2012 R-Spec 30,000 Mile Review

[EXBMWGUY]

Ask and ye shall receive

Holy Moly! Thanks. I guess my butttorquedyno wasn't entirely out of line!

 

[EXBMWGUY]

That is a pretty picture.

Yep!

 

[DRS]

Great graph. Gr8 TQ flat curve. The dyno show that the published HP may higher than reality 20% HP loss from the crank to the wheels? With no TQ converter slip.. I am assuming you ran premium gas and the computer was used to the better gas?

 

[jnc2000]

Great graph. Gr8 TQ flat curve. The dyno show that the published HP may higher than reality 20% HP loss from the crank to the wheels? With no TQ converter slip.. I am assuming you ran premium gas and the computer was used to the better gas?

The dyno was taken just after break-in (I had just over 1200 miles on the motor).

Premium (Shell) 93 octane pump gas.

http://youtu.be/Ld-pTsd3EOM

 

[EXBMWGUY]

Thanks EXBMWGUY. Have you updated your Nav maps? I'm wincing at the $300 cost but I really like the idea/use of an built in Nav. I also own a Toyota truck where I use a cheap Garmin ($150 with free traffic) and it's often surprising how the systems route differently: in my experience it seems as if our Nav makes almost exclusive use of main streets where the Garmin will often route you down back streets and through neighborhoods.

I won't do a map update, not because of the cost as much as the fact that (1) I don't believe it will be much better (2) this the devil I know, and (3) paying to replace with an unknown doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

 

[SmoovC]

Thanks so much for the in-depth write up. I truly enjoyed reading your thoughts, comments and observations. I appreciate the fact that it was very objective and you expressed your honest experiences; be it good, bad or indifferent.

 

[Philth]

Cant see the dyno at work...what was the WHP and WTQ?

 

[GenesisCaptain]

I won't do a map update, not because of the cost as much as the fact that (1) I don't believe it will be much better (2) this the devil I know, and (3) paying to replace with an unknown doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

I used to do annual map updates with my BMWs and bi-annual map updates with our Honda. (No rhyme or reason between the two, I just got cheap over time.) In general, I found that the updates were worthwhile. We do several family road trips every year, and having the latest data was good-- we saw the changes on the roads we drove.

BMW used to source their map data from Navteq until 2010 when they switched to TeleAtlas. I bought a 2010 update, but quickly resold it because the quality was so poor. I had the 2009 map disk until I sold the car last year. BMW updated navigation firmware separately from the map data, so the two could be independent.

Our Honda also uses Navteq map data, and we buy the updated map disks every other year or so. That has been just as worthwhile for my family as the BMW map updates. Honda updates firmware with the map data, so the two moved together. So far, we have only had positive experiences with the firmware updates.

I believe that Hyundai also sources its map data from Navteq. If so, this is good, because Navteq tends to keep the data quality high. (It may not be as high as Google Maps, but it is pretty close.) The only variable is how often Hyundai requests an update snapshot, and what was the point-in-time of the snapshot.

Regardless, I will grumble at the cost and probably buy a map update every other year or so. There is probably a risk that a firmware update could degrade the unit, but I would put that risk low. Based on my experience, it is a very low risk that map data updates will degrade performance. I did eight or nine firmware upgrades on my BMWs and two on the Honda, and there was only one minor issue between the two that I noticed.