[idnan]

Originally Posted by hellomyBMW

Thank you for your quick reply.

I'm leaning towards JB4 since it's cheaper and you get nearly the same results compared to COBB.
When you say you are switching to a JB4 and COBB combination, does that mean you can have COBB on top of JB4 tuning? How is that possible with ECU flashes...? I'm confused...

Oh! and I forgot to ask... What exactly is protune for COBB?? Is that just another tuning map?

I'm bored at work

I've got bigger turbos so it is better to use the Cobb installed on the car as well as the JB4 so that there is finer control over the fueling. The ECU is flashed/programmed with the Cobb and the Jb4 is physically plugged in.

A protune is a custom map done by a company tailored to your specific mods or requirements. Some tuners do theirs on a dyno to acheive the best results whereas others email you the map and work off customer feedback.

[hellomyBMW]

Originally Posted by idnan

I'm bored at work

I've got bigger turbos so it is better to use the Cobb installed on the car as well as the JB4 so that there is finer control over the fueling. The ECU is flashed/programmed with the Cobb and the Jb4 is physically plugged in.

A protune is a custom map done by a company tailored to your specific mods or requirements. Some tuners do theirs on a dyno to acheive the best results whereas others email you the map and work off customer feedback.

lol, me too. Not much to do at work so I have been researching forums all morning. But it was a hard to wake up this morning after 5 day weekend...

Anyways, thanks for the explanation. so you CAN use COBB AND JB4 at the same time for finer controls?

[idnan]

Originally Posted by hellomyBMW

lol, me too. Not much to do at work so I have been researching forums all morning. But it was a hard to wake up this morning after 5 day weekend...

Anyways, thanks for the explanation. so you CAN use COBB AND JB4 at the same time for finer controls?

Yes you can use them together but it is only really required for cars with bigger turbos and stock turbos with really high boost.

You do lose the ability to datalog with the Cobb, although the JB4 is still able to do it although it is slightly less advanced in that manner.

[hellomyBMW]

Originally Posted by idnan

Yes you can use them together but it is only really required for cars with bigger turbos and stock turbos with really high boost.

You do lose the ability to datalog with the Cobb, although the JB4 is still able to do it although it is slightly less advanced in that manner.

I got it now!
Thanks for your input.
I used to drive a 1992 3000GT VR4 and back then I was adjusting the boost mechanically but now everything is done by electronically... hence confusions came across...

I am going to order JB4 by end of this week. ^^

[idnan]

Originally Posted by hellomyBMW

I got it now!
Thanks for your input.
I used to drive a 1992 3000GT VR4 and back then I was adjusting the boost mechanically but now everything is done by electronically... hence confusions came across...

I am going to order JB4 by end of this week. ^^

Good luck, please give some feedback when you get it.

[hellomyBMW]

Originally Posted by idnan

Good luck, please give some feedback when you get it.

Absolutely! ^^

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by idnan

Yes you can use them together but it is only really required for cars with bigger turbos and stock turbos with really high boost.

You do lose the ability to datalog with the Cobb, although the JB4 is still able to do it although it is slightly less advanced in that manner.

you're mixing jb4 and cobb!!!!....lol....

you're mental!!!!

[phil200tdi]

Terry is now using Cobb devices to remotely provide base remaps for e85 fuelling and rb turbo applications..

I considered an evolve remap stacked with jb4. But just upgraded to the G5 board, will see how this goes when it arrives.

[hellomyBMW]

Originally Posted by idnan

Good luck, please give some feedback when you get it.

Hi idnan!
Just wanted to give you an update with JB4.
So I received my JB4 at work today in the morning and without a hesitation, since we have a warehouse/garage at work, I started the installation process right away.
Upon 2.5 hrs of installation here is my feedback from the beginning.

Installation:
Fairly easy process... Although removing the whole ecu to feed the USB cable through firewall was pain in the a$$... Ran into couple problems here and there such as broken power wire pin on JB4... So I had to improvise with a wire nut.
Overall, it should've taken less than 1 hour but I was fighting with ecu for a while...

JB4 G5 User experience:
After installation, I can definitely feel the difference! I went straight to map 5 went on a couple WOT runs. First run was impressive. Huuuuuge pull hitting aprox. 13psi. Second run, hitting nearly 16psi peak then back down to ~14psi and then all of a sudden, it felt like I hit a wall then JB4 threw a code at me. HPFP pressure code. I immediately pulled over and researched this issue. Found out that it was a common issue so reset and switched to map 1 and did couple more WOT runs. No codes were followed.
After work, my friend and I, who owns 335i JB4 G4 map 5 running 20/80 e85 did couple pulls from 50-120, 0-80 and I was behind by a car or two every time. I was running map 2 93 octane at the time. Then I mixed 30/70 of e85/93, switched to map 5 and I was peaking at 16 psi and down to ~14 psi.
With the mix of e85, there was a huge difference in WOT. It pulled much harder than just 93 octane for sure however, it wasn't very consistent... Couple runs, I will peak at 18 psi down to 14 psi. The other runs, I'll be steady at 9 psi even with e85.

Conclusion:
Overall, I was satisfied with the gain but the inconsistency of holding the boost as well as fluctuating boost was frustrating. I also felt bogging and lag of boost.
Maybe there are few settings that I need to adjust but for now, this is my feedback. I will drive around for couple more days and give you guys a final update.

