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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 F10 Technical Topics Engine, Transmission, Exhaust, Drivetrain, ECU Software Modifications Juice Box aka JB3 stage 1 for N55...initial impressions
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      06-13-2011, 06:49 PM   #23
blackberrycubed
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CitrusgutsIS View Post
just installed it and not too impressed my 335 is oulled so much harder stock IMO
Did you adjust the boost? Don't you have to let the car adjust to the new tune by driving it for a bit?

Are you basing your dissatisfaction with tune solely on butt dyno feel?
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      06-13-2011, 06:53 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by blackberrycubed View Post
Jakeem: Is this with the default boost settings which is like +2.75? or did you bump it up? I am reading that +4.0 boost gives the best power for an otherwise stock car.
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Originally Posted by blackberrycubed View Post
Did you adjust the boost? Don't you have to let the car adjust to the new tune by driving it for a bit?

Are you basing your dissatisfaction with tune solely on butt dyno feel?
Here is the link posted by dieselweasel on downloading the software to make the changes. I havent done this myself, but I'd address caution when making these changes to the car.

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7992
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      06-13-2011, 07:50 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaekeem View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackberrycubed View Post
Jakeem: Is this with the default boost settings which is like 2.75? or did you bump it up? I am reading that 4.0 boost gives the best power for an otherwise stock car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackberrycubed View Post
Did you adjust the boost? Don't you have to let the car adjust to the new tune by driving it for a bit?

Are you basing your dissatisfaction with tune solely on butt dyno feel?
Here is the link posted by dieselweasel on downloading the software to make the changes. I havent done this myself, but I'd address caution when making these changes to the car.

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7992
I have tried stock settings, 3.75, 4.0, 4.5, 4.75, and 5.0. No check engine lights anywhere but the car feels fastest at 4.0. I'd like to dyno mine at a couple of different settings and see what the actual numbers show. I'm quite sure that it is quicker at the higher boost settings at higher RPM but there is noticeably more lag the higher I went over stock boost.
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      06-13-2011, 08:46 PM   #26
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I would tend to agree that 5 psi may not feel as strong because of the increased lag as you go up on the power band. I am installing aftermarket exhaust tomorrow and already have a K&N so we shall see if the free flowing exhaust helps with the boost.

It has been really hot here and any forced induction vehicle suffers after about 85 degrees in my humble experience.
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      06-13-2011, 10:15 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DieselWeasel View Post
I have tried stock settings, 3.75, 4.0, 4.5, 4.75, and 5.0. No check engine lights anywhere but the car feels fastest at 4.0. I'd like to dyno mine at a couple of different settings and see what the actual numbers show. I'm quite sure that it is quicker at the higher boost settings at higher RPM but there is noticeably more lag the higher I went over stock boost.
How was the lag @ 4.00 psi? was it very noticeable ? would you go as far as saying it was annoying?
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      06-13-2011, 10:30 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackberrycubed View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by DieselWeasel View Post
I have tried stock settings, 3.75, 4.0, 4.5, 4.75, and 5.0. No check engine lights anywhere but the car feels fastest at 4.0. I'd like to dyno mine at a couple of different settings and see what the actual numbers show. I'm quite sure that it is quicker at the higher boost settings at higher RPM but there is noticeably more lag the higher I went over stock boost.
How was the lag @ 4.00 psi? was it very noticeable ? would you go as far as saying it was annoying?
No, just a touch more than stock. Not bothersome in the least. You'll forget all about it after about 5 minutes.
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      06-14-2011, 02:23 AM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DieselWeasel View Post
I have tried stock settings, 3.75, 4.0, 4.5, 4.75, and 5.0. No check engine lights anywhere but the car feels fastest at 4.0. I'd like to dyno mine at a couple of different settings and see what the actual numbers show. I'm quite sure that it is quicker at the higher boost settings at higher RPM but there is noticeably more lag the higher I went over stock boost.
Diesel I think I asked you this before but what octane gas are you running? I'm going in to get some more dyno pulls done at higher boost and higher octane gas this week.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lgk View Post
I would tend to agree that 5 psi may not feel as strong because of the increased lag as you go up on the power band. I am installing aftermarket exhaust tomorrow and already have a K&N so we shall see if the free flowing exhaust helps with the boost.

It has been really hot here and any forced induction vehicle suffers after about 85 degrees in my humble experience.
LGK - What exhaust system are you getting? Its been so hard trying to source any exhaust system. Even the custom muffler shops worth looking at in socal are booked over 2 weeks out!

Quote:
Originally Posted by DieselWeasel View Post
No, just a touch more than stock. Not bothersome in the least. You'll forget all about it after about 5 minutes.
I cant wait to see how this all works and what the dyno numbers look like at all the different boost settings.

By the way Diesel do you know what the maximum or limit of the JB Stage 1 boost is set at?
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      06-14-2011, 03:41 PM   #30
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Keep it up boys - I'm enjoying the reading as you play with these. Looking forward to more dyno results...
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      06-14-2011, 05:47 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackberrycubed View Post
Did you adjust the boost? Don't you have to let the car adjust to the new tune by driving it for a bit?

