Most liked posts in thread: Detroit Tuned tuning party 2013(RMW)

Well the simple fix is......... Get an R 53.

 

Jan is doing you a favor. Read Dave's post above several times over.

He's not being lazy, and he's not trying to screw you, he's trying to prevent you from getting screwed. The N18 is one any tuner in their right mind at this point would avoid, unless you're willing to sign a waiver to the effect that you don't mind the risk to your ECU being fried, losing your warranty, and all the ensuing emotional damage that occurs (After an N18 tune, one guy divorced his wife, developed intractable diarrhea, and developed a penchant for cross-dressing; he can now be found on the streets of Wichita making bird noises. Now THAT'S sad.).

At some point the risk/benefit line gets crossed. It looks like that line is drawn on the N18. That doesn't mean that people won't try it, and it may work out ok for some, but take a hundred N18's and tune them, and you're going to have many unhappy ex-MINI owners.

 

Your comment from an above post:
"It's kinda just sad from my standpoint, the best in the business won't tune an N18"
ought to be enough to leave it alone... there is a reason he is not tuning it.
There is a difference between having a few problems, and tearing up your engine.. That's bad for business..

 

I have an ALL RMW car and it is a very fast and a reliable daily driver for 5 + years now.

Don't get tuned or taken by the latest FAd tuning software or by someone learning to tune on your car. Tuning todays ECU cars is not like twisting a screw on a carb or adding a buttload of timing. It takes years to acquire the knowledge to do the job right not weeks or months.
Just because someone has software to open and view tables in the ECU does not mean they absolutely know what you are doing.

This is your chance to get tuned by the one who has been tuning and making MINI proven performance parts for years. Think about it...there is a reason so many RMW customers are so loyal.

If you tuner is just flashing your car he is not tuning. Ask your tuner how many championships he has won and if he also tunes real racecars for major race teams. You know cars that race in the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona.

The proof is in all the satisfied customers cars Jan has tuned, wins on the track and the hands down best proven MINI performance parts you can buy. Why would anyone want the "other" parts when you can have the proven best.

I am a huge fan of Jan / RMW and would never trust anyone else to tune my performance MINI.

 

Tune Party

The Tune Party at Detroit tuned will be Sept 14/15 weekend if we get enough deposits. Prices are posted by Rob in the 1st of this thread. Jan can do N18's yes, but they take ALOT of extra time and there are risks like posted above. Doing these on the road is not a real option. N14 Turbo MINI's will be no problem though. Call Detroit Tuned to make your arrangements. 586-792-6464

 

As was explained to me and a few others one day by Eric at Helix... The process to "crack" the ECU open is a very fine line between success and "you need a new ECU."

The greatest risk isn't in the tuning... but in heating the case up to be able to pry it open. Because of the low temp solder used inside for the circuitry, you run the risk of opening the ECU and having the circuit bits fall off the board. That would certainly be enough for my panicky tendencies to keep me from attempting it.

^^True story^^

 

Agreed. It's already been stated, the tune is the easy part. Physically getting at the ECU is hit or miss. One thing you quickly learn watching/getting tunes is how different each car is, even when they have the exact same engine/mods. Is your car the one that it going to be easy, or is yours the one that the ECU is going to go thermonuclear during the tuning process? Roll the dice....

It's just not worth it, that's what we're all trying to tell you, unless you're ok with a several thousand dollar fix if things go bad. If you go ahead and do it, seriously, I wish you best of luck, and hopefully you'll be one of those lucky ones. If not, this thread will be a sad reminder for posterity. The truth is, you have the wrong car for what you want to do.

 

Hi Rob,

Thanks for posting this here on MA.

And Welcome to the Fun MINI site


Hopefully there are some MA'ers out here that have always wanted a Jan tune but couldn't make it happen because of the distance. Nows the chance.

 

This is curious. Not sure why there haven't been more responses. I know that at MOTD folks were lining up to wait their turn to have Jan but a tune on their car.

Once word got out from folks that had done it, more peeps went to see if there were any open slots.

He just did a tune fest @ Helix and I saw online the list was strong.

MOTD was about 7+ hour drive and I think the group I was with would say the trip was worth it just for the tune. Now you have a chance for a tune in Detroit and dyno.
So, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, here's your chance.



Folks! Get on this opportunity.

If you've been Jan tuned, pipe up and testify to the benefits.

 

If you can narrow down the dates, I might be able to add my name to the list.

 

Do Da Tune Here....

 

You R56 people need to check with Jan before committing to this... The N18 R56's require the ECU to actually be opened up, and the tune flashed directly to the EPOM on the ECU board... In other words, its a pain in the corn hole, and chances are you will be SOL on tune day!

So please contact Chad, or Jan prior to signing up. I am sure they wont mind a few extra calls, just to make sure everything is good to go on tune day.

 

It's a pain in the ass; and it's really not worth the risk, from the tuner's standpoint.

 

Instead of saying man up, I'd put the blame on BMW... There's NO REASON why they have to lock down their ECUs.

I thought BMW was a performance car? So why not encourage it?
Lots of other car manufacturers encourage it... Some even pay out if you are successful in racing.

Hell, if they are worried about warranty issues, just void it if someone's got a tune on the car. Don't they do that already? ut:

 

N18 issues aside, where are we on the original topic of RMW @ Detroit Tuned?
Rob, are you still trying to herd the cats on this, or are you stepping aside?

 

I hope it works out for you, I'd just ask for some sort of guarantee in writing. The N18 unfortunately is a different beast. BMW really screwed the pooch on that one.

 

Can't help you Ron but I wish you good luck in putting this together. My Coupe has already been tuned by Jan and I love the performance!!!