Stage 1, Stage 2, or Custom Tune? Why the Label Alone Is Not Enough

What did you actually select?

By itself, Stage 1 or Stage 2 tells you which option you picked from one product. That is about it.

To compare tunes, attach the label to the exact vehicle and controller, the ECU access path, fuel, supporting hardware, intended use, and the output or behavior the product actually states. Without those details, two matching stage numbers are just matching names.

Cedar does not use one universal parts list for every Stage 1 or Stage 2 tune. Engines, controllers, fuels, hardware, and flashing platforms change the job. Do not borrow a definition from another tuner, engine, or forum post and apply it to a Cedar product. Read the product in front of you.

The M340i page shows its standard options

The 2024 BMW M340i tune lists Stage 1 and Stage 2 as standard retail choices for that B58 G20 product. If the setup fits one of those choices, the buyer can start with that selection.

The same page has a separate Custom Flex/Dyno CedarTUNE row. That row routes the setup to review. Cedar confirms the ethanol content, downpipe, fuel system, and logs before quoting it. Those setups need more information than a standard stage selection provides.

Pricing also belongs to the product. An exact stage price only applies when the product page lists one. If the page carries a range instead, selecting Stage 2 does not turn either end of the range into a confirmed price.

Stage 1 and Stage 2 are standard only where the listing says they are. Fuel, hardware, or requested work outside that listing requires review.

Custom is the review lane

Custom does not mean maximum power. It means the setup sits outside the standard product and needs Cedar to review it before the work is accepted or quoted.

Ethanol, an upgraded turbo, supplemental fueling, a built engine, dyno-specific work, or another configuration outside the listed product can require that review. A car can also need review because the requested behavior does not match the standard choice. None of this makes “custom” a prestige tier.

Cedar's 2026 BMW M3 tune includes Stage 1, Stage 2, several Stage 3 ethanol choices, and a Stage 4 option. Those labels and targets belong to that S58 product. They do not define the stages on an M340i, an S55 car, or another platform.

The job is to match the tune to the car, not buy the largest number on the page.

An ECU unlock answers a different question

The calibration may require a separate ECU access step. An unlock changes the access available to a supported controller. It does not choose the tune, include a stage, or add power by itself.

Confirm the access path before assuming the chosen tune can be flashed through the intended platform. What Is an OBD Unlock Patch? explains where the access service ends and the calibration begins.

A flashing-platform license, an OTS map, a custom calibration, and an unlock can be separate products or services. Assume they are separate unless the live product explicitly combines them.

Send Cedar the setup, not somebody else's definition

Find the closest vehicle match in the Cedar catalog. Send Cedar the year and model, controller identification and current ECU access state when available, fuel, modifications or supporting hardware, and what you want the car to do.

If the live product offers Stage 1 or Stage 2 as a standard choice and the setup fits, select it. If the fuel, hardware, or goal falls outside the listing, request setup review. Do not force the car into a stage because the number sounds familiar.

Choose the closest product and submit the actual setup. Cedar will confirm the product selection or review path before the work begins.