COBB Tuning Blog

We are currently investigating an issue concerning AccessTUNER users with AP-MAZ-002 AccessPORTs (2007-2011 MAZDASPEED3 and 2006-2007 MAZDASPEED6). The AP can become unresponsive after consecutive pass-through flashes which could potentially lead to failed flashes. If the AccessPORT does not detect the ECU in recovery mode, customers will be required to send the ECU and AccessPORT in for service. Please see a summary of the issue below, and if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Customer Support at 866-922-3059.

• Affects: AP-MAZ-002 AccessPORTs tuned with AccessTUNER Race or AccessTUNER Pro.
• Issue: AccessPORT becomes un-responsive. Incomplete flashes can cause ECU to go in to recovery mode.
• Cause: AccessPORT slows down with consecutive pass-through flashes.
• Work Around: Unplug the AccessPORT from the computer and the vehicle to power down after each pass-though flash.
• Resolution: The issue is currently being investigated and we are improving recovery detection and pass-through capabilities. This issue will be resolved in an upcoming firmware release.

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COBB Tuning is seeking qualified candidates to join our AccessPORT engineering team. This individual will test all new COBB Tuning AccessPORT and AccessTUNER features, updates and new products. This position is located at our Austin, TX headquarters.

Job Description:

• Help us maintain the quality that our customers expect by using new features before they are released.
• Develop test plans and execute test procedures. Document actual test results.
• Identify, analyze, reproduce and report issues, gather detailed failure information, work with development team to resolve software defects.
• Enhance and update internal and external documentations.

Required Qualifications:

• Computer/OS troubleshooting and maintenance skills.
• Detail-oriented and organized.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Team-oriented and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment.

Strong candidates may also possess one or more of the following skills and experience:

• In-depth knowledge of COBB products.
• Passion for automotive performance.
• Product testing experience – generating test plans, running tests, documenting results, filing bug reports, etc.
• Industry experience in programming and/or automated scripts.

Please forward your cover letter, resume and any pertinent information to: eng-jobs@cobbtuning.com (email only, no phone calls please)

COBB Tuning prides itself in having an innovative, professional, employee-focused work environment. Benefits package includes:

• Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
• Simple IRA retirement plan with company matched contributions
• Paid holiday and personal time
• Tuition reimbursement

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COBB Tuning is seeking qualified candidates to join our AccessPORT engineering team. This individual will help maintain, design and test existing and new versions of the AccessTUNER program and AccessPORT Firmware.  This position is located at our Austin, TX headquarters.

Job Description:

• Maintain existing AccessPORT firmware, including new feature development.
• Support AccessTUNER software and other complimentary software tools deployed to customers, and utilities used internally to support and maintain all software products.
• Interact with Tech Support and/or customers to diagnose and resolve issues.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in EE, CS, CE, or equivalent
• 2+ years of professional software development
• 1+ years of embedded product development
• Proficiency with C/C++ and Object-oriented programming
• Ability to problem-solve and provide high quality solutions
• Ability to debug outside of conventional IDEs and debuggers
• Good communication skills, and the ability to contribute as an individual in a team setting

Strong candidates may also possess one or more of the following skills and experience:

• Automobile engine operation and tuning fundamentals
• Embedded Linux
• Linux or Windows drivers
• WTL, wxWidgets or other UI toolkit
• Scripting languages
• STL, boost, or similar libraries
• Work directly with customers on issues, feature sets, etc.

Please forward your cover letter, resume and any pertinent information to: eng-jobs@cobbtuning.com (email only, no phone calls please)

COBB Tuning prides itself in having an innovative, professional, employee-focused work environment. Benefits package includes:

• Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
• Simple IRA retirement plan with company matched contributions
• Paid holiday and personal time
• Tuition reimbursement

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A new firmware release is now available for all Nissan GT-R AccessPORTs. This revision fixes two critical monitors as well as adds support for 2010 Gulf-Spec Standard and Vspec GT-Rs and includes Stage1 and Stage2 mapping for most popular octanes.

2010 Gulf-Spec GT-R Support

AccessPORT support is now available for all 2010 Gulf-Spec GT-Rs including Vspec models. Off the Shelf mapping is included with this update and will be installed on your AccessPORT upon updating to this firmware version. Maps can also be downloaded from the GT-R Calibration Page. For more details visit the GT-R map notes page or Firmware Release Notes for AP-NIS-005 or AP-NIS-006.

