PencilGeek
10-08-2008, 10:01 AM
Here's the dyno results for 2008 BMW M3 and ESS Tuning ECU Upgrade on 91 octane gas. The baseline is the same motor with the Gruppe-M Cold Air Intake + Evo Sport pulley.
Company: ESS Tuning (http://www.esstuning.com/)
Price: $995
Contact Information:
Roman (http://www.m3post.com/forums/member.php?u=23143) (Private Message: Rom3n on m3post.com)
Instructions for removing your ECU:
See this posting. (http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170655)
Background:
An ECU upgrade affects a broad range of motor performance. Therefore comparing before and after results cannot be summed up by a single number. Max HP and max toque will not be enough; we need to look at the entire graph of performance over the broad RPM range.
The ESS Tuning ECU upgrade gains its performance by opening the throttle valves earlier and changing some of the fuel/air mapping tables, spark timing, and camshaft timing. On a stock BMW M3, the ESS ECU upgrade has shown a net +10hp gain; on mine, we gained +13 against our best Gruppe-M CAI peak baseline, and a whopping +30hp against our Gruppe-M average baseline.
Previous tests were flawed
In my previous testing of the ESS ECU software, I found a net loss of 1-3hp. As I discovered this weekend, our previous runs were flawed. Here's how we made this discovery.
Shortly before posting my previous ESS dyno runs, Active Autowerke contacted me to test their ECU software. After installation I ran the car for two weeks before dyno testing. When we dyno'd, we got much the same results as the ESS ECU software -- over all, we were down about 10hp from our peak Gruppe-M dyno runs, and average were about break-even. Knowing that these ECU's will richen the fuel-air mixture if there is not enough air-flow, I was really concerned that we had some invalid results due to improper air flow.
Immediately after the dyno runs with the Active Autowerke ECU, my car was placed on a flatbed trailer, and shipped down to Southern California in preparation for SEMA. When I arrived in SoCal, I trailered the car to Orange County, and along the way started calling performance shops that had identical Dynapack dyno's -- but with higher capacity air/wind tunnels. The first place I called (Garage Tuning -- specializing in Subaru's), could guarantee nearly a 70MPH wind tunnel effect. So we took the car off of the trailer, and drove it 15 miles to Garage Tuning. Keep in mind, the car hadn't been driven since the dyno runs near my home, and still had the same tank of gasoline.
The results were clear, and immediate. The very first dyno run was approximately +30hp over my runs in San Jose -- on the same tank of gas. So we ran, and re-ran the tests many times to confirm that the results were not a fluke. They were not a fluke; in fact, the later dyno runs added another horsepower or two.
After comparing the results to the previous run in San Jose, we realized the previous results were off by approximately 11.1% -- nearly across the board. Unfortunately, the ESS ECU software is no longer in my car; therefore it is not possible to re-dyno with this software.
These dyno results presented below are a composite average of my previous dyno runs on the ESS ECU software and compensated with the 11.1% error factor that occurred during our previous testing. Therefore, these dyno results do not actually exist -- they are composed of my previous dyno results using the ESS ECU software, and multiplied by 1.111. They are meant to give a very accurate approximation of how your motor would respond, given the same modifications that exist on my car.
Dyno results:
The Dyno: Dynapack 4000 Chassis Dyno (wheel hub attachment).
RPM Range: 2000-8400
Average Baseline Performance (average Gruppe-M numbers):
Baseline TQ: 267.2 ft/lbs @ 3993 RPM (Average Run-1, Run-2)
Baseline HP: 358.9 hp @ 8044 RPM (Average Run-1, Run-2)
Peak Baseline Performance (peak Gruppe-M numbers)
Baseline TQ: 280.7 ft/lbs @ 3933 RPM (Run-3)
Baseline HP: 376.3 hp @ 7830 RPM (Run-3)
ESS Performance:
ESS TQ: 300.8 ft/lbs @ 3975 RPM
ESS HP: 389.8 hp @ 7956 RPM
http://www.rcollins.org/m3/dyno/20080913/91RON%20-%20with%20ESS%20-%204.jpg
To help decipher where the ESS ECU adds and/or subtracts power, The following graphs demonstrate where the gains and losses occurred.
Torque Delta:
http://www.rcollins.org/m3/dyno/20080913/91RON%20-%20with%20ESS%20-%205.jpg
Horsepower Delta:
http://www.rcollins.org/m3/dyno/20080913/91RON%20-%20with%20ESS%20-%206.jpg
Understanding the results:
I decided to give two comparisons in these results: 1) peak baseline; 2) average baseline. The peak baseline were the best numbers we produced using the Gruppe-M cold air intake. However, these results might have been a fluke, because subsequent results were far lower -- more than 10hp lower. So assuming that the average baseline is the true results of the Gruppe-M CAI, then it would seem that the ESS ECU upgrade gave us an extra 30hp at the very top RPMs, and up to 35hp in the mid range. If we compare these results to the peak Gruppe-M CAI dyno runs, we can see a peak horsepower gain of +13, and up to 25hp gain in the mid range.
Disclosure:
ESS offered me a deal on the ECU upgrade in exchange for dyno testing and this review. The results presented here were the best results we observed (same thing I've done in all past postings). I tried not to let their generosity influence my review. My goal was to give an honest and accurate review that contains both the pros and cons of the ECU upgrade.
