Review: JHM 3.0 V6 Tune

[imnuts]

This seems to be the best section for this, so I'll start it here in the hopes that we can get more technical related stuff into this new forum. I just got the tune that JHM has been working on for my 3.0, and there are many people waiting for a review of it, so here is mine. First, a background of my car. I have just over 150k miles currently, and this is the second performance mod that I've done. I also have a 6-spd, where I believe most other people that have gotten tuned thus far have been automatics. My car is a daily driver, and is the primary car when we go on long trips. It sees a lot of highway driving, and occasional spirited driving. I got the tune not to make my car faster, but to get rid of my CEL due to failing cats on both banks. I need to pass emissions and this was the "best" option IMO to do so. Putting spacers in the rear O2s would be considerably more work, plus this may net me a few more MPGs on the long trips, so it could help pay for itself by saving me money at the pump. I do have an front O2 sensor that is starting to go bad, and an exhaust rattle that needs fixed. I plan on replacing the O2 sensors next month (no bad fuel economy yet, and the code was just intermittent at this point). The exhaust will probably get fully replaced at some point, going with the JHM down pipes and I don't know what for the rest. Otherwise, I have no major performance plans for my car.

First, let me start off by saying that taking out the old ECU is a HUGE PITA. I don't have a dremel, so the security bolts were very difficult. Luckily, some perseverance with a pair of vise grips and an adjustable wrench got them out. I also had to remove the cowl at the base of the windshield to get access to the ECU at all as I couldn't get the one rear screw without doing so. When re-installing the ECU, I ended up breaking the one end of the cowl. At least it's only a 1" piece at the very end, hopefully it doesn't result in issues. Minus the security bolts and cowl though, removal and re-installation is a fairly straight forward. If anyone is wondering, the security screws are M6x1.0 - 12mm in length, if you wanted to replace them with actual bolts.

Initial impressions may be lack-luster given some of the other reviews I've seen. Keep in mind that so far, I have driven my car ~25 miles so far with the tune, and haven't done any WOT runs or even started to yet. I want to get a basic feel for everyday driving first. First start up was rough as the RPMs bounced around a lot and the car almost stalled until it turned over a few times. I let it idle for about a minute to make sure it was ok before putting everything back together under the hood. Started it up again after it was all back together just to make sure it was an odd occurrence, and it appears to be as the second (and all subsequent) start was fine. The only thing I notice is that the car seems to idle quieter now than it did before. Maybe it was just due to other background noise, but even sitting in my car with the windows down and the hood up, it seemed to be a little quieter.

On to the important part, the first drive. The only thing really noticeable to me during my first two trips were that throttle response is MUCH better. I have no delay in pushing the gas pedal in, and the car starting to go. Stock, there was also some slight hesitation, now that is all gone. I didn't really push it much yet, but from 1000-3000 RPMs, there is no difference really in how it feels. It is just as smooth as it was before. I had one point where I went from ~2-4000 rpms when getting on the highway, and that is the most that I have "pushed" it so far. What I noticed here was the power was more linear than before. Previously, I could feel somewhat of a peak in the pull just around 3000 rpms, and I didn't notice that at all here.

Probably not what people were looking for, but as I said, I have very little time driving it yet. Is it worth the $? If it keeps my CEL out for the catalyst efficiency and allows me to pass emissions inspection, it will be IMO. From a performance point of view, I need more time driving my car before I can really give a definitive answer on that. I plan on watching my car more closely with Torque for Android over the next few days while driving to see how it has affected things. If I get a chance, I may grab some logs with VCDS as well, though I don't care to much about those unless something comes up majorly wrong (or JHM asks for them). I also plan to keep this updated with info as I drive my car more. I should have some time over the next couple days to push things a little more to see how it reacts now that it is tuned, so keep a watch for updates.

