Customization Module 6-Speed

xHP features a “Customization Module”, which allows users to change certain settings before flashing an OTS or Custom - Map. The Module injects those user-defined values into every Map before flash. Usage is simple: Just do your settings, save them and flash any map to apply them.

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You must flash your vehicle after changing settings. Just being connected to the car is not enough. You can access the Module through the “Flash Settings” button at the bottom of the Map-Flash Screen. Please note, that the Module is not available for all vehicles and/or engine/transmission combinations.

You must flash your vehicle after changing settings. Just being connected to the car is not enough. You can access the Module through the “Flash Settings” button at the bottom of the Map-Flash Screen. Please note, that the Module is not available for all vehicles and/or engine/transmission combinations.

Due to different generations of transmission controller used by BMW during the production time, some of them do not support all existing custom features.

To see what your specific car can support, please connect the app to your car and click on it. Then in the lower right corner, click on the blue “flash” icon and then on the gear symbol.
Now you can see, what features your car supports and if being greyed out, cannot support.

This can be done without acquiring a license.


Custom Launch Control 6-Speed

Launch Control on 6-Speed cars is done through restricting the maximum torque allowed during brake boosting and in 1st Gear. For normal RWD cars use 350 ftlb/450Nm as a starting point. On most AWD cars controlling torque is not necessary at all, as they have more than enough traction. If you have traction issues in the upper gears as well, use the "TQ Limit per Gear" panel to manage them.

As the Custom Launch Control feature is realised by restricting max. torque during brake boosting, it is always “active” during brake boosting and does not need a special procedure to be activated.


Drag Race Mode

Drag Race Mode is designed to extract the absolute maximum from your transmission and boost your 0-60 and 60-120 times! Torque Reduction during shifts is completely disabled, shift pressures are maxed out and clutch protection thresholds are raised so you can put the full power of your engine to the ground, no matter what happens.

The benefit of having no torque reduction during shifts, will lead to better acceleration times. This is especially true on urbo-charged cars, as the engine does not need to cut boost during overlap phase of the transmission. To match the additional load on the clutch packs, shifts will be carried out with maximum possible pressure. Stock safety thresholds for clutch-load are raised accordingly. The 8-Speed transmissions employ a similar logic during Launch Control operation but Drag Race Mode takes this idea even a bit further. Also Launch Control mode will be internally disabled on some cars after a certain counter has been reached. Drag Race mode will inhibit the LC counter and will be available permanent.

Drag Race Mode will automatically enable in Launch Control mode and in Sport+/DSC OFF mode (8-Speed) or in Manual mode (6-Speed). The raised pressures will get noticeable only above approx. 40% throttle. Normal daily driving in Comfort/D is unaffected. However, please keep in mind that this is a true performance function and should not be used permancently. Usually all of our Stages are developed withing the limits of the transmission, to ensure unaffected longevity and stock-like trouble free operation.

Drag Mode intentionally ignores such limits in favor of maximum performance and should therefore only be used in special situations, e.g. competing on the Drag-Strip! Drag Mode can be applied to any of the Stages or even to your Stock file.

Please note, that expected wear on clutch packs is around 4 times higher and transmissions in less than optimal working-state can develop mis-shifts! This is especially true for highly tuned vehicles already experiencing issues with clutch-slip! Software can’t exceed the limits of your hardware!


Max. RPM

Enables users to setup their own shift points for WOT. (= Wide Open/Full Throttle). “Max. RPM” can be setup separately for D, S and M mode. Please note, these values are only used when not activating the Kickdown. (threshold at the end of the throttle travel)


Kickdown

Enables users to enable/disable usage of the Kickdown-Switch, separately for D, S and M modes. There are 3 settings: Default, On, Off. Default uses whatever is setup in the flashed Map. On and Off override the setting in the Map respectively. Please note, that “Kickdown Off” does NOT mean, the car won’t downshift anymore. Just the maximum speed for downshift in each gear, when full throttle is applied, will be lowered! 

Only available for 6-Speed


Gear Display

Enables users to customize the display of the current gear in the dash. Four settings are available: Default, Gear Display Off, Display Actual Gear, Display Target Gear. Default uses whatever is setup in the flashed Map. Off, turns the Display off. The Dash will show just the current mode, but not the current gear (except in manual). Display Actual Gear and Display Target Gear will show the current gear in all modes (D, S and M), but differ in terms of when the display switches to the next gear. “Display Actual Gear” will let the display switch, when the shift is fully processed, and the next gear already engaged by the trans. “Display Target Gear” will switch the display right at the beginning of the shift. Perception of drivers is different, in terms of what is the correct time for changing the gear- display in the dash.

