Active Autowerke So Cal Group Buy

[pokeybritches]

I just got home a couple hours ago... LA traffic It was great to meet you Hairballs. Pretty wild that we had 33% of the SG/IR/grey top/aluminum trim roadies in North America at the same shop getting the same tune on the same day at the same time haha.

First, props to Auto Talent. VERY nice guys. Casual atmosphere, but judging by the other cars in the shop (2 Lambos, 2 Ferraris, Ford GT, a couple of modified M3s, high horsepower 300ZX, etc.), it was obvious they were experts. I ended up hanging around for a few hours just to see what else rolled in. They had a couple of E46 M3s show up, one with an AA supercharger and the other with unknown mods, so I had a blast. It was nice to be able to talk to people who actually knew about our cars, especially on the electronics side. I'll definitely be back to give them my business.

I'll have a more in-depth review of the software in the next few days. As of now I've noticed four things:

1. Improved power delivery. I'd complained a few days ago that there was some hesitation in power delivery at low rpm, and it wasn't associated with any particular rpm so much as it was a time delay like turbo lag. I suspected it had to do with my intake and the ECU being unable to adapt. Well, the AA tune has fixed that as far as I can tell. On the 4 hour drive home the engine revved as buttery smooth as my 3.0i, with one major difference:

2. The car now pulls all the way to redline. I ended up raising the rev limiter 200 rpm to 8200 rpm. I did some research and found that a lot of tuning companies raise the limiter to 8600 rpm or more on stock engines, so I figured 8200 rpm would be safe. ESS even uses 8400 rpm. I don't plan on going there every day, but it's nice to have it if I need it every once in a while. Regardless, the car pulls hard all the way to redline.

3. More power. I'd equate the car's new performance to the gains realized when the temperature drops 30 degrees or so. It's noticeable.

4. Improved throttle response. I used to use the sport button on my 3.0i, but gradually moved away from it because it was too sensitive. I can't remember the last time I used it on my M. The new throttle response is somewhere between normal and sport mode, with a bias towards normal mode. Heel and toe is easier, but the throttle isn't so sensitive that it feels like an on/off switch. It's slightly more sensitive than pre-tune; just right IMHO.

My only disappointment thus far is that there was a misprint regarding the SMG lights; the programming isn't available to the Z4M. I would have liked to have them light up on the variable tach like the SMG E46 M3s. If anything it would let me know my tune is still there and hasn't been erased by the dealer during a service. This is the other reason I opted to raise the rev limiter.

Interesting fact - while our ECUs are upgraded to something along the lines of the E9x M3s, the communication hardware is that of the E46 M3. What this means is that while the ECU can process information more quickly, it can't send it quickly enough to realize its new speed advantage. To give an example - it took 30+ min to reflash 2.5 megabytes of data. The car has to download the porn that is our S54 at dialup speeds.

[mfanatic325]

lol did I not tell ya'll it was worth the money? eh eh? Did I not?

[krnnerdboy]

thanks for making the drive down and making it possible for us. That power to redline is going to make it worth it, especially for people like me who came from s2000's

I'm going to option for...

8200 rpm redline
02 bypass for future header install

[pokeybritches]

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

lol did I not tell ya'll it was worth the money? eh eh? Did I not?

Yes. I don't know what my favorite part is... that my Z4M is no longer grumpy I wake it up (sooo smooth after a cold start now), the increase in power, or the pull to redline.

Originally Posted by krnnerdboy

thanks for making the drive down and making it possible for us. That power to redline is going to make it worth it, especially for people like me who came from s2000's

I'm going to option for...

8200 rpm redline
02 bypass for future header install

Thanks for setting it up! I pulled 8200 rpm out of my @$$. I thought about going with 8401 rpm just for bragging rights when I talk to my friend with an E92, but I know I'd be tempted to hit the limiter more than is good for the car. As it is right now, 8200 rpm is a great number because my reaction time between seeing 8000 rpm and then shifting seems to be about 200 rpm. However, the car pulls so strongly now that I don't feel it's as necessary to run it that high.

