Cobb Accessport 93 Octane Tune
09-14-2011, 06:16 AM
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My Ride: 2008 535i, Sport, Premium, Navi, Comfort Access, USB/iPod Bluetooth, Cold Weather Package, Bi Xenon Cornering Headlights
Ok, so I finally got my Accessport in the mail yesterday, needless to say I was EXTREMELY excited to install the ROM.
So here goes:
The box and packaging are top notch, this is no POS module that comes in a brown box with crappy wrapping, you can tell your money was well spent upon opening it from the slightly larger box it ships in. Your money is well spent overall, but I'll get to that in a minute.
Hardware hookup was fairly straightforward, hook up the cable to the OBD II and the Cobb and continue. The unit is a bit smaller than I thought, but it doesnt matter, the color graphic user interface and instructions are so well designed a ten year old could figure it out. Long story short, it takes about ten minutes to do the full install, five minutes to download and store the factory ROM and five minutes to upload the "tuned" ROM, I chose the 93 Stage 1 as I dont have any modifications to my car. Thanks god I dont live in Cali with 91
It's quite intimidating seeing every single error light go on and off for a bit, but its part of the process as the factory software is actually removed from the car to replace with the tuned ROM.
Initial impressions:
- the install was quick and I was quite pleased with how easy it was.
Now the drive:
At first I got on the gas a little and could automatically feel the power curve had changed a bit, not much, just a bit. But then I said ah, what the heck and dropped the hammer. The car revved up and moved nicely but then one second later the boost hit amazingly strong. It was almost like a little bit of "boost-creep".
Is the car much faster: HELL YES !!
It pulls like a freight train on the freeway. These are not 1/4 mile cars any way you look at it, so me dropping the hammer in the local streets (yes the streets were clear) did give me an indication as to a significant change. . . but it didn't really do the tune justice like it does on the freeway. If you're doing 60 mph and get down, you'll be doing 120 mph before you know it. The rush of the power and the sound of the turbos are very obvious, I had so much fun on my 20 mile drive to work this morning.
Motor Characteristics:
Upon start up, you wont notice anything, it'll be stock virtually. This morning when I started the car, I noticed it was at about 1400 RPMs, then slowly fell to about 700 RPM. Normally the car would start at 1000 RPM then fall to 700 RPM. I'll monitor this a bit more over the next few days. Gear changes when driving civilly are stock as well. But anything between slightly aggressive and very aggressive is noticeable, more so than stock at least. Its definitely not herky-jerky. It's just more sports-car like, the shifts are more pronounced and are a bit more obvious. The exhaust note is more noticeable as well, I mean the higher flow, power and combustion have to be expelled somehow right, so that doesn't bother me at all. Once again, this is under wide open throttle.
One thing I did notice and I'd like you other Cobb guys to chime in on is the way the motor responds with regards to the way the gas pedal is moderated. I personally floored it on the freeway yesterday (by this I mean I floored it as fast as one possibly could) and I felt as if the turbos didn't make boost or the car didnt make the power I felt it should, it felt like the engine revved out in that gear and then went to the next gear . . . like an NA car, except this wasn't a 350+ hp NA car, it felt like a 200 hp one. That left me scratching my head. . . although in the Cobb AP's defense, even with the stock ECU I experience that flooring it hard won't yield the best results.
To get the best results out of either the stock or tuned ROM, I found that you should aggressively and I mean very aggressively moderate the throttle from it's nominal position (whatever speed you're going) and gradually feed it/feel it as the power comes on and get down accordingly. Like I said before, these are not drag cars, they're grand touring cars. When the power does come on, it hits hard, its very IN YOUR FACE-ish and you feel almost invincible. The car at that moment becomes a completely different animal.
Fuel Economy:
In a sentence, it's virtually unchanged, especially when driving normally like you would in the stock tune. Hammer it consistently though and you'll definitely see a difference. I'll add more to this, it's only been a day, but I personally feel the fuel economy has remained unchanged for the most part.
In Conclusion:
I personally am VERY pleased with the product and can't wait for the Stage 2 to be released. I feel like I'm driving a luxurious, livable, daily bullet, I can assure you if you're looking into this tune you will not be disappointed. It is by far the easiest, most comprehensive tune available. That coupled with the data logging features, the upgradable potential and the ease of use and you have on hell of a product. It does cost more than a JB4 but you get what you pay for. I know JB4 is awesome, I was very close to pulling the trigger, but when I considered my car still having 50K of warranty life, I decided I'd go this route just in case I had to hop over to the dealer or my car had to be towed. You get what you pay for, no two ways about it.
Finally Cobb AP for N54 =
So here goes:
The box and packaging are top notch, this is no POS module that comes in a brown box with crappy wrapping, you can tell your money was well spent upon opening it from the slightly larger box it ships in. Your money is well spent overall, but I'll get to that in a minute.
Hardware hookup was fairly straightforward, hook up the cable to the OBD II and the Cobb and continue. The unit is a bit smaller than I thought, but it doesnt matter, the color graphic user interface and instructions are so well designed a ten year old could figure it out. Long story short, it takes about ten minutes to do the full install, five minutes to download and store the factory ROM and five minutes to upload the "tuned" ROM, I chose the 93 Stage 1 as I dont have any modifications to my car. Thanks god I dont live in Cali with 91
It's quite intimidating seeing every single error light go on and off for a bit, but its part of the process as the factory software is actually removed from the car to replace with the tuned ROM.
Initial impressions:
- the install was quick and I was quite pleased with how easy it was.
Now the drive:
At first I got on the gas a little and could automatically feel the power curve had changed a bit, not much, just a bit. But then I said ah, what the heck and dropped the hammer. The car revved up and moved nicely but then one second later the boost hit amazingly strong. It was almost like a little bit of "boost-creep".