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Should there be an error with displaying the current gear, please take a look at our FAQ.

Should there be an error with displaying the current gear, please take a look at our FAQ.


Stay in 2nd Gear in M-Mode

Let’s you chose whether the transmission shifts down to 1st or 2nd gear at standstill. (in M-Mode) 

Only available for 6-Speed


Take-Off in 2nd Gear

Especially on higher powered cars staying in 2nd Gear at standstill adds to a comfy ride during daily driving (you save 1 shift on each junction) and can even help to optimize 0-60 time on high power RWD cars with limited traction. xHP lets you choose whether to activate this function for D, for S or for both modes. This comes with no downsides in terms of wear as torque converters transmit torque through fluid, rather than friction plates (like in a manual transmission or Double-Clutch-Transmission) The slightly higher slip when taking off therefore has no effect on wear.

The transmission will revert to standard behavior when necessary, for instance in the following situations:

  • When activated for D-Mode only, the trans will revert to 1st Gear when switching to S and/or when setting Sport or Sport+ with the DEC Switch

  • In D/Comfort mode the transmission will revert immediately to 1st Gear when activating Kickdown. (Emergency Function)

  • On cold start (some vehicles)

  • On inclines or with a trailer attached

  • When transmission is overheated


Throttle Blips

Throttle Blips are used to rev-match the engine on downshifts. This function lets you setup the aggressiveness of downshift blips in manual mode. The main goal of rev-matching is to speed up downshifts by actively matching the Engine-RPM to the Target-RPM in the Target-Gear. This is done, by applying a short blip to the throttle during the transition phase between 2 gears. Users can alter the intensity of this blip, by +-50%, compared to the setting in any of the OTS Maps or Custom Map used. Higher values will lead to more audible and faster blips but can get uncomfortable. Lower values will lead to a slower but smoother rev-match. Please note, that this function does not support all vehicles/maps. Generally supported are Stage 3 Maps and N54/N55 vehicles, as well as all cars with 8- Speed Transmission.


Shift map Editor

The shift map editor enables you to change all shift points in D and S mode to your personal likings. A “shift map” consists of 10 lines, which are spread over throttle input. Five for upshifting (1-2-3-4-5-6) and five for downshifting. (6-5-4-3-2-1) Up- and downshifts can be independently configured. The setting made in the editor are always relative to the flashed map. You do not set exact shift points, but rather are able to change the shifting of a given OTS or custom map! The spread is from +50% to - 50% for each shift. For example, if your 5-6 shift on low loads normally occurs at 50 mph, but you want it not to happen before 55 mph, pull the 5->6 slider to + 10%. Same goes for the downshifts. If your trans normally downshifts on 40 mph from 6->5 during coasting, but you want that to happen at 50 mph, pull the slider for 6->5 up to +25%.

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Be sure to make sensible changes. If you alter the 1-2 shift upwards, you should do the same gradually to the subsequent shifts, to get a “natural” shift-feel during driving. Rule of thumb is to make bigger changes on the lower gears, and smaller changes on the upper gears. However, you are free to experiment with these settings. xHP pre-calculates and validates all changes against every OTS Map stored on the device. A fixed ruleset gets applied to auto-correct "wrong" settings and prevent dead-locks. Such a dead-lock could happen if your 2-3 upshift-point would be set below the 3-2 downshift-point, or if an upshift would lead to a target RPM below idle- speed of the engine.

Below is an example how to turn the standard Stage-3 Map of a 335i in D-Mode into a very comfortably and low shifting Map:

UPSHIFTS

  • 1->2: - 20%

  • 2->3: - 16%

  • 3->4: - 12%

  • 4->5: - 8%

  • 5->6: - 4%

DOWNSHIFTS

  • 2->1: 0% 

  •  3->2: 0% 

  •  4->3: - 2% 

  •  5->4: - 2% 

  •  6->5: - 2%

This setting will let the trans shift instant to 2nd gear after take-off in D-Mode and keeps revs steady below 2000 RPM on a 335i E90, during normal driving in traffic. This is just an example, but users are encouraged to experiment and find their own personal best shift map. The Shift point Editor lets you change the character of a given map very much, by just pulling a few sliders.


Use Stock Shiftmaps

This option will always keep the stock shift points, no matter what map you flash. Changes in the Shift point – Editor will be done relative to the Stock-Shift maps!


Shift Speed in M-Mode

This panel lets you fine-tune the Speed of each upshift in M-Mode! Positive values (slider to the right) mean FASTER but harder and therefore less comfortable shifts. Negative values (slider to the left) mean SLOWER but smoother and therefore more comfortable shifts. For example, if you have the feeling that the 1-2 shift in M is too hard, pull the slider to the left, to make it smoother. You can experiment to find your optimal setting. There are no "dangerous" settings possible.


