# The BNR/EFI Live tune review you've been waiting for.



## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Sometimes, when a new product comes to the market and you have a chance to review it, you let your emotions cloud your judgment. It's kind of like dating someone new, being intoxicated with infatuation. As soon as the pink mist fades, you see the picture more clearly. I've been using the BNR since April 16th with the intention to review it, but wanted to give this product and Jerry some ability to flex their muscles and show me what they can do. My calculated thoughts are at last complete, and I can provide a clear and honest review. 


*EFI Live & BNR: Me Boosta*
First things first: BNR doesn't sell a tune. I'm sure many of you are sitting there wondering how the BNR Tune compares to Trifecta and Diablosport. Don't. There is no comparison, because you're not getting a tune here. Instead, you're getting a tuner. You are buying a license with EFI Live (or optionally, HPTuners), and as much of Jerry's time as you need to make the tune exactly what you want it to be. The end product is customized for each individual and each vehicle (with or without modifications), but not advertised in any way at the time of purchase. What you are buying is far more valuable than a "tangible" tune. 










To begin, I'll just say Jerry knows what he's doing. I have what I'd like to consider a very good understanding of automotive principles and mechanics, and other Gearheads tend to agree. I have experience tuning with HPTuners on other platforms, and have engaged in technical discussions with Jerry regarding this platform. Jerry has over a hundred hours of tuning and development here, and the result of that shows. Because this PCM is fundamentally different than other automotive PCMs do, an intimate and proficient understanding is required. I've told many people; this isn't an L67 or LS1. A thousand hours of tuning an LS1 doesn't make you a good 1.4T tuner. Jerry specialization in this platform is something I cannot stress enough. 


*The Hardware: 1990s Nostalgia*
The EFI Live tuning autocal is about the most no-frills, industrial tuning handheld I've ever seen. It's a simple backlit dot matrix display, a meager 8MB of storage capacity, and a bulky feel to it. There are three buttons, a data port for the OBD2 cable, and a USB port. Holding this thing brings a sense of 1990s computing nostalgia. I'd wager you could use it as a hockey puck and it would still work. That said, it did impress me. 










Load times are about as long as it takes for you to blink. It starts automatically when plugged in, and in under 5 seconds, you're ready to rock. There are two tuning modes; a full flash and a program flash. The full flash is your initial flash, which takes under 5 minutes to complete start to finish, and the program flash is what you use to upload tuning adjustments thereafter. The program flash takes all of 30 seconds, which makes it very special. This is where this no-frills device shines. It allows you to get down to business without theatrics. The interface is simple and intuitive. It can hold 5 program tunes, and about 10 minutes of datalogging, depending on how much storage is used up by the tunes. Should you decide that 10 minutes of datalogging is insufficient, you can hook this up to your laptop and vehicle simultaneously and tune for as long as you need to. 

Now, I said that the 30 second flash makes this very special. The reality is that people do things that are convenient. To briefly contrast, Trifecta and Diablosport's tunes take forever to update, and the Diablosport device itself takes 2 minutes to boot. A 30 second flash and a nonexistent device boot time means you can store whatever flavor of tune you want and swap them wherever, whenever, without wasting time. You can have a daily power tune, a race tune, and eco tune, a "I'm letting my son borrow my car to go out with friends and I don't want him revving past 4000rpm" tune, and a "my wife has a lead foot" tune. 

Connecting the device to your laptop involves downloading EFI Live Scan and Tune from the website, and opening the file browser, where you can copy files to and from the device.


*The BNR Tuning Service: *
Now that I've introduced the duo and the hardware, let's get to the tuning. When Jerry sent me this handheld, first thing he did was have me load up a baseline tune. Limited in power, this tune provides slightly more power with complete safety, like letting your daughter go out on a first date but with a GPS tracking device hidden inside her phone. The purpose of this tune is to allow you to datalog to make adjustments, which is when the fun starts. Once you get the first datalog, you start making adjustments and as a result, more power. There are a few areas that need to be carefully observed in this car, such as an inconsistent wastegate adjustment that can easily cause you to overboost the turbo. It is assumed, of course, that you're getting the tune because you want more power, or you'd otherwise just stick with the factory tune. After a few datalogs and adjustments, you start having some fun. At this point, Jerry's services are at your disposal for any changes you may wish to make. I'll describe my experience so you can get an idea. 