Critical Monitor Fixes

Two critical monitors have been fixed with this release. The Intake Valve Timing monitor conversion for 2009 GT-Rs has been fixed as well as the “A/F Ratio” monitor for all GT-Rs. To implement these fixes on your AccessPORT, simply update to the latest release-version using AccessPORT Manager.

AccessTUNER Updates and Fixes

The Intake Valve Timing monitor conversion for 2009 GT-Rs and the “A/F Ratio” monitor issues have also been resolved in this version of AccessTUNER. For more details visit the Tuner Release Notes page. To purchase a copy of AccessTUNER Race, visit the GT-R AccessTUNER Race Product Page.

For more information on AccessPORT support for your Nissan GT-R, visit our website at COBB Tuning.com, visit the COBB Tuning Forums or call us at 1-866-922-3059. To join on the COBB Tuning conversation, head over to our COBB Tuning Facebook page and click the LIKE button to stay plugged in, or follow us on Twitter!

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COBB Tuning is happy to announce a new firmware update which includes new mapping for all automatic BMW 135i, 335i and 535i vehicles. These maps address the “rough shift” and poor shifting experienced by some users during full throttle driving and shifting at redline.

This update also adds more ROM support to the AccessPORT. Users that are currently supported via beta firmware can now update to this final release-version. If you are currently experiencing issues with a non-supported ROM, update your AccessPORT to this release to add full support.

To update your AccessPORT to 1.6.3.2-2309 firmware, simply plug the AccessPORT into your computer, launch AccessPORT Manager, and click the Updates button in the top icon bar. The AccessPORT will not need to be uninstalled to perform this update.

These newest calibrations are available right now from the COBB Tuning BMW Map Database. For more detailed information on maps and revisions, please consult the BMW Map Notes, Firmware Release Notes or call COBB Tuning at 1-866-922-3059.

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A firmware update and new calibrations are available for 2011 MAZDASPEED3 vehicles experiencing CEL code issues with the recent BETA Firmware Update 1.6.4.2-2183. This update only affects 2011 MS3 vehicles. You may choose to update to the latest beta releases of AccessPORT firmware and AccessTUNER Race software, or revert to the earlier versions of firmware and software.

BETA Firmware Update

A new BETA firmware release, version 1.6.4.2-2276,  is now available to address these issues. A bug in the fast datalogging patch will cause all BTv102 maps to throw a P2610 code and as well as other codes. All 2011 MS3 users should update to calibration version BTv102a to avoid further CEL code issues. This new firmware update includes new calibrations as well as updated coding to address this issue.

The AccessPORT must be UNINSTALLED and Reinstalled in order for the new maps to be visible on the AccessPORT. All BTv102a maps can also be found for download on the COBB Forums.

To obtain this AccessPORT firmware update, simply open the AccessPORT Manager application, connect your AccessPORT to your computer via the supplied USB cable, navigate to the “Options” menu and then select “Check for BETA Firmware”. Then click on the “Updates” menu icon and follow the on-screen prompts. These new features will be installed automatically. If you do not have AccessPORT Manager, you can find the download link for your free copy on our Support Page.

AccessTUNER Race “Fix” Update

AccessTUNER Race has also been revised to address this issue. Those using AccessTUNER Race must update to ATR version 1.8.6.0-2280  to obtain these changes. All maps made or updated with the previous version of AccessTUNER Race will need to be reopened, reconfigured and saved with the latest version of AccessTUNER. Users may also revert to an earlier version of AccessTUNER by unchecking the BETA version box and updating as normal.

These new features are only available with the new BETA version of AccessTUNER. If you already have AccessTUNER, simply update to the latest BETA version by going to the “Help” Screen, selecting the “Check for BETA version” and then selecting the “Update” option. AccessTUNER can also be downloaded for free by filling out the online AccessTUNER Race Request Form.

Uninstalling BETA Firmware and Mapping

If you wish to revert a current BETA calibration to the older BTv101 mapping, Please follow these instructions. These instructions must be completed in their entirety or the conversion will not be successful.

Current BETA maps can be reverted to an earlier version by opening and saving the current version maps with an previous “release” version of AccessTUNER to re-generate v101 style mapping.

• Step 1: To revert to previous final release of AccessTUNER Race, navigate to the ‘Help’ tab > ‘Updates’ > ‘Check for Updates’ > Uncheck “Beta Software” box > ‘Get Updates’ > Verify version number.

• Step 2: To convert the calibration to a previous non-BETA release version, open the map to be converted in the non-BETA version of AccessTUNER. Prior to re-saving the map, it is critical that users go to “Options” –> “Display” and make sure “Keep Non-Table Data” option is unchecked. Once this is done re-save map.

