[PrematureApex]

Originally Posted by Vidgamer

I have seen tunes, perhaps for other cars, which specifically state for off-road use only, even though no emissions parts are removed.

Which ones?

I think you'll find that the federal regs concentrate on the emissions system. The TDi analogy is a good bit different. This is an OEM cheating on federal certifications. There are plenty of aftermarket products, across endless product markets, that wouldn't pass certain specifications put in place for OE manufacturers. Individual states like CA have put laws in place to prevent modification of ECU control parameters. The rest of the country is still largely wide-open. Although open for interpretation, it certainly can be argued that there is nothing illegal about running a tune in most states in this country, so long as the emissions system is in place and functioning. But more generally, I guess I don't thnk there's much reason to make any kind of deal out of it. These tunes are not labeled "for off road use only", and they're not illegal, or at least enforced as such, in any state sans CA to date as far as I know. Literally tens of thousands of people are running them. Certainly nothing to worry about, particularly in Texas.

Yes, you'll be polluting more when you romp on it and use your 400 bhp, but you're also polluting more when you go WOT on the stock tune.

That aside, any of these cars fitted with a Dinan, BMS, etc. "tune" and factory cats would still EASILY pass emissions, as far as a sniffer goes. They are are still very, very clean. Not at all like an oil-burner.

Yeah, in a straight line, the GTI about splits the difference between an N20 and an N55 X1. Plenty quick for a daily, for sure, just not sure you can honestly call it "fast". It's a 3600 lb. (rwd), 240 hp (more like 255 though) car. It's one of the slower cars BMW sells. Personally, I don't think you can call a stock N55 "fast", but this is a semantic and personal thing anyway, so who really cares... But I will say, I wouldn't ignore power mods. At the levels we're talking about, tunes on either an N20 or N55 make a significant difference. Really, really upping the fun factor of the car. If you're not tuning your N20 because it's plenty fast as it is for you, you may be missing out on a lot of entertainment. For most people, an extra 40-80 bhp is more dramatic than more roll stiffness. Not that I'm saying that's a good thing.

I'll end saying a RWD X1 is one of the last good steering BMWs ever made. That's something.