At 19PSI, Jerry's tune made more power than Trifecta's did with 21psi. Don't ask me how. Jerry mentioned 21psi would be safe, so we stuck to that, and I datalogged 209lb-ft to the wheels and a calculated ~170whp. This datalog has been proven to be dyno-accurate within a margin of error of about 5lb-ft. A week later on a cold and damp night, I felt my clutch slip for the first time, but I asked for it. Since it went away after I parked my car and ran my errand, I decided the clutch doesn't like cold and damp conditions and that it would be fine the rest of the time. One thing that bugged me was that Jerry's initial tune had a bit too much throttle response, so I messaged Jerry and asked him to make it more linear. I told him, I want my throttle to feel mechanical, and he did just that. The more throttle I apply, the more power I get, and it eliminated the runaway boost "problem" I had with RPM climbs at part throttle. On the same token, a reverse of this adjustment could have been made if I needed an auto-x tune. After this, I decided I wanted a shorter DFCO delay. DFCO is deceleration fuel cut-off, which shuts off fuel injectors when decelerating. The car engages this feature at a delay of 1.1 seconds, which I had shortened to 0.4 seconds. This means that, for my specific driving habits, I could improve my fuel economy. One point I want to drive home is that Jerry did exactly what I asked him to because I knew what I wanted, but I could have just as easily said "I want better fuel economy, how can we accomplish that," and he would have implemented this as one of the features. 

Next, I decided to work on an ECO tune. I told Jerry I wanted to cut boost to Prius power levels to keep AFR high at higher throttle levels, force the car into a 93 octane spark advance profile, cut DFCO delay to 0.2 seconds, and make the throttle as lazy as reasonably possible. In other words, I didn't want to get higher power levels unless I literally mashed the throttle. With a few other implemented features and several datalogs, I got an ECO tune that I can now flash whenever I go on a road trip that makes the car feel like 1.6L N/A engine. 

As for my power tune, let's just say my car has never made this much power before. I'll let other happy customers share their colorful impressions of the kind of power their cars are now making. 
As for fuel economy, my mileage has been unaffected with the power tune, and I estimate a 2-3mpg improvement over stock with the eco tune I had Jerry make for me given the features implemented, particularly in city driving. I won't comment on actual fuel economy gains as there are far too many non-repeatable conditions that affect fuel economy, making it impossible to accurately measure any differences. 


*Service: No ticket needed*
At this point, you're starting to realize what I meant earlier. You're not paying for a pre-fabricated tune, but for a custom service that produces whatever tune you want. Ah, but there's one last, but definitely not least, point I need to make. Service. Let me paint a picture to drive this home. 

Say you work in Accounts Receivable at a small company, and you have a computer problem. Your company employs one IT guy. You give him a call, explain your problem, and he says "Linda has a an issue I need to work on real quick, but I'll be right there as soon as I'm done." 1 hour later, he shows up and fixed your computer in 30 seconds. Fast forward one month. Your small company has been acquired by a large company, and your IT guy has been integrated into their IT department. You manage to break a computer again, and you give him a call. He answers, "please create a ticket."

The only ticket you'll be seeing with BNR Tuning is the one you get when you go too fast. 


*Is it Safe?*
You need to come to terms with the fact that making power will produce additional wear on your engine and/or turbo to an exponentially increasing degree. Within a certain range, no appreciable problems will arise, but a point of diminishing returns will be met. If you're not comfortable with the prospect of *potential* of accelerated long-term well, however minor it may be, consider whether you want any tune on your vehicle. That said, in the time I've had this tune, my car went into limp mode 3 times. All 3 times were because of a strict overboost protection. Jerry is able to make power in this PCM while keeping all factory safeguards and strengthening some. He monitors things like catalytic converter temp, which will cut power if the cats get too hot. The ability to make power while keeping all factory safeguards demonstrates an ability to make power in this PCM by coaxing it to give you more power instead of forcing it to do what you want it to. This is *not* a scorched earth, "engine safety be damned" tune. 


