[smarean]

I'm looking for more power out of my 2009 335i daily driver. As others have said... upgrading it to where it should have been out of the factory.

It's stock, other than 19" wheels and other cosmetic upgrades. Now for the fun stuff!

After reading the forums, sounds like I'll do tuner, intake, downpipes, and intercooler. Not sure if I'll ever do the LSD. It's not manual, BTW, just paddle shifters (again daily driver focus, sometimes in stop-n-go traffic).

I only do a few autocrosses and maybe a track day each year.

Should I go with Cobb or JB4? Sounded like a few people said the JB4 is harder to control and might make daily driving less smooth? And some people preferred the tech design of the Cobb?

Any advice would be appreciated...

[Flex68]

I was originally Gonna go jb4 but after my research ol Gonna go Cobb better suited for my needs and thats street use and a less harsher tune. Before that I'll be doing plugs and also be doing intercooler and charge pipe first .... Then later on downpipes exhaust and intake if even

[B.M.W.]

I went with JB4 mainly because of map 5 & the price. It's easy to install/remove if need be & with only FBO mods it's great!
Catless, FMIC & DCI with the tune. It's a great DD, but if you want to track/drag it, the LSD is a huge help.

[techwhiz]

The War Has Started......

It's personal preference.
I run a Cobb V2. I bought the Cobb because I was still under warranty and it was easy to remove.

I like the idea of not having to physically mess with connections at the ECU.
YMMV but the Cobb works great.

[mike@x-ph.com]

You cant go wrong with either tune.
Jb4 gives you really good power, awesome features and unlimited free support and upgrades for an unbeatable price.
Cobb gives you stock like power delivery

[e92_boost]

JUICE BOX BABY you will never regret it

[boost junkie]

MHD flasher + JB4 in flash tuning mode. Best of both worlds.

[Nitrousbird]

JB4 was the easy choice for me. Half the cost and more features. I guess if you factor in the Bav Tech cable if you want to do a backend flash then it isn't quite 1/2 the cost but still significantly cheaper.

I daily drive my car. JB4 Map 5, no impact at all on how it drives (unless getting on it) and no impact on the fuel mileage either.

[Wes335XI]

Because I have the RB's and I'm using Meth, I'm going to stack the JB4 G5 with the Cobb. I'll utilize the JB4's integrated Methanol Control and I'll still be able to use some of the other neat features that it has. The JB4 G5 has been great and it allowed me to get into the low 12's using Map 3. Moving forward though, I can't take advantage of the RB's without a back-end tune.

The COBB will allow me to use a Wedge map or a custom tune from my tuner. COBB is a great product, I used the V2 on my 04 STi. The V3 looks really nice and wouldn't mind having it on display in the BMW.

[335socal]

Originally Posted by boost junkie

MHD flasher + JB4 in flash tuning mode. Best of both worlds.

Cheaper too!

[smarean]

Thanks for all the posts! If the price were the same, would you pick Cobb over JB?

And I don't need a "harsh" tune... "stock like power" sounds nice.

I also don't care to have anything on display, so the fancy Cobb user interface really isn't a factor for me.

Still not decided...

[WedgePerformance]

Originally Posted by smarean

Thanks for all the posts! If the price were the same, would you pick Cobb over JB?

And I don't need a "harsh" tune... "stock like power" sounds nice.

I also don't care to have anything on display, so the fancy Cobb user interface really isn't a factor for me.

Still not decided...

Sounds like you just need an MHD Flasher. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

[jayzF30]

Cobb + protune

/thread

[smarean]

MHD flasher sounds cool, but I have an iPhone not Android.

Is a new charge pipe recommended only if I plan on using methanol? Not sure I'll be doing that right away.

Also, it would be more helpful if everyone could describe the reason for their preference, not just cast a vote. And let's take cost, ease of installation/removal, and appearance off the table. How does it drive? How does it feel? Do you ever switch maps and why? Or do you just stick with one? Is one more expandable if I choose other upgrades later?

Thanks!

[924er]

I went with Cobb because of the ease of install and I've always been against piggybacks even tho I know jb4 was legit. I didn't mind spending a few hundred more to get a flash, you are driving an expensive machine to begin with.

I didn't like the whole gauge hack and code reading method on jb4 it just felt too bootleg but that's my personal opinion I don't want to start a war.

To answer your main questions I do believe Cobb gives you the same power delivery as stock. For each map there are 2 throttle options, ST or LT. With ST the pedal feels just like stock as when you press the gas 20% you get 40-60% power. LT gives you a more linear response. 20% means 20% power. It's as easy to understand.
Since you are already used to stock I prefer u set it to ST. The LT will make the car feel slow even tho it's all in the gas pedal same power.

Good luck

[WedgePerformance]

Originally Posted by smarean

MHD flasher sounds cool, but I have an iPhone not Android.

Is a new charge pipe recommended only if I plan on using methanol? Not sure I'll be doing that right away.

Also, it would be more helpful if everyone could describe the reason for their preference, not just cast a vote. And let's take cost, ease of installation/removal, and appearance off the table. How does it drive? How does it feel? Do you ever switch maps and why? Or do you just stick with one? Is one more expandable if I choose other upgrades later?

Thanks!

Walmart has Android tablets for $50. So if you're looking to save some money this would still be an option regardless of what type of phone you have. Bottom line, you'll have @ $80 in hardware to take advantage of the MHD application.

[Culichor]

Originally Posted by e92_boost

JUICE BOX BABY you will never regret it

This one ^ can't go wrong

[e92_boost]

What's MHD sorry for thread Jack

[Moutamid]

Originally Posted by e92_boost

What's MHD sorry for thread Jack

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1096242

[smarean]

Just to close this off... I went with the Cobb V3 Stage 2+ package. The downpipes have been on backorder for months, so I finally gave up waiting and had my shop install all the other parts, which essentially equates to the Stage 1+ package (plus the new charge pipe). It is freakin' AMAZING!!!

The reasons I went with the Cobb over the JB4 were...

1. Nice user interface on the Access Port, downloadable maps, customizable guages, logging for troubleshooting, can do 0 to 60 and quarter mile timings, etc. (all very user friendly)

2. It reprograms the ECU, rather than sitting outside "fooling" the ECU (riding piggyback). It just seems logical that it's better for the car's computer to really know exactly what's going on, rather than being lied to by another computer. ;-) I could be totally wrong on this, but the engineer in me sees this as a more elegant and pure design.

BTW, I didn't realize you basically always have to run with traction control off in order to really let it loose. Makes sense, since you easily lose grip with this much power... which is REALLY fun! Flooring it from a dead stop with tires squealing and the back end wiggling in first and second gear just puts a smile on my face each time. :-)

Is it my imagination or do the seatbelts actually lock from the forward momentum of the car now? I'm pretty sure they do, which is ridiculous. Or maybe that's just because you have to slam the brakes on after a few seconds because you're already well over 60mph.

Overall, just an incredible upgrade. It's like having a whole new car for less than $5k, which a LOT less than a new car. ;-) I have yet to end up next to anyone serious at a stop light, but I can't wait to surprise them when I do...