[penguen]

Hi there

I bought a '11 z4 sdrive35i 20k miles with dct 1 month ago. One of my friend used to have a 335i with JB4. He gave away his jb4 with usb cable for free. My car is completly stock.

I talked about installing jb4 for using map5/1 with my garage. He advised me not to bother with JB4(even map1/5). He said it ruins your turbos, injectors and coils so fast and causes me lots of trouble and money.

What i m reading here in e90post is it is very realiable and it is only killing the spark plugs faster. Lots of people here is using it with 100k mile with no big issue.

I m confused about what to do. Buddies please guide me. I love my car and dont want to ruin it. What should i do?

Note: I m using 95 / 97 octane gas.

Best Regards

Penguen

[Sered]

The JB4 doesn't accelerate wear on anything by itself. What accelerates wear is the increased performance of the car. A flash tune will wear it as well. But injectors, coils, and turbos will fail regardless of a tune/Jb4 or not. You have to keep your car maintained to help mitigate those issues. But some are unavoidable, it's just how the platform is.

But a JB4 is not going to wear your engine in any particular fashion that a flash tune or something wouldn't. You're fine, just do some logs once in a while to make sure everything is good. I wouldn't use map 5 until you get DCI at the very least; I think they recommend more than that even.

Is your 95/97 octane gas 97RON? That's not the same kind of octane rating as here in the US. US 93 octane is equivalent to 98RON.

[Fundguy1]

Remember the 335is is basically a tuned 335i from the factory with a warranty. Same engine, similar programming to JB4. Does that lessen your concerns?

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Remember the 335is is basically a tuned 335i from the factory with a warranty. Same engine, similar programming to JB4. Does that lessen your concerns?

I wouldn't say the IS has similar programming to the JB4 as the IS tune is pretty tame / mild compared to pretty much any aftermarket tune, JB4 or otherwise.

Mike

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by penguen

I talked about installing jb4 for using map5/1 with my garage. He advised me not to bother with JB4(even map1/5). He said it ruins your turbos, injectors and coils so fast and causes me lots of trouble and money.

I would find a new garage. Clearly they don't understand this platform or they have a separate agenda into selling you something else.

Like mentioned above a tuned car requires more maintenance then a non-tuned car, but there are people here with 100,000 miles on their tuned JB4 cars without any issue other then regular maintenance.

Install it and enjoy.

Mike

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Misconceptions are inevitable.

The JB4 in itself is not the issue.

The Turbo's, injectors and coils will ultimately fail regardless.

A tune simply brings out weak components that should be PRO-actively maintained on this vehicle.

If you plan on driving this vehicle hard and tuned, it's imperative all of your hardware is new and fresh.

Fresh spark plugs, injectors and coils are at the top of the list. The injectors and coils are flawed from the factory and have undergone many revisions from BMW. Spark plugs ultimately need replacement as it's a wear item.

[CarAbuser]

I wouldn't use the JB4 with the DCT. Not the friendliest thing for your transmission.

If you want a tune that works best with the DCT then sell the JB4 and get MHD.

[Milan]

The JB4 is not a tune. It's a piggyback, it works by manipulating the sensors and tricking the car into seeing something that it's not. IMO it is not safe without a backend flash to compliment it.

Good marketing and ignorance seem to trump all though.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by penguen

Hi there

I bought a '11 z4 sdrive35i 20k miles with dct 1 month ago. One of my friend used to have a 335i with JB4. He gave away his jb4 with usb cable for free. My car is completly stock.

I talked about installing jb4 for using map5/1 with my garage. He advised me not to bother with JB4(even map1/5). He said it ruins your turbos, injectors and coils so fast and causes me lots of trouble and money.

What i m reading here in e90post is it is very realiable and it is only killing the spark plugs faster. Lots of people here is using it with 100k mile with no big issue.

I m confused about what to do. Buddies please guide me. I love my car and dont want to ruin it. What should i do?

Note: I m using 95 / 97 octane gas.

Best Regards

Penguen

You will be fine as long as you are running the recommended maps

You also need to find another mechanic, he does not have any knowledge on how the JB4 works. He will start blaming all your repairs on the JB4

[Fundguy1]

That's high octane. I use an independent to do some repairs etc. I use BMW to do some. While I was under warranty I removed the jb4 and had the related codes cleared by the indy before going to the stealer lol.

