[Beedub]

Originally Posted by pokeybritches

Pretty sure it's because his kit never worked right, and the developers themselves weren't able to correct it. The increase in power wasn't worth the loss in driveability. He was kinda left out to dry. And all of that came at a huge $$ cost and headache. Alpha N tunes are a lot more finicky and require a higher level of skill to be successful. You lose the MAF sensor, so the tune determines load via throttle plate position (alpha) and rpm (n). Every condition and parameter has to be programmed into maps, since adaptability is compromised. Large hardware changes (like headers) require a retune of all of those maps. If a tuner doesn't take the time or have the skill set to make adjustments, you end up with a car that runs like crap.

ESS has had their own issues in the past, where they required Euro headers only due to minor differences in O2 sensor location. I got my SS V1 stepped headers at a ridiculously cheap $450 with modifications to fit the Z4M already made, because they threw a CEL on the previous owner's car with his ESS tune. IphoneEngineer (I believe)had a CEL with AA headers and ESS VT2-500 tune. They may have fixed the problem now, but the point remains that Alpha-N is difficult to do, and FI requires Alpha-N.

pretty much nailed it.