Updates (I'm going to link to posts with updates here)
6/6 1700 EDT
6/7 1500 EDT
6/8 0400 EDT
6/18 1530 EDT
6/25 1000 EDT
11/27 1800 EDT

[meistah]

Lol, I floored it as soon as it got up to temp when I first tried mine out, you have a lot of self control xD. Sounds like the same experience for me. I think it actually feels tamer when you are at partial throttle in the lower rpms (under 3000) due to the smoother throttle response. Let's see what you think when you go WOT...

[imnuts]

Yeah. I want to get an idea of how things work after a few drives in easy to control conditions and work up to WOT. I did the same thing when my suspension was replaced, though I still haven't pushed my new suspension that hard yet. I'll run it a little harder on my way to work then

Sent from my 7" Galaxy Tab 2

[beemercer]

did you do a throttle body alignment before starting the car up with the tune?

also, I know on my tune failing O2 sensors really cut power down, thats a purposeful addition by jhm's calibrator.

in my experience, its hard to pinpoint where you gained power because it is so linear and the gains are all the way through the powerband.

vcds logs are a great way to quantify the imporvement in acceleration, log engine speed and correlate it to time.

[Tech/Sales@JHM]

Initial impressions may be lack-luster given some of the other reviews I've seen. Keep in mind that so far, I have driven my car ~25 miles so far with the tune, and haven't done any WOT runs or even started to yet. I want to get a basic feel for everyday driving first. First start up was rough as the RPMs bounced around a lot and the car almost stalled until it turned over a few times. I let it idle for about a minute to make sure it was ok before putting everything back together under the hood. Started it up again after it was all back together just to make sure it was an odd occurrence, and it appears to be as the second (and all subsequent) start was fine. The only thing I notice is that the car seems to idle quieter now than it did before. Maybe it was just due to other background noise, but even sitting in my car with the windows down and the hood up, it seemed to be a little quieter.

imnuts-


Thanks for the review! Like beemercer said, doing an throttle body alignment is a MUST. That is the reason for the rough idle that you had experienced. If you are unaware of how this works, give us a call and we will be more than happy to walk you through it!

[imnuts]

Thanks for the review! Like beemercer said, doing an throttle body alignment is a MUST. That is the reason for the rough idle that you had experienced. If you are unaware of how this works, give us a call and we will be more than happy to walk you through it!

I didn't do a TB alignment, mainly because I didn't know it was required as I saw no info suggesting it anywhere, even from other users reviews. Maybe if more info was out there about it... I even read through the B6 S4 tune product listing in your store and didn't see anything like this. I can do the alignment tomorrow morning then just to make sure nothing gets screwed up, and really, can it hurt to align it?

Adding on to thoughts/impressions, I drove to work, and the power is much more linear. Things always seemed to drop off between 3-4000 rpms before, and now it just keeps going. Getting on the highway, I'm not sure if it took me as long to get up to speed or not, as I was more concerned with other cars, but I do know that I'm going to have to relearn how the car feels when speeding up. I was pretty good at telling about how fast I was going based on gear, sound, and pull. The sound is quieter, and the pull is harder. I'm hoping to leave a few minutes early from work so I can get my car warmed up before getting on the highway so I have a decent stretch to floor it and see how it goes.

Another note, as I mentioned in the OP, I have a loud exhaust rattle, or had a loud exhaust rattle. It used to present itself really loudly between ~2700-3500 RPMs and then go away. The few times I was speeding up today, I didn't notice the rattling coming through like it had in the past. I did hear it briefly at one point, but it wasn't nearly as loud. I had the shop look at it last week and they couldn't pinpoint a cause, be we also didn't spend a significant amount of time looking. I'll worry about it after I get the rest of the exhaust replaced, as I'm guessing that will fix the problem.

