[patsgarageonline]

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I put my BMW i8 on the dyno, got stock numbers and then the car was tuned and tested a few times.

We all learned a TON of information about the BMW i8 after running it on the Dyno. Please watch this video in it's entirety to learn more. There is a lot of data to consume, here, but I felt it was important to document the entire process.

Ultimately, I went home with a new map file on the car from Alex Meyers at Yorkshire DPF Centre. He had been tuning his own BMW i8 for a better driving experience. He's still developing a better tune, so this video is based on his map file at the time.

[stressdoc]

Thanks for the useful information. Stay healthy...

[Mr. Body Massage]

Did you try any street driving with the Kassel performance tune? And did he go into detail on what he did? Timing, higher boost pressures, VANOS, etc? I saw the part where he was trying some VANOS stuff, did he stick with it?

[BigT]

Very interesting video. If even such professionals are impressed, that means something. And the almost smooth curves once again confirm that the highest level of engineering has been achieved with this car. These findings are impressive and revealing even for those like me who don't want to do any tuning.

[911-AL]

It was great talking with you on IG Pat. Keep up the great work and keep this much needed content coming!

Al

[patsgarageonline]

Thank you, all. I haven't driven with the Kassel tune as of yet. He didn't indicate what he changed because that would give competitors an edge. He is a business and wants to protect his findings. However, it appears he was able to increase the output while nearly maintaining the exact power curve from the stock pull.

Opinion time: I'm concerned that the flat HP and Torque curves are actually the reason why so many folks message me, expressing disappointment in the driving experience. I get messages from folks asking what they can do in order to make the car feel more exciting, wild or responsive. I'm asked for tips in engine swaps. I'm asked why Koenigsegg can make a 600 HP 3 cylinder, but BMW can't. I don't have answers, but the only thing I can do is spend hours looking at a chart that tells me that the power delivery is so refined and close to the Utopian flat curve that every manufacturer wants, that it takes the feeling of rawness away. For those that don't want the rawness, the i8 is perfect, because it is efficient and effective. For those of us who grew up with carburetors and loud engines/exhaust, the i8 leaves us disappointed, to the point where it's better to trade it to someone who appreciates that. I was considering selling my i8 and getting a more exciting car, even if it's 2 seconds slower in the quarter mile. I miss the excitement, especially hanging around my raw car owner friends. I feel like a tall child sitting at the adult meal table. I look like I fit in but I just can't keep up the conversation. I can carry my own, talking about technology and refinement, but they are speaking a different language; a language I've spoken since I bought my first Corvette in 1994 but can't relate to, anymore.

Regarding the Kassel tune, I'm asking myself what's going to happen. They kept the HP and Torque curves about the same, just elevating them. It's the same flat curve as stock. It's possible I'll be faster, but still not experiencing the excitement. I'm waiting to see. I'll go back to Kassel in a month, do more testing and drive their tune.

I do have opinions on the current tune that I'm running and can see that the curve is close to stock through a certain RPM range, but bumps up through others. I can tell you that this feels more like a gas car and it's a feeling I want to have in the i8. I can say that my rear tires are now spinning if I turn DSC off and pull out in Sport Mode from a stop, something my Continental DWS06 all season 30mm wider tires have NEVER done. I can also say that the seat belt tensioner now locks up upon deceleration from a full-throttle application and my car has never done that before. Do I like it? Yes. Is it doing anything to improve 0-60, 60-120, etc? I'm not so sure. But, I like how it feels to me and it makes me not want to sell the i8 anymore.

[Iain123]

A great Vid Pat. Thanks for your efforts.

However, it always amazes me with these tuning companies, that if it is so easy to get more power out of these engines (45minutes with a Tech on a laptop), then surely BMW would also have installed a revised map from day one…..unless they know there is a higher probability of longevity downsides to the engine with these extreme maps.

230brake out of a 1.5Litre is pushing it already!

[patsgarageonline]

In my video, I show the charts I received included comparison between the stock pulls and tunes. Here is a sterilized chart showing just the Stock BMW i8 run on a roller, load inducing, Mustang dyno. I deleted any other data from the chart for other comparison runs. I added weather information and density altitude. These are wheel HP and Torque numbers. I was running on stock BMW i8 wheels, but aftermarket tires (Continental DWS06 +30mm wider all around), which do have an impact on the results compared to stock Potenzas. A hub dyno will give much more accurate results.

[Coastali8]

Originally Posted by Iain123

A great Vid Pat. Thanks for your efforts.

However, it always amazes me with these tuning companies, that if it is so easy to get more power out of these engines (45minutes with a Tech on a laptop), then surely BMW would also have installed a revised map from day one…..unless they know there is a higher probability of longevity downsides to the engine with these extreme maps.

230brake out of a 1.5Litre is pushing it already!

I enjoyed the video...Great effort.
At the end it seemed like you were struggling to feel the difference between the chip tune vs stock.
I’m afraid I would have to agree with Iain123.

[stressdoc]

Look forward to 1/4 mile comparison data. Good to hear that you are getting some tire spin!

