950 for a tune??

That's too much

 

Yeah I agree, I love NMs tune. Sounds ideal for the price and power received.

 

In two days, I will have Way's Turbo Exhaust Manifold installed which will complete my goal of preparing for a tune (see mods below). Two weeks from then I will send my ECU to Jerry T and NM. I don't care about the results warranty-wise and especially do not care for the pop and burble crap (I wish NM could program it out). Like TonyCheckraise above, I don't want to have to frack around with the sport button when I decide to embarrass someone. Along with the manifold, I'm getting TSW springs, TSW X-brace, H-sport rear camber links, Helix SSK with NM shifter assembly box. It's my hail-mary pass to get the spend money on the Dread Pirate out of my system for a while (trust me... a short while I'm sure). I also believe my path has been a good mix of engine/handling. My wish list is still pretty long and by the end of the year should have Koni Yellows and a LSD at the least. Point is I don't care about tip toeing around the warranty. To really mod you can't.

 

So the tune for 2012-2013 is now available from Renntech, NM and ETG? Any differences among the three?

 

I don't think NM will tune 2012+ (from a certain month). Haven't checked recently though.

 

Um, see page 1, first post.

 

Um ok thanks

 

For my 2013 JCW, Renntech and maybe a couple others appear the only viable option (at this time of writing) for tuning the N18. Can anyone share feedback on their Renntech tune? They seem like a reputable company. Feedback from Mini users that have this tune is more imporant to me than the price.

 

From a post earlier, the dealer cannot tell what tune you have or what your map is but can see that the DME has been flashed or updated. So in other words if you throw a rod through the block or smoke the turbo bearings and the dealer sees an "update" in the DME that doesnt match your service record you can almost guarantee your going to be pulling out the VISA card on this one..

Like mentioned before an accessport or obd plug and go tune will never be available for the N18 and anything newer. They designed it that way to obviously keep the access to a minimum.

With that being said the engine is strong and all of the bench tunes available at this time for the N18 are kick *** but are still reserved so you don't grenade your prized possession.. If I had to pick one I would roll with Jerry T and get the quality that NM Engineering always offers.. Oh wait I already did

 

I assume my only real option is to go with Renntech since my engine build date is 9/12. The ETG tune doesn't seem to have the same bump in torque that the others do, and for $300 more I feel like Renntech would be better.

Can anyone chime in?

 

Based on the JCW Coupe, the torque gains and HP gains are the same for both Renntech and ETG. Just thinking about other differences such as after sales support, etc. to justify the difference in price with the Renntech...

 

Not according to their websites:

Renntech
Posted gains (R56): 221 HP @ 5500 RPM / 232 TQ @ 1700-4500 RPM
Cost: $945

ECU Tuning Group
Posted gains (R56): 29.9hp & 8.1 lbs tq (over stock)
Cost: $595

 

For reference, the stock numbers for the N18 engine are 181 HP / 192 TQ. So here's how the tunes compare for the N18:

Stock: 181 HP, 192 TQ

ETG: 211 HP, 200 TQ (+30 HP, + 8 TQ)

RennTech: 221 HP, 232 TQ (+40 HP, + 40 TQ)

 

I got an email from ETG saying that they can get a 60 lbs tq with intercooler upgrade. Anyone who has tried either Renntech and ETG? Getting the itch to get either of these two.

 

I went to ETG.
I have a Helix intercooler and the JCW upgrade kit. It feels WAY different than stock and still a pretty good gain over the JCW kit.
30HP and 65TQ sounds about right. I dont have exact numbers. But I did some 1/4 miles runs with the dynolicious app on the iPhone and I'm a lot quicker than I used to be.

 

I have no experience personally with Renntech, but their name is the reason for the premium price. They've been doing amazing stuff with Mercedes AMG for many years. Reputable may be an understatement.

 

One thing you also have to pay attention to on the "dyno" numbers from these companies is whether or not their tune is for a basic setup (cai, exhaust) or a full tune which would be for cars with a high flow or catless downpipe and larger front mount intercooler. With the FMIC and DP you can get bigger and better numbers that arent "tuneable" with the stock DP and FMIC.

 

There were some comments about the sport button tune that confused me. I was under the impression that both NM and Renn used the sport button to activate the tuning map and with the sport mode off, the car was *relatively* stock.

Is that right or did I misunderstand something?

 

No, the NM tune does not rely on the Sport button to engage the tune. The RENN does - that's the difference.

 

I can't wait for my NM Tune this spring/summer!!!! Every time I look at this thread, I get overly excited lol.

 

You'll be overly impressed for sure. The excitement is warranted.

 

Stupid question.

Does that mean its 400 bucks for me since I'm literally 30 min away from them...so no shipping fee for the ECU since I could go myself?

....cause that's a bargain hahaha

 

Email Jerry at NM with your question.

 

Just got off the phone with him. I'm sending mine out tomorrow. I can't wait!

 

Just curious cause I can't see your mods if its in your signature, but what mods do you have? Also are you going with a stage 1 or 2? Look forward to your feedback when you receive your ECU back.