Final thought is that it looks like there is a 5-10% gain in fuel economy to go with the tune as well. On my average drive to work, I usually get ~27-29 mpg this time of year. It is mostly downhill, all highway, and either light AC load, or driving with the sunroof open. Today, despite pushing it a little bit on the way to work, I stopped with 29.9 on the DIS, and if I drove normally, I probably would have been at 31-32 mpg as it was up to 30.5 ish at one point. I know that the DIS can't be trusted in most instances, but I've only ever gotten > 30 mpg on the display a handful of times over the past year, yet the first day with the tune, I should have gotten >30. I'm also going to be sure to make a note in Fuelly when I fill up when I got tuned as well, to keep a better record of things pre/post tune.

EDIT: Rather than posting another response I figured I would just put a little note here at the end of this one. I checked my readiness status with Torque today after driving a little bit, and readiness is set on all items, no CEL is showing, so that is a great sign that it is doing exactly what I wanted it to. I'll check readiness status with VCDS tomorrow when I do the throttle body alignment as well, just to make sure it has the same readiness status as VCDS. I'm sure that others that worry about emissions inspection will like this.

[rollerton]

Good start! The better MPG is a bonus, ....keep us posted.

[A-FourLO]

i respect your review and comments but where is the documentation and proof besides opinion?

[A-FourLO]

how hard is it to whip out your cell phone and take a brief acceleration vid? What about a track test? A walkaround and exhaust note vid maybe? I havent seen anything besides opinions and words on this tune... Im just making an observation please do not take offense i think i have taken way more crap from anyone ever on this forum so i know how it feels to be bashed so i would never do that.

What do you mean exactly by a drag monster? How many full interior naturally aspirated 4 or 6 cylinders do you see that are fast down the 1/4 mile etc...? I mean yea there are some cars with engine swaps that get up and go but im talkin about the average guy that doesnt hav all this money and/or resources to swap/ build engines and is just lookin to make a quick everyday car... Its hard to make a fast all motor full interior car period. But trying to do that with a 4 or 6 cylinder is a real challenge. IDK of how many 4/6 cyl cars can hit 12's on full tread street tires but maybe a 350z can do it? So if a full interior 3.0 can scrape a high 13 outta its ass i would say thats a hell of an accomplishment. In racing there are rules and classes thats what creates competition the fact that everyone has to play by the rules and it gives those who are on a stricter budget a fighting chance. (IE: Grand-Am, WC, ALMS etc...) IDK really how it works in pro drag racing but in road racing thats the gist of it.

[imnuts]

Checked my readiness today with VCDS before clearing a ton of stored codes on the ECU and aligning the throttle body, and everything was showing ready. Very welcomed sight to see since there was no CEL on the cluster. It will take some getting used to not having to see that stupid little yellow light all the time, but I think I'll manage.


I also had a chance to floor it last night getting on the highway. It was quite enjoyable, and I know of a few roads that would be fun to drive on with this. Power delivery feels extremely linear. I was in 3rd getting on the highway and went from ~2000-5000 RPMs and there wasn't a time through that where the engine didn't seem to want to keep going and going. I would have taken it to redline if other cars weren't around. Needless to say, I don't have any info on fuel economy on the way home being better cause getting on the highway screwed it up some, as did going home a different way so I could get gas. I'm still keeping track of it in Fuelly though, and made a note for my last fill up so I know where the JHM tune fill ups start.

also, I know on my tune failing O2 sensors really cut power down, thats a purposeful addition by jhm's calibrator.

The O2 sensor code was intermittent when it was pulled up, and didn't show that it would trigger the CEL yet. I looked through the stored codes before I cleared them today, and there wasn't a stored code for the O2 sensor. I do plan on changing them since it came up, but since it isn't a constant yet, I'm not as concerned with changing them yet. After getting a lot of suspension work done, regular maintenance, and now the tune, I also don't really have much spare $$ available to get new O2 sensors, or the time to change them out right now either. I do plan on doing it though, probably in July or August.

Also, a pic of my fuel economy from my way to work. It was up to 32 mpg as I was getting off the highway.

[A-FourLO]

^^^u c was that so hard? lol, im just sayin people respond to pics, vids, and a paper trail not just a whole bunch opinions with no physical evidence to back it up....I have no interest in a tune as of now...there is a hell of alot i can do without touching the stock ECU.