Headers will probably be my next mod, and I'm looking at all the options: O2 sim (if it gets sorted out), relocating O2 sensor bungs to after the secondary cats, waiting on the research exhaust with cats I can swap in, etc... I hate the mod bug.

[eunosracr]

Just have the Tune bypass the oxygen sensors for the cats when you get headers. Thats what I did and it works like a charm!

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by pokeybritches

Yes. I don't know what my favorite part is... that my Z4M is no longer grumpy I wake it up (sooo smooth after a cold start now), the increase in power, or the pull to redline.



Thanks for setting it up! I pulled 8200 rpm out of my @$$. I thought about going with 8401 rpm just for bragging rights when I talk to my friend with an E92, but I know I'd be tempted to hit the limiter more than is good for the car. As it is right now, 8200 rpm is a great number because my reaction time between seeing 8000 rpm and then shifting seems to be about 200 rpm. However, the car pulls so strongly now that I don't feel it's as necessary to run it that high.

Headers will probably be my next mod, and I'm looking at all the options: O2 sim (if it gets sorted out), relocating O2 sensor bungs to after the secondary cats, waiting on the research exhaust with cats I can swap in, etc... I hate the mod bug.

No problem, thanks for coming through and not making me look like an ass! I can't wait till tomorrow morning! I'm heading down to autotalent in the morning for my tune and then hitting up bestbuy for gran tursimo5!!

[Hairballs58]

Originally Posted by pokeybritches

I pulled 8200 rpm out of my @$$. I thought about going with 8401 rpm just for bragging rights when I talk to my friend with an E92, but I know I'd be tempted to hit the limiter more than is good for the car. As it is right now, 8200 rpm is a great number because my reaction time between seeing 8000 rpm and then shifting seems to be about 200 rpm. However, the car pulls so strongly now that I don't feel it's as necessary to run it that high.

I should have gone to 8200 as well, I hit 8000 and missed the shift cause its kinda chaotic and I'm not used to shifting that high!

Turns out I flat out lied about the dsc and sport mode staying on after starting the car again, it didn't turn on a couple of times later, so I called Sam and he says that AA copied the description from the M3 tune and the Z4M tune doesn't have it! My mind must have just seen what it wanted to see.

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by Hairballs58

I should have gone to 8200 as well, I hit 8000 and missed the shift cause its kinda chaotic and I'm not used to shifting that high!

Turns out I flat out lied about the dsc and sport mode staying on after starting the car again, it didn't turn on a couple of times later, so I called Sam and he says that AA copied the description from the M3 tune and the Z4M tune doesn't have it! My mind must have just seen what it wanted to see.

LOL, yeah our dme takes a while to cycle through everything to get back to full operational status...BTW 02 bypass costs an additional $200

The Shop
So I went in to get my tune at 10:30 and walked into a garage w/ a f360, f430, 2 gallardos, twin turbo r8, and 2 stroked and blown e92 m3's I knew my car was in good hands! Eveything was smooth and was able to talk shop w/ the owner and next thing you know my tune was done.

The Drive
Unfortunately I went home in thanksgiving 405 traffic, quite possibly the worst freeway at the worst time of year! And to be honest my butt dyno isn't really tuned but on the way I ran in to a drunk belligerent that was pretty pissed about my exhaust, my car, or me...still not sure why he slammed his brakes and tried to run me off the road in his 70's beetle. Either case I didn't feel like playing w/ a drunk 60 yr old man in traffic so I called the CHP on him and passed him at full throttle w/ a 1-2 shift. Mind you at this point I forgot I got a tune and I was in a semi self preservation mode. AS I was passing him the only thing in my mind was HOLY SHIEEET the top end pulled like never before and I completely lost my rear end in the shift!! Did I mention I have my R compounds on

So
when I got home I decided to hit a few familiar on ramps where I regularly full throttle it, and usually it feels like when it gets past 7000rpm that the cars pulls throttle back, instead it makes my heart jump a beat as it wasn't anticipating the extra pull to redline.

