Nissan Power Pup Bullydog - First Impressions
no they def wont. im not worried about that. just when some jackaz service kid whips my car around the corner and spins out cuz wow there the fq did this extra hp come from?? thats what im talking about. fun joy rides for those pos techs at my delear at least.
i think its kinda idiot proof, from what i have read. so maybe a 2-3
thats because you need to know how to match a plug side male and female one is bigger than other other so if you can connect the correct ends and the second part you would need to know how to use a computer. how to download a file and save it.
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 152
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From: Franklin, TN
Nissan Power Pup Bullydog - First Impressions
Well I finally broke down and ordered a Nissan Power Pup Bullydog and received it Tuesday. It came in nice packaging (hard shell case with foam to keep it in). After my initial excitement I quickly went to their website and downloaded their "update agent". The nice thing is that all you have to do is plug it in to the USB port on your PC and plug the other end into the Power Pup. (I did take a picture with my cell phone, as that was all I had at the moment).
After installing it on Windows Vista (which is very straight forward, just plug it in and asks to install) it will then recognize with the update agent.
The software version mine was shipped with was v.1.1.1. The latest version according to their website was v.1.2.1. So after about 5 minutes or so it finished updating. I then took it out to my vehicle and tried to find the plug. It was conveniently located right next to the emergency brake under the steering column. (This is on an automatic transmission; it's a white male plug. There is nothing you have to unlatch/unscrew etc… it’s in plain sight when looking up under the steering column). It can only fit one way so there was no confusion as to which way it fits. After plugging it in the screen prompts you to turn on the car WITHOUT cranking the engine. This process of identifying the engine takes about 20-25 minutes. To my dismay the power pup said I needed to go online and get an update for this engine. I was like WTF, but luckily their support center is on Mountain Time. (I’m eastern).
After calling up their support line it took approx 20-30 seconds to go through the menu options to speak with someone from technical support. I gave him my name, phone #, and email address. He looked up my model (2007 g35 sedan) and said do you have an email address that I can send a file to? I said yes, and gave him my email address. As soon as the conversation ended (which took all of 3-5 minutes) my blackberry alerted me that I had a new email message. I went to my PC and downloaded the zip file attached to my PC. The update looks to be a beta from the filename (44590_v122b) which 44590 is the product number of the power pup and 122b seems to stand for 1.2.2 (b for beta?). I extracted the files and opened the executable. It asked me to plug in a power pup. I did and as soon as I did, it started updating (see screenshot). After about 5 minutes it had finished. (BTW if anyone wants a copy of the 1.2.2B, just shoot me a PM and I’ll email it to you).
This time it was my 2nd attempt at connecting to the vehicle, another 20 minutes passes by and SUCCESS. The tuner asks what type of fuel I want to use. (I only use premium gas, so I set it to premium). I then raised my top speed to 165 (not sure I’ll ever hit that). After I chose all the settings (which is very easy to select on the power pup might I add) it downloaded. It didn’t take as long to “push” to the ECU as it did to “pull” from it.
I decided to increase my timing also from the menus, which the power pup instructed me to turn my vehicle on. I increased my timing by 2 degrees. I went to the “idle” section to play with it, and raised my idle as well. The cool part about the idle adjustment is that I could instantly see the idle increase as I pushed the + button. I left the idle alone ultimately, but saved the 2 degree timing increase. The power pup essentially said I was finished and I turned off everything and put the power pup in the garage. I then took it out for a little test drive. Immediately I got on the interstate and started pushing it. I could definitely feel a big difference, especially 45 mph+. My car seemed pretty fast to begin with, but man I can sense it has picked up power, especially on the freeway. I will not go into how fast I think the tune made it, (I’ll save that for the true dyno testers). What I did do was conduct a test of my own.
The previous morning on my commute to work I had about ½ tank of gas and turned off my AC and set off to work (15mi approximately 1 way) I put the car on cruise control at 70 and had absolutely no traffic. (This was at 6 am). I averaged about 24 mpg (according to my readout on the dash). This is average for my vehicle when I set it and cruise. After getting my tune this morning I decided I would do the same test (this time with a full tank of gas to make sure I give the benefit of the doubt to weight) no AC etc… I managed to average 26.5 mpg. Now again the temperature at that time was about 70 degrees and this morning it was roughly 71. My driving style stayed pretty consistent and I can definitely tell it has helped my mpg. By no means is this meant to be a scientific attempt to find out my mpg, but I did notice a difference with those 15 mi. (If someone wants to do laboratory testing I’d be very curious to see the actual gains).