You dont have to shift gears just put it in third and pull 40 - 80mph or somethin....My interest was before and after tests becuz some other guy said you can switch back and forth from stock ECU to tuned??? MAkes sense since JHM just sockets the ECU and burns a chip that is interchangeable by the user...

[imnuts]

You dont have to shift gears just put it in third and pull 40 - 80mph or somethin....My interest was before and after tests becuz some other guy said you can switch back and forth from stock ECU to tuned??? MAkes sense since JHM just sockets the ECU and burns a chip that is interchangeable by the user...

The problem is I have no straight stretches of road where I can do this safely. The only places I do know of, I'll need to watch for animals when driving at night. I do have logs from torque, and I'm looking at getting a cleaner looking one and I can post up a time v speed plot to give an idea of acceleration. That is the most I will likely be able to do for a while though.

[imnuts]

Had ample open space on my way home tonight, as I thought I would given that it was 3AM. So, I started out in 3rd gear getting on the highway, slowed down to ~20 mph and kept going until 6000rpm. Ended up being a 20-75mph run going from 1500-6000 rpms. Total time approx 17 sec, with the first 5-10 sec being uphill. I didn't really have a choice though on that as I had no other place I could really start out so slow and keep going. If you'd like to see a plot of the data, see here. I also have the raw data from Torque with a little more than just speed. I'm mainly impressed with how straight the line is for speeding up. Even after the road leveled off, the car didn't start speeding up faster, though that was toward the end of the run. I'm still impressed at how the car never really seems to push you back into the seat, but it still feels like it is going faster than before. There also was never a point where the car seemed out of breathe. It would have kept going and going and going if it could, even at 6k RPMs.

[A-FourLO]

Had ample open space on my way home tonight, as I thought I would given that it was 3AM. So, I started out in 3rd gear getting on the highway, slowed down to ~20 mph and kept going until 6000rpm. Ended up being a 20-75mph run going from 1500-6000 rpms. Total time approx 17 sec, with the first 5-10 sec being uphill. I didn't really have a choice though on that as I had no other place I could really start out so slow and keep going. If you'd like to see a plot of the data, see here. I also have the raw data from Torque with a little more than just speed. I'm mainly impressed with how straight the line is for speeding up. Even after the road leveled off, the car didn't start speeding up faster, though that was toward the end of the run. I'm still impressed at how the car never really seems to push you back into the seat, but it still feels like it is going faster than before. There also was never a point where the car seemed out of breathe. It would have kept going and going and going if it could, even at 6k RPMs.

thats an awesome plot man!, can you overlay multiple runs? is that the VAg-com? i need to get that..

[jfunkey]

Great job imnuts just ignore A-fourLo guys like that want there hand held and they want you to do all Tje work to make them feel better about getting or holding off getting the tune. It's not your job to get proletarian data that they might or might not know what there seeing. I almost fell out of my chair when he just asked you for more data. Let him and others get there own dat..after all you just paid good money gave us a review and spent time updating us over amd over again. Trust me on this go enjoy thebtune and let people who want gobs of information to go get it themselves. You have done more then enough to help the comunity.

No matter what hoops you jump threw people like that are just going to twist the information to sute there needed conclusions to help male them feel better about there choices. Fact of the matter is all of the JHM 3.0 giys have been more then happy. I've recently been in a JHM tuned 3.0 car and I remember what a turd of was before the tune.

From what I remember the JHM tune comes more agressive over time as it runs threw a much lokger set of tests then stocck. These tests adjust the power permaters up as they run. So doing a dyno pull would ne a waste unless you had run all the way threw the ECU set up.

[imnuts]

thats an awesome plot man!, can you overlay multiple runs? is that the VAg-com? i need to get that..

It's called getting speed data from Torque on my phone, putting it in Excel, and make a graph with the small section of data I wanted from the entire drive. I could overlay multiple runs, if I had them. I was on my way home at 3AM after working for 12 hrs. I wasn't about to get off the highway, turn around, and get back on the same section just to get some acceleration numbers.

