[Former_Boosted_IS]

I heard about the BMS Tuning Tool about 6 months ago after seeing some teaser posts about it and a short video of it. I liked three things in particular... the fact that it monitored AITs (Air Intake Temperatures), you can map switch to all 15 maps, and you can tweak you tune. Gas pedal switching of maps is nice, but I want confirmation so I know for a fact what map I have chosen for safety. In addition, the BMS Tuning tool is a boost gauge as well with peak hold and that is just a bonus to me.

Well, I got the gauge about 1 week ago and have been testing it since, so here are my thoughts.

Shipping/Packaging

Everyone that has ever ordered from BMS knows things ship fast and things ship well. I got the product within a couple of days of ordering it from BMS and it was packaged nicely and protected well.

BMS Tuning Tool / Hardware

When you order the BMS Tuning tool, you will be updating your JB3. BMS sends you a new JB3 that still has the DB25 plug that all JB3's have, but the new one also has a DB9 plug for the tuning gauge. The tuning tool itself just plugs into the JB3 on the new DB9 connector and is power by an aux fuse in the ecu. Everything came in perfect shape and ready for the installation.



Installation

This is actually quite easy to be honest. Where to put the gauge will require some more thought. Some may want to put in on the dash, some will want to hide it but pull it out when you want to tune or monitor items. I chose to go the "hide" route by putting it in the ash tray and will show you in detail how to do that if you want. The advantage of installing it my way is that you can leave it and view it from the ash tray or pull it out and use the slack that hides under the center console to place it up on the gauge display. This is nice for keeping a clean look.

So here is the installation process.

1. You remove the cowl, HVAC, etc. all like you would on a JB3 or PROcede install. I would also suggest you disconnect the battery just to avoid any issues when working with the ecu.

2. The first thing to do is change out the JB3 with the new one. Obviously this is quite easy. At this point leave the new JB3 on top of the ecu and go onto the install of the gauge.

3. Get back into the driver's seat area of the car. You will need to remove the upper kick panel on the driver's side of the car. This is held on by (3) t20 Hex bolts.





Simply lower the upper kick panel to expose the firewall.

4. Locate the steering wheel grommet. It is just to the right of the brake pedal.





5. You will now feed the gauge wire through this grommet. It is really simple, but make sure you feed it from the inside of the car into the engine bay. Press the grommet to the side and just push it through allowing plenty of slack to accumulate in the engine bay.

6. Now go out to the engine bay and look on the driver's side of the engine bay for the wire. Here is where it will feed through.



Just grab the wire and pull just enough through the firewall to reach the ecu.

7. This is where I differ a bit. I suggest you feed the wire to the ecu through the cowl that you slide off early in the removal on the entire cowl assembly. It just pops open and will expose an open wire slot in the front. You can see it below in the pictures and how I feed it through.







8. Feed the wire into the ecu as shown below. You will just feed the wire on top of the rubber grommet closet to the front of the car into the ecu. You should have the length of wire needed to get to the ecu exact now so you can re-assemble the cowl clip you fed the wire through in the last step.



9. Now screw the DB9 connector into the JB3. You will notice a white wire as well on the DB9 connector. That is the power lead and you need to remove the big 50 amp fuse (shown below) and just stick the wire in and re-install the 50a fuse.



10. Put the JB3 in the slot on the front of the ecu (facing the front of the car). Seal the ecu. Reconnect the battery and verify the gauge shows 0.0 psi when you wake the ecu.



11. Done with the install, but where to put it? Let me cover this in a new post.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Ok, lets pick up on the "Where should I put the gauge" question. I chose the ash tray and this requires a little creativity. If you choose to go this route here is the way to do it. Remember, do this at your own risk.

1. You need to remove the center console. It just pops up with some effort. Make sure you unplug the I-Drive and ash tray plugs so you can fully remove it.

2. You will need to feed the gauge into the center console area. Tuck it under the right kick panel (easy). Next, you will need to feed the gauge and wire into the center console through some of the openings. You need to feed the gauge and wire through the opening as shown below. Just be careful not to tug to hard on the plastic.



3. Now you have the wire and gauge ready to go into the ash tray. You will need a drill or preferably use a dremmel to get this done well. The good news is the ash tray has a plastic tray that pops out so it will hide everything. I took apart the gauge to remove the plastic casing so I could cut a smaller hole, then fed it through the hole.



4. Reassemble the gauge. Reinstall everything. You can easily tuck the wire in through the hole you cut in the ash tray to allow you to leave it in the ash tray, then pull it out when needed.



Testing

One thing to note is that you will be upgraded to 1.3 when you buy this gauge. Trust me, the new maps come on strong and are quite linear through the band.

The gauge is extremely user friendly. One touch of the left button displays real-time boost. Hold the left button button and it will hold your peak boost. Press the right button and it displays AITs. Again, hold the right button and it will peak hold AITs. I will tell you what, real-time AITs are addicting to look at. If you want to know more about how your car works then you will love this! I have done extensive real-time testing of the stock IC and I think you will be interested to see my results. This is just a phenomenal function!

Next, let me get into the more Tuning Tool part of the gauge. Hold the two buttons together and you get into the tuning part of the menu. Tap the left button to scroll through the options. Pressing the right button at any time will exit the user adjustment mode.

1. OP: This is the Map Selection area. Press the left button to choose one of 15 maps! Hold the left button and it will flash to confirm you choice! YES!!! Confirmation!

