BMW M4 Chip Tuning Options
The BMW M4 has established itself as one of the most popular cars for tuning. Here are some of the choice M4 chip tuning products
BMW included many trick features into the M4 including water injection and the engine has a terrific reputation for reliability and strength. A quality remap will make the most of these foundations while making the M4 faster and maybe even more fuel efficient.
- ECS Tuning, 3 stage adjustable M4 tuning box with buttons on the outside of the case for easy adjustment http://esstuning.com/s55-e-tronic-tuner/
- Burger Motorsports. Taking the art of M4 chip tuning boxes to the next level. Intercepts more sensors than your average tuning box to give you more control and more adjustability http://www.burgertuning.com/M3_M4_S55_JB4_BMW_performance_tuner.html
- Litchfield Tuning – No photos at the time of going to press but another M4 chip tuning box, plug and play tuning box solution. Expect the usual Litchfield quality http://www.litchfieldimports.co.uk/BMW/m4/tuning
- Dinan – Always trying to set themselves apart from the rest of the tuning industry by having as many of the products covered by the BMW warranty as possible. A tuning box solution that goes many steps further than your normal tuning box. A price tag to match the technology https://www.dinancars.com/product/d440-1644-st1-d-tronics-performance-tuner-stage-1-for-bmw-f80-m3-f82-f83-m4/
- Hex Tuning by VF – VF made their name making ultra reliable supercharger kits, Hex Tuning is their foray in to the chip tuning industry. No product photos at the time of going to press but it is a plug and play tuning solution for the M4 http://www.vfengineering.com/m4-ecu-tuning/
- Active Autowerk – Plug and play tuning solution, Active go further than the other manufacturers on this page excluding Burger in that the feature the installation instructions on their website https://store.activeautowerke.com/products/f80-m3-f82-m4-active-8-tune
- VR Tuned – Plug and play tuning box solution for the M4 using the basic camshaft sensor and MAP sensors https://www.vrtuned.com/vr-tuned-tuning-box-instructions-ecu-tune-bmw-m3-m4-2014/
- Hamman – One of the most respected tuning names, no specific details as to how their product connects to the engine but their product range includes top speed limit removal. This suggests something more than a plug and play tuning box http://www.hamann-motorsport.com/en/products/range/list?itemcode=&manufacturer=BMW&series=M4&model=F82+Coup%C3%A9+%26+F83+Cabriolet&category=105&submit=Auswahl+anzeigen
- DTE Systems – One of the larger players in the tuning box industry. Their M4 chip tuning box gives a peak 91bhp increase, plug and play solution, 3 adjustable programs using case mounted buttons https://www.chiptuning.com/en/company/news/bmw-m4.html
- AC Schnitzer – Another firm who try to get as many of their products covered under the BMW warranty as possible. Maybe you could call them BMWs borderline in house tuning arm along with M? What looks like an incredibly complete tuning box solution with a price to match http://shop.rossiters.co.uk/performance-upgrade-for-bmw-m3m4-f80f82f83-510hp-5259-p.asp
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M4 Chip Tuning Boxes – In summary
There seems to be 2 types of tuning box solutions for the BMW M4
The types that intercepts the two air pressure sensors and the camshaft position sensor
And the other type which appears to intercept almost all of the sensors on the engine. With regards to this type of tuning box, the Burger Motorsports solution stands out in terms of price, but it does not come with the BMW warranty, if that bothers you.
As engine electronics become more advanced it is becoming easier to release effective tuning solutions because the factory ECUs are designed from the off to be able to detect engine malfunctions and protect the engine.
Make no mistake, the more basic tuning boxes are depending on the factory ECU to protect the engine. Older ECUs did not have this ability which is why tuning boxes for older turbo petrol engines did not exist. The technology simply did not exist in the cars ECU to protect itself should the worse thing happen, ie detonation.
Modern ECUs are constantly monitoring detonation and are able to adjust ignition timing if they detect it. It is normal behaviour. Older technology was not able to cope with unexpected knock
In short, assuming the tuning box is built well, the engine should be as safe with a tuning box as it is without but obviously, if you are putting more power through the engine, you are putting more stress on engine components and the gearbox, but this can be said for any performance modification including bigger turbos, different camshafts, race exhaust systems and so on
And something completely different
Jeremy Clarkson review of the BMW M4 https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/the-clarkson-review-bmw-m4-2014/