[A-FourLO]

Great job imnuts just ignore A-fourLo guys like that want there hand held and they want you to do all Tje work to make them feel better about getting or holding off getting the tune. It's not your job to get proletarian data that they might or might not know what there seeing. I almost fell out of my chair when he just asked you for more data. Let him and others get there own dat..after all you just paid good money gave us a review and spent time updating us over amd over again. Trust me on this go enjoy thebtune and let people who want gobs of information to go get it themselves. You have done more then enough to help the comunity.

No matter what hoops you jump threw people like that are just going to twist the information to sute there needed conclusions to help male them feel better about there choices. Fact of the matter is all of the JHM 3.0 giys have been more then happy. I've recently been in a JHM tuned 3.0 car and I remember what a turd of was before the tune.

From what I remember the JHM tune comes more agressive over time as it runs threw a much lokger set of tests then stocck. These tests adjust the power permaters up as they run. So doing a dyno pull would ne a waste unless you had run all the way threw the ECU set up.

IDK wut you just said.... but if you read through my thread i think i have done more tests and tinkering than anyone ever has. Also dont you own an S4? I only ask for data becuz all people seem to do is give vague opinions based on feel. There is no physical evidence to support any claims people make. I could care less about feeling better about getting the "tune" if you even wanna call it that becuz its basically a socketed chip soldered to your ECU. Not a risk i am comfortable with taking for a "supposed" gain based on what others feel.

[imnuts]

Not a risk i am comfortable with taking for a "supposed" gain based on what others feel.

To go from your other thread, how do you know until you try it? There were 5-10 people telling you that something wasn't going to work, and you did it anyway because you didn't believe what people where telling you, even if they provided evidence of what was being said. How is me giving real facts going to help you when you wouldn't take other people's real facts previously? Either stop being unreasonable with the info you want, or GTFO and find another thread. I don't have limitless time to work with, so if you want more info, either STFU and wait for it, or buy the tune yourself and get your own info.

[A-FourLO]

To go from your other thread, how do you know until you try it? There were 5-10 people telling you that something wasn't going to work, and you did it anyway because you didn't believe what people where telling you, even if they provided evidence of what was being said. How is me giving real facts going to help you when you wouldn't take other people's real facts previously? Either stop being unreasonable with the info you want, or GTFO and find another thread. I don't have limitless time to work with, so if you want more info, either STFU and wait for it, or buy the tune yourself and get your own info.

precisely my point all they did was talk and more talk. At least you have given me a review with some physical evidence (your MPG pic and your mph plot). IF you had done that mph plot prior to your tune now we could all analyze and see if you actually improved. But since i dont think that is possible anymore maybe the next person who plans to get a tune will do some tests prior and post tune... Its like trying to convince a jury..the more evidence you give the better your chances of convincing them. The jury wont make an accurate verdict if all you do is talk them to death.

And why do you act like im rushing you bro? Im just giving suggestions here...I guess ur another one that is bitten by the bitter cold judging by ur Avy pic. Not my fault u live where the weather sucks 9 months outta the year. Man when have i ever done any bashing geez...

[imnuts]

I've driven ~175 miles on my tank of gas since filling up after getting tuned, and the DIS is showing an average tank fuel economy of 27.0mpg right now. I reset the #2 display at every fill, and the only time I've ever seen anything over 26 mpg on a tank was if I made a long trip on the tank (almost a fuel tank in a weekend). This has just been driving to/from work, with only one trip over 30 min, and that was today going to pick up a set of e-codes, and half of that trip was city driving. I'll have a better idea of any gains in the fuel economy department next weekend. Going on the same 3-350 mi round trip that I made last weekend again (also 3 weeks ago), so I have two very recent comparison points, and I'll be sure to update with the results.

