ECU Map modification + StainTune Exhaust

[spacey1]

So I've finally found a company who can re-map my 2008 BMW R1200 GSA ecu.

The maps are now installed.

There are 2 map options. I've tried both for 5 minutes a-piece. Map 2 is currently installed.

I'll be running each map for a week each in traffic, and on my usual weekend outings.

My current fuel consumption ranges from 5.3 to 5.5 litres/100km.

First impressions:

1. Firing her up (map2), I noticed immediately the 'superb' idle. Standard idle quality is appalling.

2. On the road, the lean conditions at the bottom end have completely disappeared. No more rough lean running and surging at low revs. It will run along cleanly at 1800 rpm in 3rd gear. Unheard of ... This should mean the bike's able to hold a gear longer, instead of constantly changing up and down in traffic due to this constant surging.

3. At full tilt, in second gear (map1), the traction control was cutting in frequently on dry-ish bitumen. Not had this before.

4. A bit early yet, but it appears the power dip at 4500 has gone. Yet to be confirmed.

5. The slope of the standard throttle map curve was more like throttle stairs. Now it is a smooth linear curve, translated, this means smooth linear throttle response.

6. The dead spot at the beginning of throttle is gone. Blipping the throttle while down-changing gears actually blips the engine making gear changes smoother.

Anyway, I'll report back in a couple of weeks with how the fuel consumption is going on normal duty.

This will be the key for me. Using less fuel means carrying less fuel on those Mount Augustus-type trips. The company reckons there will be fuel use reductions, providing of course, that the extra power is not used continuously.

With a bit of luck the StainTune will turn up one day soon too

nev... out...

[spacey1]

A little bit about the StainTune.

The balance pipe at the headers on most BMW comes from the old days when there were 2 pipes and 2 mufflers.

Using a balance cross-over allowed both cylinders/firing pulses to share both mufflers, enabling the trendy look and lightweight mufflers that doubled up to silence the exhaust racket.

I'm lead to believe that the current balance/cross-over pipe actually has only a tiny hole on either end where it butts up to both header pipes. Testing at StainTune with and without the balance pipe has showed no difference.

This is quite believe-able.

Has anyone actually cut open the header/cross-over pipe to see the points of cross-over?

nev...

[spacey1]

The full StainTune exhaust should arrive tomorrow

Now the ECU mapping mods... referring to the 2 map options supplied.

Map 1 was very sharp in response (compared to the standard maps) especially at the upper end of the rev range. This map also seemed to greatly improve the top end, power-wise. The frequent traction control events were an indicator of this more aggressive power delivery. Sadly, the bottom end still exhibited the surging and off-on throttle feel at low speed, especially in traffic. It would probably feel the same in slow trail-riding scenarios.

Map 2 is a very different animal. Superb idle quality, smooth linear throttle response in the lower rev/throttle range. My mirrors and screen are no longer shaking uncontrollably at traffic lights. I've never seen the number 4 on the fuel use indicator before, until now. It appears that fuel consumption has improved by a small margin, although a long country run is needed to verify this. The engine is no longer surging at low speed. It is very strong on the bottom end and mid-range now. When the throttle is wound on, it feels like the bike is being pulled out from underneath you

Both maps appear to start the engine a fraction sooner than standard, about 1 revolution sooner I reckon. Seems to be less popping in the exhaust.

So I've stuck with the 'Map 2' option. The drive-ability is vastly improved over standard and 'Map 1'. I'd probably be a bit happier with the top end of 'Map 1' blended onto the bottom end of 'Map 2', but there you go. And considering the new infringement structures that are now in place, going even faster is a licence/bank balance vapourizing scenario.

I've been waiting a long time to find a local supplier who can do this. Removing the ECU from my bike, sending it to Europe, waiting for it to return safely, re-fitting and finding a problem is not for the faint-hearted. No additional boxes/wiring to fit into the crowded BMW spaces. Completely standard looks.