*Final Words*
I've tried the Diablosport tune, three different Trifecta tunes (including one custom tune), and the tune that I wanted with Jerry's finishing touches. Jerry's is the one that's staying on the car. It's not that those were terrible tunes, but that I got exactly what I was looking for. Some may ask, "but how can you be objective if you have nothing bad to say about the tune?" It may have taken me 26 datalogs to get there but it's hard to say something bad about the tune you customized for yourself. Question is, what do you want out of *your *tune?

Order your BNR tune here: Bad News Racing Website


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Speaking of multiple tunes, can there be a no start and valet tune like accessport gave us Subaru guys? 

I take it there was no transparency mode? When you flash stock did it still show up in the counter?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Merc6 said:


> Speaking of multiple tunes, can there be a no start and valet tune like accessport gave us Subaru guys?
> 
> I take it there was no transparency mode? When you flash stock did it still show up in the counter?


One GM tech told me they can't find the tune. I won't go on the record to claim it for sure though. 

Those would be questions for Jerry to answer.


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## Terryk2003 (Sep 22, 2014)

Great review! I wish I would have waited a few months to purchase a tune. I would have a BNR tune instead of Trifecta. I'm not necessarily disappointed with my Trifecta tune, but it seems the BNR tune from Jerry has more to offer.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

One thing I forgot to mention is that the EFI Live handheld also scans and clears service engine codes for any car.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

I, for one, second exactly what Xtreme has said about this tune. Although, I've not had it nearly as long, I will agree the with the exact same points when it comes to getting superior customer service.

I live in California. Jerry is located in Florida, and I've been up late, watching TV, and gotten an email late at night, with a tune update.

I also guess I have nothing to worry about when it comes to the amount of tunes I've flashed, since I've merely only had about 6 tunes, that I can remember. So just when I can only imagine that I'm getting a little picky when it comes to my 6 tunes, he's got customers that request 26. Makes me feel better. But this should definitely sell anyone that has a question or is on the fence about which tune to purchase. 

I've also had the trifecta tune, on my second Cruze and I definitely have nothing bad to say about it. I had 2 tune updates to that, and never requested another. I never had any complaints whatsoever. 

I've also experienced 2 ecu safe modes. I'm somewhat of a rebel, when it comes to safe modes, I've owned over a dozen turbocharged cars and I'll be driving down the highway at 70mph, turn the key off, and open the door, which clears the safe mode. I don't recommend this, and I take no responsibility for your actions, I just know it works. 

So, not to hijack Xtremes thread, in any way. This post was meant to merely back up what the OPs post is saying, without you having to go thread hunting to look for other opinions about this tune. 

Jerrys customer service, is clearly, second to none.


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## hificruzer226 (Mar 27, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> One thing I forgot to mention is that the EFI Live handheld also scans and clears service engine codes for any car.


I wouldnt say any car....but most is a good substitute )


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## slanus13 (Mar 1, 2015)

I am considering getting the EFI live for my cruze. I was curious if the tune made any changes to the transmission? I know that people say the transmission shifts better with the trifecta tune, any noticeable difference with the EFI live?


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## [email protected] (Nov 12, 2011)

Depends on the year. 2011 and 2012 are editable as of now. 2013+ is coming soon.


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## slanus13 (Mar 1, 2015)

I have a 2014 cruze. I will most likely be getting the EFI live tune for it. I have been planning to get the trifecta advantage plus for my car but after reading xtremes review on EFI I am on the fence. I want to do a downpipe and midpipe as well as the forge BOV. It seems like it will be better for me anyways being as my laptop isn't the most reliable.


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks for the review Andrei, I was hesitant on buying a tune but after reading your review I'm putting some cash aside for one. Thanks again!!


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## 69mustang (Sep 14, 2015)

Is this what I saw for $900?


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

69mustang said:


> Is this what I saw for $900?


No. The price was never $900.


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks Andrei, just purchased this tune based on your review. Now I'm really excited to receive it.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

WISH THIS WAS AVALIABLE ON THE ctd


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

The logs or something are like $3500 just to get started with the diesel. That's why they haven't touched them yet.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

i figured that there was good reason, and there it is. im hoping by the time i run out of power train a nice and easy tune is avaliable thats more like this and less mainstream like trifecta


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## nybble (Mar 30, 2014)

This looks interesting. Thanks for the review Andrei.