[patsgarageonline]

Thanks! I was able to produce a 3.95 sec 0-60 Launch Control time, today, using the Dragy app which has become an acceptable/accurate tool for measuring times. On a drag strip, that equates to 3.7 sec due to the 1 foot roll through the beam at the start line. 1G of acceleration was recorded at the shift from 1st to 2nd gear. I'll be uploading another video on that. My best time using Dragy was in February where I achieved a 4.3 sec 0-60. I'm struggling to find that video, however. I may need to remap back to stock for more testing. At some point, I have to give up spending money on tests, however, lol.

[BigT]

Your view of the (missing) feeling of rawness, in my opinion, sums up the matter with the i8. Because it really doesn't feel raw in any way, and because I'm not looking for rawness neither as a feeling for myself nor as an expression to impress or share with others, I'm probably so happy with it.

What the car, on the other hand, conveys like no other is what Thomas from Autogefuehl describes as ‚effortless’. I just experienced that again on my trip to Berlin yesterday. No matter how many construction sites sometimes forced me to slow down to 40 and then to speed up again to 120 and more, it happened with a feeling that felt so extremely effortless that the head whizzing that I used to have after six or seven hours of driving with this one car no longer occurs in the slightest. That is probably 1: 1 the effect that is expressed in these harmonic measurement curves and this is for me a very interesting psychological finding.

I think you are right: anyone who loves or needs the impression of rawness is better off buying something else. But those who perceive and appreciate this different quality as a more adult or modern feeling will be or remain happy with the i8. Like so much in life, it's just a matter of style and taste.

Spending time and money to achieve a more raw feeling with the i8 is therefore obviously useless and this finding saves probably some folks from an expensive disappointing experience.

[stressdoc]

Respectfully disagree. On the one hand, I don't want a Corvette. But I enjoy a high performance edge. Slowly working to reduce weight and enhance performance of my i8.

[Iain123]

Its funny how I find myself very protective of our 3cly 1.5liter engines. Things like always switching it on in advance when stationary at lights to give the oil pressure/temp a chance, when I know I’m going to be using later in that trip. I also wouldn’t dream of trying to eek more bhp out of the unit…..as it seems so highly stressed as stock.

However, if you simply doubled the unit to 3.0L straight 6 with 460bhp, so with exactly the same power/litre, bizarrely I’d be much more relaxed about tuning despite it being no less stressed.

[stressdoc]

Thankfully I don't foresee a resurgence of the N54 tuner wars happening with the i8. That said, I loved my modified 335 w LSD and mild tune. I have yet to master power sliding the i8; BigT has a point about the i8 being effortless, medium rare, but certainly not milktoast.

[patsgarageonline]

I finally found a road surface and a low humidity day to get my best 0 to 60 time on this tune with no wheel spin. In launch control, I was able to achieve SUB 4 seconds and measured 1G of force shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. I was using a Dragy to measure the performance. Link is in the description of the video if you want one.

The tune added 11HP and 3ft-lbs of Torque, which is minuscule. The tuner said that it was tuned in order to allow the mid-engine to come in with more power than the i8 is programmed to, at low RPM. That's because the i8 was tuned for efficiency and low emissions from the factory. Taking advantage of the electric motor, and having the mid-engine intentionally delayed, is what he changed.

This tune is currently not for sale. The tuner is testing it based on the seat of the pants feel and engine feedback from his performance measurements and will likely be making tweaks and changes. I was the first to dyno test and road test his tune. This is the map file that I had flashed to the car towards the end of the dyno pulls in the dyno video. He may market it in the future, but I'm not sure. His contact information is in the video:

[Nachbar]

Originally Posted by patsgarageonline

I finally found a road surface and a low humidity day to get my best 0 to 60 time on this tune with no wheel spin. In launch control, I was able to achieve SUB 4 seconds and measured 1G of force shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. I was using a Dragy to measure the performance. Link is in the description of the video if you want one.

The tune added 11HP and 3ft-lbs of Torque, which is minuscule. The tuner said that it was tuned in order to allow the mid-engine to come in with more power than the i8 is programmed to, at low RPM. That's because the i8 was tuned for efficiency and low emissions from the factory. Taking advantage of the electric motor, and having the mid-engine intentionally delayed, is what he changed.

This tune is currently not for sale. The tuner is testing it based on the seat of the pants feel and engine feedback from his performance measurements and will likely be making tweaks and changes. I was the first to dyno test and road test his tune. This is the map file that I had flashed to the car towards the end of the dyno pulls in the dyno video. He may market it in the future, but I'm not sure. His contact information is in the video:

Great Video Pat. THANKS!

[Iain123]

Still puzzled why BMW didn’t use that tune if they could unless there is a downside. I would have thought getting a sub 4sec 0-60 Time would have been a major marketing tool.(Assuming eco pro has a different tune, there would be no hit to the eco/mpg marketing)

How does it work? Does the stock car have 3 sets of engine mapping for the 3 modes eco/comfort/sport?
Is Alex’s tune only for sport or does it not work like that?