• Step 3: Flash the converted map to your car. Step 2 and 3 must be repeated for every map you wish to convert and use on your vehicle. This process only needs to be performed if you wish to use non-BETA calibrations.

To update your current BETA AccessTUNER created maps Using 1.8.6.0-2280 or newer, load a map, go to ‘Edit’ > ‘Configure Options’ > ‘Display’ Tab and make sure the “Keep Non-Table Data” check box is unchecked. Next re-save your map then flash the fixed map to your car.

More information regarding all of these updates can be found in the MAZDASPEED AccessPORT Firmware Release Notes and the MAZDASPEED AccessTUNER Software Release Notes.

For more information on how the AccessPORT can improve your MAZDASPEED experience, please visit our Product Information Page, visit the COBB Tuning Forums or call us at 866-922-3059. To join in on the COBB Tuning conversation, head over to our COBB Tuning Facebook page and click the LIKE button to stay plugged in, or follow us on Twitter.

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This year was COBB Tuning’s second time out at Wicked Big Meet, and we decided to show a larger presence to better support the Subaru community. Wicked Big Meet is the largest all-Subaru meet on the East Coast, so I knew it would be a ton of fun. We also planned to cruise the East Coast and visit as many of our dealers as possible to get a feel for how the right coast does it.

But just getting from Austin to NY can be a challenge, especially for a few small town boys visiting the Big Apple for the first time! An early morning flight out of Austin to Detroit to LaGuardia got Braden Berger, Lance Lucas and me into New York in the early afternoon. We very quickly learned about New York traffic as we were sitting in it for an hour or two on our way to our first stop: Vinny Ten Racing.

Vinny graciously welcomed us to his shop with hot Italian food (chicken parm) waiting for us. He has a great staff on hand in a well-kept facility. Braden spent the afternoon and early evening training tuners Vinny and Steve on MAZDASPEED while Lance and I mingled with the staff and got an idea of their work-flow and how they use our products. After a long day we decided to start the quest for New York pizza. After another hour or so in traffic, as well as leaving our car in a questionable “parking garage”, we made it to Lombardi’s for their famous pizza. The food was fantastic! After that we drove around and saw some of the sights New York had to offer: Central park, Twin Towers memorial site, Wall Street, and Times Square. Time didn’t permit us to spend a lot of time at any specific location, but it was an experience that left us all wanting to come back to New York just to see the city.

The second day we met with No Limit Motorsports and Dave at MSPT. Dave showed us around his new facility, including some great customer builds that were in progress. He is getting setup to do some great work for customers using the AccessPORT for tuning. After MSPT it was back to Vinny Ten to tune an EVO X. Lance spent the early evening with Vinny and Steve teaching tuning on EVO X while Braden and I chatted with the staff and customers that were arriving for a meet Vinny was holding that evening. We all stuck around for the Vinny Ten meet and met some very enthusiastic AccessPORT customers with both MAZDASPEEDs and GT-Rs. After the meet we met up with Dave at MSPT where he very graciously took us out for some amazing food which included awesome steak and “bacon slabs”. We were able to have some great conversations with Dave about the market and feedback on our products.

On the third day we were up bright and early to take a prop plane (the vomit master 2000) into Bradley airport. From there we met with Paul at ECS and got a tour of his great facility. Paul had a lot of very nice and very big builds ranging from Subaru, to GTR, to Ford Mustang. We spent the majority of the day there training GT-R software with Paul and I spent a good amount of time working with him on some software issues he had as well as a lot of great feedback. We had planned on a MAZDASPEED Demo but were short on time. We are scheduling a followup to get him trained on the MAZDASPEED platform as we speak. After that we headed over to see Chris at EFI Logics to check out the shop and go out for dinner.

There was some pretty incredible rain happening that caused a rollover on the freeway which resulted in more traffic. Four hours later we made it to EFI. EFI has a top notch crew and have built an amazing shop out of what started as a temporary location. They had a variety of customer builds they were working on while we were there that were all drool worthy. EFI showed us their east coast hospitality by having us out for dinner with their crew which was a great time. After that we were headed back to the hotel for our precious few hours of sleep.

An early morning saw us arriving to Wicked Big Meet at 7:30 and we had planned to set up right away, but we had to wait a bit for our gear to arrive. The event officially kicked off at 10am but we found our booth slammed starting at about 9am. From 9am to 4pm our booth had a line of anxious customers at it the entire time that kept us busy! We had a mix of people who had never heard of our product, people on the fence ready to purchase our product, and people with our products that wanted to stop by and say hi! It was a great experience to meet all of these enthusiasts at this great event.

