[hz101]

Finally got the CarBahn stage 1 tune on my M2. Here are some impressions after a week:

-There is a noticeable power bump. Even in Comfort, you get that feeling of "being pushed back in your seat" with little throttle.
-In Sport and Sport+, the burbles are louder.
-The car pulls harder at higher RPMs than before.

Overall, I am satisfied with this tune. It may be more conservative than some other options on the market, but it does make the already fantastic M2 more fun while providing factory matching warranty that is important to me personally. And after driving it for a few days, I do believe the performance numbers and torque/hp curves on their website are accurate:

https://carbahnautoworks.com/product...n-competition/

I also received a tablet for flashing the car to stock or for any future updates. Steve Dinan's signature on the box was a nice little touch.

Let me know if you guys have any questions.

[QM]

Did you install this yourself? What's involved in the install process?

[mike@x-ph.com]

[hz101]

Originally Posted by QM

Did you install this yourself? What's involved in the install process?

I went to a CarBahn authorized dealer. I'm not 100% sure about this, but the initial install has to be done by their dealer. But later you can use the tablet to flash to stock or install any updates yourself.

[Professor MSP]

Thank you for the review hz101. I am glad to hear about the improved high rpm power, as I think that is lacking a bit in stock form, whereas torque down low is abundant and more or less instantaneous.

CarBahn also has stage 2 software, but it is bundled with their stage 1 power package. Do you know if the stage 2 software can be purchased as a standalone option? I ask this because I already have the AA intercooler and intercooler-to-throttle-body hard pipe, plus an HJS down-pipe, so in principle, I can run their stage 2 software.

I have contacted CarBahn twice in the past several months via the form on their website, but have never received a reply to my questions (one of which I asked you above). And a subsequent phone call did not result in a reply either. There is a local BMW tuner shop that is CarBahn authorized, so it looks like I will contact them about the tune if and when I look to install it.

[hz101]

Originally Posted by Professor MSP

Thank you for the review hz101. I am glad to hear about the improved high rpm power, as I think that is lacking a bit in stock form, whereas torque down low is abundant and more or less instantaneous.

CarBahn also has stage 2 software, but it is bundled with their stage 1 power package. Do you know if the stage 2 software can be purchased as a standalone option? I ask this because I already have the AA intercooler and intercooler-to-throttle-body hard pipe, plus an HJS down-pipe, so in principle, I can run their stage 2 software.

I have contacted CarBahn twice in the past several months via the form on their website, but have never received a reply to my questions (one of which I asked you above). And a subsequent phone call did not result in a reply either. There is a local BMW tuner shop that is CarBahn authorized, so it looks like I will contact them about the tune if and when I look to install it.

Try calling them again. Keep in mind they are in a different time zone. They will be able to tell you if they can honor the warranty with the mods you already have. But if you don't want the warranty then I don't see why they can't sell you the stage 2 software.

[flybigjet]

Originally Posted by hz101

I went to a CarBahn authorized dealer. I'm not 100% sure about this, but the initial install has to be done by their dealer. But later you can use the tablet to flash to stock or install any updates yourself.

I posted this in another thread, but it's worth repeating here as it has a bit of information that is worthwhile to those considering this software.

Personally? I'm sold.


Here's Chris' response to my email. my questions are in italics:

Thank you for the very in depth email Rod, it helps me do what I cant to meet your "go fast" expectations.

Our software may not claim the most power or have the loudest exhaust crackle or maximize E85....However if you are looking for a great power increase and not worry about any check engine lights, maintain ALL of your factory diagnostic safety codes and not lose any warranty coverage then our software is what you have been searching for!!

1. Would any of the three minor modifications listed above [CSF heat exchanger, M3/M4 intake ducts & VTT crank bolt capture kit] your warranty?

A. No They will not

2. If the three minor modifications listed above are installed at a local (and very reputable) independent BMW shop here in the Denver area, will that void your warranty?

A. No they will not

3. How do I get the flash done in the Denver area? I’ve looked on your website and No Joy for authorized dealers in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Wyoming or Utah. That obviously makes things difficult— I’m not really interested in driving 16 hours to San Jose and 16 hours back and I really don’t want to pull the DME and send it out and back, and I don’t know any tuners here that would do that anyway. I’m much more interested in a “Here— tune this and give it back to me” way of doing things— I’m not quite brave enough to pull the DME, trust FedEx, reinstall, and refresh on my own. Bad Things happen when I get creative with electronics.

A. Unfortunately right now there is no "drive in flash / drive out" option for the 2020 M2 Comp.... BMW put fun blockers in the software. So the DME will have to be sent in for bench loading. We would be happy to work with any BMW dealer or European performance shop that you trust with you car in Colorado. We have this process down, DME overnighted today would be back in your car buy Thursday afternoon. We always make sure that the DME is insured and sending overnight limits the ability for the logistics companies to lose it.

4. What is “Exhaust overrun and start-up roar” that you have listed under the Stage 1 Software tab?

A. It open the valve during start up "barks to life" also we can add volume or length to the pops in the M1 M2 modes if you would like.

