[Lefthandblack]

Cobb is great. I have had a Cobb tune on 3 different vehicles, and the power, ease of installation, features offered and performance have been awesome. Sooo easy to use and they have awesome customer service. They are also only on STAGE 1 for the N54 cars! So, much more to come! You won't be sorry with the Cobb.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

The JB4 has no known problems causing check engine lights or anything like that. It's a great all around tune and priced right!

Mike

[325e]

JB4 is a great tune for novices. Plug n Play and leave it in Map 1. Routinely hit 14+ psi on my vent gauge with no other mods. No engine codes whatsoever.

[Gravy]

Originally Posted by E90Vader

When i first ran JB4 stage 2, I was hitting 16PSI with COBB and pulled slightly.
After my straight pipes I was hitting just below 14psi and I still pulled the same. It's the timing and load targets that makes it a monster tune!

Even before my bolt ons I can run less boost then JB4 and still slightly pull.

Im trying to make the same decision as OP, and even though i dont mind tamperin with the ecu itself, the way cobb targets load+the professional look of the module has got me leaning closer to cobb.

JB does sound and look cool and i realy like the sound of swiching maps on the fly but im too worried that they arent quite as refined as cobb.

Ive learned from experience, you get what you pay for....

[stevenc]

JB has been around forever and is probably easily the smoothest and most powerful tune out there. I have run a JB3 and a JB4 for 2.5 years now and have never experienced any CEL problems.

Cobb is great for someone who doesn't want to get under the hood or wont seriously modify the vehicle. HOWEVER if you do plan on modifying the vehicle, flashes can never keep up with the piggybacks because they have no real way of interfacing with things like methanol and flash tunes are limited by BMW's original programming logic.

This decision is easy. Stock'ish car = Cobb, future plans to modify = JB4.

[MDORPHN]

Originally Posted by pkwon9285

im trying to do my first initial purchase for an upgrade but i dont know what to go with. A tuner here locally in ny told me that cobb is better because JB causes so many problems especially the CEL to come on. i'll go with what the majority will say in this thread.

I'd advise you do nothing until you're able to reach your own judgement about the alternatives.

Going with a message board majority opinion (from any message board) is a recipe for disaster.

My two cents.

Neil

[E90Vader]

Originally Posted by stevenc

JB has been around forever and is probably easily the smoothest and most powerful tune out there. I have run a JB3 and a JB4 for 2.5 years now and have never experienced any CEL problems.

Cobb is great for someone who doesn't want to get under the hood or wont seriously modify the vehicle. HOWEVER if you do plan on modifying the vehicle, flashes can never keep up with the piggybacks because they have no real way of interfacing with things like methanol and flash tunes are limited by BMW's original programming logic.

This decision is easy. Stock'ish car = Cobb, future plans to modify = JB4.

Only problem with your logic is if someone were to read that whom wanted to buy a tune in the fall, this may be out the window!
All bets could be of when COBB releases there STAGE 2 and ACR..
If you look at what COBB achieved via stage 1...... just imagine stage 2!

[Bagelfast]

JB4 in dash controls for everything among having in dash boost gauge, iat, meth flow, in dash on the go code reading and clearing etc. along with a bunch of other features the COBB doesnt have. Aswell as being tested/proven for so long, the most popular tune out there, JB4 would be my choice.

If the COBB did something remarkable the JB4 did it would be interesting. Only thing sounds good about the COBB is that you can flash and unflash easily (sometimes) without going under the hood, but besides that, the features, price, long term record, the JB4 has it won in my book.

[BMWsky]

Just out of curiosity, why have you just narrowed it down to those two? There are a lot of really good options for the car in addition, ie, Proceed, GIAC, etc. I personally chose Cobb for my car, but that was only because of my personal needs/wants. I would look really hard at Proceed in addition to the JB and Cobb as they all have very good strong points.

[Alan l.]

Cobb = Complete engine tuning package. Everything that a tune should do for a car is done here through the factory ecu. This is perfect for those who just want to "set it and forget it" approach and those who want proper engine tuning. Currently not the ideal solution for hardcore guys who mess with full bolt ons, race gas, meth etc.. since only stage 1 tune is available. When i say ideal, i only mean in terms of horsepower potential for a FBO car. Lots of FBO guys still run the Cobb simply because its the right way to tune an engine.

