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Anyone try MHD Flasher on stock yet?

29K views 39 replies 10 participants last post by  Ilovemycar 
#1 ·
I'm intrigued by this, particularly given the price. A DCAN and OTG cable from Amazon for $30 total, and an Android app with a $99 flasher module and a $50 set of Wedge Q-Logic maps or Stage 1 maps gets you started. That's less than $200 -- waaaay cheaper than Cobb. The thing is out of beta and appears to be reliable. I can't hash it out from the massive thread over on E90, but anyone here try it on stock, or otherwise have any opinions?
 
#2 ·
Really? No one?

Having read a bit more, it really seems like this may well give Cobb a run for its money, and at a mere fraction of the cost. Why buy an expensive dedicated piece of hardware from Cobb when your Android can serve the same purpose? (Too bad, iPhone fanciers -- you're stuck yet again in your high walled garden.)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yeah it's real and that E90POST discussion is 63 pages so far....but I must've missed how to restore the stock maps. How's that done?

Map flash quoted @ 35 min, 2008+ ---- N54 only.

Note JB4, configurable, takes ~5 sec to switch maps, even while driving, and there is no flash. Just sayin'. If a few hundred $ diff is insurmountable, you may wish to reevaluate your projected cost of vehicle maintenance, BMW-wise.

.
 
#5 ·
I must've missed how to restore the stock maps. How's that done?
Terribly complicated. You have to tap this strange button on the app homescreen mysteriously labeled "FLASH BACK TO STOCK." See screenshot below.

Note JB4, configurable, takes ~5 sec to switch maps, even while driving, and there is no flash. Just sayin'. If a few hundred $ diff is insurmountable, you may wish to reevaluate your projected cost of vehicle maintenance, BMW-wise.
I'm not interested in continually switching maps -- I just want settle on one. Also, I've had no problem maintaining a Porsche and 3 BMWs over the last 15 years. Do you know something my accountant doesn't? Seriously, though, I'm not looking to go FBO with an LSD and Koni shocks etc. (even if I were out of warranty). Just a simple tune. I'm a tech head and I like open platforms. Cobb is much more of a closed platform.
 

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#4 ·
Plus you can sell the JB4 when done for $350-420 on E-Bay so it may only cost $55-125 to mod it. I paid $400 for mine w/DCI, sold the DCI for $65 so say $55 after shipping. Looks like the burger will possibly pay ME to use it once I sell.
 
#9 ·
Oh, I'm going to try it. The DCAN cable I'd ordered just arrived today (I already have an OTG cable), and the app and phone hooked up fine. That at least allows me to access the MHD store.

It turns out that the flasher module (which is required to flash any maps, custom or no) is actually only $79, and the stage 1 map is only $39. Including the $40 DCAN cable, that would amount to a whopping $158 investment.

I am spending another $29 on a battery charger/maintainer, though -- I thought I could jerry rig the one I have for a trolling motor battery, but it puts out 5 amps, and 6 amps is apparently the minimum, according to what they're saying on the E90post thread. The fuel pump is continually on during flashing, so a trickle charge avoids the risk of battery drain. (Pulling the fuse for the pump helps, but better safe than sorry.)

The charger should be here later today, but I probably won't get around to doing anything until some time over the weekend. I also want to back up the ECU first.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I'd say this is the future of N54 tuning, but that sounds a bit odd when talking about an engine on which production stopped two years ago. Still, to be able to flash maps from your phone is a bit mind-blowing at first, but it makes sense given that phones do everything nowadays. They are of course powerful computers.

The Accessport V3 costs more or less the same as my Note 4 does (unsubsidized). That kind of dedicated hardware is a dodo bird, and I'm surprised no one came up with the phone idea earlier. It may be Apple's fault in part, because you can't do this kind of thing with an iPhone given Apple's ham-handed, hand-holding approach. That is, you can't attach USB devices to an iPhone as you can with many/most Android devices. That's what you're doing here with the MHD app -- attaching a USB device to your Android. A very very large (and very very fast!) USB device.