We talked to so many people that were blown away by our products and service. We had a few customers name Ian and Chris Haag specifically as customer service advocates that have made them loyal customers. On top of the sales aspect we were able to meet with several customers and sit down to discuss technical questions and issues they were having as well as diagnosing and swapping out a bad OBD-II cable for one customer who left ecstatic. We had the good fortune to have some of our vendors come and meet with us at our booth (as we couldn’t find a way to escape our booth until after 4pm!) and spend time with us giving us great feedback and having some great discussions about our market and products. After 4pm me and Lance made some rounds visiting some other Vendors, while Braden bravely held down the fort.

Chris at EFI showed us a great time at an amazing burger restaurant where I met my true love…. the Fatty Melt. The Fatty Melt is a 1/2 burger put between two grilled cheese sandwiches that acted as buns! After dinner we headed back to the hotel to try to organize all of our stuff to return back to Austin. Three hours of sleep later we headed home, looking forward to returning to Wicked Big Meet next year!

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A couple months ago, some friends and I were talking about running at the CO ProSolo in Colorado Springs, CO. Since Colorado Springs is around 870 miles from Austin, TX it seemed unlikely that I would be able to bring my 2006 COBB STU STI to the CO ProSolo but I really wanted to run the event. As luck would have it, a good friend and long time customer of COBB Tuning, Kevin Schultz, was kind enough to offer me a ride in his STU-prepped 2006 Evolution MR. Who could turn down a ride with the Dark Side? So with my ride secured and a weekend of fast cone-dodging on the way, I hopped on a plane to Colorado.

I arrived at the event Friday afternoon to practice starts and launches, and immediately noticed the start was on a decently steep incline. Stock EVO clutches are known to be weak, so this did not bode well for a clutch with some miles on it. Neither Kevin nor I had launched an EVO at a ProSolo and we had some experimenting to do between keeping the car from rolling out of the staging lights and learning how to launch.

Kevin was up first trying to slip the clutch at 6,000 RPM while manually holding the emergency brake up. This did not work so well as the clutch slipped leaving a cloud of smoke. A few more launch attempts didn’t work out well ending in a bog or burning clutch. With a hot clutch we decided to let it cool before I took my first try at launching the EVO.

Incoming weather cut the cooling time shorter that we would have liked. Being an STI guy we launch them hard and fast to get wheel-spin. The strategy going in was to get the EVO spinning wheels with as little as possible clutch slip. On my one and only attempt to launch, the clutch slipped but held around 5,000 RPM before gripping, no wheel spin. Further attempts to launch the car were only going to hurt it so we decided to call it a day.

Saturday morning I was to be the first driver of our pair out not knowing how to launch the car. I had no idea if we were going to limp the launches or be able to go hard. The first launch out of the gate was hard and fast getting some wheel spin. We were pulling 1.8-1.9 60-foot times up hill which was fantastic. Kevin’s EVO felt great for the first two runs until the tires warmed up and then started to get loose. It seemed the car was picking up a rear wheel, then spinning that wheel when attempting to throttle up. Even with the wheel lift, the morning session went well and I was sitting on top of the class.

For the afternoon session, Kevin and I decided to loosen the rear sway bar from full stiff to full soft to try and improve the handling. The afternoon session came and went with no improvement for me. The car was feeling better while still being a bit too loose for my taste. However, Kevin hopped into the car and ran some great times boosting him into second place.

Sunday morning was time for a little “strategizing.” After a bit of talking with other competitors and a course walk with Kevin, we come up with a strategy. Our plan is to tighten our lines to keep in the “line”. Our strategy works like a champ. Kevin and I both drop another 7-8 tenths keeping our 1-2 class finish in STU and I’m the 7th qualifier in the Super Challenge.

Sadly, Kevin missed the cut off for the Super Challenge yet was gracious enough to let me run his car even though he had a 600-mile solo drive back to Salt Lake City, UT. The first round of the Super Challenge put me up against a well prepped CSP Miata on cold race rubber.

The course is split into two tracks, with each competitor running both to achieve an overall best time, these runs are made “head-to-head” so that both cars are attacking mirrored tracks at the same time. After the first “right side” run I was up 8-tenths of a second so I decided to take it easy on the left side to play it safe to staying off the cones. It turned out I took it a little too easy as we were staring at each other coming around one of the final turns. I decided I needed to go all out and I ended up taking the win by 3-tenths of a second.

