[techwhiz]

S E A R C H T H E F O R U M S !
But I like my Cobb.
It's all about preference. I didn't want to play with the harness.
Cobb is easy.

[D27]

I have jb4 as now simple to use but I want to upgrade my turbo to Vargas stage3 and I think I have to change to tune to Cobb .. i think cobb have more features ...

[dbudh001]

ive been contemplating the 2 for a while now so let me add my 2cents, since i went thru the same thing
-i just pulled the trigger on the COBB , hit up Alan @ modbrgins -- ! .. .my only concern with the COBB is how high it raises the Boost. ( 17-19 PSI ) even though this is peak and is considered safe for the turbos by Cobb its still (to me anyway ) is a cause for concern for the life of the turbos. it also makes me a little worried about my stock charge pipe... which with those high boosts will sooner or later break and will require changing -

with the JB4 .. just do map 2 and max Boost is pretty much constant, at i think 13.5-14.5 ( im sure someone will correct me if im wrong )

....i still haven't received the cobb, but i have driven cars with both JB4 and Cobb

this is how i made my choice, and you should do the same...

your first question should be
1. whats your planned future mods ?

2. would you rather get updated maps for free all the time, ( as with the COBB )
or would you rather purchase upgrades for a piggy back tune where every now and then a newer and better one becomes available.. JB3... JB4 g4 board...now JB4 with a g5 board... and etc

i dont know about you guys but its human nature to always want to upgrade to the newer version of things... iphones are a good example of this ! u'll always be suckered into it


these are current and future planned upgrades..granted i have along way to go , but since im committed to doing this, i went with the COBB

aFE stage 2 DCI,
AR Downpipes,
Cobb AP,
HPF inter-cooler ***
ER Charge-pipe w/ synapse BOV **
Akrapovič Exhaust **
ER Sports oil cooler **
Oil Catch Can **
Meth ** ( not yet supported by COBB but i believe they are in the works of adding )
level 10 tranny **
Upgraded Turbos **
big break kit**
WaveTrac Automatic Torque Biasing Diff **
then a custom pro tune **
big break kit**


if you are only doing the the basic mods - DCI, DPs Intercooler, then JB4 will be quicker than COBB hands down, JB4 would be a good alternative, you'll make good power quick and its pretty safe within reason..HOWEVER not so strong up top and is a bit jerky thru the RPM range... the Cobb on the other hand, ( with the current mods of DCI, DPs Intercooler ) isnt as fast, but delivers the power smoother, and you can feel the power throughout the RPM Range ...

so really, you just spent a few mins reading this ... pretty much boils down to
Alot of modds = COBB
Basic Mods , DCI, DPs Intercooler = JB4

as with any of the tunes, make sure you stay on top your your maintenance, .. spark plugs,, oil... etc

[stupordave]

I chose Cobb because

-easy to sell if tuning wasn't for me
-easy to uninstall for quick dealer visits
-longevity as parts and maps can continue to be developed.

When purchasing, I had no additional mod plans but now I'm waiting on my exhaust and FMIC. LOL

[mrbillytalent]

This thread.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

As I said before you can’t go wrong with either one. That being said a few points on some of the comments. Vargas has sold the second Stage 3 turbo set to Terry at BMS for development of a JB4 tune so their will be competition between COBB & BMS with the big twins.

There have been two upgrades from the original JB3 since it was introduced JB4 & JB4/G5. The upgrades have been priced with discounts for existing owners & in total starting with JB3 are less then what a new COBB unit sells now for not including a pro-tune. All BMS software upgrades are free.

Out of the box COBB does not perform as well as the JB4 out of the box & needs a pro-tune to catch up. As for the COBB is better FBO claim check out the 335i list at Drag Times about really really having to upgrade from G4 to G5. The best COBB unit posted pro tuned by Dzenno is #13 on the list behind a number of JB4 G4 units. This does not support COBB is better FBO or that the G4 is no longer competitive.