[RSicks]

imnuts, I am glad to hear this tune is working out. I was able to get a ride in Keaton's JHM tuned 3.0 with their downpipes... I don't know PA smog, but if you think you can go catless... its really worth it with this tune. I am getting the funds together for the ECU/TCU right now, and I highly doubt I will be doing all the testing that people are requesting from you. I know how Keaton's car ran and if I can get my car to be that quick/fast I will be happy to pay for the upgrade regardless of the numbers.

[imnuts]

imnuts, I am glad to hear this tune is working out. I was able to get a ride in Keaton's JHM tuned 3.0 with their downpipes... I don't know PA smog, but if you think you can go catless... its really worth it with this tune. I am getting the funds together for the ECU/TCU right now, and I highly doubt I will be doing all the testing that people are requesting from you. I know how Keaton's car ran and if I can get my car to be that quick/fast I will be happy to pay for the upgrade regardless of the numbers.

I plan on getting the downpipes, but it will be down the road a ways until I do decide to redo my exhaust. Next big plans are going to be redoing the brakes with new rotors/pads/fluid. For my emissions check, I'll find out in the next week or so as I just need to make an appointment for inspection. The emissions check is just the readiness test, and all items have to be complete, you can still pass if all but one are finished, and you can't have a CEL or any stored codes AFAIK. I need to check my readiness status again, but it had completed all readiness tests this weekend except for the O2 sensor test. I'll definitely post back with the results of my inspection then. Main thing I'm worried about ATM is emissions and headlights as I think my new e-codes are adjusted to high, but I have no place that is level to verify it.

[RSicks]

Ya see your lucky, for us in CA... if I go with the tunes and DP's - I'll need to keep the cats and swap them out when the inspection happens. JHM told me that they are releasing a DP that will allow us to run V8 and aftermarket V8 exhaust. If you're thinking about exhaust, maybe start eyeing S4 setups. When the DPs are released, I guess we'll know for sure if they are able to adjust them for the V8 layout.

[imnuts]

Ya see your lucky, for us in CA... if I go with the tunes and DP's - I'll need to keep the cats and swap them out when the inspection happens. JHM told me that they are releasing a DP that will allow us to run V8 and aftermarket V8 exhaust. If you're thinking about exhaust, maybe start eyeing S4 setups. When the DPs are released, I guess we'll know for sure if they are able to adjust them for the V8 layout.

I've read before, though never seen any actual evidence to the fact, that even stock, we can run an S4 exhaust. Both cars have dual pipes from the engine back, so it makes sense. The only issue would be any difference in the length and size of the downpipes. If the length is the same, you could easily get it to work with a little work to make the different sized tubes match up. It's definitely something I'll look into when the time comes as I don't want to spend $1k on an exhaust setup that won't fit. The fact that the downpipes, exhaust, and installation will cost probably $2k or so also means it's probably at least a year before I get it so I can save up some money for it.

[imnuts]

Trip over the weekend resulted in a few unexpected trips (not car related), so I did a little more city type driving compared to my last trip to the same place. Overall, I got a 0.5 mpg increase compared to the last time with about 10% more city driving. I was at 395 miles on my tank of gas before the fuel light came on, so I was looking at probably close to 450 miles on a single tank. Fuel economy for the weekend was 27.2 mpg Next Monday I'm scheduled to get my car inspected, so I'll report back with the results of the emissions testing. Also had this on my way to work today

[Titan Uranus]

You've caught my interest. I Just picked up a 3.0 6speed wagon, after totaling my B5 with a 1.8 automatic. I looked through the website and couldn't find any information on tuning or downpipes? What did you pay for the tune, how long was the turn around time, and how much are the set of downpipes going for? I have the same issue, cats are starting to throw codes, but are still free flowing. I was probably going to just end up hallowing them out or getting some down pipes, but Sounds like a tune would be an amazing thing to add, even if its just to get rid of the check engine light lol.