Lockout 6th Gear in S-Mode

Since launch of xHP this is an endless debate. Some users want the trans to engage 6th Gear on Highway Speeds when using S-Mode, others don't and complain about the exact same thing. Most BMW do not use 6th Gear in S-Mode. That’s factory setup and is due to German Autobahn. Nothing more annoying than a transmission shifting back and forth between 5th and 6th Gear on steady 200km/h+ drives. On the other side, customers in other countries use S-Mode as Standard mode and complain about bad mileage on the highway. Our OTS Maps mostly use 6th Gear in S-Mode, as most of our customer base does not have the pleasure of unlimited motorways. To end this struggle, users can use this switch to lockout 6th Gear in S, despite most of our OTS Maps are configured different.


Torque Limit per Gear

Especially on high power RWD cars limiting torque in the lower gears can improve traction and make them easier to handle. xHP offers a range from 300 Nm (221 ft lbs.) to the possible maximum of 1000 Nm (737 ft lbs.) for each gear. It can be used either to limit boost in the lower gears, or to limit the engine power overall in all gears to protect the drive-train components. The electronic limiter works by sending a request to the ECU (Engine Control Unit) to lower torque once the limit is reached. The ECU then takes the necessary measures (close the throttle/lower boost/lower timing) to stay steady on this limit. It's the same method applied during shifts, when the TCU (Transmission Control Unit) also takes over the torque control from the engine to enhance the shifting. This method of control works steady and within split seconds. We also included presets for RWD, RWD with Sticky Tires and AWD cars, to get you a baseline. Start with this settings and test how your car behaves in your environment. Based on the properties of your car (weight, tires, suspension, differential etc.) and the roads you travel on usually, you can then adjust the limits up/down until it matches perfect.


Torque Reduction during upshifts

This function lets you setup how much torque reduction the gearbox is requesting from the engine during upshifts. Just like with a manual, where the driver presses the clutch while releasing the throttle, the automatic transmission sends a request to your vehicles engine to lower torque while it's shifting from one gear to another.

Lowering the amount of torque reduction (Slider to -) can reduce turbo lag after shifts, especially in the lower gears. The opposite, raising the torque reduction (Slider to +), can produce faster/crisper shifts. The main purpose of this function is to fine tune your shifts to your current engine setup, as every aftermarket component or tune slightly alters the behavior of the engine during shifts. Tuned cars with big turbos may need general less reduction, than ones with stock turbos. If you experience a bit of "lag" on a certain shift, you can also try to lower the torque intervention by a few % until it starts to smooth out. Reducing the amount of torque pulled during a shift puts more load on your clutches and stretches the shift-time a bit, so just minimizing all values won't do the trick.

Users are advised to use this function with care. It's not dangerous to play around with it, just to feel the effects, but you have to be aware that lowering torque reduction substantially (e.g. -25%) over extended periods will increase load on the clutches and will reduce their lifetime.


Line Pressure Bump

The “Line Pressure” is the main pressure the transmission operates with, outside of shifts. Main input for the calculation of the Line Pressure is the torque actual value sent by the cars Engine Computer (ECU, DME) The pressure gets regulated by an electronic valve, controlled by the TCU (Transmission Computer). Depending on transmission type, the ZF units typically operate with a maximum of 16 – 20 Bar oil pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the clamping force of the clutches and the higher the maximum amount of torque, that can be transmitted through the clutch pack, before it starts to slip and quickly burn. This custom option tweaks the transmissions mapping to allow for around 5 to 15% more peak pressure. Usually the ZF transmissions can easily cope with the typical torque increase of a Stage 1 or 2 Engine Tune, when equipped with an xHP OTS Map. However, for very high power increase, this option can make the difference, whether your clutch pack is able to withstand or not. We suggest applying this option only, if you are already running into clutch slip issues, or if your engine tune creates more than approx. +40% - 60% over stock torque. It is usually not needed for Standard Tunes.


Valet-Mode

•limits your vehicles power to approx. 100 HP in lower gears, 130 HP in higher gears

•limits max. RPM to 2500-3000 approx.(depending on vehicle)

•disables Kickdown

•inhibits too early downshifting in Manual mode (max. 2500 RPM)

•locks down the transmission in its slowest operating mode

•inhibits Launch Control/Brake-Boosting.

Safely lend your high-power vehicle to your kids or make sure the shop mechanic does not show-off with your car to his buddies. Valet-Mode can be applied to any map and works safely in all driving environments.


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