Company: ESS Tuning (http://www.esstuning.com/)
Price: $995
Contact Information:
Roman (http://www.m3post.com/forums/member.php?u=23143) (Private Message: Rom3n on m3post.com)
Instructions for removing your ECU:
See this posting. (http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170655)
Background:
An ECU upgrade affects a broad range of motor performance. Therefore comparing before and after results cannot be summed up by a single number. Max HP and max toque will not be enough; we need to look at the entire graph of performance over the broad RPM range.
The ESS Tuning ECU upgrade gains its performance by opening the throttle valves earlier and changing some of the fuel/air mapping tables, spark timing, and camshaft timing. On a stock BMW M3, the ESS ECU upgrade has shown a net +10hp gain; on mine, we gained +13 against our best Gruppe-M CAI peak baseline, and a whopping +30hp against our Gruppe-M average baseline.
Previous tests were flawed
In my previous testing of the ESS ECU software, I found a net loss of 1-3hp. As I discovered this weekend, our previous runs were flawed. Here's how we made this discovery.
Shortly before posting my previous ESS dyno runs, Active Autowerke contacted me to test their ECU software. After installation I ran the car for two weeks before dyno testing. When we dyno'd, we got much the same results as the ESS ECU software -- over all, we were down about 10hp from our peak Gruppe-M dyno runs, and average were about break-even. Knowing that these ECU's will richen the fuel-air mixture if there is not enough air-flow, I was really concerned that we had some invalid results due to improper air flow.
Immediately after the dyno runs with the Active Autowerke ECU, my car was placed on a flatbed trailer, and shipped down to Southern California in preparation for SEMA. When I arrived in SoCal, I trailered the car to Orange County, and along the way started calling performance shops that had identical Dynapack dyno's -- but with higher capacity air/wind tunnels. The first place I called (Garage Tuning -- specializing in Subaru's), could guarantee nearly a 70MPH wind tunnel effect. So we took the car off of the trailer, and drove it 15 miles to Garage Tuning. Keep in mind, the car hadn't been driven since the dyno runs near my home, and still had the same tank of gasoline.
The results were clear, and immediate. The very first dyno run was approximately +30hp over my runs in San Jose -- on the same tank of gas. So we ran, and re-ran the tests many times to confirm that the results were not a fluke. They were not a fluke; in fact, the later dyno runs added another horsepower or two.
After comparing the results to the previous run in San Jose, we realized the previous results were off by approximately 11.1% -- nearly across the board. Unfortunately, the ESS ECU software is no longer in my car; therefore it is not possible to re-dyno with this software.
These dyno results presented below are a composite average of my previous dyno runs on the ESS ECU software and compensated with the 11.1% error factor that occurred during our previous testing. Therefore, these dyno results do not actually exist -- they are composed of my previous dyno results using the ESS ECU software, and multiplied by 1.111. They are meant to give a very accurate approximation of how your motor would respond, given the same modifications that exist on my car.
Dyno results:
The Dyno: Dynapack 4000 Chassis Dyno (wheel hub attachment).
RPM Range: 2000-8400
Average Baseline Performance (average Gruppe-M numbers):
Baseline TQ: 267.2 ft/lbs @ 3993 RPM (Average Run-1, Run-2)
Baseline HP: 358.9 hp @ 8044 RPM (Average Run-1, Run-2)
Peak Baseline Performance (peak Gruppe-M numbers)
Baseline TQ: 280.7 ft/lbs @ 3933 RPM (Run-3)
Baseline HP: 376.3 hp @ 7830 RPM (Run-3)
ESS Performance:
ESS TQ: 300.8 ft/lbs @ 3975 RPM
ESS HP: 389.8 hp @ 7956 RPM
http://www.rcollins.org/m3/dyno/20080913/91RON%20-%20with%20ESS%20-%204.jpg
To help decipher where the ESS ECU adds and/or subtracts power, The following graphs demonstrate where the gains and losses occurred.
Torque Delta:
http://www.rcollins.org/m3/dyno/20080913/91RON%20-%20with%20ESS%20-%205.jpg
Horsepower Delta:
http://www.rcollins.org/m3/dyno/20080913/91RON%20-%20with%20ESS%20-%206.jpg
Understanding the results:
I decided to give two comparisons in these results: 1) peak baseline; 2) average baseline. The peak baseline were the best numbers we produced using the Gruppe-M cold air intake. However, these results might have been a fluke, because subsequent results were far lower -- more than 10hp lower. So assuming that the average baseline is the true results of the Gruppe-M CAI, then it would seem that the ESS ECU upgrade gave us an extra 30hp at the very top RPMs, and up to 35hp in the mid range. If we compare these results to the peak Gruppe-M CAI dyno runs, we can see a peak horsepower gain of +13, and up to 25hp gain in the mid range.
Disclosure:
ESS offered me a deal on the ECU upgrade in exchange for dyno testing and this review. The results presented here were the best results we observed (same thing I've done in all past postings). I tried not to let their generosity influence my review. My goal was to give an honest and accurate review that contains both the pros and cons of the ECU upgrade.