2. HP: User Adjustable Horsepower

3. LB: User Adjustable Torque

4. AF: User Adjustable A/F Ratios

5. PD: User Adjustable Pedal Sensitivity

6. SD: User Adjustable Solenoid Response

7. AD: User Adjustable Air Intake Temperature Boost Decay (GREAT FOR IC GUYS!)

Now, you must be in Map 9 to make user map adjustments. Terry will post a Tuning Guide with recommendations.

Here is a video of what it looks like:

Conclusions

BMS was very smart in the fact that the firmware for this gauge is updatable. You are buying a gauge that has all these features now, but BMS will add more in the future and all you will have to do is insert a new chip like you do on the JB3 (I think it is a chip).

This gauge is a must for JB3 owners. The AIT real-time and Map confirmation are awesome features! Your understanding of intercoolers will go through the roof as you watch the IATs respond in different situations. On top of that, you have a boost gauge included and tuning that has never been available to JB users before. More HP, punch it in. More torque, punch it in. Your gas pedal is too touchy, punch it in. It is easy to install and very versatile for placing in multiple locations. I say it is an easy choice on this gauge.

Here are some pictures to hold you off until the detailed stock intercooler testing I will be posting. More videos will be coming soon as well.

[Kelvin1000]

Excellent review and contribution to the forum!

[GAMEOVR]

Cool, not a fan of the the overall look tho.

Nice that is easy to connect + update.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Kelvin, thanks for the kind words.

GAMEOVR, you must remember what it is used for. This is a tuning tool and it must be mobile and moveable like a laptop. It does what it was intended to do very well.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Great Review/Pics. I think its a great mounting location LOL

I agree with you that the IAT real time display is awesome and very interesting. I just put in some scoops and will be doing some testing with and without them to see the IAT with the BMS DCI.

Mike

[GAMEOVR]

Originally Posted by Former_Boosted_IS

Kelvin, thanks for the kind words.

GAMEOVR, you must remember what it is used for. This is a tuning tool and it must be mobile and moveable like a laptop. It does what it was intended to do very well.

I know I know +1 for function as I said, design could of been a tad better than the stand black box. It looks really cool

[bulldog_yyc]

Originally Posted by Mike@N54Tuning.com

Great Review/Pics. I think its a great mounting location LOL

I agree with you that the IAT real time display is awesome and very interesting. I just put in some scoops and will be doing some testing with and without them to see the IAT with the BMS DCI.

Mike

I am interested too - maybe Ill take em back LOL

[Dr_Dirt]

I hope BMS gives you something nice for this excellent presentation.

[hotrod182]

It is quite a useful tool. I love the map switching. I was just testing with it this morning. I logged a run watching my IAT go from 60F to 107F in the qtr mile. I also made a run through 4th gear (around 130mph) to show you the mild boost characteristics of the new 8A4 map.

91 octane, no traction, short shift from 1-2nd gear around 4k rpm
19" Generals. 12.8 at 114.5mph.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by Dr_Dirt

I hope BMS gives you something nice for this excellent presentation.

Dr. Dirt, I hope the forum can use this to make better decisions on what meets their needs. I have worked very hard since I got on this forum to bring un-biased reviews of products. We have misinformation being spread everywhere and that helps no one. I tried to be thorough so you can decide to spend or save your money based on your needs.

[4wheelpilot]

many thanks to the OP for his time, effort and contributing his expertise and experience.

the great features and functionality are 99% of the bang...but i agree with GAMEOVR...that final 1% of a more modern and slick design would do justice to the whole deal!

can't wait to get these great BMS products.

Kudos to Terry-keep up the great work!!!

Mike-let us know when this is available and hopefully with an appropriately slicker look.

[5soko]

Great review!!!!

[lpphreakx06]

Nice review and good guide

[Septro]

Kick ass and thorough review. Love the detail. I personally am not a fan of the Ashtray mount for this gauge and would prefer to have it close to line of sight near the dash. But to each his/her own.

You should post this in the DIY section. Quality stuff.

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by Septro

Kick ass and thorough review. Love the detail. I personally am not a fan of the Ashtray mount for this gauge and would prefer to have it close to line of sight near the dash. But to each his/her own.

You should post this in the DIY section. Quality stuff.

Septro, thanks for the compliments! I may just post it over there as well.

The advantage of the ash tray mount is that there is enough slack in the line still to mount it in the line of sight near the dash. I just pull it out of the ash tray and put it on the dash when I want everything in view together. When I am just daily driving, I can store it away in the ash tray. I think this is the best of both worlds!

I am still trying to decide how to adhere it to the dash location when I want it without sticking velcro or double sided tape there. I still haven't figured out a good solution yet.

[Jimspeed]

Nice review.

I will be order that along with the scan tool sometime next week.

I like those items, seems like must haves with JB3

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by Jimspeed

I like those items, seems like must haves with JB3

+1

[RambleJ]

To the OP, excellent write up!
Over all it looks like a great product and does what it is supposed to do. Those who do not like the looks of it.. Im sure someone can wrap the gauge in some CF and add a couple blinking lights for you....

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Originally Posted by RambleJ

To the OP, excellent write up!
Over all it looks like a great product and does what it is supposed to do. Those who do not like the looks of it.. Im sure someone can wrap the gauge in some CF and add a couple blinking lights for you....

Lol. It is a forum and each is entitled to their opinion. That is why we have the forum.

[dmurray14]

Nice review with tons of pics

[Former_Boosted_IS]

Thanks guys. I will be posting IAT analysis of the stock intercooler today so you can see more about how fast it heat soaks.