The company that supplied the maps is local (Wangara). The guys have been very helpful, accommodating and easy to get on with. They went ahead and purchased a very expensive connector cable (at their own risk) to connect BMW ECUs to their laptop. The ECU maps retain their original BMW identification number. The only downside I can think of is that BMW dealers may over-write the maps if the BMW factory decides to update software. The lads at InfiniTech warned me about this and stated that they would re-write their modified map back to the ECU free-of-charge. It only takes a couple of minutes. You would know if the maps were over-written back to standard, believe me...

The process is quite simple (although a little nerve-racking the first time). Reading the original maps from the ECU to the laptop can take 20 to 25 minutes. They send the maps away to experts in this field. The maps are then reloaded back to the bike's ECU. This takes less than 5 minutes, including TPS setting at the end. Painless. Backups of your standard and modified maps are kept at InfiniTech.

The websites:

Don't forget to "Right click > Open in New Window".

InfiniTech Tuning: http://www.infinitechtuning.com/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/InfinitechTuning

Once you start to talk about the flatness of the throttle response at low speed, most people start to recognize that even their cars (petrol and diesel) suffer from the same poor throttle response at low speed. This issue can be easily rectified with changes to the ECU maps. If you've got a late model diesel (trucks included), InfiniTech are quoting up to 20% fuel reductions.

You pays your dollars... I'm lovin' this little splurge

If you're talking to InfiniTech, mention me, Nev BMW

[spacey1]

The StainTune system is now up and running...

And I've gotta say, in combination with the ECU remap, the top end is a little scarey. Jeezuz, it comes on fast

The drive-abilty is smooth and consistent. Low speed is brilliant. It's quite flat at the lower end of the throttle, but very smooth and tractable in traffic.

Fuel consumption has improved. I'm seeing high 4's to low 5 litres / 100 km on the computer now. Never saw these reading ever before! Will be able to carry a little less fuel.

Resetting the fuel consumption to zero always displayed up to 6+ on cold starts then never dropped down below 5.5 or so. Now this same procedure sees a high figure of 5.8 and drops very quickly back to circa 5 or less.

The throttle probably still needs to be a little sharper at the lower end. InfiniTech is talking to their suppliers about this.

Our new 'Tool Man' assures me that the inlet needs to be opened up with a larger inlet tube and one of those fancy blue filters... We'll see what happens next.

So far, all very rewarding...

But the top end is still catching me off guard. The traction control works overtime to stop wheel spin and keep the front on mother earth.

Will report progress over time...

[bill9117]

You will wear it out with all that extra power Nev

[spacey1]

OK, I'm drooling over the effects of these modifications

It's like owning a new bike. It'll handle 5th gear easily around corners where downshifting to 3rd gear was necessary before.

Previously with my usual tank fill of 15 litres, I was consistently and typically getting 250 km just as the reserve warning was starting to flash.

Now after 2 tank fills of 15 litres, I'm getting 300 km to the same point.

That could mean an extra 100 km from the 33 litre tank

The StainTune was a breeze to fit and the InfiniTech ECU maps were worry-free and no effort on my behalf.

Not forgetting that the StainTune exhaust is Australian made. It really cuts the cake

http://staintune.com.au/

The icing on the cake is the music it makes at full tilt at the top end...

nev out...

[spacey1]

Update on R1200 GSA with ECU re-map and StainTune exhaust

Well, just back from my first country trip away to the Camp Cook-off with the ECU re-map and the StainTune exhaust...

Bike was fully loaded and fueled per usual, well a little extra to impress the judges, and a little extra being the smooze on the trip home
Running included:
The usual drag through the city limits.
Cruising at the speed limit.
Mixed dirt road running, slow trail and fast dirt
Quick blast back home to miss the rain, well almost...