[imnuts]

You've caught my interest. I Just picked up a 3.0 6speed wagon, after totaling my B5 with a 1.8 automatic. I looked through the website and couldn't find any information on tuning or downpipes? What did you pay for the tune, how long was the turn around time, and how much are the set of downpipes going for? I have the same issue, cats are starting to throw codes, but are still free flowing. I was probably going to just end up hallowing them out or getting some down pipes, but Sounds like a tune would be an amazing thing to add, even if its just to get rid of the check engine light lol.

You have to call or email them if you want to buy it. Tune was $500 and down pipes they only had an approximate cost as things were still being finalized when I contacted them. I'm not going to buy down pipes until I can replace the whole exhaust system, so maybe next summer at the earliest.

In other news, I took another trip this weekend and continue to get great fuel economy on the highway. The DIS showed 28 mpg for my ~240 mi trip, and the gas gauge was at just under a half tank remaining when we got back. This included ~5 miles of traffic where I was in 1st or 2nd gear, then another ~5 miles of 3rd and 4th, so I wasn't just cruising along at highway speeds the whole time. Probably looking to have a tank average close to 27.5 mpg after a few trips to/from work this week, and another tank of 400+ miles. I also just got my car inspected this morning, and I passed the emissions inspection portion. Only thing that isn't set on the readiness monitors is the O2 sensor check, but everything else passes. Going to contact JHM about it then to see if they know what may be going on. Not that I need all of them set to pass emissions, but it would be nice if they would all pass. And here is the copy showing passed status.

[A-FourLO]

man i would hate emissions testing....its good though becuz it forces someone to be on top of their maintenance

[87supraman]

Wow, impressive miles per tank. I'm happy when I get 300 before the gas light!

[32_d3gr33s]

Wow, impressive miles per tank. I'm happy when I get 300 before the gas light!

i do nothing but city driving.. im happy to get 220

[imnuts]

I've been at >350 miles per tank before my gas light comes on since getting the tune. Filled up yesterday at 383 miles and only got 15 gallons of gas Not quite the almost 28mpg that I get one weekend trips, but still better than my average for driving to/from work. Also didn't help that it was >90°F almost every day over the past 2 weeks and my A/C running full blast a lot.

[brady0630]

after I do all the "high mileage maintenance" on my car to get her back to "new", I want to invest in a chip. give the car a "fresh start."

[nsprosty]

Subscribed. Now if I could get my wife to read this and be interested in the tune and if I had the money. This just makes me want it more!!! Thanks OP

[imnuts]

Subscribed. Now if I could get my wife to read this and be interested in the tune and if I had the money. This just makes me want it more!!! Thanks OP

Justification: I can spend $5-600 to fix my CEL, or I can spend 5-6 times that amount to buy replacement catalytic converters and have them installed. Add to it with the lower cost option, you get increased fuel economy, so you spend less keeping the car filled up as you're driving further on every tank. Doubt you can say that about getting replacement catalytic converters.

EDIT: Also, it's been getting colder in my area over the past two weeks. While I've seen a drop in the per-trip MPGs on the DIS, the tank average MPG (again, via the DIS), hasn't really dropped off much, at least not yet. Still have yet to get into real cold weather, but in the past, I went from averaging 24-25 mpg in the summer to 21-22 mpg in the winter. I'll be interested to see how fuel economy changes with the weather on the tune, but so far, things are looking good.

[nsprosty]

Justification: I can spend $5-600 to fix my CEL, or I can spend 5-6 times that amount to buy replacement catalytic converters and have them installed. Add to it with the lower cost option, you get increased fuel economy, so you spend less keeping the car filled up as you're driving further on every tank. Doubt you can say that about getting replacement catalytic converters.

EDIT: Also, it's been getting colder in my area over the past two weeks. While I've seen a drop in the per-trip MPGs on the DIS, the tank average MPG (again, via the DIS), hasn't really dropped off much, at least not yet. Still have yet to get into real cold weather, but in the past, I went from averaging 24-25 mpg in the summer to 21-22 mpg in the winter. I'll be interested to see how fuel economy changes with the weather on the tune, but so far, things are looking good.