JB4 = Piggyback approach. Basically tricks/alters the ecu parameters to give you more boost/power. Not ideal since it can't control every aspect of the ecu but still offers nice gains and additional features. Features that flash tunes could never offer since a piggyback device works outside of the ecu parameters. This is also the cheapest tune out there for this car which is a plus for those on a budget.

Do a search on this forum and dig deeper than fanboy posts about what each tune offers what each one lacks. Then decide which matters to you the most before you decide. I've had all three of the major tunes before and I am now running the Cobb for my own reasons. All of the tunes will provide similar horsepower gains but each have a very different feel and ways about getting to those gains.

Alan

[PASE624]

dumb question but if i plan on doing just exhaust, dp, intake down the line, will COBB be enough to suffice? That's all im planning on doing.

[mithiral67]

Originally Posted by pkwon9285

dumb question but if i plan on doing just exhaust, dp, intake down the line, will COBB be enough to suffice? That's all im planning on doing.

You can run the cobb with these, however, as cobb has only released stage one, you wont be able to take advantage of the full power these mods like you would on a procede or jb4.

For background, procede and jb3 now jb4 have been on the market since late 07 early 08. Cobb has been on the seen for only 5 months now. So the procede and jb4 have been updated over that time to run all other mods. Cobb is very new considering these other two, but has really got a strong following in a short periods of time.

[Alan l.]

Cobb Stage 2 should be out by the end of summer from the last email i got from them.

If you like tinkering with your car under the hood, messing with the piggyback settings on a laptop while you are driving, want max HP gain of a full bolt on car then consider a piggyback. If you are not this type of person then your only choice is the Cobb or Giac. Its so easy with the Cobb a monkey could do it lol

Once Cobb releases ATR, its my opinion that its game over for the other tunes. there really wouldn't be anything better than a custom tune tailored to your own car. Keep this in mind if you plan on keeping this car for a bit.

[subieworx]

I had a JB3 on my 07 and now have an Accessport. On the dyno the car made essentially the same power between map 7 on the JB3 and stage 1 map on the ap. When stage 2 is available I'm sure the car will be making much more power. Until AccessTuner Race comes out though you are limited in what you can do outside of the box.

In my opinion though the best part is the smoothness of the Accessport tune. The car runs much more smoothly throughout the rev range. I can feel that fact that there is a full tune on the car not just adjustments to boost an fuel.

[Taz@Evolve. P]

Originally Posted by mithiral67

You can run the cobb with these, however, as cobb has only released stage one, you wont be able to take advantage of the full power these mods like you would on a procede or jb4.

For background, procede and jb3 now jb4 have been on the market since late 07 early 08. Cobb has been on the seen for only 5 months now. So the procede and jb4 have been updated over that time to run all other mods. Cobb is very new considering these other two, but has really got a strong following in a short periods of time.

Don't forget ours We haven't got around to really pushing our product yet for you guys on this forum, but we have been tuning the N54 for years (the first UK tuner to do so) and have recently upgraded both our stage 1 and stage 2 (FBO) N54 tune.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by pkwon9285

im trying to do my first initial purchase for an upgrade but i dont know what to go with. A tuner here locally in ny told me that cobb is better because JB causes so many problems especially the CEL to come on. i'll go with what the majority will say in this thread.

Both are great. The JB does not cause any problems, or better put no more or less problems then any other tune, flash or piggyback.

I think you will be super happy with either choice. Both come with money back guarantees so why not try both and see what you like best. The JB4 is also about half the price of the COBB so that is something to consider.

Mike

[dzenno]

Paul,
What datalogging options does the Evolve handheld offer if any?

[ZTUNER]

I had jb+, then jb3 and now cobb. Let me be straight, jb is a good setup and with the newest changes does a LOT for the money. Reason i have cobb now is because i prefer its future potential, the fact that its easier to install and uninstall for dealer visits, i am familiar with their tuning software albeit on a different platform.

Cobb appeals to two types of people. The full PnP guys and the ones that that want full control when ATR comes out.

Harry

[PASE624]

what is ATR?

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Access Tuner Ready


Means the end user can tune the car to extract the most power.

or

you can do pro-tune which is when you have a professional do the same.

[bigup]

How is Cobb Stage 2 going to address high-boost meth applications?

Without the hardware, you surely can't read the meth-flow signal, and adjust boost to a safe level if the pump fails?

How will a Cobb car keep up with the piggies in this respect?

[335i101]

Jb4....great customer service and Terry promised me launch control by tomorrow...well, half of this is true.