Happy thanksgiving guys!

[johanness]

I'm glad the tunes are working out.

Quick question... are you all getting the same tune from AA that we'd get by mailing in our ECU? Or did your cars go on a dyno to get individually tuned while you were there? I think it's the first one, but thought I'd ask.

[pokeybritches]

It's all the same tune. There was no dyno on site.

[mfanatic325]

No dyno on site for me either.

And last night, I did more official runs against my friend's mk4 Supra TT (1 of 68 '98 White 6-spd manuals in the USA). I thought I had him beat a couple weeks ago when we did one quick run on the freeway, but neither of us were going all out since there was still some traffic at the time.
Well, after last night, unfortunately I admit defeat
That thing is a beast! We did 40-120 pulls back to back to back.
Every time it would be the same result. I'd take him off the line, both of us always starting in 3rd gear. I'd get to half a car or a full car length ahead at most. But once his turbos really kick in, omfg. He's able to just speed-walk right by me
The really scary part about it is that he's only down downpipe and twin conversion (spools both turbos all the time, as opposed to one turbo for down low, and one turbo for up high). The twin conversion makes it so that he'll have more lag down low, but will kick in much harder up high, since there are two turbos spooling now as opposed to just one.
He's got a lot of tasty mods coming his way too.
Looks like I will have to at least get headers and x-pipe just to attempt to keep up.
Or I'd have to man up and get boosted

[pokeybritches]

At 40 mph you should be in 2nd. Try it again and see what happens

Even with the undersquared design, our cars still don't have a lot of torque (especially compared to a turbo car). You've got to be in the high rpm to get going anywhere.

[krnnerdboy]

I second a 2nd gear run! our second goes to 70mph and third goes to 100mph. You really need to be in the right gear to use the hp in torqueless cars like ours, but either way a 2jz w/twin on and exhaust will walk our cars on the freeway...he should be putting down 450 whp w/ those mods

[pokeybritches]

Since I have no dyno, I decided to do a before and after run in 3rd gear on a straight, deserted road. 2k rpm to 8k rpm, moderately steep uphill in the beginning. Post-tune it was about 10 degrees cooler, but playing the videos side-by-side it worked out to be over a second quicker... maybe even 2 seconds quicker. Once I figure out how to merge them into one video I'll post it here.

I can't begin to describe how happy I am with this tune, especially with the new cold start behavior. The car just does exactly what I want it to do, no hesitation, perfectly smooth. I never really felt like I had to fight with the car before, but I did feel like I had to tailor what I was doing with my right foot to what it wanted me to do- most noticeably when it was cold. Now it's the other way around. Where it used to take some concentration to get the exact results I wanted, it now is completely subconscious and takes zero brainpower.

[pokeybritches]

Edit: It's about a second quicker, maybe a little less.

[krnnerdboy]

that's great, I'm loving my tune every chance I get as well, especially on the top end. I'll have some track results on 12/3 for the definitive answer of how this helps us on the road...I'm really hoping for a 2mph trap increase

[mfanatic325]

hah I'll try the 2nd gear pulls sometime in the near future. But I honestly don't think I stand a chance either way =P
That Supra is simply just a beast and cannot be messed with

[Z4Murder]

Originally Posted by mfanatic325

hah I'll try the 2nd gear pulls sometime in the near future. But I honestly don't think I stand a chance either way =P
That Supra is simply just a beast and cannot be messed with

i think you'd be surprised at the difference starting in 2nd at 40 will give you

[krnnerdboy]

So I just got back from the track w/ some times....you be the judge. Consider this, the tune makes power above 6k rpm and in the 1/8th you end in third at 6k

all time best pre tune 8.48 @ 85 over 20 times to get this(da 950)

all time best post tune is 8.39 @ 85 2nd try (da 1100)

[johanness]

So u picked up a 10th, but your trap remained the same? You're still happy I hope?

[krnnerdboy]

ehhh the results are questionable but the driving experience is not...

[krnnerdboy]

btw here is a shot of autotalents getting my tune done