Z4 M Evolve-R Group Buy

[flipm3]

Originally Posted by tikamak

oh btw his car's redline is on 8600 RPM, mine is 7900 stock

......

That just goes to show once again how good this tune is, as well as, your driving skill!

Tell your buddy to get an Evolve tune now!

But seriously....8600RPM?! Is that safe on a stock motor, lol?

[tikamak]

That's definitely a challenging RPM for this motor.

I have lightweight wheels and Nitto NT05 tyres, also some small weight reductions.
I also think that my car is much stronger now since back then i had only 20 miles on the tune :P and they told me that it needs a while to adapt correctly. everytime i drive the car i feel the power is smoother.

I think that if i try again, with the top up and closed windows i will be able to be dead on the finish line with him.

[beta]

Originally Posted by txz4

how important is it to get the new bmw software before flashing? I have the displeasure of having one of the worst bmw dealerships in the country in my city...

Originally Posted by zubydafa

+1.

also, should i have my dealer erase my custom tune before sending over my file?

I'm updating my software first. The tune will just tweak all the parameters to give you more low end power and smoother power delivery. However the base software is still going to be the same, and that's why all tunes are adaptive, because the underlying software is adaptive. They're just enhancing what BMW already spent years and millions of dollars developing.

That's why I'd personally recommend updating software first. This way you have the latest and greatest version, then get that tweaked by Evolve so it's the best it can be. My 2c.

[kennyfrc]

Going to dyno my car thursday night. It runs like a beast since installing the tune.

[zubydafa]

Originally Posted by tikamak

The tune is impeccable, such a smooth power delivery and my car doesn't slouch anymore.

I've been able to run with an e46 M3 with intake headers and local tune and a 3.91 diff, 3-4 cars difference.

that's awesome to hear.

Originally Posted by beta

I'm updating my software first. The tune will just tweak all the parameters to give you more low end power and smoother power delivery. However the base software is still going to be the same, and that's why all tunes are adaptive, because the underlying software is adaptive. They're just enhancing what BMW already spent years and millions of dollars developing.

That's why I'd personally recommend updating software first. This way you have the latest and greatest version, then get that tweaked by Evolve so it's the best it can be. My 2c.

thanks for the tip. am i correct in assuming that updating the software will overwrite my current tune? ...and that an updated and un tuned ECU is the one that Evolve would like to receive from us?

[RobMCoupe]

I have a question concerning software interface. After flashing the car, can I install the software on a different laptop? Are there files we need to backup before moving to a different laptop? I am asking because I do not have a laptop and need to borrow one to flash my car.

[beta]

The only files you need to worry about are your original file, and the evolve tuned one; which is the file they will email you back after you send them your original. I'm just forwarding the emails to a different account (gmail) so it's on two separate email accounts + my work account, then I don't have to worry about backing it up.

The software you can install on as many computers as you need. The software will expire some time in the future though and you might have to get a new download link, but this is not something to worry about unless evolve goes out of business.

[RobMCoupe]

Originally Posted by beta

The only files you need to worry about are your original file, and the evolve tuned one; which is the file they will email you back after you send them your original. I'm just forwarding the emails to a different account (gmail) so it's on two separate email accounts + my work account, then I don't have to worry about backing it up.

The software you can install on as many computers as you need. The software will expire some time in the future though and you might have to get a new download link, but this is not something to worry about unless evolve goes out of business.

Thanks.

I need to get going with my baseline dyno. Can't wait to flash my car with Evolve tune from the review so far.

[Blind32]

Getting mine Dyno'd tomorrow, flashed tomorrow night, helping a friend move, then driving my car all night!

[zubydafa]

i'm flashing my car back to stock and updating the software tomorrow at the dealer. i wonder if they'll charge me.

[RobMCoupe]

Originally Posted by zubydafa

i'm flashing my car back to stock and updating the software tomorrow at the dealer. i wonder if they'll charge me.

If you are out warranty expect a charge. It depends on your relationship wit the dealer.

The old saying is why fix something that is not broken in tech world. I might stop by dealer after work today and talk to my SA.

How do we know we have latest DME software? Do we have a revision number for reference?