Round two put me up against an STS CRX. After the first right side, he was able to break out by two tenths and was able to build a 4-tenth advantage on me. On the left-side I felt like I was going faster than I think I had all weekend; then I blow a tight turn around. At the finish I’m another two tenths behind and the CRX who has broken out again! Either way, I was eliminated after the second round in the Super Challenge.

Even though I didn’t take the Super Challenge the great courses good people made for a fantastic weekend. Kevin and I will be making a few more changes to the car coming back for the Colorado National Tour at the end of the month. Many thanks go to Kevin for his graciousness in letting me beat on his AWD monster.

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COBB Tuning is happy to announce the winners of our Signature Series T-shirt contest! We have chosen four designs to represent each shop. Each design is unique and represents COBB Tuning in our diverse locations in distinct ways.

These designs will be available on shirts offered for sale at each location as well as online from the COBB Tuning Website. Pricing and size availability will be published before the shirts go on sale.

We would like to congratulate and thank everyone who submitted a design for their hard work and creativity. The following four designs were chosen by COBB Tuning staff members taking into account input from the respective shop Facebook pages. Each of our winners will receive a $150 COBB Tuning gift-certificate plus their signature included on every copy of the shirt. The winners are:

Kyle Klube wins the Portland design for his “Tuned in Oregon” shirt.

Chris Corrona wins the Austin design with his ”Speedshop” shirt.

Brandon Orr wins the Plano design for his “Tire Tread” shirt.

Mike Matsumoto wins the Socal design for his “Racing GT-R” shirt.

Thank you again to everyone who submitted designs and thank you to our winners for supporting COBB Tuning! Stay tuned to the COBB Tuning Facebook Page for updates and shirt availability.

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A new BETA version of AccessTUNER is available for all supported Mitsubishi EVO X and Ralliart models including 2011 EVO X and Ralliart. This beta release is available for early adopters who wish to test and evaluate AccessTUNER functionality on their 2008-2011 USDM EVO X or Ralliart and test new AccessTUNER features detailed below.

2011 EVO X and Ralliart Support

AccessTUNER Race and Pro now support all USDM models of EVO X and Ralliart including the new 2011 models. This support is only available as a BETA update. Detailed instructions for obtaining and updating your new or current copy of AccessTUNER are available below.

Improved Table Layout

AccessTUNER Race has been completely reworked to make tuning the EVOX and Ralliart easier and more intuitive than ever before. With faster logging, more intuitive menus and table layouts, this latest version of AccessTUNER will make experienced and novice EVO tuners feel right at home.

Additional CEL and DTC Defeats

The number of DTC toggles has been increased allowing users to customize their tune for a large number of modifications and variables that would otherwise trigger trouble codes. These are easily accessed through the DTC toggle screen. See the tuning guide for more information by pressing “F1” on your keyboard.

Faster Data Logging Speeds

COBB Tuning has integrated higher speed Mode 23 data logging into AccessTUNER as well the AccessPORT. Increasing data logging speed provides more data over a given period of time, increasing the resolution of the data. This additional data gives tuners and enthusiasts a clearer understanding of their engine’s performance and giving them more information to base tuning changes on.

3D Graphing Enhancements

Both solid and wire 3D graphing styles have been improved. Solid 3D graphing is enhanced with a grid overlay and more intuitive color gradient. Wire 3D graphing is improved with finer wire drawing and higher contrast colors that are easier to view.

USDM-only Support

The AccessPORT and AccessTUNER only supports USDM models with this update. International Support has been temporarily removed from all versions of AccessPORT and AccessTUNER. Further developement and table discovery is required to add international support to this new version of AccessTUNER due to fundamental changes in the program architecture. If you are currently using the AccessPORT on your international or world-market EVO X, please refrain from using this update as it will remove functionality.

These new features are only available with the new BETA version of AccessTUNER. If you already have AccessTUNER, simply update to the latest BETA version by going to the “Help” Screen, selecting the “Check for BETA version” and then selecting the “Update” option. AccessTUNER can also be downloaded for free by filling out the online AccessTUNER Race Request Form.

For more information on how the AccessPORT and AccessTUNER can improve your Mitsubishi EVO X or Ralliart experience, please visit our website, visit the COBB Tuning Forums or call us at 866-922-3059. To join in on the COBB Tuning conversation, head over to our COBB Tuning Facebook page and click the LIKE button to stay plugged in, or follow us on Twitter.

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