad and if your someone like me who has spent so much time and money to get your car to perform the way you want and are nowhere near anyone to do this kind of thing, it was a no-brainer.

Just call the vendor of your choosing and ask them how it it would work in your situation, whether you want to do your own tuning or whether you can work out some sort of remote tune situation with them.

Last but not least, the software won't teach you how to be a tuner, that you will have to learn on your own, whether it be through experimentation or you decide to take a class, what the software does do is give you the ability to do some hands on with your car, and gives you access to things previously only available only to tuners or dealers for far less money than what they have invested.

Hope this helps and wasn't too long winded.
Personally I Love This Stuff!

 

Thank you. Invest the time... Never did that last time. Just too much stuff going-on then... I'll give them a ring, but first want to read more.

 

I hope it comes with something or the vendor willing to tell you what the "safe" perimeters are?? If not the trial and error method will result in a torn up engine quick...

 

Unfortunately no it dosent. As stated above, learning how to tune is all on you. Or you can take it to a local or autherised ByteTroniK tuner. There are also several ways to learn to do it yourself online, or through books. Mike and Jay are always there to help, if you need them though.

 

Doesn't sound like tuning is something just anybody should be trying..
Were you able to find out what casued your engine problem? ( from your other thread ) Based on your last tune did you or could you show it to your vendor to see if there was anything in it that might be a problem...

 

I havent even pulled the engine out yet, or taken it apart. In all of my logs everything is normal, so I'm thinking that it was just from all of the abuse I have put the car through in the 80,000 miles I have had it. I beat the crap out of that engine since the day I picked it up, and with all of the additional power I have added, it was just a weak link that gave up.

It will get rebuilt this winter, I just need to find the cash to make it happen.

 

If you are not sure that you can learn to do the tuning yourself, TAKE IT TO A PRO, or you can get it done remotely with ByteTroniK. I'm pretty sure that ByteTroniK users can email files and logs to eachother and add to eachothers tunes/ figgure out eachothers problems.

 

I might not have been very clear, the tune you would get to get you started, so to speak, isn't some cookie cutter canned tune, it's tailored to your mods to the best of their (the vendor) abilities, because as any tuner will tell you, and we all know, every individual car is different, same mod's or not. That's what the data-logging is for, once you get everything installed, do a 4th gear WOT run, (or get on a local dyno) log it, and e-mail them the log & tuning rom and they will customize your tune. (Any vendor will do this at leaat once.)
Learning how to tune or making your own adjustments is NOT NEEDED it's only there as an option, the customized tune that you get back would most likely be so close there would be no real need to change it unless You wanted to. (The difference in this vs a standard remote tune would be simply that you can if you want.)
The extra expense vs a standard remote tune all revolves around this ability + all the other extra's like clearing codes and adaptations. The real benefit is having these things at your fingertips if you desire.

 

Good point - I plan to go wideband & have a local shop adjust my mani/header accordingly

Sounds like I'm in the same boat as yourself - no longer stock from an ECU perspective and so may need some back and forth to get to the position where I can load a new "Starting Point".
I have an old Thinkpad (circa 2005) that should just about cut it as my dedicated "tuning" machine.

Thanks for taking the time to confirm some of my initital research - I'll post my experiences once I have more to offer

 

Helpful input - many thanks - I posted another reply earlier but it seems the internet must've eaten it...

 

fyi - taken the plunge - spent time on the ByteTronik forum and got great support over there.
New injectors, Cam, FA53 and lots of time under the hood with the laptop is now in my immediate future...

Will post my experiences to this thread...

 

What do you mean by E85???

 

Ethanol fuel instead of gasoline

 

E=ethanol, It is in almost all fuel in the USA. The number is the amount of E in the fuel. Most fuel in the USA is E10 (10% Ethanol)


I have had my MCS for a month now and coming from race bikes, I seen/understand the need for this software. I am saving some money to purchase it. The software for bikes that Ive worked with, you can set your fuel curves and the software will adjust the curve of the Mass Air/O2 sensors for different altitude/weather.
I'm still learn as much as I can, so I will have a few questions when I get it.