[IanW555]

I have a question about the piggyback ecu's such as JB4 and how they produce the extra power. I know that products such as JB+ simply up the boost, but it would be nice to find a unit that provides more of a remap approach, ie fueling mix, boost etc.

Whilst no mods are 100% safe, hell, even stock cars have problems. I would like to up the power in more of a safe way, rather than just maxing boost which much be higher risk. In the old days, you ported the head, improved the breathing in and out, adjusted the fueling and had power through efficiency, with modern complex ecu's is this still possible?

Thanks,

Ian.

[hybris]

Originally Posted by IanW555

I have a question about the piggyback ecu's such as JB4 and how they produce the extra power. I know that products such as JB+ simply up the boost, but it would be nice to find a unit that provides more of a remap approach, ie fueling mix, boost etc.

Whilst no mods are 100% safe, hell, even stock cars have problems. I would like to up the power in more of a safe way, rather than just maxing boost which much be higher risk. In the old days, you ported the head, improved the breathing in and out, adjusted the fueling and had power through efficiency, with modern complex ecu's is this still possible?

Thanks,

Ian.

My understanding is that you can not adjust the fuel maps with a piggyback, you will need an ECU remap to do that. But the ECU will adjust to the added boost of a piggyback and try to keep the correct A/F ratio. Which it will be able to do if you don't increase the boost too much.

From that perspective simple piggybacks like the JB+ that simply increases boost are actually pretty safe, because every other parameter is still maintained by the ECU.

[rjd_F30]

There really is no reason to go with piggybacks if there are ECU flash tunes available. Bootmod3 by ProTuningFreaks is coming out for B series engines very soon, it's in beta now I believe, so I would wait for that to come out and get it. It's a very popular flash tune for F series BMW's, I have it and love it.

But to answer your question, no a JB4 cannot adjust fueling and timing directly. It does in a roundabout way, but it is latent and not nearly as good as a flash tune. Hopefully this doesn't spark another debate, but the pros/cons of flash tunes vs. piggybacks has been hashed out on here time and time again. Look around and I'm sure you'll find some threads. But you're right, with modern cars, it's not really an "open up the airways and get more power deal anymore". That's still a necessary part of increasing power, which is why so many people do catless downpipes on these cars, but it's not the forerunner in power making like it used to be.

[hybris]

Since you are in the UK, there are already a number of BMW focused tuners (probably most) that will offer ECU remap / flash tunes if you would prefer that over piggyback.

Random example (quickly googled): https://www.celtictuning.co.uk/servi...e-1#t3-content

Only possible drawback is you won't be able to easily remove it when your car goes to the dealer to be serviced.

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by hybris

Since you are in the UK, there are already a number of BMW focused tuners (probably most) that will offer ECU remap / flash tunes if you would prefer that over piggyback.

Random example (quickly googled): https://www.celtictuning.co.uk/servi...e-1#t3-content

Only possible drawback is you won't be able to easily remove it when your car goes to the dealer to be serviced.

That's the beauty of BM3! Can flash back to stock in like 30 seconds, I do it before dealer visits all the time. That doesn't mean they can't find out it was tuned if they wanted to, because they always can, but still, can be removed.

[hybris]

Originally Posted by rjdnyy224

That's the beauty of BM3! Can flash back to stock in like 30 seconds, I do it before dealer visits all the time. That doesn't mean they can't find out it was tuned if they wanted to, because they always can, but still, can be removed.

yes, and also more customizable. So certainly a good option, when available for B48/B58 - hope it's soon

[rjd_F30]

Originally Posted by hybris

yes, and also more customizable. So certainly a good option, when available for B48/B58 - hope it's soon

Should be soon for you guys! It's in closed beta right now, but I'm seeing more and more pictures on their Instagram of 330i's hooked up to a laptop

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

The JB4 is able to make more power safely than the JB+ because it has a fuel connection and CANbus for engine feedback. Which solution you select depends on how much power you're looking to make but the JB4 is more than capable of maxing out the factory N55turbo's performance. If you are not concerned with warranty/lease return flashing is also an option using BM3 both with or without the JB4.

Mike