Is the car much faster: HELL YES !!
It pulls like a freight train on the freeway. These are not 1/4 mile cars any way you look at it, so me dropping the hammer in the local streets (yes the streets were clear) did give me an indication as to a significant change. . . but it didn't really do the tune justice like it does on the freeway. If you're doing 60 mph and get down, you'll be doing 120 mph before you know it. The rush of the power and the sound of the turbos are very obvious, I had so much fun on my 20 mile drive to work this morning.
Motor Characteristics:
Upon start up, you wont notice anything, it'll be stock virtually. This morning when I started the car, I noticed it was at about 1400 RPMs, then slowly fell to about 700 RPM. Normally the car would start at 1000 RPM then fall to 700 RPM. I'll monitor this a bit more over the next few days. Gear changes when driving civilly are stock as well. But anything between slightly aggressive and very aggressive is noticeable, more so than stock at least. Its definitely not herky-jerky. It's just more sports-car like, the shifts are more pronounced and are a bit more obvious. The exhaust note is more noticeable as well, I mean the higher flow, power and combustion have to be expelled somehow right, so that doesn't bother me at all. Once again, this is under wide open throttle.
One thing I did notice and I'd like you other Cobb guys to chime in on is the way the motor responds with regards to the way the gas pedal is moderated. I personally floored it on the freeway yesterday (by this I mean I floored it as fast as one possibly could) and I felt as if the turbos didn't make boost or the car didnt make the power I felt it should, it felt like the engine revved out in that gear and then went to the next gear . . . like an NA car, except this wasn't a 350+ hp NA car, it felt like a 200 hp one. That left me scratching my head. . . although in the Cobb AP's defense, even with the stock ECU I experience that flooring it hard won't yield the best results.
To get the best results out of either the stock or tuned ROM, I found that you should aggressively and I mean very aggressively moderate the throttle from it's nominal position (whatever speed you're going) and gradually feed it/feel it as the power comes on and get down accordingly. Like I said before, these are not drag cars, they're grand touring cars. When the power does come on, it hits hard, its very IN YOUR FACE-ish and you feel almost invincible. The car at that moment becomes a completely different animal.
Fuel Economy:
In a sentence, it's virtually unchanged, especially when driving normally like you would in the stock tune. Hammer it consistently though and you'll definitely see a difference. I'll add more to this, it's only been a day, but I personally feel the fuel economy has remained unchanged for the most part.
In Conclusion:
I personally am VERY pleased with the product and can't wait for the Stage 2 to be released. I feel like I'm driving a luxurious, livable, daily bullet, I can assure you if you're looking into this tune you will not be disappointed. It is by far the easiest, most comprehensive tune available. That coupled with the data logging features, the upgradable potential and the ease of use and you have on hell of a product. It does cost more than a JB4 but you get what you pay for. I know JB4 is awesome, I was very close to pulling the trigger, but when I considered my car still having 50K of warranty life, I decided I'd go this route just in case I had to hop over to the dealer or my car had to be towed. You get what you pay for, no two ways about it.
Finally Cobb AP for N54 =
09-14-2011, 03:57 PM
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My Ride: 2008 535xi Platinum Gray, Black Dakota Leather, Sport Pkg
Nice review. I got my AccessPort last week and am also running the 93 octane map (v2.03). I've been blown away by how much faster my car is. I'm almost scared of it, because when I goose it, it pulls like crazy and just never seems to stop pulling harder. Wow! My only concern is that my 535xi tends to understeer, and I'm still getting used to it. I've never had AWD before, and this car handles way differently than my prior RWD's, especially under heavy throttle. That issue is exaggerated with the ridiculous power I'm now getting.
09-14-2011, 05:35 PM
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09-15-2011, 01:13 AM
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This may be a question for Cobb personally but can u swap maps on the fly and initiate valet mode? I heard great things from Cobb Im intending on picking it up ASAP!
09-15-2011, 04:42 AM
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My Ride: 2008 535i, Sport, Premium, Navi, Comfort Access, USB/iPod Bluetooth, Cold Weather Package, Bi Xenon Cornering Headlights
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=585798
I wrote this review for you guys, my fellow N54 E60'ers
I was thinking, jee, this is a tough crowd no one had replied for hours, but it appears the responses are coming back and I'm liking the feedback on my review. I'm genuinely trying to be helpful to the small group of N54 guys in the E60 community. . . we are probably the most "special" set aside from the almighty M5 guys. I was really on the fence of getting a 550i sport when I looking to buy an E60, I'm so glad I didn't now. It was either buy the 550i and leave the motor stock or buy a 535i and find a nice tune and have a faster car. I did drive a few of them but honestly the 535i with the Cobb AP just feels so much more lively and aggressive. Go get this thing, it's worth every penny.
Stage 2 will be released soon, but I'm certain it will require bolt ons, and downpipes for the 535i are $$$. . . .$800+ unless we can find someone to make them and we do a group buy. I'd have to say the Stage 1 upgrade is more power than most folks will need, I couldn't see anyone not being pleased with it.
I have been bitten by the mod bug. . . bad. I just might have to suck it up and get the exhaust and downpipes soon when the Stage 2 is released. That coupled with a nice meth injection setup (which is definitely cheaper than the exhaust and downpipes) and the car should easily yield 410-420 whp. . .
09-15-2011, 04:45 AM
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I don't think you can switch maps on the fly. But honestly I don't find that to be a big deal, switching maps takes minutes . . . .literally. And now that version 3.01 is out, the linearity and the curve of the power delivery are even more impressive. Check out the link I posted in my post above. Version 3.01 was released yesterday.