[beta]

If my info is correct. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Roadster US: 7840451
Roadster Euro: 840449

Coupe US: 840463
Coupe Euro: 840461

Only way to tell what you have is with a code reader.

[Blind32]

I didn't update my DME software. Not sure what version I'm on. My car has been running great so I figured, why mess with it if it is running good on this version.

[RobMCoupe]

Originally Posted by beta

If my info is correct. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Roadster US: 7840451
Roadster Euro: 840449

Coupe US: 840463
Coupe Euro: 840461

Only way to tell what you have is with a code reader.

Thanks beta. I didn't get a chance to swing by dealer today. Got off late due to work load.

[RobertRO]

I've got my Evolve-R interface in the mail early this week.
Two days ago I've read the data and submitted the output file to Evolve by email. Reading the ECU information takes one full hour.
Today I've received the tuning file back from Evolve. I am impressed by their prompt feedback.
Writing the Evolve tuned data into the ECU takes much shorter, about 25 minutes.

The tuning process is very smooth and simple. Although the instruction file send by Evolve is not perfect and does not refer to the Z4M, by adding a little bit of computing common sense you cannot be wrong.
Just make sure that:
- your car battery is fully loaded (a 30+ minutes drive should guarantee it, supposing the battery is in good shape), before staring the ECU reading or writing procedure. Providing that the car battery is loaded, you can go through the ECU reading process or ECU writing process without connecting a battery charger;
- your laptop is AC powered or has at least 90 minutes of battery backup;
- you turn off all the vehicle electrical consumers during the process (e.g. lights, ventilation, etc.);
- you disable all the power saving features of the laptop (incl. screen saver and suspend/hibernate on idle), and the Evolve software is the only active program you run;
- the key must be in "on" position, but with the engine off.

I suppose you expect some feedback about how the car feels like with the tuning. Sorry to disappoint, but after uploading the data into the ECU I only drove the car for about 10 minutes in the town, just to make sure it works fine and normal. Which it does.

I plan to have a longer trip this weekend, including about 250 highway miles. I will post back.

[Blind32]

Curious if you guys feel a difference in power immediately or does it slowly grow during the adaptation? I understand it takes approx 4 tanks of gas to fully adapt but is there a difference in those first 100 miles that is noticeable?

[tikamak]

Theres a slight difference in the throttle. After you run thecar you start feeling the car pulling like a train, effing brute power to the ground

[RobertRO]

I am back from a 330 miles trip, out of which about 250 highway miles.
Some feedback:
- the car runs fine and smooth throughout the powerband. I didn't find any driveability issues. More, the slight acceleration step I used to have around 3700-4000 rpm seems to have gone away ;
- it pulls strong, but I wouldn't say that it feels stronger than stock. This does not mean it's not. Obviously, the power increase of the tuning is rather small, and very likely it remains undetectable to the "butt" dyno of an amateur driver like me. I suppose that other forum users will post some dyno tests which will show the actual stock versus Evolve-R difference;
- I noticed that the inner surface of the exhaust tips get covered by a black powder much faster than before, signaling a richer mixture than stock, at least in certain engine load/rpm conditions. Also, the fuel consumption seems to have increased a bit (I estimate it around 5-7%, based on the previous data for the same trip) - but both richer mixture and lower mpg are expectable after a tuning;
- I couldn't find a safe traffic situation which would have allowed me to go for the maximum speed (I requested the Vmax delete option for my Evolve-R tuning). Maybe some other time.

[DanFromTucson]

EDIT: If anyone else needs the USB driver for the cable, I found the link on M3Forum:

USB Driver
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM20814_Setup.exe

[txz4]

are there any instructions? or will it brief me on what to do once i plug this bad boy in. Im planning on reading my ecu tonight so any help is appreciated.

[flipm3]

Originally Posted by txz4

are there any instructions? or will it brief me on what to do once i plug this bad boy in. Im planning on reading my ecu tonight so any help is appreciated.

I'm not sure if Evolve Automotive updated the included Instruction Manual with the Z4M protocol. It is fairly self explanatory and similar to the protocol of all the other cars in the manual.

Make sure to pick MSS70 for the DME!
Make sure to extract the full and whole DME file!

Goodluck!

[txz4]

Edit: discovered hiding in a file