JohnD

iTrader: (5)

E-mailed Zen on Wednesday and have phoned a few times, but no answer. If anyone from Zen reads this, maybe they could check the E-mails to see if it actually arrived? It was sent via the Zen website.
I'm considering options available for my 03 STi, currently a Richard Bulmer re-mapped PPP. I'm talking to other tuners, so would like to consider the various options available, soon.
In the meantime, I'll send another E-mail, but not through the website.
JohnD

B0DSKI

iTrader: (17)

U been in contact with Mocom as well John ??

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

i have always found it better to call them as they must get a load of time wasters

they are very good tho

rooferman

iTrader: (6)

Definately worth ringing Zen........i manage to get hold of them within a couple of trys,and thats ringing at lunchtimes.

Picked up mine today aswell so there will be room for one more...lol.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

I had my car mapped by richard bulmer !1 then I went to andyf especially to see if he could make it any better as I wasn't impressed !! the difference was night and day ! Paul will be the same

rob4620

Persevere it is well, well worth it. I can relate to trying to deal with demand running a growing business like Zen, whilst we do our best it is hard to cope with the volume of calls sometimes and get everything done.

So keep trying you want your car to go like this...

YouTube - Subaru Impreza @ Prescott Hill Climb

Rob.

Mark'sWRX

Can you expand on this? I couldn't decide whether to use Paul or Richard Bulmer for my remap, but eventually went for Richard. I'm happy as it's better to drive (although it uses more fuel even when cruising, which I was told it wouldn't), but do you think I could go to Paul and get it even better?

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

It's quite easy richard mapped the car slow and andy mapped the car fast pauls mapping skills are similar to andy's so I would recomend him over richard

rob4620

I went to Zen in 2006 because my car was underacheiving due to being badly mapped wanting to find 1/2 a second at a track, the map transformed the car and I found a whole second, it was literaly day and night between the zen map and the **** map.

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

Rob YHPM
Cheers JohnD

dunx

iTrader: (3)

For my tuppence of opinion, a mapper "doing" a road car should leave the customer with a car that will last a "decent" amount of miles.... my six year old car has covered 38,000 miles now and is as good as new (engine !).

For track/race use a vastly reduce life-span is acceptable, you choose !
In the next two years or so I may build a 2.3 and enjoy even more fun, but still aimed at lasting more than 20,000 miles only.

Happy with Richard's work, greedy for more !

DunxC

GC8

I dont know Richard Bulmer, or his work, but I wonder whether the difference might have arisen from Steve having a better idea of what he wanted when he took his car to Andy Forrest?

Mark'sWRX

Sorry, I'm still a bit confused . Are you saying that a car mapped by Richard is optimised for lower speeds, whereas a Paul map would give more outright performance?

When I spoke to Paul before having the remap, he implied that there was only one correct map, not one for torque, power or economy etc.

Richard says he has mapped more Subarus than anyone (except Prodrive) which is why I put my faith in him, even though I knew how highly Paul is regarded.

Maybe I will have a chat with Paul at the next service to see if he can look at my map and see if he can do better. (I don't really know how it all works though.)

However, as my car is a commuter/family/holiday car, not a track beast, I do want to keep some long term reliability.

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

I can see that an optimised map for a particular engine/fuel "should" be the best one, although choosing a boost limit for either outright power or long term reliability may be sensible, depending on use to which the car is put?
JohnD

Mark'sWRX

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised that I wasn't asked how I used the car and what I was looking for. He just went out and brought it back done. I've no idea what boost levels it's running or what the power figures are. Do you think I should be asking him some questions?

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

did you not drive it when he was mapping ??????


zen maps as you play....

p1dazza

I e-mailed Zenweek before last asking abot a remap. Last week I repeated the e-mail and asked if they could supply a new set of bigget injectors. No response to either e-mail so I guess they don't want my business.

Mark'sWRX

No, but I thought I would be, having read about other people's mapping experiences.

I had a sportscat, decat uppipe and service done beforehand so sat in the waiting room waiting to be called, but the first I knew was when it came back finished. He then came out with me driving to see what I thought. It was defo better, but it wasn't quite the night and day I was expecting. I just thought my expectations were too high as I have nothing to compare it to.

ZEN Performance

With a realatively heavy car, you need to be gaining something like 50% power and torque. As it is, you have a 275hp limit (depending on rollers and other "stuff") with the OE turbo, and if you're starting with 220hp, you're scope is limited, if you're starting with a PPP'd car then the difference in outright grunt will be even more limited, and you're benefitting mostly from th freer flowing cat and the improved driveability it gives.

As for answering enquiries, we struggle at times, and after christmas we're prioritised those people whose cars are already with us, or already booked in weeks or in some cases months in advance. This saturday alone we had 4 cars picked up, and as anyone who has spent an afternoon here (yes I'm at work at 9pm on a sunday) will know that it's all systems go during the day for everyone that works here. This is going to be rectified soon I hope, as we're looking for an additional member of staff to help with enquiries and so on.

