ESS tune 600hp. Thank you IND and ESS for outstanding customer service

[998M]

So I ordered the ESS X5M tune through Ilia at IND. ESS is conservatively estimating horsepower at 40-50whp gain. Call IND for more information.
　
From ESS's website
"ESS X5M/X6M Performance ECU software is a result of extensive testing and exact calibration of ECU parameters to allow considerable performance gains on an otherwise stock car. The ESS S63 performance software is developed and tested in extreme heat in the Arizona desert as well as extreme cold temperatures in Scandinavia. Typical gains are in the 40-50whp range. Catless exhaust option available upon request."


IND drop shipped a programming module to me. With it, you download a copy of your stock software. Then e-mail it to ESS. They do their magic and e-mail it back. You then upload it to the car. This allows you to be able to swap back and forth. The process was simple until the user (aka me) made a mistake. Without pointing any fingers (at me), IND and ESS were able to get it back up and running quickly. At a great deal of their cost (time and money). Thank you to both for their excellent customer service and communication.

My butt dyno is very happy with the upgrade. In a 5000lb truck with 550hp, a 40-50whp gain does not seem like all that much. The big difference is the mid-range. Between 3000 and 5000 rpm there is a significant increase in power without having to stand on it and really wind it out. It has actually made everyday around town driving more livable.
　
Love it and highly recommend.
Marc

[LeMansX5]

Nice to hear.

[chilliwilli]

Impressive...now i'm really curious to see what Dinan comes up with.

Happy motoring

[998M]

I have heard rumors that other tuners are getting more than 40-50 gains with just a tune. I believe ESS and Dinan will be more conservative with not only their tune but with the claims.
M
PS. I have the snow tires on and it is snowing. 600hp in the snow. It is like using a 10lb sledgehammer to push in a thumbtack. I cannot wait.

[LI-X5]

i was very interested in this , but i have decided to for dinan and see who's got more beens !

[HIRISC]

How much $$?

[J.Belknap]

$1,695 BMW - E70 X5-Series - X5M - ESS Tuning

$37 per pony isn't bad at all. Sounds awesome Marc!

[HIRISC]

That's considerably cheaper than Dinan.

Edit - Price up to $1999 - not off to a good start.

Does ESS have a similar (cover your engine) warranty or are they hoping that BMW can't detect the re-tune (not likely)?

[JCL]

Originally Posted by HIRISC

Does ESS have a similar (cover your engine) warranty or are they hoping that BMW can't detect the re-tune (not likely)?

ESS say on their web page that the manufacturer's warranty is void for problems caused by their (ESS) modifications, and that they only warrant the components they provide, not the rest of the engine.

They are not hoping that BMW can't detect it. And BMW can detect it.

I think the line is "Gotta pay to play"

[HIRISC]

Yeah, rolling dice on an engine isn't in the cards. This is my daily.

I'll pay the extra $800 and go with Dinan.