Are you basing your dissatisfaction with tune solely on butt dyno feel?
havent adjusted boost yet, still dont know what connector or laptop is compatible to get this done
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      06-14-2011, 06:41 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CitrusgutsIS View Post
havent adjusted boost yet, still dont know what connector or laptop is compatible to get this done
I believe you can go to any computer store to get the serial to USB cable. Average costs are from my findings around $30USD.

As for laptop compatibility any windows based PC or mac with windows on it can run the application provided by Terry at Burger.
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      06-14-2011, 09:03 PM   #33
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Terry's cable is truly proprietary. It will not work with a standard serial to USA. I had a Magnaflow system installed-much lighter, direct bolt on with no cutting.

When I first drove it, it was strange-it actually felt less powerful. I was concerned that the low RPM torque power delivery was effected by the lower back pressure.

I reset the ecu and drove for 20 miles and it felt better. I then raised the boost to 4 PSI. Seat pants it is truly hard to know whether their is much difference in power, especially when dealing with the extra noise. I don't necessarily consider the sound appealing but that is subjective.
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      06-14-2011, 11:58 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lgk View Post
Terry's cable is truly proprietary. It will not work with a standard serial to USA. I had a Magnaflow system installed-much lighter, direct bolt on with no cutting.

When I first drove it, it was strange-it actually felt less powerful. I was concerned that the low RPM torque power delivery was effected by the lower back pressure.

I reset the ecu and drove for 20 miles and it felt better. I then raised the boost to 4 PSI. Seat pants it is truly hard to know whether their is much difference in power, especially when dealing with the extra noise. I don't necessarily consider the sound appealing but that is subjective.
How do you reset the ECU?

So even after setting it to 4psi you can't tell the difference compared to stock ?
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      06-15-2011, 07:40 AM   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaekeem View Post
Diesel I think I asked you this before but what octane gas are you running? I'm going in to get some more dyno pulls done at higher boost and higher octane gas this week.

By the way Diesel do you know what the maximum or limit of the JB Stage 1 boost is set at?
I'm running 93 octane here in Atlanta.

Not sure of the limits of the JB Stage 1. I have run 6 PSI over stock on 93 octane gas with no CEL or other driveability problems but car seems happiest at 4.0. At the moment it is HOT HOT HOT here in Atlanta, somewhere around 75 degrees in the morning and 95-98 afternoon and humid as hell so the butt dyno seems a little off and I know the power isn't nearly as high as it could be with cooler weather.
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      06-15-2011, 07:25 PM   #36
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For anyone here who did the install themself, was your MAP sensor plug a pain in the butt to get to? Mine was tucked underneath the back of my airbox, facing towards the front of the car. It wasn't "under a plastic cover" like the install instructions stated. I had to prop the airbox up as much as I could and slide a butter knife under it to undo the stock plug-in. Getting the JB3 replacement plug back into it was a bit of a pain as well. Having small hands would probably help. For a while there, I was pretty sure I was going to have to take the airbox off entirely.

I haven't driven the car as of yet. All I did was start it up to make sure I didn't get a CEL.
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      06-16-2011, 02:13 AM   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DieselWeasel View Post
I'm running 93 octane here in Atlanta.

Not sure of the limits of the JB Stage 1. I have run 6 PSI over stock on 93 octane gas with no CEL or other driveability problems but car seems happiest at 4.0. At the moment it is HOT HOT HOT here in Atlanta, somewhere around 75 degrees in the morning and 95-98 afternoon and humid as hell so the butt dyno seems a little off and I know the power isn't nearly as high as it could be with cooler weather.
I really cant wait to turn up the boost soon, I think it'll be so much fun.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AKSteve View Post
For anyone here who did the install themself, was your MAP sensor plug a pain in the butt to get to? Mine was tucked underneath the back of my airbox, facing towards the front of the car. It wasn't "under a plastic cover" like the install instructions stated. I had to prop the airbox up as much as I could and slide a butter knife under it to undo the stock plug-in. Getting the JB3 replacement plug back into it was a bit of a pain as well. Having small hands would probably help. For a while there, I was pretty sure I was going to have to take the airbox off entirely.

I haven't driven the car as of yet. All I did was start it up to make sure I didn't get a CEL.
AK Steve,

I saw the install for the JB and they had a hard time reaching it too on our cars.

As for the car you will need a few complete pulls for the car to adapt. It took 4-5 dyno runs and 4-5 full throttle passes for the car to adjust to the tune. The more you drive it the more the car adapts to it.

I hopped on the dyno again today at EAS and saw the powerband from the installation day until now and it looks smoother from an already smooth power curve.

All I can say is I'm a believer of the JB you can look at the other tunes out there but I really doubt you can find a smoother install or even smoother powerband. Price definitely does not dictate quality in terms of these piggyback units.

Getting antsy waiting to increase boost on this car
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      06-16-2011, 03:40 AM   #38
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OK, so it wasn't just me who found the install a pain. I always read these posts that say things like, "It only took me 15 minutes to install, and I'm a complete moron!"

