545felix

I got my car flashed at Active Autowerke with their tune for the N62 last week. I've driven the car for over a week before I posted to get a full impression of it.

For the numbers guys, keeping in mind the variability of dynos and the 90+ degree heat down here in Miami, the peak in 3rd gear was 11hp and 7lb/ft, the peaks on the 4th gear runs were 8 hp and 15 lb/ft. Keep in mind that mustang dynos read on average 10-12% less than dynojets, too. But these numbers tell very little.

The throttle response is night and day better. It's not jerky, like a sprint booster, it's just a deeper response. There's still more to be had even with the throttle at 3/4s. The car just feels more alive, no flat spots, no delays. Any time, any gear, the result is incredible torque. I've had this car over 5 years and 80k miles and it's never felt this good. It's so much more eager to rev, move forward, and distances just seem to disappear. Mileage has gone up a tick, don't know if it's just a lucky traffic profile or if I'm using less throttle.

The dyno graphs don't look like there's much going on at lower rpms, but remember that's full throttle runs, not the part throttle maps where you spend 90% of your driving time. This is the best naturally aspirated tune I've driven, and all of my BMWs have gotten tunes.

I've been taking my BMWs to Active since '98, and I can easily vouch for their professionalism and dedication to the marque. This is not a shop that set up overnight and is reselling someone else's tune, they do their own tuning. They have performed an engine swap for my old E36 325 to an S52, suspension and brake work on my E39s, and maintenance on my E60 since up until now they didn't have much for the V8. They make monsters out of MZ3s and from what I can see they do all sorts of things with the turbo engines, but I've stuck to NA all this time so those I haven't driven.

I am of course open to questions, etc. but since I've gotten married and have two kids, one of them 14 months old right now, free time to respond is at a bit of a premium, so don't pounce if I don't respond for a day or two.

Only Bimmers

Thanks for the review. I really was interested but i couldn't justify the cost for a few hp. However, if the driveablity itself is made better than this is something to think about. I have a 550i and i assume it will see similar results. Its just a shame that you can put a slightly more expensive tune on a turbo and get amazing results from it. I understand that there is a bit of time and effort into developing software, but i think need to price it according to results. If this nets you 5-10 HP its not a $900 product with programmer. Since a turbo tune will be double and net 10 - 20 times the result, I would say this is a $300 tune.

west

Congrats on getting the tune and taking the time to do a dyno. Not sure about the AA tune but with the ESS tune you will see even greater gains when running fuel that has a higher anti-knock index (AKI).

545felix

I'd kill for ethanol free 93 octane, but around these parts that's not an option. best I can get ethanol free is rec-90.

Turbos are easier to play with -- you can fiddle with max boost and get huge gains that way. without them you won't see much in the max power figures. But who drives on the wide open throttle maps all the time? The throttle response and part throttle torque on this tune get used every time you move.

Da_Meister_22

Glad to hear you enjoy the tune brother.

Dremers

So this tune cost $900?

Damn that is a nice chunk of change.