[penguen]

Originally Posted by Sered

The JB4 doesn't accelerate wear on anything by itself. What accelerates wear is the increased performance of the car. A flash tune will wear it as well. But injectors, coils, and turbos will fail regardless of a tune/Jb4 or not. You have to keep your car maintained to help mitigate those issues. But some are unavoidable, it's just how the platform is.

But a JB4 is not going to wear your engine in any particular fashion that a flash tune or something wouldn't. You're fine, just do some logs once in a while to make sure everything is good. I wouldn't use map 5 until you get DCI at the very least; I think they recommend more than that even.

Is your 95/97 octane gas 97RON? That's not the same kind of octane rating as here in the US. US 93 octane is equivalent to 98RON.

Ty for the fast reply. I checked the gas spec in our country and yes it 95RON/97RON. My car 19k miles on it and approximately i will use 5k per year. Also it is my daily commuter at heavy trafic. I do not make any track days and no races at all. For the long journeys i cruise around 100-110 mph at highway. Sometimes i make from second to fourth gear rolls when the traffic in front of me opens and short top speed tests at highway.

What i really try to understand is how often do i need to change my coils sparks and injectors with that kind of usage. I know that +%20 engine power waers engine faster than %20, it shouldnt be linear. However, I do not want to invest them every year.

Can u give me more specific information about proactive maintanence with the tuned car (Catback exhaust and jb4 map1)

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Remember the 335is is basically a tuned 335i from the factory with a warranty. Same engine, similar programming to JB4. Does that lessen your concerns?

Does it have the same cooling and dct software?

Originally Posted by Mike@N54Tuning.com

I wouldn't say the IS has similar programming to the JB4 as the IS tune is pretty tame / mild compared to pretty much any aftermarket tune, JB4 or otherwise.

Mike

Is it aggresive on the hardware or the type of engine's behaviours?

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Misconceptions are inevitable.

The JB4 in itself is not the issue.

The Turbo's, injectors and coils will ultimately fail regardless.

A tune simply brings out weak components that should be PRO-actively maintained on this vehicle.

If you plan on driving this vehicle hard and tuned, it's imperative all of your hardware is new and fresh.

Fresh spark plugs, injectors and coils are at the top of the list. The injectors and coils are flawed from the factory and have undergone many revisions from BMW. Spark plugs ultimately need replacement as it's a wear item.

As far as my research says that i need to buy and install new spark plugs before installing my JB4.

Do i also need to change injectors and coils of 19k miles car before installing them?

Originally Posted by CarAbuser

I wouldn't use the JB4 with the DCT. Not the friendliest thing for your transmission.

If you want a tune that works best with the DCT then sell the JB4 and get MHD.

I didnt consider it as JB4 may harm my DCT. Can u please explain it more?

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

You will be fine as long as you are running the recommended maps

You also need to find another mechanic, he does not have any knowledge on how the JB4 works. He will start blaming all your repairs on the JB4

i m considering using map1 with supersprint catback system. Is it safe enough?



Note : Thank you everyone with your fast and detailed replies

[CarAbuser]

Originally Posted by penguen

I didnt consider it as JB4 may harm my DCT. Can u please explain it more?

The TCU for the DCT transmission uses the calculated load of the engine to manage clutch operation.

Since the JB4 is a piggyback and just overrides the DME wastegate control the DME has no idea what load the engine is producing and will cause excessive clutch wear due to insufficient clutch pressure during engagement.

Calculated torque is also key for smooth shifts with the DCT so not only will you cause overheating and wear on the transmission but the car will drive inconsistelntly.

[Sered]

Originally Posted by CarAbuser

The TCU for the DCT transmission uses the calculated load of the engine to manage clutch operation.

Since the JB4 is a piggyback and just overrides the DME wastegate control the DME has no idea what load the engine is producing and will cause excessive clutch wear due to insufficient clutch pressure during engagement.

Calculated torque is also key for smooth shifts with the DCT so not only will you cause overheating and wear on the transmission but the car will drive inconsistelntly.

Sounds similar to how the autos work yet the JB4 works fine with those. Pretty sure its not that simple. JB4 has worked fine with DCT cars for a long time.