Whether it’s the placebo affect or not, it was well worth my money and I would definitely buy it again. If anyone has any questions or needs a recommendation for a place to buy it, let me know. ** Btw I do have K&N intake and Black Betty Grounding kit as my only mods to my vehicle besides the bullydog. **
After installing it on Windows Vista (which is very straight forward, just plug it in and asks to install) it will then recognize with the update agent.
The software version mine was shipped with was v.1.1.1. The latest version according to their website was v.1.2.1. So after about 5 minutes or so it finished updating. I then took it out to my vehicle and tried to find the plug. It was conveniently located right next to the emergency brake under the steering column. (This is on an automatic transmission; it's a white male plug. There is nothing you have to unlatch/unscrew etc… it’s in plain sight when looking up under the steering column). It can only fit one way so there was no confusion as to which way it fits. After plugging it in the screen prompts you to turn on the car WITHOUT cranking the engine. This process of identifying the engine takes about 20-25 minutes. To my dismay the power pup said I needed to go online and get an update for this engine. I was like WTF, but luckily their support center is on Mountain Time. (I’m eastern).
After calling up their support line it took approx 20-30 seconds to go through the menu options to speak with someone from technical support. I gave him my name, phone #, and email address. He looked up my model (2007 g35 sedan) and said do you have an email address that I can send a file to? I said yes, and gave him my email address. As soon as the conversation ended (which took all of 3-5 minutes) my blackberry alerted me that I had a new email message. I went to my PC and downloaded the zip file attached to my PC. The update looks to be a beta from the filename (44590_v122b) which 44590 is the product number of the power pup and 122b seems to stand for 1.2.2 (b for beta?). I extracted the files and opened the executable. It asked me to plug in a power pup. I did and as soon as I did, it started updating (see screenshot). After about 5 minutes it had finished. (BTW if anyone wants a copy of the 1.2.2B, just shoot me a PM and I’ll email it to you).
This time it was my 2nd attempt at connecting to the vehicle, another 20 minutes passes by and SUCCESS. The tuner asks what type of fuel I want to use. (I only use premium gas, so I set it to premium). I then raised my top speed to 165 (not sure I’ll ever hit that). After I chose all the settings (which is very easy to select on the power pup might I add) it downloaded. It didn’t take as long to “push” to the ECU as it did to “pull” from it.
I decided to increase my timing also from the menus, which the power pup instructed me to turn my vehicle on. I increased my timing by 2 degrees. I went to the “idle” section to play with it, and raised my idle as well. The cool part about the idle adjustment is that I could instantly see the idle increase as I pushed the + button. I left the idle alone ultimately, but saved the 2 degree timing increase. The power pup essentially said I was finished and I turned off everything and put the power pup in the garage. I then took it out for a little test drive. Immediately I got on the interstate and started pushing it. I could definitely feel a big difference, especially 45 mph+. My car seemed pretty fast to begin with, but man I can sense it has picked up power, especially on the freeway. I will not go into how fast I think the tune made it, (I’ll save that for the true dyno testers). What I did do was conduct a test of my own.
The previous morning on my commute to work I had about ½ tank of gas and turned off my AC and set off to work (15mi approximately 1 way) I put the car on cruise control at 70 and had absolutely no traffic. (This was at 6 am). I averaged about 24 mpg (according to my readout on the dash). This is average for my vehicle when I set it and cruise. After getting my tune this morning I decided I would do the same test (this time with a full tank of gas to make sure I give the benefit of the doubt to weight) no AC etc… I managed to average 26.5 mpg. Now again the temperature at that time was about 70 degrees and this morning it was roughly 71. My driving style stayed pretty consistent and I can definitely tell it has helped my mpg. By no means is this meant to be a scientific attempt to find out my mpg, but I did notice a difference with those 15 mi. (If someone wants to do laboratory testing I’d be very curious to see the actual gains).
Whether it’s the placebo affect or not, it was well worth my money and I would definitely buy it again. If anyone has any questions or needs a recommendation for a place to buy it, let me know. ** Btw I do have K&N intake and Black Betty Grounding kit as my only mods to my vehicle besides the bullydog. **
Last edited by jack090; Jun 17, 2009 at 02:44 PM.
Great ! that is exactly what i have on my G!! where/how much you pay? I thought our cars were set to run on premium in the first place? so would the non premium tune actually cause us to lose power i wonder?