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## 170-3tree (Nov 4, 2014)

I'm highly contemplating changing from the trifecta to this at some point now. Think I'd have to figure out the clutch situation first, along with other mods. (Suspension, pulleys, spare wheels for slicks) or somewhere in there.


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## au201 (May 18, 2013)

I too am very highly contemplating switching to the EFI Live tune. There's nothing particularly wrong with my trifecta tune, it just sounds like I could get a lot more personalization out of the EFI tune with BNR. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

This better service is good to know, and I will say it I don't care about getting flamed at this point. I have a Trifecta tune on two of my cars, I asked for an update to a tune I paid for and paid for tuning with data logging, basically the most expensive tune. My car sat in the driveway for 11 days not running because of the tune. I was asked a second time for information that I provided in the lengthy form for a custom tune in the original request, to find out that I was sent a baseline tune for the wrong parts 11 days later. The tune was never correct and I was told that is as good as it gets.

I have been waiting for two weeks for an update for another car, which I paid for the tune with logging and still have not received the latest update from Trifecta.

I am still getting the same service 1.5 years later has not gotten any better with wot-tuning.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Bump.


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## Christopher_2 (Jul 31, 2012)

Took 30 days to get the update, with no communication except when I prompted them.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Christopher_2 said:


> Took 30 days to get the update, with no communication except when I prompted them.


That to me is unacceptable. Unfortunately, you aren't the first to report the same experience.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

money_man said:


> The logs or something are like $3500 just to get started with the diesel. That's why they haven't touched them yet.


I am considering getting the tune on my CTD in Australia, Jerry says he can do it on my engine, and if I decide to go ahead I will post a report. I am not after more power as I have plenty, but want less turbo lag at low speeds. At highway speeds at 60kph or more it is fine.


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## nybble (Mar 30, 2014)

XtremeRevolution said:


> That to me is unacceptable. Unfortunately, you aren't the first to report the same experience.


Heh, My average response time with them is somewhere atleast 15-20 days. 

I've got an open request with them now that i'm waiting on. I'm at 10 days.

I'm also contemplating moving over to this tune instead. Watching with interest. Perhaps I can get a spin in someone's car at lordstown this year and decide.

--john


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## [email protected] (Nov 12, 2011)

There will be no shortage of BNR Tuned Cruzes at Lordstown this year, that's for sure. I am considering personally coming with our shop Cruze and maybe bring the Sonic along too. Could do in person tunes on the spot that way, though several of my dealers will be there and can do in person tuning right then and there as well. Right now I'm at around 4 business day response time, but its also super busy right now with tax returns coming in.


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## TRIFECTA (Feb 17, 2011)

nybble said:


> Heh, My average response time with them is somewhere atleast 15-20 days.
> 
> I've got an open request with them now that i'm waiting on. I'm at 10 days.
> 
> ...


Hey nybble. Your request is not for regular support issue. Your request is for the new DSVMII update, which we have had over a hundred requests in just the last week and half. These mass updates, unfortunately, take time and are first come first serve and are not considered critical support related. As such, it is not part of the norm and should not be considered as part of the normal support structure.

Had you been having an actual problem, ordered an update for a new mod, etc, your request would have already been fulfilled. We appreciate, your's and anyone else patience while we get these updates done.


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## nybble (Mar 30, 2014)

[email protected] said:


> There will be no shortage of BNR Tuned Cruzes at Lordstown this year, that's for sure. I am considering personally coming with our shop Cruze and maybe bring the Sonic along too. Could do in person tunes on the spot that way, though several of my dealers will be there and can do in person tuning right then and there as well. Right now I'm at around 4 business day response time, but its also super busy right now with tax returns coming in.


Hoping your going to make the trip.

Would be great to meet and chat some more.

--John


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## rnbarg (Apr 27, 2018)

I have a the Premier Sedan without the RS package - 17" wheels. I would go w/the no modification, premium gas required version of the BNR tune. I'm wondering if the changes to the transmission timing, power, torque etc. will have any impact on handling curves. I drive a route going up and down a lot of curves. There's a lot of body roll. Thanks.