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by penguen

Ty for the fast reply. I checked the gas spec in our country and yes it 95RON/97RON. My car 19k miles on it and approximately i will use 5k per year. Also it is my daily commuter at heavy trafic. I do not make any track days and no races at all. For the long journeys i cruise around 100-110 mph at highway. Sometimes i make from second to fourth gear rolls when the traffic in front of me opens and short top speed tests at highway.

What i really try to understand is how often do i need to change my coils sparks and injectors with that kind of usage. I know that +%20 engine power waers engine faster than %20, it shouldnt be linear. However, I do not want to invest them every year.

Can u give me more specific information about proactive maintanence with the tuned car (Catback exhaust and jb4 map1)



Does it have the same cooling and dct software?



Is it aggresive on the hardware or the type of engine's behaviours?



As far as my research says that i need to buy and install new spark plugs before installing my JB4.

Do i also need to change injectors and coils of 19k miles car before installing them?



I didnt consider it as JB4 may harm my DCT. Can u please explain it more?



i m considering using map1 with supersprint catback system. Is it safe enough?



Note : Thank you everyone with your fast and detailed replies

19,000 mile injector are probably fine. My general rule of thumb is 50K on these injectors.

Spar plugs should be changed for sure. You can try without changing the spar plugs but if you run into misfires, you'll know why.

[Ravenseal]

Go MHD or Cobb with a DCT. You're missing out on the advantages otherwise.

[Ravenseal]

Originally Posted by Sered

Sounds similar to how the autos work yet the JB4 works fine with those. Pretty sure its not that simple. JB4 has worked fine with DCT cars for a long time.

Fine /= Optimally. JB4 doesn't do anything but hijack engine controls from the DME.

[CarAbuser]

Originally Posted by Sered

Sounds similar to how the autos work yet the JB4 works fine with those. Pretty sure its not that simple. JB4 has worked fine with DCT cars for a long time.

It really is that simple.

Taking a load based DME and isolating the boost control with a piggyback just screws everything up. The rest of the control system is still working off a load value that is inaccurate and that it has no control over.

[Milan]

Originally Posted by Sered

Sounds similar to how the autos work yet the JB4 works fine with those. Pretty sure its not that simple. JB4 has worked fine with DCT cars for a long time.

Just because it works doesn't mean it works properly.

I'm a tuner for LSx vehicles. People bring me their cars that were tuned by other people all the time and they are amazed at how well the cars drives when I get done tuning. The JB4 raping the sensors while leaving the stock parameters coded in the ECU is NOT safe. Don't fall victim to marketing just because a lot of people are doing it.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by Sered

Sounds similar to how the autos work yet the JB4 works fine with those. Pretty sure its not that simple. JB4 has worked fine with DCT cars for a long time.

The JB4 is the single most widely used N54 tuning tool out there. Since it's initial release in 2009 (JB3 then) through today there are literally tens of thousands of units out there and they have proven to be absolutely reliable long term. Many of my customers have over 100k miles on the JB4 without a single tuning related issue.

The JB4 has evolved over the years as the platform has evolved. Remember back when CPS was all the rage? Now back end flash maps are the rage. And the JB4 has a full suite of fully unlocked publicly posted free back end flash maps anyone can can use to modify timing, AFR, VANOS, boost, or anything imaginable from JB4s suggested settings to their own requirements or liking.

Mike

[Stucks]

Ive ran a jb4 since 32k miles and 5 years ago. Car now has 104k miles on it. no issues.

[Q23]

Originally Posted by Mike@N54Tuning.com

I would find a new garage. Clearly they don't understand this platform or they have a separate agenda into selling you something else.

Like mentioned above a tuned car requires more maintenance then a non-tuned car, but there are people here with 100,000 miles on their tuned JB4 cars without any issue other then regular maintenance.

Install it and enjoy.

Mike

Love my JB4, only issue I’ve had was a coil pack that went out but that’s basic maintenance

@ Mike, thanks for all of your support and helping get my car where it needs to be!

[stanlalee]

Your friends car was destroyed by BMW like everybody else who has new turbos, injectors, coils and other stuff. They aren't reliable with or without jb4. That being said I'm at 149k miles on original injectors and coils (turbo not so much).