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      05-28-2018, 12:56 AM   #1
detach8
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N20 Bootmod3 BM3 Sharing

Just wanted to share that I just switched from the very well known JB4 piggyback to a BM3 direct flash (w/off the shelf 91 octane map) on my 2014 X3 sDrive20i (N20B20A EWG).

Summary: The difference is MASSIVE.

I had initially gotten the JB4 in October last year because the 20i engine (184hp/270Nm) is way underpowered for the heavy and tall (not aerodynamic) X3. The car felt like a dog to drive around town.

I have the EWG but I did not buy the JB4 EWG harness since it has no effect on the map I was running (Map 1/2). I ran Map 1 initially (+4 psi), then decided to run Map 2 (+6 psi) since the 20i pushes around 8 psi stock, and my N20B20A has the low compression piston (I think - I believe the high compression ones are N20B20B) which should do 8+6 = ~14 psi safely.

Even at Map1 (~12 psi) with RON95 gas the JB4 wasn't doing so well but I got some RON98 into the car it was smoother. The JB4 did provide some oomph at higher RPMs or throttle angles, the car was still sluggish around town, and I find that there is a ~1s lag before I feel the boost "kick in". I drive almost 90% in the city so it gets frustrating.

So after about 7 months of JB4, I'm not feeling any better about the car/engine to a point that almost made me switch to the new 2017 Volvo XC60 AWD T5 (2.0L IL4 246hp/350Nm) - which is quite a nice car TBH but it was not financially sensible.

I spent weeks looking at various tuning shops in town, did my research and read up on tuning options, and finally decided to give BM3 a go.

After the flash, I left my JB4 connected in Map 0 (JB4 disabled) so I can basically use the JB4 to read boost values via bluetooth.

Driving right out of the parking lot, I already felt a difference - the throttle was sharper. The moment I got on the road, the difference was even more apparent. The car pulls better, even at 1,500 rpms. I thought all these was maybe the effect of a adaptation reset after the flash, but a few days later the car still feels the same and pulls very well, and even better than I had experienced at WOT.

The readout from JB4 bluetooth matches my butt dyno: The turbo is making at least 2~3 psi of boost between 1,500-2,500 rpms on very light throttle. The actual boost vs. DME requested boost matches quickly, i.e. no lag.

Previously on the JB4, my turbo would make close to no boost (1 psi or less) at low RPMs unless I got into Sport mode or increased my throttle angle by a fair bit, but that also causes a transmission downshift - which is annoying.

Now with the BM3, if I gave the throttle a jab, boost jumps quickly to >10, and at speeds above, say 50-60kph, there is sufficient load on the engine at low rpms that boost gets to 16 psi very quickly and is maintained at that level. The result is a car that responds faster, pulls better, and also does not do that annoying automatic transmission downshift since I don't have to get so hard on the pedal all the time.

I've only had the BM3 for about a week, but I am already enjoying my massively improved ride.

Do share your experience with BM3, if any.

P.S. I have no relationship with the creators of BM3 or any of their resellers.

Last edited by detach8; 06-05-2018 at 02:42 AM..
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      05-29-2018, 09:01 AM   #2
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Very interested in this for my n20. I don't need too much more speed so much as I need better torque and acceleration between 40-70 or so. Any other mods on yours? Charge pipe stock?
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      05-29-2018, 11:05 AM   #3
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The X3 N20 does benefit a lot from a bit of a boost (pun intended). I'm using a tuning module ("piggy back") and have been happy with it - wife first gave me a hard time about it but after a few weeks she won't drive the X3 without lol.

Last edited by pokerface; 05-29-2018 at 11:13 AM..
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      05-31-2018, 08:08 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pokerface View Post
The X3 N20 does benefit a lot from a bit of a boost (pun intended). I'm using a tuning module ("piggy back") and have been happy with it - wife first gave me a hard time about it but after a few weeks she won't drive the X3 without lol.
I have a racechip already but I'd just like something a bit more refined I guess.
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      06-05-2018, 02:33 AM   #5
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I'm about 1 more week into bm3 now and I have switched from RON98 to RON95 fuel and I do feel a slight loss in power, but it's all butt dyno -- maybe I'm just starting to get used to the power.

I am seeing slightly better fuel economy at highway speeds, although in bad start-stop traffic the fuel economy still remains pretty much the same (6km/L or approx 14mpg).

Overall I am very pleased with it, and my JB4 has remained in map 0 for ever since my first post above, and I don't think I'll ever need to use the JB4 ever again so I am considering removing it entirely.