5. Will the software perform safely with 91 octane? That’s pretty much all we can get in Colorado (fun fact— Regular in CO is 85, Midgrade is 87 and Premium is 91. I don’t know why, but that’s how they do it here).

A. Yes absolutely or premium here in the bay area is 91 also

Let me know how I did on my test and if you have any other questions feel free to ask!


Best regards,
Chris

[Rick4345]

I know we're talking two different animals here.

We have a 2016 M4 that we modified for sale at work. I won't mention our name but I'd be glad to give it to anyone. If it matters, we bought it brand new. It has a little over 500 miles on it now.

We had a Stage 3 piggyback tune on it. Something happened and the tune kind of crapped out.

We just had a Carbahn tune put on it. It pulls so strong it activated the traction control light in third gear. I'm going to withhold on how fast it was going to protect those involved.

Am I going to get one on my M2?? Definitely!!

[Racer59]

Originally Posted by Professor MSP

Thank you for the review hz101. I am glad to hear about the improved high rpm power, as I think that is lacking a bit in stock form, whereas torque down low is abundant and more or less instantaneous.

CarBahn also has stage 2 software, but it is bundled with their stage 1 power package. Do you know if the stage 2 software can be purchased as a standalone option? I ask this because I already have the AA intercooler and intercooler-to-throttle-body hard pipe, plus an HJS down-pipe, so in principle, I can run their stage 2 software.

I have contacted CarBahn twice in the past several months via the form on their website, but have never received a reply to my questions (one of which I asked you above). And a subsequent phone call did not result in a reply either. There is a local BMW tuner shop that is CarBahn authorized, so it looks like I will contact them about the tune if and when I look to install it.

I have the stage 2 Carbahn flash on my 17 M2. So long as you have an upgraded Intercooler you’re good to go and the price would be cheaper. I have a Milltek exhaust, Dinan Intercooler and VSRF chargepipe. Met Steve at his shop in San Jose. Probably be a good idea to let the tech know you have the down pipe as well.

[Professor MSP]

Originally Posted by Racer59

I have the stage 2 Carbahn flash on my 17 M2. So long as you have an upgraded Intercooler you’re good to go and the price would be cheaper. I have a Milltek exhaust, Dinan Intercooler and VSRF chargepipe. Met Steve at his shop in San Jose. Probably be a good idea to let the tech know you have the down pipe as well.

Thank you Racer59. I am now incentivized to call and make a purchase. Care to discuss your impressions of the tune, as that is the topic of the thread after all.

[Racer59]

Yes, the car feels quick and can have slight wheel spin when going in 3rd. The speed governor is removed and tops out at 175 I believe ( Ask Steve how he tested that out!). The car has dct and I noticed less abrupt shifts at low speeds. The option of having a warranty was a consideration for me.

[akkando]

Originally Posted by Rick4345

I know we're talking two different animals here.

We have a 2016 M4 that we modified for sale at work. I won't mention our name but I'd be glad to give it to anyone. If it matters, we bought it brand new. It has a little over 500 miles on it now.

We had a Stage 3 piggyback tune on it. Something happened and the tune kind of crapped out.

We just had a Carbahn tune put on it. It pulls so strong it activated the traction control light in third gear. I'm going to withhold on how fast it was going to protect those involved.

Am I going to get one on my M2?? Definitely!!

Wow, that car didn't even make it to break in service.

[Rick4345]

Originally Posted by akkando

Wow, that car didn't even make it to break in service.

Nope. It's still there.

It was pretty much delivered to us and put on a trailer and taken to Fall Line Motorsports. I believe they did a lot of the work and we did some of it.

I know the sales manager is highly motivated to sell it. It's gone from 129,000 to about 96,000.

It sounds like a lot, but it's definitely not your average M4.

[hz101]

Originally Posted by Rick4345

Nope. It's still there.

It was pretty much delivered to us and put on a trailer and taken to Fall Line Motorsports. I believe they did a lot of the work and we did some of it.

I know the sales manager is highly motivated to sell it. It's gone from 149,000 to about 96,000.

It sounds like a lot, but it's definitely not your average M4.

Off topic, but isn't there a risk of reducing the life of your engine by tuning it before the break in period?

[Rick4345]

Originally Posted by hz101

Off topic, but isn't there a risk of reducing the life of your engine by tuning it before the break in period?

All I can do is speak from limited experience.

The only brand I've ever dealt with is Dinan.

We were a dealer for quite a while but stopped after having some issues with the installs on some six cylinders motors. I don't know if they were stage one, two, or others. If I recall it was both N and S series. It wasn't all the ones we did either. I had a Stage one with the exhaust on my 2012 N20 and never had a problem.

This car is the first one we put a Carbahn tune on and everyone is all smiles.

We've had customers who had them installed prior to taking delivery.

In my opinion, if you don't make the modifications necessary to your level of tune, such as a larger intercooler or whatever was necessary you're asking for trouble.

To me I don't believe you can give a definitive answer because everyone treats their cars differently.

[Zeese]

Holy thread revival Batman!