I had to prop my airbox up by wedging an empty plastic bottle underneath, unclip 3 sets of cables from the airbox to move them out of the way, lay a blanket on the engine and completely get on top of it so I could reach the MAP sensor under the airbox. After disconnecting the stock cable, attaching the JB3 cable in its place was a process of blind fiddling and dumb luck.

Now that it's stopped raining here, I'm about to go a midnight drive to check things out. I'm curious, with a chip installed, does Sport & Sport + still have an effect on how the car responds?

Thanks,

Steve
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      06-16-2011, 08:51 AM   #39
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I received my jb3 for the n55 on Monday. Haven't had a chance to venture into the installation process but have surveyed the engine bay, which is totally different from the instructions posted on the install guide. I will admit I am a tuning newbie, but nothing seems the same, don't know if I should just bring it to a shop to get installed the first time around.

I noticed the odd placement of one of the sensors facing my windshield. Good thing is I found all of them, from there i feel it's going to be a bit of any experience.

If anyone here is experienced in installation, would love to hear a DIY on this install. Thx

Steve
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      06-16-2011, 11:16 AM   #40
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it would be nice if someone could post a small video showing the install on a F10.

Any takers?
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      06-16-2011, 11:40 AM   #41
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It's actually pretty easy to install, except for the MAP sensor. Your option with that one is to either remove the airbox or spend a frustrating period of time trying to get at it with the airbox in place. I wasn't interested in taking my airbox out just for this install, so I went ahead and installed it with the airbox in the way.

First I pulled the airbox up as high as I could by hand, then stuffed a tall, empty plastic water bottle in to hold it up. Then I lifted up the tubes of cables that are strapped to the side of the airbox and moved them out of the way. With the cables out of the way, it's not that hard to slide a thin butter knife or something in there from the side to unclip the original cable from the sensor.

At this point, no matter how frustrating it is, you will motivate yourself to get the JB3 cable in place because your car is now undriveable until you do. I put a blanket across the top of my engine and laid on top of it so I could get into a good position to slide my hand in there and wrestle with getting everything in place. If you have a set of long needle-nose pliers or something like that, it might be easier. Or, if you have small hands, it might not be hard to do it by hand.

In any case, now that i have it installed, I don't plan on messing with it until my next visit to the dealer in 6,000 miles or so. This isn't something you want to do very often. The top photo is a view of the MAP sensor partially tucked underneath the back of the airbox. The second photo is a view from the side after propping up the airbox and moving the attached cables out of the way.
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Last edited by AKSteve; 06-16-2011 at 11:49 AM..
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      06-16-2011, 01:08 PM   #42
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^^^ Thanks so much !!!

Edit: What build date is your car?
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      06-16-2011, 01:15 PM   #43
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October 2010 on my F10.
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      06-16-2011, 02:32 PM   #44
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AKSteve View Post
OK, so it wasn't just me who found the install a pain. I always read these posts that say things like, "It only took me 15 minutes to install, and I'm a complete moron!"

I had to prop my airbox up by wedging an empty plastic bottle underneath, unclip 3 sets of cables from the airbox to move them out of the way, lay a blanket on the engine and completely get on top of it so I could reach the MAP sensor under the airbox. After disconnecting the stock cable, attaching the JB3 cable in its place was a process of blind fiddling and dumb luck.

Now that it's stopped raining here, I'm about to go a midnight drive to check things out. I'm curious, with a chip installed, does Sport & Sport + still have an effect on how the car responds?

Thanks,

Steve
Steve you should have all the settings still with sport and sport+. Its when you start messing with the suspension by changing out the stock shocks for the dynamic damper control that eliminates the use of those features.

The JB should allow you to use those settings still...I'd like to hear your feedback with the JB and in sport+ mode.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AKSteve View Post
It's actually pretty easy to install, except for the MAP sensor. Your option with that one is to either remove the airbox or spend a frustrating period of time trying to get at it with the airbox in place. I wasn't interested in taking my airbox out just for this install, so I went ahead and installed it with the airbox in the way.

First I pulled the airbox up as high as I could by hand, then stuffed a tall, empty plastic water bottle in to hold it up. Then I lifted up the tubes of cables that are strapped to the side of the airbox and moved them out of the way. With the cables out of the way, it's not that hard to slide a thin butter knife or something in there from the side to unclip the original cable from the sensor.

At this point, no matter how frustrating it is, you will motivate yourself to get the JB3 cable in place because your car is now undriveable until you do. I put a blanket across the top of my engine and laid on top of it so I could get into a good position to slide my hand in there and wrestle with getting everything in place. If you have a set of long needle-nose pliers or something like that, it might be easier. Or, if you have small hands, it might not be hard to do it by hand.

In any case, now that i have it installed, I don't plan on messing with it until my next visit to the dealer in 6,000 miles or so. This isn't something you want to do very often. The top photo is a view of the MAP sensor partially tucked underneath the back of the airbox. The second photo is a view from the side after propping up the airbox and moving the attached cables out of the way.
The person who installed my kit did pretty much the same thing to get to that harness. He did not remove the airbox but pulled it loose and then wiggled around to get to that one.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowrider View Post
October 2010 on my F10.
My car has a December 2010 build date fyi
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