Questions:
Is JB4 usually inconsistent with boost? For example, you'll boost at 15 psi first run but the next run will be maxed at 9 psi and so on and so forth...
Is COBB tuning more consistent in back to back pulls?
More questions to come...

[phil200tdi]

No sounds like you need to get the settings sorted.

If you are getting hpfp codes you may just need to adjust the open loop fueling values. Do some logs and send to terry.

[München]

JB4 is active I have found that the throttle is very sensitive and takes careful modulation to prevent the car flinging itself down the road. On the flipside however, this means that the car is super responsive low down in the rev range and builds boost very quickly.

The Cobb on the otherhand feels very different. One thing to note is that I have a manual and I tried out the linear throttle mapping as recommended by a few people on the American forums.

Cobb uses more boost to acheive similar performance (18psi+ compared to 14.5psi with the JB4). This might be a point of concern for those whose turbos have a lot of mileage on them.

thanks for the comparison, good write up
I like the fact that Berger piggy back still has the spool vs the linear response of the COBB Flash (makes it feel like a normally aspirated car) which I hated on my Lancer Evolution after it was flashed.

Not to mention you need to spool it higher to get the same amount of power....i'll deal with the octupus, unless the COBB has a different map to make boost response to come in violently.

[neilvosko]

Just to add, i went from JB4 G5 ISO with BMS flash to Cobb S2+FMIC aggressive LT, its basically 1 cup of coffee vs 3 cups of tea comparison, respectively, you get the same effect in the end but different delivery.

coffee: even the iso + bms flash was jumpy, rush of power - perfect for the 1/4 mile, and thats where it shines. feels fast.

tea: the cobb is a slow-smooth power, allowing to gradually dial it in with the right foot. perfect for daily driving and HPDE. i am new to cobb, so using OTS, but i am sure with the protune will be even better.

to each his own.

[Dextrek]

I am doing the test myself as well. Currently I have JB4 G5 ISO, but looking to upgrade to Cobb BMS back end tune. I want to see how that compares to the Cobb Protune. Anyone have any experience with both? or seen any comparisons?

[Maxblast]

I have my JB4 installed since a few weeks and despite the fact that a recent Dynotest failed to measure extra power, I feel there is a major difference when I activate map 1.
However, the Cobb AP for the N55 sounds good to me as well. Can the two work together or would it be better to go for only one of the two tunes?
My 335i N55 is still basic so not mods.

[Josh1a1h]

I love my jb4. It has been installed for about a year now and I completely understand the aggressive tuning and sensitive throttle. But I have just adjusted my heavy foot, and i absolutely love it!

Mate, what larger turbos are you running? RBs? I was going to go the meth route, and I am still thinking about it... But I think bigger turbos is the safe direction. I wouldn't mind some advice on where to source them and how much you are looking at for install.
Can I use my existing VRSF DPs with them do you think?

[Sparky68]

Bigger twins Rob Beck, these are what idnan currently runs i believe. As for pricing , Rob emailed me a couple of weeks back

Mark,


Here is the pricing per your request:


$3099 RB Turbo upgrade/New and installed actuators
PLUS
$600 core charge for RHD 335I (refundable when/if old units are optionally returned)
PLUS
$xx shipping (Need address, courier of choice, and amount to insure/value package for quote)


There is a also a $100 discount if paid by check or bankwire.


Thanks,
Rob

www.rbturbo.com

[Josh1a1h]

Originally Posted by Sparky68

$3099 RB Turbo upgrade/New and installed actuators
PLUS
$600 core charge for RHD 335I (refundable when/if old units are optionally returned)
]

Roughly £2.5k

Plus £800-1000 for install

Obviously there is a significant increase in power. Around 80whp correct? Is that correct?
Do you believe it was worth the money? Do you have any videos of your car running?

Many thanks for the pricing mate!

[idnan]

At the same boost they produce approx 40whp more than the stockers. It is a huge amount of money and I only went for it as I had leaking oil seals on my old turbos and was out of warranty. They are good but i think you'll find an equal jump in performance running meth for a much lower price.

Vargas stage 2 turbos will be available soon at a lower price so it might be worth waiting to see how the dyno results compare to the RBs as I have a feeling they might be very slightly better. However I feel that you should definately run meth if you do have upgraded turbos to get the best out of them.

[Josh1a1h]

I agree, but what about running meth on the stockers. I know it is a great boost in power and your engine will thank you for the steam clean it has at full boost.

Did you ever run meth on your stock snails? It is definitely next for me... I believe the fail safes on the jb4 will prevent any thing blowing? I read a problem recently where a guys engine flooded because too much water/meth was shot into the engine and it hydro locked!

[idnan]

I didn't run meth on my stock turbos but I think Phil on here has. There is a risk with every modification we do and 1 failure out of so many in the last 3 or 4 years is not that bad. Plus he was doing a track day so the risk of damage is always higher.

[Josh1a1h]

That is true.

I am going to hunt for a trunk mount setup. I am considering running the WW setup as I never use my windscreen wash anyway. Just paranoid about the lid popping off and causing a fire.
Thanks for your help mate

[idnan]

I had a washer based system but had to change to a trunk mounted tank as my washer bottle started to leak. If you need help sorting out the meth tanks etc then just drop me a PM.