Normally with a full bike load and the above mixed running

Fuel consumption (litres/100k) = 5.6 to 5.8

With ECU re-map and StainTune

Fuel consumption (litres/100k) = 4.9 to 5.0

And much more smile factor

[spacey1]

Just back from the Tuning Day...

For the first time ever, I've clocked up over 600 km on a tank of fuel.

That includes 300 kms of country running fully laden to the camp cook-off and back on dirt roads, trails, and highway blasting (as above), and another 300 kms of city commuting this week

Very happy indeed, power and economy... who would have thought that tuning an engine properly would make it run better !!!

[spacey1]

A discussion on late revolved around lousy low-speed running on R1200 oil-head boxer-engines.

Asked if the InfiniTech ECU re-mapping is of any use, this was my reply.

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The InfiniTech mapping works well for me on my 08 GSA, 196,000 km now... and loving it.
I've tuned a couple of 08 GSs and they don't easily lift the front wheel... in any gear really.

I don't know what you have in mind. Maybe we should talk about that at a Tuning Day for example. My long term fuel consumption is in the order of 5.3 litres per 100 km. Maybe a fraction better than the 5.4 I always used to get.
That does depend on how you ride of course. I've had anywhere between 4.5 and 7.

But this is my experience with this problem.

When new (to me circa 30k km), it was a pig while launching in 1st gear. It would stall at the drop of a hat, literally.
The idle 'quality' was rubbish. Never smooth. Low speed in traffic was painful, constantly swapping gears to stop the surging. The dealer said that that was normal for these models.

All BMW repairers around Perth had a go at fixing it.

In the end, I decided that I needed to get onto the problem myself. It is now fixed.

The launch at traffic lights is totally robust. It's not really the idle that is weak, it is that tiny range just off idle that lets it down.
Working through traffic is no longer a chance affair of 'will it stall or not'
With less than 15 litres of fuel in the tank, the front wheel will lift in 2nd gear.

This is the order that i would recommend you approach the problem. Definitely not a same-day job.

1. BMW Fuel system cleaner ONLY: Run a full tank of fuel with a full can of fuel system cleaner. ONLY use the BMW stuff (or if you are lucky enough to have access to Techron, use that).
Change the oil!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do not overfill as the excess ends up in the bottom of your air-box.

2. Valve clearances - engine must be cold!
3. Fit a Clean air filter
4. Fit Iridium spark plug
5. Throttle body balance - Step One @ idle - engine must be at operating temperature
6. Throttle body balance - Step Two @ 3,000 rpm - engine must be at operating temperature
7. Iterate Steps 5 and 6 over a couple of weeks.
8. Fit any modifications: Performance exhausts; cams; etc
9. InfiniTech re-mapping

There's a fair bit of work involved if the idle balance is poor, which is where I think the real problem is. The throttle bodies need to come off.
There's that 'screw' that every technician (including BMW) says, 'do not adjust'.

Re InfiniTech ECU maps, I was given two options. I'm not strictly sure that my choice of Map 2 was really optimal. I would have preferred a 'Map 3' which would have blended the bottom of 'Map 2' with the upper end of 'Map 1'. But it was slow speed drive-ability improvements that I was chasing and there was no 'Map 3'.

I had a StainTune full system + InfiniTech ECU remapping fitted at the time. It was pretty awesome at the top end, especially overtaking on the highway with a full touring load.

But I've recently removed the Staintune header as it was just too noisy on tour. I miss the top end, but not the noise. The single skinned-headers are responsible for the most noise, and power... Remus headers are the same, power plus noise. Yeah yeah, I know... "If it's too noisey, you're too old"... I'm too old...

I've even re-fitted the standard exhaust can this year as the noise on tour was making me crazy. I had a 90,000 km of fun with the extra zoom-zoom.

Moving back to the standard exhaust lost top end power but gained huge comfort from less noise.

These engines do respond well to freeing up the exhaust. An inexpensive, quiet, light, powerful exhaust would be awesome

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