Carbahn has a 20% off tuning sale this March. This was the excuse I needed to pull off the Dinan Stage 4 piggyback hardware and change things up. I wanted a little more drivability and peace of mind. The factory warranty expired late last year too.

Impression? I am thrilled! Maybe it's best if I don't try to define drivability and share general impressions. On occasion, it seemed like I was fighting the Stage 4 tune. In contrast, this flash tune has made the car much more pleasant to drive. And, for what it is worth, I drive hard. The experience is more balanced. In general, I do not feel like I need more grunt. A good experience, i.e. stock, made better.

One measure of better? I no longer have reservations about letting others drive the car for fear they will get into trouble. The car feels so balanced.

Alas, the Carbahn tune for the N55 does not have a burble option like the one for the S55. Pops and bangs did not change from the Dinan Stage 4 hardware to the Carbahn Stage 2 flash. Maybe a new tune will come out soon! This was not a deal-breaker for me. I have the stock resonator welded into the MPE to facilitate conversations with passengers ;-) (FWIW, I can still drive at 3,000 RPM and drown out the spouse. The drone has purpose?)

For the curious, the website has some number of errors. I had to phone in my order. I bought the tablet. Windows is required. The flash took 30 min so too long for me to trust the battery alone. Shipped same day. Emailed my stock tune to Carbahn using the tablet and had the new tune installed a day later.

[ZM2]

Nice!

I had the same experience when moving from Dinantronics to a real flash tune (BM3 for me). Much smoother and much better drivability with the flash tune!

[Atam]

Originally Posted by Zeese

Holy thread revival Batman!

Carbahn has a 20% off tuning sale this March. This was the excuse I needed to pull off the Dinan Stage 4 piggyback hardware and change things up. I wanted a little more drivability and peace of mind. The factory warranty expired late last year too.

Impression? I am thrilled! Maybe it's best if I don't try to define drivability and share general impressions. On occasion, it seemed like I was fighting the Stage 4 tune. In contrast, this flash tune has made the car much more pleasant to drive. And, for what it is worth, I drive hard. The experience is more balanced. In general, I do not feel like I need more grunt. A good experience, i.e. stock, made better.

One measure of better? I no longer have reservations about letting others drive the car for fear they will get into trouble. The car feels so balanced.

Alas, the Carbahn tune for the N55 does not have a burble option like the one for the S55. Pops and bangs did not change from the Dinan Stage 4 hardware to the Carbahn Stage 2 flash. Maybe a new tune will come out soon! This was not a deal-breaker for me. I have the stock resonator welded into the MPE to facilitate conversations with passengers ;-) (FWIW, I can still drive at 3,000 RPM and drown out the spouse. The drone has purpose?)

For the curious, the website has some number of errors. I had to phone in my order. I bought the tablet. Windows is required. The flash took 30 min so too long for me to trust the battery alone. Shipped same day. Emailed my stock tune to Carbahn using the tablet and had the new tune installed a day later.

Thread revival but, does Carbahn usually have 20% off sales every March? Was thinking of doing stage 1 within the next month but if they have sales, I can wait....

[AmuroRay]

Carbahn tunes are a no-no in my book. They make almost nothing in terms of power (just more torque) over the stock tune and offer nothing in the way of customization.

I would avoid, unless it was Free.99

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1&postcount=18

Originally Posted by BMWApp

Just had my car dyno'd yesterday. It's an EWG N55 that made peak numbers of 353 whp and 383 wtq with the below mods.

Carbahn Autoworks Stage 2 tune
Dinan intercooler
M Performance exhaust
MPPK air intake with K&N filter
FTP chargepipe
FTP turbo inlet pipe
Active Autowerke high flow catted downpipe

Don't pay for this.

[Zeese]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Carbahn tunes are a no-no in my book. They make almost nothing in terms of power (just more torque) over the stock tune and offer nothing in the way of customization.

I would avoid, unless it was Free.99

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...1&postcount=18
%snip%
Don't pay for this.

My $0.02? Thanks for asking!

This graph (see link) for the 2015 435i looks like the gains the fellow might see from the FTP turbo inlet pipe and the stock tune. Or some minor mods. I doubt the details are correct.

As noted in the thread, I think, there is no baseline either?

[AmuroRay]

Originally Posted by Zeese

My $0.02? Thanks for asking!

This graph (see link) for the 2015 435i looks like the gains the fellow might see from the FTP turbo inlet pipe and the stock tune. Or some minor mods. I doubt the details are correct.

As noted in the thread, I think, there is no baseline either?

Plenty of baselines dynos to pull from, but do you have anything to provide that say otherwise?

[Zeese]

Originally Posted by AmuroRay

Plenty of baselines dynos to pull from, but do you have anything to provide that say otherwise?

The point is that a graph was tossed up lacking context, with a link to another thread for another car (with an N55). Does the dyno graph show what was advertised or promised? I do not know. There is simply not enough information shared in the post, by itself, to make any conclusions. We can go around and around on the pros and cons of Dinan or CarBahn (play it safe) vs. using a platform like BM3 which allows for tweaks, and mischief-making. There is something to be said for peace of mind and a modest tune. Modest? That's fuzzy. Oh well.