I totally see the justification in it and she would too if my CEL ever came on for it. But my cats have never had any problems **knock on wood** I have heard of so many people have cat issues with the 3.0 but I have never had one. I wonder if a PO had them replaced before I bought the car. There was no record of that in the car anywhere so I doubt it. I bought it at 87,000 and its at 127,000 right now, I guess it could be soon.

[RoccityRider]

I have been very interested in this tune ever since I got wind of it. You are correct that the b6/b7 S4 exhaust is very similar to the 3.slow. I am very curious to see before and after dino data for this tune. I got significant gains by going catless, and would like to know if the tune is worth it for someone who isn't fighting cat codes.

The boost in fuel economy is a big plus, but I wouldn't say it's worth $500. I am a B6 V6 owner it is evident that I don't have a lot of spare cash laying around. Especially to throw at a tune that no one including JHM has given any real world numbers for. This is not a shot at JHM or anyone else, I want to believe in this tune. It's just really hard when all the reviews say is "feels faster". Lastly @nsprosty, unfortunately you are right at the point where cats may be giving you an issue soon.

Thanks again for the review and let us know any and all data you come up with.

[Audi3.0hhhh]

hey guys so how do i get the process started to getting the chip! i heard you guys saying that you will send you ecu in then they send it back to you with it on there? correct? price? why dont they have info on their website!

[imnuts]

Steps are, call them up and talk to JHM about ordering. It's a relatively simple process, took me like 15-20 minutes as their credit card charging system was down when I called. Probably would have taken less time if they weren't having issues. Once you have it ordered, go out to your car and take out the ECU and ship it to them, they should give you info about shipping when you order, if not, ask them about it. You send the ECU in, they get it, flash it, and then ship it back to you via your desired shipping method. Mine shipped back out to me the same day it arrived at JHM as they have a really fast turn around. Then you get it back, re-install the ECU, align the throttle body, and you're good to go. I don't know if pricing has changed since I ordered, but everyone that I know of so far has paid $500, plus shipping (to/from). I did overnight both to and from JHM and the total time my car was down was 2.5 days. Sent it out Monday morning, was driving my car again Wednesday afternoon.

[imnuts]

Just a small update. It has finally been getting colder here in Southeast PA, and fuel economy is taking a dip as expected, and as it has historically. However, even with the slight dip, I am still getting ~10% better fuel economy than I was before. Also, I did quite a bit of travelling over the past two weeks (~1100 miles total), and highway fuel economy doesn't seem to really be affected by colder temperatures. If I drive for an extended period of time on the highway (>1-2 hrs), I'm getting the same fuel economy as I was in the summer for an average. In the past, staying on the highway for long trips would be better when it was cold, but I still didn't get almost the same fuel usage as I did on the same drive in the summer like I am now.

On another note, I finally found my major exhaust rattle. About a month ago, I started my car up just before coming home after a quick trip out to a few stores. Car was fine during the entire drive, but when I started it up just before coming home, it sounded terrible and was vibrating badly. Luckily, I was only a couple minutes from home and I took a look under my car and found that the exhaust had separated. The clamps that hold the downpipes and the rest of the exhaust together decided to let go on the passenger side, and was ready to separate on the driver side too. What made it so bad was that the exhaust wedged itself together in a sort of V shape, putting extra pressure on the engine/transmission, and also screwed with the exhaust path. Got a shop to remove the old clamps and install new ones that bolt on rather than the stock clamps that were pressed and welded from what I could see. Once the new clamps were put on, the exhaust leak and rattle sounds that we looked for over the summer and couldn't find were gone. Now that I know my exhaust has more problems, it gives me even more of a reason to swap it out after winter, probably sometime in May or June, at which point I'll likely go for the JHM downpipes (if available) and something else for cat-back, not sure on the back half of the exhaust yet.

[Lornnn]

Hows the tune treating you lately?