Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastal i8
I really can’t believe that somebody with a laptop and a few hours on a dynamometer could come up with something better than the thousands of hours and millions of dollars that BMW engineers spent without sacrificing something.
|
I couldn't believe it either. In fact, I never wanted to waste my time at a dyno trying to squeeze anything more out of the car since it felt very well tuned. And, I didn't want to prematurely break it. I decided to provide my car as a test platform and learn some things, and then convert it back to stock. However, I was surprised at what I learned, the results I got and have now become a believer that someone with a laptop and a dyno can do a whole lot more than I expected, safely.
The manufacturer has to build the i8 so that it operates perfectly in all the different environments and all the different fuel qualities around the world, while reducing fuel consumption, noise, CO2 and emissions. So, the same computer codes are loaded into cars destined for Dubai, Alaska, Australia, etc. What tuners are able to do is customize the coding to the fuel we have in the US (91 or 93 for premium) and our climate, considering a high and low ambient temps that we may encounter. Since I know my car is going to run quality 91 or 93 in the continental US, it can be tuned to take advantage of that quality of fuel. You still have factors of safety that nothing bad will happen to the car, as long as you don't transport the car to Australia with the world's worst fuel qualities or Dubai where it's hotter.
Besides ambient temps and fuel quality, are also limitations on torque that are made in order to improve efficiency and fuel economy, specifically in the i8. The mid-engine is coded to wait for the electric motor to fill in torque at low RPM before it rolls in with more power, unless the battery is depleted. But, the mid-engine can be coded to operate as if there is no battery power left to operate the electric motor, so it won't hang around and wait for until a certain RPM to provide more torque. That creates a noticeable difference in feeling and G-force at low RPM. It also slightly increases emissions, although not bad enough to fail a smog test, because the mid-engine is still operating as if the battery is dead without any torque limitation. However, removing low RPM torque limitations would likely detonate Australian fuel. So, they have to consider this when coding the mid-engine.
These are the things I learned when talking to the folks that modified the coding, who also had no interest in using this as a selling point. I paid $0 for my time on the dyno as well as the tune because I was providing my vehicle as a test platform. I truly intended on driving the car for a month to give feedback then reverting to stock, forever. After learning what was going on inside the coding, I felt better and came out with a better understanding.
That said, there's nothing wrong with keeping the car stock and enjoying it. I was getting bored with it and planned on selling it to get a car that felt like a tuned i8. I'm keeping the i8, now.