Thanks for the help, Scott. Got the ECU out no problem. Those white clips were a little scary; I had to use a screwdriver to push the tab down to slide the white clips forward and down. I snapped some photos of the labels on the ECU and sent them off to Jan. I'll let everyone know what I hear.

 

yw

scott

 

i talked on the phone today with the engineer that does the ECU tuning of minis at renntech

lots of good info

both early and late ECUs can be tuned by renntech with the same results

the ECU must be sent to renntech in florida

the tune is activated by the sport button, with the sport button OFF, there is about a +10HP and +10 torques increase over stock, with the sport button ON, the full tune increase is available

the published increase are for an otherwise stock engine, more HP and Torque can be had depending on your mods

when sending the ECU, include a complete list of mods, including the brand and model, ie don't say "i have a CAI", say "i have a VIP CAI", they are familiar with all the mods available

renntech recommends the audi S3 recirculation valve or alternately, the forge recirculation valve, the audi valve is a direct replacement electrically operated valve, and is the same as found on the vw golf gti-r, they say it is much more robust and cost about $60

renntech says there is zero power gain on the N18 by removing the hot side muffler/resonator BUT it sounds better with it gone

an aftermarket intercooler is necessary to get max power, "the bigger the better" ... i said i intended to get the tyrolsport intercooler and he said it is a great choice

you can send your ECU yourself, you do not need to go through a dealer, however, dealers are free to set their own price and it may be cheaper, if you go direct it is $945

they will return ship the same day they receive the ECU

scott

 

So are you saying they told you they can tune both the 2012s and 2013s?

 

yes, and the power gains are the same with either ECU

scott

 

Wow - that makes me want to put an order in on a 2013 JCW...

Did they give you an idea of max power/tq from a hot tune (FMIC, intake, exhaust, downpipe, Forge BPV, etc.)?

 

no, just "more"

he did say the intercooler was the most important upgrade, and the bigger the better

scott

 

Any idea how this kind of "tailored" tune compares to a dyno tune? Seems like this might fall somewhere between a generic canned tune and a dyno tune in terms of its individuality.

 

sorry, no

scott

 

Funny that is the exact question I was thinking of.

IF you have added mods, the best tune is a dyno. Otherwise it is a guess. Probably a good guess, but a guess non the less.

Also you can actually decrease HP and torque by adding mods, and not doing a dyno.

 

I just got off the phone with Jags from ECU Tuning Group and the major talking points of our conversation are as follows:
* They can tune 2011, all 2012s, and 2013s
* They said we shouldn't see any CELs if we use true 200 cell racing cats, he specifically mentioned Miltek
* If you want the O2 sensor disabled to not throw a CEL with a dp they can, and WILL do it, but the dealer will be able to see that its been disabled
* THEY HAVE TO OPEN THE ECU to be able to tune, however he stated that once its tuned and put back together you can't tell its been opened and as long as we don't disable the O2 sensors the dealer will not be able to tell that the ECU has been modified
* They said the list of mods they recommend for most drivers are a FMIC(they recommend Forge), a panel filter (they say cone filters don't do anything and create a hotter charge), and a tune. With those three mods they said they saw an increase of 40hp and 60lbs/ft
*On a stock MCS they said they saw an increase of 31hp and 25lbs/ft

Both of the hp and tq numbers provided were gotten using 91 octane, if higher octane is available in your area they said you can expect to receive higher numbers.

 

Any indication whether the boldfaced part is true for people in California? I got the impression it wasn't, but could be wrong.

 

Not sure. He knew I lived in NJ so that could be why he said it was no problem but then again were a CARB state too so idk.

 

Found some numbers for the RennTech tune on the TyrolSport website:

http://www.tyrolsport.com/engine/tra...w-n14-and-n18/

Those look like some pretty good numbers on the MCS N18 tune.

 

Hujan

per my conversation with an engineer at Renntech, those numbers are for an otherwise stock car, more is available with mods ... CAI, exhaust, FMIC, hotside/coldside upgrade etc

he also said if the CAI is a DoS style that is good, otherwise better off with a dropin panel highflow filter

scott

 

Of course, of course. I was just surprised to see them quote 221 HP/232 TQ on a stock car. It seems the million-dollar question is how much more you get for a high-flow exhaust, good FMIC, etc. If I could get ~230 HP/240 TQ to the wheels, I'd be ecstatic.

 

I believe their website lists those numbers at the crank, if that is the case It would take A LOT to see 230 at the wheels.

 

Yes, good point. In that case, might have to opt for the JCW turbo as well.

 

I found this valueon Tyrol Sport's website which seems to match the value RennTech described. (Note that TyrolSport is a RennTech dealer.)

I wonder if the valve RennTech recommends is the same one that was discussed on this thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...bov-valve.html

If so, it appears that it does not perform optimally on our turbos?

The Alta DV appears to be getting good reviews at the moment, though I'm not sure it is for sale.

 

I just called ETG, they told me they can do the tune for me with my current mods(exhaust & intake) and if and when I add a FMIC and/or DP, it the tune on the ECU will adapt to them to make more power and torque.

Does that sound right?

 

Personally me, I'd rather wait until everything was done. I know ECUs have a degree of adaptability built in, so far as how much I'm not sure. I could be completely off here but that's JMHO, YMMV

 

So which companies can tune with erasing the CEL for the DP?

 

ETG has told me they will for me, this may be because I live outside California or it may be something they offer to everyone, not sure, but they have the capability to do it and are willing to in at least some cases.

 

Been talking to Jerry over at NM for a while now beating around the idea of a tune for my 2012 MCS.

Been working a ton of overtime, decided to pull the trigger. His ECU guy is on vacation this week, so it's being shipped out for tune next week.

I've got only the NM Intake on my car now. My plan is to test out the adaptability of the tune to future modifications.

I'll add exhaust and FMIC to the car and see how the ECU adapts, then possibly get it re-tuned and see if I notice a huge difference.

Will report back as soon as I can get a review put together!

 

Jerry's a great guy there to deal with @ NM.

The tune will not 'adapt' to the FMIC - the FMIC simply allows for more timing to be added.

If you have an intake only right now, they will start you with the Stage 1 tune. Once you add the FMIC, you will need to step up to the Stage 2 tune to see the difference (and it's large).

I'm waiting for Aaron to get back on Monday to send my ECU out to get tweaked again, so I'm very familiar with their tuning. Just FYI.