COBB's one advantage is its easier to install/uninstall. The tradeoff is the JB4 has a lot more user friendly & useful features than COBB does. Additionally on the fly switching to Map 0 lets you leave it installed during dealer service except for a major warranty claim. My JB4 has never been off the car since it had 1500 miles on it brand new.

IMHO if you are not a hands on person COBB is the best choice other wise with the JB4 you get more performance & features but you have to be confortable working on your car.

[mrbillytalent]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

As I said before you can’t go wrong with either one. That being said a few points on some of the comments. Vargas has sold the second Stage 3 turbo set to Terry at BMS for development of a JB4 tune so their will be competition between COBB & BMS with the big twins.

There have been two upgrades from the original JB3 since it was introduced JB4 & JB4/G5. The upgrades have been priced with discounts for existing owners & in total starting with JB3 are less then what a new COBB unit sells now for not including a pro-tune. All BMS software upgrades are free.

Out of the box COBB does not perform as well as the JB4 out of the box & needs a pro-tune to catch up. As for the COBB is better FBO claim check out the 335i list at Drag Times about really really having to upgrade from G4 to G5. The best COBB unit posted pro tuned by Dzenno is #13 on the list behind a number of JB4 G4 units. This does not support COBB is better FBO or that the G4 is no longer competitive.

COBB's one advantage is its easier to install/uninstall. The tradeoff is the JB4 has a lot more user friendly & useful features than COBB does. Additionally on the fly switching to Map 0 lets you leave it installed during dealer service except for a major warranty claim.

IMHO if you are not a hands on person COBB is the best choice other wise with the JB4 you get more performance & features but you have to be confortable working on your car.

Wow. Well spoken.

[txag2k]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

As I said before you can’t go wrong with either one. That being said a few points on some of the comments. Vargas has sold the second Stage 3 turbo set to Terry at BMS for development of a JB4 tune so their will be competition between COBB & BMS with the big twins.

There have been two upgrades from the original JB3 since it was introduced JB4 & JB4/G5. The upgrades have been priced with discounts for existing owners & in total starting with JB3 are less then what a new COBB unit sells now for not including a pro-tune. All BMS software upgrades are free.

Out of the box COBB does not perform as well as the JB4 out of the box & needs a pro-tune to catch up. As for the COBB is better FBO claim check out the 335i list at Drag Times about really really having to upgrade from G4 to G5. The best COBB unit posted pro tuned by Dzenno is #13 on the list behind a number of JB4 G4 units. This does not support COBB is better FBO or that the G4 is no longer competitive.

COBB's one advantage is its easier to install/uninstall. The tradeoff is the JB4 has a lot more user friendly & useful features than COBB does. Additionally on the fly switching to Map 0 lets you leave it installed during dealer service except for a major warranty claim. My JB4 has never been off the car since it had 1500 miles on it brand new.

IMHO if you are not a hands on person COBB is the best choice other wise with the JB4 you get more performance & features but you have to be confortable working on your car.

Thanks for your post! New here and just started researching b/w the two. CPO so I was leaning towards COBB since it seems easier to remove if I were have to take it to the dealer... but sounds like you don't take your's off even when going to the dealer? I was afraid i would f up my warranty if service saw it installed.

[foghat]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

COBB's one advantage is its easier to install/uninstall.

Must have more than that one advantage otherwise Terry wouldn't wouldn't have developed his bms flash to support his piggyback. Also easy data logging without requiring a laptop.

Having the option to be pro-tuned is a plus as well. I know jb4 has a map you can change your values on, but my understanding is that it is pretty limited compared to what you can do with an accessport and atr.

I have both. JB4 is great. Cobb is great. While I know using a piggy back has never been reason to give pause (on this platform), I just like the idea of a tune better.

[foghat]

Originally Posted by txag2k

Thanks for your post! New here and just started researching b/w the two. CPO so I was leaning towards COBB since it seems easier to remove if I were have to take it to the dealer... but sounds like you don't take your's off even when going to the dealer? I was afraid i would f up my warranty if service saw it installed.