Last edited by detach8; 06-05-2018 at 02:41 AM..
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      06-05-2018, 02:34 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335iAP View Post
Very interested in this for my n20. I don't need too much more speed so much as I need better torque and acceleration between 40-70 or so. Any other mods on yours? Charge pipe stock?
My car is completely stock. Stock intake+filters, stock exhaust, stock charge pipes, etc. Driver is stock too. :P

I only have about 60K kms on my car (38k miles).

I'm about to replace my spark plugs and ignition coils (OEM Bosch) with a newer one (OEM Eldor) which is said to be of better quality, and I'll see how that goes.

I'll also double check the spark gaps before I install them this time.
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      06-05-2018, 02:36 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335iAP View Post
I have a racechip already but I'd just like something a bit more refined I guess.
I heard that the Racechip gives better and more instantaneous response than the JB4 because it doesn't really care about the RPM/Gear, while the JB4 has a OBD connection and does some calculation based on Gear+RPM making it "smoother", but the downside is that it has a lag and I can definitely feel it.
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      06-05-2018, 02:40 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pokerface View Post
The X3 N20 does benefit a lot from a bit of a boost (pun intended). I'm using a tuning module ("piggy back") and have been happy with it - wife first gave me a hard time about it but after a few weeks she won't drive the X3 without lol.
If you have the 20i engine like I do - the stock car drives like crap. I have no idea why BMW even bother with the 20i tune on this big heavy not-so-aerodynamic car.
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      06-05-2018, 07:42 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by detach8 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by pokerface View Post
The X3 N20 does benefit a lot from a bit of a boost (pun intended). I'm using a tuning module ("piggy back") and have been happy with it - wife first gave me a hard time about it but after a few weeks she won't drive the X3 without lol.
If you have the 20i engine like I do - the stock car drives like crap. I have no idea why BMW even bother with the 20i tune on this big heavy not-so-aerodynamic car.
I was surprised by the n20 actually, it's the smoothest and most refined four cylinder I've been in. Not super quick though, at least compared to my 335i, and not much you can do about the exhaust note. But I'm happy with it.
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      06-05-2018, 10:25 AM   #10
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detach8 wife's X3 N20 has the 28i tune. Moves ok, sounds coarse. In Singapore are taxes being calculated on displacement or output? I thought it was on the former so there shouldn't be much difference had they given you guys the 28i.

335iAP I am unsure what you define as "refinement"? Is there a behavior in the racechip that you don't like?

On the tunerwerks it starts off as very OEM feeling but there is a steady and quick ramp up in boost so that we feel getting pushed into the seat.. not a lag or big whack of torque compared to our old APR tuned Audi. There is a limitation on the N20 though and eventually it does run out of steam at higher speeds (140kmh +)
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      06-05-2018, 08:58 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pokerface View Post
detach8 wife's X3 N20 has the 28i tune. Moves ok, sounds coarse. In Singapore are taxes being calculated on displacement or output? I thought it was on the former so there shouldn't be much difference had they given you guys the 28i.

335iAP I am unsure what you define as "refinement"? Is there a behavior in the racechip that you don't like?

On the tunerwerks it starts off as very OEM feeling but there is a steady and quick ramp up in boost so that we feel getting pushed into the seat.. not a lag or big whack of torque compared to our old APR tuned Audi. There is a limitation on the N20 though and eventually it does run out of steam at higher speeds (140kmh +)
Have you driven many cheaper cars, or a body on frame truck? It just feels more expensive than many boosted four cylinders, and loses some of that character with the racechip because the power delivery is less smooth and builds less predictably.
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      08-09-2018, 08:09 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pokerface View Post
detach8 wife's X3 N20 has the 28i tune. Moves ok, sounds coarse. In Singapore are taxes being calculated on displacement or output? I thought it was on the former so there shouldn't be much difference had they given you guys the 28i.
Taxes are calculated based on displacement but there are also emissions taxes, so I think maybe the 28i would have incurred an additional $5k or $10k of taxes.
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      08-09-2018, 08:12 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 335iAP View Post
I was surprised by the n20 actually, it's the smoothest and most refined four cylinder I've been in. Not super quick though, at least compared to my 335i, and not much you can do about the exhaust note. But I'm happy with it.
It's not the smoothest I've driven - The smoothest I think still goes to the VAG EA888 engine, found on a lot of vehicles incl. Golf GTI/R, Tiguan, Porsche Macan. That is a very good engine, and I wished BMW made one like that. In the latest EA888 Gen3 they added dual injection (multi-point + direct) which will solve the carbon buildup issue. But this a BMW forum... so I'm going to stop here
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      08-09-2018, 08:13 AM   #14
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Sorry that I had gone MIA for a while, just wanted to report back on BM3 after 2+ months. The car has been driving great, and my JB4 has been on Map 0 ever since day 1 of BM3. I intend to remove my JB4 this weekend, and also get a new set of plugs and coils. Also a good opportunity to check my plugs. Let's see how that goes.