In any event, I backed up the ECU last night -- that took a little over an hour. Actually flashing of the stage 1 map is supposed to be about half that time. A side benefit is that with the 12V charger attached to avoid battery drain, my battery ends up topped off/fully charged.
 
#12 ·
Flashed the stage 1 map tonight. It took 38 minutes just as it was supposed to. I immediately fired her up and took her out. All pulls were smooth, and WOT was particularly impressive at times. Overall, not an earth shattering change, which I kind of expected given that it's a 335is and not a 335i, but a marked improvement nonetheless. You certainly can't beat it for the price. I am probably going to end up getting the Wedge/BQ custom tune. OTS isn't bad, but I'd like to push it just a leeeetle bit more. Then I'll stop, Mom, I promise.
 
#13 ·
Is there any way you can take it to a dyno machine and get some legitimate numbers and then if you choose to go with Wedge compare the two? I know that around my area we can get 4 pulls for $75. The seat of the pants results really aren't that definitive. Also, when you loaded the stage 1 map, does that tell you what the changes are that are being made? i.e. what is the new psi, etc?
 
#14 ·
There's a place a couple three miles away that charges $70 for 3 pulls, but if I do anything, I'll just plug the MHD logs into Virtual Dyno (they're compatible). You have to buy the monitor module separately from the flasher module --it's $52 -- and you can connect from the app to datazap.me to save/share the logs. In any event, I don't think there's any doubt a Wedge BQ custom tune would be better on the 335is, and from what I've been told that's certainly the case if you can go with E85 (which is readily available near me). I should mention that like all the MHD maps, the stage 1 OTS was created by Wedge.

There was nothing on the app that told me directly what changes were made after I flashed the stage 1 map. I suppose I could have logged parameters while running on stock, and then logged them from the stage 1 map after flashing and compared the two.
 
#16 ·
Just an update after 5 days of driving with the stage 1 93 octane map. Smooth as buttah! And WOT or even quasi-WOT is a scream, and is of course where one sees the most improvement. All for $118 (excluding the $40 cable cost).

I'm not at all clear on this, but the custom Wedge tune appears to be only for E85, which requires an FMIC and DPs. I'm bone stock, so out of luck there. I'm not sure if they'll do a custom 93 octane/bone stock map, but I've inquired. Still, if all you're looking for is a tune and have no intention of doing any further modding, this beats the pants off of JB4 and certainly Cobb.
 
#17 ·
Just an update after 5 days of driving with the stage 1 93 octane map. Smooth as buttah! And WOT or even quasi-WOT is a scream, and is of course where one sees the most improvement. All for $118 (excluding the $40 cable cost).

I'm not at all clear on this, but the custom Wedge tune appears to be only for E85, which requires an FMIC and DPs. I'm bone stock, so out of luck there. I'm not sure if they'll do a custom 93 octane/bone stock map, but I've inquired. Still, if all you're looking for is a tune and have no intention of doing any further modding, this beats the pants off of JB4 and certainly Cobb.
No it doesn't beat the pants off jb4. Cobb maybe havent a clue.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Wedge is now recommending that people get MHD instead of Cobb or JB4. Part of that may be financial interest -- Wedge makes the OTS maps for MHD, and offers custom tuning for a certain amount of coin (and does so for Cobb as well). But I think it's pretty clear that if you're coming into turning fresh, you're wasting your money if you go Cobb or JB4, money you could spend on a bolt on.

It's now been 10 days since I've been running the stage 1 map, and I couldn't be more pleased given the fact that I'm otherwise stock. FWIW, my boost usually peaks at 13.5 psi in the 4000 RPM range, although sometimes hits 15 psi at about 5000 RPM if I push on into fourth gear. Not monster numbers, obviously, but again I'm running stock.
 
#23 ·
Wedge is now recommending that people get MHD instead of Cobb or JB4. Part of that may be financial interest -- Wedge makes the OTS maps for MHD, and offers custom tuning for a certain amount of coin (and does so for Cobb as well). But I think it's pretty clear that if you're coming into turning fresh, you're wasting your money if you go Cobb or JB4, money you could spend on a bolt on.

