[matt91uk]

Hello, I have recently purchased a 63 plate 118d M Sport 143 F21 and am interested in a tuning box, as I'm already bored of the power!.

After a lot of research I've come to the conclusion the safest option is the AC Schnitzer box which keeps warranty (I only have a year left anyway). Or the Steinbauer box which does not cover warranty but is virtually the same as the AC Schnitzer box.

Has anyone had any experience with this box and would you gamble losing the years warranty for the Steinbauer box in your opinion?

I also see it claims to take the car from 143 - 171 bhp and up to 301 lb-ft of torque... is this realistic?

Appreciate your thoughts!

Cheers
Matt

 

[ILikeJam]

How much is the Steinbauer box?

I just checked for the 116i and it's only about half the stated gains of the AC Schnitzer box.

 

[matt91uk]

It's £750 including VAT compared to the £1800 for the AC Schnitzer box. After speaking with AC Schnitzer the price difference is because of the warranty for the diesel at least. I can't speak for the petrol but may be worth giving them an email or call, they seemed quite good and offered lots of advice

 

[Tooks]

Any reason you're discountng the TMC box?

I've run one on my last three cars for a combined 75000 miles without issue. Transferable to a new vehicle for a modest fee to cover flashing and a different wiring loom.

I think this is the one for your 118d?

http://www.tmcmotorsport.com/TuningBoxDetailsNew.aspx?SID=10109511

 

[matt91uk]

To be honest, I hadn't looked at it. I've never been a fan of tuning boxes as I was always under the impression they were bad for your engine in the sense they just increase the fuel pressure and tell the car it's getting more air.

But after speaking to ac schnitzer they told me 'good' boxes just increase the time the injectors are open (or something to that effect). So the first boxes I looked at are what I mentioned above.

I always thought custom maps were the best for your engine.

I'll look into that TMC box though thanks

 

[Tooks]

The TMC box, on the 120d at least, connects to the fuel rail, camshaft position sensor and inlet air flow sensor.

I've no idea what it changes, but it's certainly effective.

I've asked my local BMW parts guys for some more info on the 120d PPK, to see if it connects to the individual injectors like the steinbauer and AC schnitzer boxes.

I understand it isn't available for the 118d unfortunately.

 

[matt91uk]

Ah ok, well thanks for asking!!

I'll look into other units today and probably make a purchase as I'm wanting to fit it at the weekend as the power is ruining the car for me at the moment! Knew i should have gone for the 2.0!

Did you fit it yourself? Or did you get a BMW specialist to fit?

Cheers

 

[Tooks]

Fitted it myself, once I'd identified the connectors, it was a 5 minute job.

The connectors are OEM, and now I've had it off and on a couple of times could do it in well under 5 mins.

On the 118/120d, I think all the connectors are easily accessible, the trickiest one being the cam shaft position sensor which is just under the bulkhead at the rear of the engine and requires the lifting of the acoustic cover to fit.

To fit to old Poli GTI was much trickier, one of the sensor connectors was down the back of the engine and was done by feel only!

 

[Interceptor]

Lorcan at Rossiters (AC Schnitzer & Steinabauer) is open to group buys - check out their Facebook page.

I am considering a tuning box for my 2012 118i (4-cyl) daily driver which already goes well with V-Power (or similar) and a £60 K&N airfilter, plus ACS sport springs, but we always want a little more

Options also include Speed-buster.de, hartge, racechip.com, and a BMS stage 1 - not all are available for every engine in the F20 range..