Also fuel economy around town hasn't changed much but on the highway it seemed to have improved a little bit. But I'm just really enjoying the "upgraded" car now... going from 270Nm to 350Nm (estimated) is really awesome.
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      08-09-2018, 01:56 PM   #15
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I'm going to do a BM3 soon as well on my 28i. I hope to be hitting 13's in the 1/4 by fall.
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      08-11-2018, 08:26 AM   #16
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Pulled the JB4 out of the car today and replaced sparks and ignition coils. Car seems a bit smoother. I'll test again tomorrow since the idle hunts a little when starting cold.
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      08-14-2018, 11:42 PM   #17
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My cold idles are a bit more stable, although it still hunts a little bit. I suspect it might be the MAF sensor. It started to do that *after* I cleaned it. I guess if it ain't broke, don't touch it.

But the car is definitely considerably smoother, and for some reason I *think* it is getting more ignition timing advance at part load. Unfortunately I do not have logs before/after to confirm this.
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      12-08-2018, 03:45 PM   #18
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OTS map for X3, F25, 2.0i

Quote:
Originally Posted by detach8 View Post
Just wanted to share that I just switched from the very well known JB4 piggyback to a BM3 direct flash (w/off the shelf 91 octane map) on my 2014 X3 sDrive20i (N20B20A EWG).

Summary: The difference is MASSIVE.

I had initially gotten the JB4 in October last year because the 20i engine (184hp/270Nm) is way underpowered for the heavy and tall (not aerodynamic) X3. The car felt like a dog to drive around town.

I have the EWG but I did not buy the JB4 EWG harness since it has no effect on the map I was running (Map 1/2). I ran Map 1 initially (+4 psi), then decided to run Map 2 (+6 psi) since the 20i pushes around 8 psi stock, and my N20B20A has the low compression piston (I think - I believe the high compression ones are N20B20B) which should do 8+6 = ~14 psi safely.

Even at Map1 (~12 psi) with RON95 gas the JB4 wasn't doing so well but I got some RON98 into the car it was smoother. The JB4 did provide some oomph at higher RPMs or throttle angles, the car was still sluggish around town, and I find that there is a ~1s lag before I feel the boost "kick in". I drive almost 90% in the city so it gets frustrating.

So after about 7 months of JB4, I'm not feeling any better about the car/engine to a point that almost made me switch to the new 2017 Volvo XC60 AWD T5 (2.0L IL4 246hp/350Nm) - which is quite a nice car TBH but it was not financially sensible.

I spent weeks looking at various tuning shops in town, did my research and read up on tuning options, and finally decided to give BM3 a go.

After the flash, I left my JB4 connected in Map 0 (JB4 disabled) so I can basically use the JB4 to read boost values via bluetooth.

Driving right out of the parking lot, I already felt a difference - the throttle was sharper. The moment I got on the road, the difference was even more apparent. The car pulls better, even at 1,500 rpms. I thought all these was maybe the effect of a adaptation reset after the flash, but a few days later the car still feels the same and pulls very well, and even better than I had experienced at WOT.

The readout from JB4 bluetooth matches my butt dyno: The turbo is making at least 2~3 psi of boost between 1,500-2,500 rpms on very light throttle. The actual boost vs. DME requested boost matches quickly, i.e. no lag.

Previously on the JB4, my turbo would make close to no boost (1 psi or less) at low RPMs unless I got into Sport mode or increased my throttle angle by a fair bit, but that also causes a transmission downshift - which is annoying.

Now with the BM3, if I gave the throttle a jab, boost jumps quickly to >10, and at speeds above, say 50-60kph, there is sufficient load on the engine at low rpms that boost gets to 16 psi very quickly and is maintained at that level. The result is a car that responds faster, pulls better, and also does not do that annoying automatic transmission downshift since I don't have to get so hard on the pedal all the time.

I've only had the BM3 for about a week, but I am already enjoying my massively improved ride.

Do share your experience with BM3, if any.

P.S. I have no relationship with the creators of BM3 or any of their resellers.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I have a X3, F25, 2.0iX, 2012 and I intend to do a Bootmod3 DME flashing. Mine has a N20B20A engine as well (I checked it from engine number which is N20B20AB0980247. I checked the OTS maps in www.bootmod3.net and found several items. Which was the OTS map that you've purchased? "N20-EWG-L" or "N20-EWG-H"? Your help is highly appreciated because I am going to choose my OTS map.
Would you please check your bootmod3 account in order to confirm which OTS map did you choose?

Kind regards,
Mahdi
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