BIG FUD

iTrader: (84)

Ill help with enquiries let me know whats involved thanks

MaDaSS

Well Richard's track record can and does speak for itself, BUT, i have used him twice in the past and the last time i came away unimpressed at what went off. Then i met Bob, ahhh, OO. LOL.
Suffice to say any mapping i want done in future will go back to Bob.
I now have what i should have had when i drove away from Richard in 2006.
As for longevity, that depends on the drivers right foot and attitude to launches, etc.

MaDaSS

This is how i felt after my last map with Richard. My car WAS 270bhp and we had spoken about how, quote, "340 easy" i should get with all the new bits.
I came away deflated. I to expected some night and day experience, in reality even he commented on how unexcited i was. I just accepted it and drove away thinking that was that. I remember all i was thinking was how high up the revs the power came, and that it just lasted a little longer, thats is all i can remember. LOL.

Cosworth27

Dont mean to hijack this thread, but I am looking to get my 05 sti tuned with Tractive and get some suspension mods done there. Surley there diamond package which is supposed to give gains from 265bhp to roughly 350bhp and equal torque will feel like night and day?

Reading this thread is giving me second thoughts. it is sounding like the mapper is doing the bare minimum to get mediocre results.? Can Zen or any body else offer me a better package for £2695 for performance mods?

It is a big decision as I want it done right first time. Spending the best part of £3300 on tuning the engine and suspension mods isnt something to take lightly. So if any of you know of a more cost effective way of gaining said power and how to spend £600 on suspension mods feel free to say.

Everything I have read on Tractive is top notch! except on this thread. Somebody restore my faith!

Again sorry for hijack

GazTheHat

Be interesting to know if that's really true.

lunar tick

iTrader: (2)

The fact that so many people have spoken highly of Tractive and Richard Bulmer on previous threads should speak volumes. Having said that, I can heartily recommend Zen - their prices are very reasonable, the service excellent and Paul's mapping is truly excellent - good enough for me to travel down there from Cumbria

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

I'm the originator of this thread and yes, you can hijack, as I have also been talking to Tractive re- the Diamond package - and possibly more.
From 265 to 350 will be very noticable. My problem is that I already have 340 (If you believe rolling road results!) from a re-map by Richard Bulmer on my STi PPP, so to see a useful improvement, I need more than the Diamond package offers. I know what's needed, it's getting it done by a reputable organisation at a sensible price that I'm in the middle of investigating.
JohnD

MaDaSS

Richard is bloody good at what he does. He has been around long enough and has enough skill, etc, etc. BUT there is always someone better, you know that, I know that, and so does he. No two people are alike, as all tuners are different and so are their skills.
If you wanna use Richard fine. I have since used Bob and that is where my money will go now.
Another thing that annoyed me with Richard, was the way he would not use Delta Dyno. So, having just spent thousands with him, i had no way whatsoever of knowing what i had just got.
If you talk to him, mention Delta Dyno readouts and tell me what he says.
I bet it goes something like this, he will only use one rolling road, and if i remember rightly (my memory here) that is Prosport.
He did NOT at that time use the Delta readouts. I wont put here what he said, as i do not want to misquote, but it was not complementory.
So the bottom line for anyone, you can only go where your heart and head tell you to go. You can listen to all teh advice in the world but at the end of the day, only you can decide where to go.
Richard has got one hell of a background in this profession.
Its like i said earlier (or in a another thread), its "opinions and arseholes" time, everybodys got one!

MaDaSS

As JohnD says above, this will DEFINITELY feel like night an day. Before all my latest mods that started way back in 2006, I went from the oem 03 wrx 215 bhp to 270 and that was bloody good! LOL. (mapped by Richard)
Trust me, my sig. below tells you what my car is, and if i had gone from 265 to 350 with Bob, it would have been like jumping in an F1 car for me. lol.
Richard also mapped my latest mods in 2006, but i was not happy. This cannot reflect completely on Richard as i should have gone back, so i will defend him in that sense.
You will know you have 350 beleive me
You have to remember as well, its the torque that gives the smile factor too.
Mine now sits at 357 ib/ft which gives me a "smile on my face like a city bakers Halloween cake!"

Cosworth27

Thanks John D and Maddass for clearing that up for me. Alot to ponder. Does Bob Rawle do performance packages? Or does he just map full time. I wanted to get car done in a oner?

JohnD

iTrader: (5)

I too used Bob Rawle back in 2001 for a Link ECU and map on my 99MY Considering the shortcomings of the Link system, the result was great. As far as I'm aware, Bob does minor installation and mapping, I don't know if he has any arrangement with anyone to do major component changes. If that were the case I would be talking with him as well.
It's good to know that firms such as Zen are nice and busy, as long as quality standards are maintained, it's a good sign. I'm still waiting with interest, for their reply to my mail.
JohnD