[stressdoc]

Agreed, the purpose of the three modes (eco comfort sport) is to allow task-specific tuning, and one would think that sport mode, particularly using launch, would optimize acceleration, and a sub 4 sec 0-100kmph time is a marketing rubicon that would help silence the 'not a real performance car' critics.

Perhaps the conservative reliability designers won out...

It would be nice to hear from the experienced 1/4 mile folks to see what results tunes are providing.

Originally Posted by Iain123

Still puzzled why BMW didn’t use that tune if they could unless there is a downside. I would have thought getting a sub 4sec 0-60 Time would have been a major marketing tool.(Assuming eco pro has a different tune, there would be no hit to the eco/mpg marketing)

How does it work? Does the stock car have 3 sets of engine mapping for the 3 modes eco/comfort/sport?
Is Alex’s tune only for sport or does it not work like that?

[patsgarageonline]

Originally Posted by Iain123

How does it work? Does the stock car have 3 sets of engine mapping for the 3 modes eco/comfort/sport?
Is Alex’s tune only for sport or does it not work like that?

Alex told me that the stock map is based on efficiency and fuel economy, even in Sport Mode. The way it is designed, the stock engine map is designed to wait for the electric motor to initiate the roll out, then come in with more torque from the engine. By making the engine wait until the electric motor starts, it results in less emissions and better fuel economy. Alex modified the map to eliminate the torque limitation down low in the engine map, so the engine kicks in with power from the start, instead of waiting. He also modified timing to allow for more response based on fuel octane. The i8 stock tune was designed so the i8 could be used anywhere in the world based on the worst quality gas available. Alex based my tune on 91-93 Octane quality US gas. Our premium is 93 Octane (98 RON). But, I can run 100 Octane race gas in it and the map will adjust timing to compensate for it, while being safe for the engine.

This map helps improve performance in Sport. And increase gas mileage in Eco/Comfort, by adjusting timing, torque limitations, etc. It's a street-map to help make the i8 more fun but not an all out performance beast.

He has been getting so many messages wanting the tune, he decided to sell an update version, in addition to a stage 1 tune, which is higher performance:

https://www.yorkshiredpfcentre.com/p...including-maps

[Leto1701]

Originally Posted by patsgarageonline

Alex told me that the stock map is based on efficiency and fuel economy, even in Sport Mode. The way it is designed, the stock engine map is designed to wait for the electric motor to initiate the roll out, then come in with more torque from the engine. By making the engine wait until the electric motor starts, it results in less emissions and better fuel economy. Alex modified the map to eliminate the torque limitation down low in the engine map, so the engine kicks in with power from the start, instead of waiting. He also modified timing to allow for more response based on fuel octane. The i8 stock tune was designed so the i8 could be used anywhere in the world based on the worst quality gas available. Alex based my tune on 91-93 Octane quality US gas. Our premium is 93 Octane (98 RON). But, I can run 100 Octane race gas in it and the map will adjust timing to compensate for it, while being safe for the engine.

This map helps improve performance in Sport. And increase gas mileage in Eco/Comfort, by adjusting timing, torque limitations, etc. It's a street-map to help make the i8 more fun but not an all out performance beast.

He has been getting so many messages wanting the tune, he decided to sell an update version, in addition to a stage 1 tune, which is higher performance:

https://www.yorkshiredpfcentre.com/p...including-maps

Have emmisions been measured as well? I made the experience as many i8 drivers that Sports on long trips, manually put in 6th gear because the automatic limits Sports to 5th, is really efficient. I have seen between 5 and 6 Liters / 100km typically at 150 km/h (sorry for those who live in the axis of unit evil still, only USA, Myanmar and Liberia left ). I strongly doubt there is a "no downside" better tune than from BMW originally. The question is which downsides you personally are willing to accept and if they are legal.

[Big boi m5]

Imo you shouldn't really mess with the i8 tune.

It's set up to coordinate the AWD and transistion power from front to rear smoothly. You mess with it you'll not really do much but ruin the balance.

I'm just going to remind you this car was developed by the Sauber F1 guys literally as soon as BMW pulled from F1. And in motorsport hybrids are good for pulling cars out of corners with fwd and then transitioning to ICE down a straight.

The other consideration is this car is meant to be GREEN fun. It's green first and fun second. You want a faster car you need to drop the bicycle tires and tighten the dampers. It's set up like a 550i. Highway comfort. Ironic given the mid engine car but it is what it is.

Last problem is the battery is too small for a 20 min track session. So it's fast for 1 minutes and then turns into a heavy and expensive Mini Cooper.

I'm sorry I just don't recommend throwing money at this. BMW is good at making cars go fast reliably AND they have the facilities and budget and Nurburgring to test and figure it out. Some guy in his garage isn't going to do anything worth much with this car. It's not a civic, it's way more complex and decisions on power aren't simple.

I love the i8 and I want one, but if you wanted a mid engine fast machine get an R8 you know? It's just not designed to be that.