It's now been 10 days since I've been running the stage 1 map, and I couldn't be more pleased given the fact that I'm otherwise stock. FWIW, my boost usually peaks at 13.5 psi in the 4000 RPM range, although sometimes hits 15 psi at about 5000 RPM if I push on into fourth gear. Not monster numbers, obviously, but again I'm running stock.
You work for MHD LOL. So tell us your hp and torque map 1

Im doing 400 with jn4
 
#29 ·
If I wasn't already running Cobb I think I would look seriously at MHD, which I think most people will do once they see the cost benefit. There is always going to be people out there that post all kinds of numbers and talk about what they can get out of their cars running meth, E85, or race gas, but for those people that just want some extra power and torque just for fun MHD seems to be a great option.
 
#30 ·
Exactly. A lot of people have either JB4, Cobb, or now MHD, and have a tendency to claim what they're running is superior, even though they have never used anything else. I'm not trying to do that here -- I had fully planned on getting the Cobb when MHD appeared. Now instead of spending $900, I spent $79, plus $39 for the OTS stage 1 map. Even when you throw in $40 for the required DCAN cable and $52 for the not-required monitor module, that's only $210. The amount left over is enough for a good intercooler . . . .
 
#32 ·
On a side note/ hijack, is a backend flash similar in that the dealer will have a record of that? I have been thinking of giving my jb4 a little vitamin bms pump flash.
 
#36 · (Edited)
After running the JB4 with backend flashes for almost two years I made the switch to MHD recently.

To me the biggest improvement is how much smoother the car feels with the day to day driving, the boost feels linear and there's never any throttle oscillations under low load, the car just feels more refined and smooth from idle to redline and everything inbetween.

With the jb4, adding the back end flashes to the jb4 was a big jump in how the car behaved but MHD with a wedge flash has made another leap in day to day behavior.

I can now flash between pump gas and E85 flashes RELIABLY within 2 minutes on my phone. This really took a load off my shoulders being able to do this, this means I could be miles away from my house and battery charger and flash to a pump gas tune (or vise versa) with confidence.

Sold my JB4 for $425 and pocketed $300 after buying MHD and logging/monitoring.
IMO flash only is the way to run a N54.
 
#37 ·
Just an FYI for anyone who has been mulling over pulling the trigger on MHD, the 20% discount for app modules and maps that MHD has been offering during the open beta comes to an end tomorrow (7/31) at midnight.
 
#38 ·
Just an update as requested, I've since gone FBO and have upgraded (stage 2) the LPFP, and MHD has been with me all of the way. I'm currently running a custom Wedge E60 map for MHD. Flashed it at the pump after filling up with an E60 blend the day the new LPFP was installed. Monitoring and logging couldn't be easier because it's all on the phone.

If you're considering a tune, don't waste your money buying a Cobb V3. MHD has killed it and replaced it.
 
#39 ·
I'm using MHD also. I had actually bought a used Cobb v3 a few weeks before I found out about MHD. I sold it for more than I paid for it and purchased the MHD. I've been happy with it so far. The car pulls like a bat out of hell and I didn't notice any difference in performance over the Cobb unit. I'm running stage 1+ ots map. A vrsf fmic and cobb charge pipe are my only mods.
 
#40 ·
With this kind of pricing, I finally caved with the whole tuning thing, and recently got my first tune ever. It's pretty fun! Very, very easy install. Just map 1, no mods. IMO, the ROI falls off a cliff for me with the various bolt-ons, especially as a CA resident. Buying this product reminded me of when I purchased Carly, as it's so hard to resist such a dramatic price drop for the given type of product.

I don't really think about the differences anymore, but I will say that among my very first impressions, it felt like there was even less turbo lag than before. I admit I'm probably imagining things.

I ordered a RB PCV today. I'm thinking of buying my 4th torque wrench for this job, a Tekton 20-200 lb-inch click type. Good choice?
 
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