They likely will not see it installed unless they have reason to go into the dme. However, anyone with 1/2 an ounce of knowledge about the jb4 will be able to tell if you have one installed simply by using the steering wheel controls.

In other words, if the dealer knows enough to look at the dme for a jb4, they will know how to use the steering wheel controls.

Best take it out and be safe rather than sorry.

[txag2k]

Originally Posted by foghat

They likely will not see it installed unless they have reason to go into the dme. However, anyone with 1/2 an ounce of knowledge about the jb4 will be able to tell if you have one installed simply by using the steering wheel controls.

In other words, if the dealer knows enough to look at the dme for a jb4, they will know how to use the steering wheel controls.

Best take it out and be safe rather than sorry.

gotcha, thanks!

[dman918]

I went with the JB4. The only thing that's a little annoying is that it is disabled until the oil temp hits 160 degrees. Granted, it's a "safety" feature, but it still bugs me.

[Koreyy]

i think i saw this topic more than wheel/tire questions since i joined this forum which not even a year and half,

i went with COBB easy install/remove, continously updates the map, good with resell value.

[foghat]

And I'm not sure if all this 'removing the tune/piggyback' talk becomes moot in the event you need some major warranty work done where damage (or expedited failure) could be attributed to a tune.

No idea if it is true, but I remember reading that if bmw really wants to, they can find out if you ever been tuned by reading the dme and seeing if boost levels ever exceeded stock levels. Again - not certain if this is true or not, but certainly does not seem outside the realm of possibility to me.

[foghat]

Originally Posted by dman918

I went with the JB4. The only thing that's a little annoying is that it is disabled until the oil temp hits 160 degrees. Granted, it's a "safety" feature, but it still bugs me.

I hated that as well - I felt 'exposed' while the oil was getting up to temp.

That said, I am pretty sure you can set it to activate based on water temp instead - this would happen much more quickly.

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17419

I never tried this, but is supposed to work.

[IM2C]

Cobb.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Originally Posted by foghat

Must have more than that one advantage otherwise Terry wouldn't wouldn't have developed his bms flash to support his piggyback. Also easy data logging without requiring a laptop.

Having the option to be pro-tuned is a plus as well. I know jb4 has a map you can change your values on, but my understanding is that it is pretty limited compared to what you can do with an accessport and atr.

I have both. JB4 is great. Cobb is great. While I know using a piggy back has never been reason to give pause (on this platform), I just like the idea of a tune better.

The BMS/COBB flash is to accommodate over 50% E85 mix other wise you don' need it. Without the flash on 40% E85 the 335is is looking at near 400whp tune only on production software, not the alpha version we are testing now. Dyno is from a new guy, pure stock 40% E85 who just hooked up his JB4 a week or so ago

[foghat]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

The BMS/COBB flash is to accommodate over 50% E85 mix other wise you don' need it. Without the flash on 40% E85 the 335is is looking at near 400whp tune only on production software, not the alpha version we are testing now. Dyno is from a new guy, pure stock 40% E85 who just hooked up his JB4 a week or so ago

I'm just saying there is more than one advantage to the accessport over install/uninstall ease. Apparently being able to safely run over 50% e85 is another.

[dman918]

Thanks for the link. I take it that I would need the data cable to make this change or is it in one of the menus?

Thanks,

Mike

Originally Posted by foghat

I hated that as well - I felt 'exposed' while the oil was getting up to temp.

That said, I am pretty sure you can set it to activate based on water temp instead - this would happen much more quickly.

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17419

I never tried this, but is supposed to work.

[foghat]

Originally Posted by dman918

Thanks for the link. I take it that I would need the data cable to make this change or is it in one of the menus?

Thanks,

Mike

Pretty sure you need the cable and a laptop to make this change.

[crimson335]

Jb4 is well worth it, I love mine

[dman918]

Originally Posted by foghat

Pretty sure you need the cable and a laptop to make this change.

And of course I don't have the cable.