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## rnbarg (Apr 27, 2018)

*Results of BNR Tuning*

Some comments from Car and Driver below. How many of these criticisms are addressed by the BNR tune? Sounds like quite a few.

*Car and Driver*

"That’s a big mass reduction, and it helps the 2016 Cruze scoot to 60 mph in 7.6 seconds, 1.3 seconds quicker than the previous 1.4T.

This performance improvement is dramatic on paper, but it doesn’t feel like performance tuning. This engine is set up to operate at a relaxed pace, more diesel-like than fire-breather. Peak torque comes on at just 2000 rpm, and the six-speed automatic transmission chooses the highest gear possible to keep the engine in this zone. Hold down the accelerator, and the engine rumbles toward its 5600-rpm horsepower peak, but you won’t spend much time exploiting the 153 ponies unleashed there because the transmission upshifts between 5500 and 5700 rpm, well short of the 6500-rpm redline. (One look at the engine’s power curve reveals the shift programming is no accident—horsepower drops off precipitously after the 5600-rpm peak, leaving little point in holding onto gears beyond that engine speed.) The shifts themselves are surprisingly quick and, yes, smooth. The programming insists on choosing one gear above what a driver might choose, however, meaning that even when the transmission downshifts, the Cruze can feel flat-footed coming out of corners because it’s still in too high a gear. The upshot is that revs are kept low nearly all of the time, which contributed to our observed fuel economy of 33 mpg, and this reliance on the engine’s low-rpm torque means even small throttle applications accelerate the Cruze without an uncouth downshift. Smooth."

"The turbocharged engine delivers a glut of torque that the naturally aspirated engines can’t match. There’s a satisfying swell as the Cruze pulls away from a stoplight or merges onto a highway. The low-end grunt fades as revs climb, though, and the transmission compensates for a wheezy top end by upshifting 1000 rpm short of redline at full throttle. But its 7.6-second run to 60 mph still makes the Cruze the quickest in this test by a wide margin.


The six-speed automatic executes snappy gearchanges, only to be wasted on a tuning strategy designed to maximize fuel economy by short-shifting into a higher gear or hesitating to downshift when you apply throttle. The Cruze is the only car in the test with stop-start. , yet that and its small-displacement engine weren’t enough to win the fuel-economy category outright. The Chevrolet tied our first- and second-place finishers at 33 mpg. Small-car fuel economy with large-car manners: It’s an interesting school of thought."


https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ruze-lt-page-4


https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...tomatic-review

*From: BNR*

BNR 2nd Gen Cruze Tune Engine Calibration Features:



+63HP +92TQ under the curve (~3500-4000RPM)
+57HP +80TQ Peak vs. Peak
Premium fuel recommended for high power, high boost tuning. Low octane fuel tuning is available if desired. Low octane tunes of +21HP +40TQ available upon request.
Improved throttle response and feel. The throttle has been completely remapped to feel more linear and deliver power when you want it! It no longer feels "laggy" or dull.
All GM OEM Emissions and Safety functionality are retained. Vehicle will remain emissions compliant.
Knock detection and catalytic/turbocharger over temperature protections/enrichment remain unchanged.
BNR Tunes are fully compatible with both Automatic AND Manual Transmission Cruze's but if you have an automatic, you can expect the transmission to be improved dramatically!

BNR 2nd Gen Cruze Tune Automatic Transmission Calibration Features:
Faster, firmer shifting. Shifts will execute much quicker than stock.
Improvements to shift logic/shift points for power delivery optimization.
Torque limiters adjusted to ensure consistent power delivery.
Auto Stop can be removed if requested.
All GM Diagnostics remain unchanged.


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## Jsjr56 (Feb 2, 2021)

CruzeTech said:


> I, for one, second exactly what Xtreme has said about this tune. Although, I've not had it nearly as long, I will agree the with the exact same points when it comes to getting superior customer service.
> 
> I live in California. Jerry is located in Florida, and I've been up late, watching TV, and gotten an email late at night, with a tune update.
> 
> ...


Jerry really is amazing with his customer service I get new parts for my car so much that it feels like every other week I ask him for a updated tune and I have been playing with it myself to try and squeeze every last bit of power out of it but he’s always been good with responding and has had the best tunes (especially compared to trifecta)


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