XHP ZF6 Transmission Tune Short Term Feedback

[NeilinMN]

I set out about a year ago to it find the most amusing automatic equipped car I could for the money that met a certain level of practicality; eventually sending up with an X1 35i. If there is one aspect to the car that falls short of the rest, it’s probably the ZF6 transmissionn. It’s not bad, and I liked it in M mode well enough but I would say there are three main drawbacks to the stock transmission tuning:
- as far as I can tell, it defaults to 2nd gear starts
- my shift speed and harshness were inconsistent
- shifts could be quicker

I finally broke down and shelled out the $75 for a MHD WiFi connector and $260 for a flash license and map pack through XHP. I installed their stage 3 tune and I must say it’s a definitive improvement. It addresses all of my qualms above; shifts are quicker and not any harsher and even smoother in some gears so more consistent; manual mode is improved, and it’s nice that it drops to first at a complete stop. All in all, I’d say it’s a worthy upgrade for just an improved driving experience closer to a more modern transmission. It’s still not perfect but it’s very good improvement for the money.

[6pan]

Originally Posted by NeilinMN

I set out about a year ago to it find the most amusing automatic equipped car I could for the money that met a certain level of practicality; eventually sending up with an X1 35i. If there is one aspect to the car that falls short of the rest, it’s probably the ZF6 transmissionn. It’s not bad, and I liked it in M mode well enough but I would say there are three main drawbacks to the stock transmission tuning:
- as far as I can tell, it defaults to 2nd gear starts
- my shift speed and harshness were inconsistent
- shifts could be quicker

I finally broke down and shelled out the $75 for a MHD WiFi connector and $260 for a flash license and map pack through XHP. I installed their stage 3 tune and I must say it’s a definitive improvement. It addresses all of my qualms above; shifts are quicker and not any harsher and even smoother in some gears so more consistent; manual mode is improved, and it’s nice that it drops to first at a complete stop. All in all, I’d say it’s a worthy upgrade for just an improved driving experience closer to a more modern transmission. It’s still not perfect but it’s very good improvement for the money.

from the x1s I've drove the ones with the zf 8hp
are far superior with comfort and smoothness also picks up a lot under hard Acceleration

[jordan35i]

Originally Posted by 6pan

from the x1s I've drove the ones with the zf 8hp
are far superior with comfort and smoothness also picks up a lot under hard Acceleration

unfortunately no 35is with the 8HP

[Spectralus]

I got EU X1 2.3D (ZF 6HP) and I have been using XHP Stage 1 (max stage for 2.3d) for about 8 months now.
The difference is very noticeable, better shift points and a lot better response when starting from 1st or 2nd gear. Also huge improvements in manual mode shifting - a lot quicker. Definitely worth the money.

Though take note guys, it will put little bit more stress to your transmission and torque converter. Something to think about, if your car is already with high mileage.

[bassrebel]

Is it worth the money over the alpina tune?

I am not an f1 racer, meaning I’m not chasing 10ths of a second. I am looking for improved performance. I have a JB+, CAI, and CP & DP waiting to be installed as well as MHD.

Would I NEED the benefits from this tune?

[Spectralus]

I believe XHP will be better since it's up to date. But I don't think it will make that much difference if you already have Alpina tune. I chose XHP cause flashing Alpina tune myself just seemed too risky.

[solidsleeper]

For me, having the trans in the Drive position with Alpina wasn't good as the rpm stayed lower and down shifted sooner than stock. Manually shifting with Alpina was good, but I spend most of the time in D and occasionally switching to Sport.

I switched to xHP stage 2 and it shifts later, close to stock shift points. I believe xHP stage 1 will mirror Alpina, but I haven't tried stage 1. I would recommend xHP stage 2 over Alpina. I haven't tried stage 3, but I don't really have any interest in going that aggressive.

[Turbod]

Alpina is really just a tune for manual mode and makes drive worse than stock. I had it for a year before XHP came out. XHP is far better with all the customization and just overall driving out of the box.

[NeilinMN]

I unfortunately can’t compare XHP to Alpina; I think the customization and fine tuning is nice and I think the difference from stock to XHP is worthwhile. I doubt it’s faster than stock or Alpina. There is a video of two guys doing 0-60 runs with the XHP and there runs were more consistent that Alpina or stock but not much of at all faster. To me, it’s an improvement in feel and matching the car to my preference. It’s the first mod I’ve done to my X1.

As for the person who is touting the 8hp; I agree that is the better transmission. I think XHP improves the 6hp quite a bit and I’d need to drive back to back to compare with the 8hp but on memory; the XHP tunes 6hp isn’t giving too much up to the 8hp. But all that aside, the only way to get the N55 was with the 6 and I debated the two but found a 35i I liked before a 28i.

[Turbod]

Originally Posted by NeilinMN

As for the person who is touting the 8hp; I agree that is the better transmission. I think XHP improves the 6hp quite a bit and I’d need to drive back to back to compare with the 8hp but on memory; the XHP tunes 6hp isn’t giving too much up to the 8hp. But all that aside, the only way to get the N55 was with the 6 and I debated the two but found a 35i I liked before a 28i.

XHP made a comment recently saying that the differences between the 8 and 6 were primarily software tuning and they have implemented a lot of the software changes from the 8 to the 6. This changed happened with V3.0 of their software.

For me, having the PS2, the ability to manipulate shift points makes this a worthwhile purchase. The PS2 spools later than the stock turbo, therefore I want the transmission to shift a little later. I also feel like sport mode is kind of a joke. It holds onto the revs for far too long with the stock calibration. Being able to manipulate the shift points to shift earlier actually make it viable for sporty driving. I have it setup very similar to how my TTRS behaves stock. It will hold the revs to 3,000 rpm on light throttle which is what I want. There is no reason to rev to 5,000 rpm on light throttle.